"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.
Down to the earth I fell with dripping wings
Heavy things won't fly
And the sky might catch on fire
And burn the axis of the world
"What was going on out there?" Willow questioned when Buffy and Liam returned to the table following their dance and subsequent confrontation with their respective exes.
Buffy rolled her eyes as she sat down. She wasn't upset about the confrontation itself, but about Riley's bad timing. Just as Liam was about to kiss her for the second time he *had* to interrupt. And that pissed her off more than anything her ex-boyfriend had said.
Liam, on the other hand, didn't hide his anger nearly so well. "Riley and Cordelia can't seem to let go," he informed his younger sister. "I don't know how many different ways I have to tell her it's over between us."
"It's because you're such a hottie," Willow teased.
"Yeah," he scoffed. "I'm so hot that girls are regularly throwing their panties at me."
Oz raised his eyebrows in amusement at the comment. "You're turning into Tom Jones right before our very eyes."
"Or one of the Beatles," Buffy joked. "I'd have to say Paul, mostly because of the cuteness factor. He was the one all the girls wanted."
He smiled. 'Cuteness factor? That's a vast improvement.' "Well, getting back to the matter at hand, I get the feeling Cordy is turning into a stalker. And don't even get me started on Riley's problem. Buffy broke up with him months ago!"
"What did he have to say?" the redhead wanted to know.
"Riley was trying to cause trouble, which is *so* not like him. It's like he's done a complete one-eighty from the guy I dated," Buffy said. "I don't get it. He's making a big deal out of nothing."
Liam bit his lip. "He thinks I stole you from him."
"What?" she exclaimed incredulously. "Are you kidding me?"
"I wish I were, but I'm not. I've lost count of how many times he's tried to pick a fight with me over you."
The blonde shook her head in annoyance. "Why doesn't he get it? He and I are over; I broke up with him five months ago. Not to mention that you only broke up with Cordelia a few weeks ago. Something should tell him you didn't steal me away when you had a girlfriend at the time."
"Tell him that," Oz said.
"So, Liam, now do you wish you'd listened to me and Buffy when we warned you about going out with Cordelia?" Willow asked her brother.
"Yeah, I do. But there's nothing I can do about it now. You know what they say about hindsight." He stood up. "I'm gonna get something to drink. Buffy, do you want something?"
She thought for a moment. "Can you get me a Pepsi?"
"You got it. Willow? Oz?"
"I'll have the same," Willow told him.
Oz also stood up. "I'll go with you; help you carry the drinks back."
When their dates were out of earshot, Willow wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at her best friend. "I saw what was going on out there when Riley and Cordelia interrupted you two. My brother was leaning in for a kiss. Am I right?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe? Are you nuts?"
"Maybe what?" Xander asked, tossing his coat on the empty chair next to Willow's. Anya Emerson, his date, sat down next to Buffy without bothering with a greeting. "Is there a funny thing I'm missing?"
Willow smirked. "Buffy and my brother almost kissed. But Riley and Cordelia interrupted them."
Anya shook her head, totally uninterested in the conversation going on around her. "Give me a break. It's not like he won't try to kiss you again."
"I don't know. Maybe he won't."
"And chance are he will. Don't get your panties in a bunch over it. He's had the hots for you since day one."
"Excuse me?" Buffy demanded.
"Anya…" warned Xander. He was very well aware of the animosity that existed between his friend and his new girlfriend.
But she did not heed his warning. "I was there, Buffy, when he slammed into you his first day of school. For god's sake, it happened three feet from my locker. Liam took one look at you and every other girl at Sunnydale High disappeared. You were all he could see. Just ask Willow, she'll tell you. I'm sure he's told her all about it."
Buffy turned to her best friend. She couldn't believe what Anya was telling her. "Is she telling the truth, Will?"
The redhead couldn't lie, even if her brother would be angry with her. "Yes."
That's
why I prefer a sunless sky
To the glittering and stinging in my eyes
I
feel so light, this is all I want to feel tonight
I feel so light, tonight
and the rest of my life
After the Prom was over, Buffy, Liam, Willow and Oz decided to stop by the beach and watch the waves crash onshore for a while. The four of them figured a lot of other students would have the same idea, but were pleasantly surprised when they were the only ones there. Which worked out in their favor, given what Liam wanted to say to his date.
"Buffy, do you want to go for a walk?" he asked her once they'd been there for a good ten minutes.
She nodded. "Sure, I'd love to."
Leaving their shoes on the blanket where Willow and Oz remained, she took Liam's hand as he led her to the shoreline. They walked in silence for thirty seconds before either of them spoke, listening to the sound of the waves as they broke, the water splashing over their bare feet.
"It's beautiful out here at night," noted Buffy, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, it is." He glanced over at her, seeing her shiver in slightly in the moonlight. "Are you cold?"
Buffy nodded. "Just a little. I probably should have bought the matching jacket."
"You can wear mine." Liam removed the coat and draped it over her small frame. "Better?"
Her heart skipped a beat at his kind gesture. "Much. Thank you."
The two stopped and just watched the ocean. Liam inhaled the fresh sea air, summoning the courage to say what he'd wanted to say for so long. "There's something I need to tell you, Buffy."
"What is it?"
"I-I don't quite know how to say it, so bear with me while I try to find the right words." He sighed heavily. "I've practiced this in my mind a million times. I guess what I want to say is that I care about you. More than I've ever cared about anyone. The feelings I have for you go way beyond neighborly friendship."
"Okay…"
"And when I asked you to the Prom it wasn't because of convenience or because I felt sorry for you. I wanted to go with you. I wanted…" Liam struggled to find the right words to express what he was feeling.
Buffy noticed it. "You don't have to say it. I know what you mean. At least I think I do. And it's how I feel. Why do you think I broke up with Riley?"
"Huh?"
"You heard me. I broke up with Riley to be with you. And here we are five months later and you're finally figuring it out. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I couldn't. Like the day after we went back to school following Christmas, but then Cordelia came along and I never got the chance."
"Buffy," he began. But he never finished the rest of what he was going to say. Gently caressing her cheek, he leaned down and touched his lips to hers.
She moaned quietly and stood on her tiptoes as Liam massaged the back of her neck. It felt so good she never wanted it to stop. Her lips opened wider and she darted out her tongue, meeting his halfway. Her whole body was on fire, she'd never experienced that with a single kiss before in her life. But then again, she'd never been truly kissed by Liam before. At least not like that. His kiss worshipped her mouth.
"I want to be with you," Liam told her breathlessly when they finally broke apart.
"Me, too," she agreed. "Come on, let's go back before Willow and Oz think we fell off the face of the earth."
As they walked back, Liam clutched her hand in his. This time it meant something different. "When would you like to actually go out on a real date?"
She reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "How about tomorrow night? We could catch a movie at the Sun."
"Sounds like a date."
Gleaming
in the dark sea I'm as light as air
Floating there breathlessly
When the
dream dissolves I open up my eyes
I realize everything is shoreless sea
Mrs. Summers couldn't get to sleep. She'd laid in bed for an hour-and-a-half after she had decided to retire for the night. But sleep wouldn't take her; she couldn't sleep until her daughter was home. Mostly because she wanted to find out how the date went.
At midnight she heard the back door open. She nudged her husband, who had long since fallen asleep. "Hank," she whispered. "I think Buffy's home."
Mr. Summers rolled over and groaned. His wife had been tossing and turning ever since he'd climbed into bed. "Yes, Joyce, I heard her. You can finally go to sleep now."
She got out of bed, threw on her robe and headed downstairs. When she reached the kitchen she found her daughter gazing into the refrigerator. "I was wondering when you were going to get home," she greeted the teenager.
Buffy turned around. "Sorry. Did I wake you up?"
"No, I couldn't sleep. I wanted to find out how the Prom went. Are you going to give me the details?"
She had a dreamy smile on her face, which didn't go unnoticed by her mother. "I had a great time. We ate, we danced, we kissed, we walked on the beach. The end."
"Kissed?"
"Yes, kissed. And Liam asked me out to a movie tomorrow night. You don't mind if I go, do you?" she asked. "I kinda already said yes."
Mrs. Summers shook her head. "Not at all. Have a good time."
"Cool. I'm going to head upstairs and change before I go."
"Change? What for? Where are you going?"
"I'm spending the night at Willow's house. Remember? I told you and Dad before Liam and I left for the Prom," Buffy reminded her mother.
The older woman shook her head absently. "I guess I must have forgotten. I've been doing that a lot lately."
"Is everything okay?" the teenager questioned, very concerned about her mother's health.
"Everything is fine, sweetie. I went to the doctor's office last month and he gave me a clean bill of health. Nothing to worry about."
"I'd feel better if you went again," she said. "Especially if you're starting to forget things. Just to be safe."
"I'll make an appointment first thing on Monday morning. Better?"
Buffy grinned, giving her mother a kiss on the cheek. "Much. See you in the morning."
Mrs. Summers returned to bed five minutes later, taking time to drink a glass of ice water. "Buffy's home."
"I figured as much," Mr. Summers mumbled sleepily. "Now you can sleep peacefully. And so can I."
"Yeah." She paused. "Hank, did you know she's spending the night at Willow's?"
"She told us right before she and Liam left. Why?" he wanted to know.
She shook her head. "No reason."
A weightlessness
is passing over me
I feel so light
This is all I want to feel tonight
I feel so light, tonight and the rest of my life
"You're holding out on me, Buffy," Willow stated as the two girls crawled under the blankets of the sofa bed in the living room. They were settling down to watch a movie.
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't even play dumb. You know exactly what I'm talking about. I know you're not telling me everything about what happened on the beach tonight with my brother."
Buffy laughed innocently. "A girl is entitled to her privacy, you know."
"That's not fair!" the redhead exclaimed. "I tell you everything that happens when I go out with Oz."
"Yeah, I know. A little more than I want to know, to tell you the truth. There is such a thing as oversharing, Will."
"Oh, come on. We're best friends, that's what we do. Just tell me something before I die from not knowing. Please," she begged.
She shook her head and laughed again. Willow wasn't going to give up, she knew that for a fact. "All right. I won't say *too* much since he's your big brother and all and that might gross you out. We talked while we were walking on the beach. And he offered me his jacket when he saw that I was cold."
Willow grabbed a handful of popcorn and put it in her mouth. "Aww. That sounds so like him."
"Then he kissed me. A real kiss this time."
"Then what?"
The blonde bit her lip and decided to tease and torment her best friend. "A good girl doesn't kiss and tell."
"What?!"
"You heard me."
"Buffy! You have to tell me right now. I don't give a damn if Liam is my brother, I need to know. It'll eat me up inside."
It was just the reaction Buffy had hoped for. Now came the fun part. "We kissed. One thing led to another and he took me right there on the beach. There's sand in places that haven't seen sunlight."
"No way!"
"Way."
She shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe it. You and Liam…"
Buffy had to 'fess up before Willow said something that might get her and Liam into trouble. Her best friend wasn't notoriously known for being able to keep secrets. "I'm only kidding. We just kissed."
"I know. My brother's not the type of guy to sleep with a girl on the first date," Willow stated.
"Yeah, tell me about it. He beats those guys to a bloody pulp in the hallways at school."
"So that's it? He just kissed you?"
Buffy nodded. "That's it. But it was a nice kiss, don't get me wrong. And then he asked me out on a real date tomorrow night." She glanced at the clock on the VCR, taking note of the time. "Well, tonight considering what time it is."
The two quieted down and Willow put the movie in the DVD player. As it was starting, Liam came downstairs and saw them staring at the television. "What are you guys watching?" he asked them.
"A movie."
"Funny, Wills. What movie?"
"'Someone Like You'," his sister responded.
He knit his eyebrows together. "Never heard of it. What's it about?"
"Ashley Judd has an affair with Greg Kinnear, gets dumped by him, moves in with Hugh Jackman and turns into a man-hating relationship guru," Buffy summarized for him.
"Oh. In other words, a chick flick."
"Pretty much. Wanna watch it with us?"
"Gee, as tempting as that offer is, I'm gonna have to say no. If I want to see a good Hugh Jackman movie, I'll watch X-Men," Liam informed them.
Willow shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Buffy laughed. "Don't worry, Will. I'm dragging him to a chick flick for our date tomorrow night."
"Terrific," he mumbled as he walked into the kitchen for a can of soda.
I feel so light
This is all I want to feel tonight
I feel so light, tonight
and the rest of my life
Following a dreamless sleep, Buffy woke up at quarter after nine the next morning. It was Saturday morning, which meant her date with Liam was less than twelve hours away. She couldn't wait to get through the afternoon so that she could start getting ready. Unable to sleep any longer, the blonde silently got out of the sofa bed, careful not to wake her best friend.
When she entered the kitchen she saw Mr. Rosenberg sitting at the table reading the morning paper. "Good morning, Mr. Rosenberg," she greeted.
He looked up and smiled. "Buffy. I'm surprised to find you awake so early. You and Willow stayed up pretty late last night. So did Liam."
"He wasn't with us," Buffy said, worried he thought they'd spent the night together.
"I know. I could hear the TV going in his bedroom. Tell me, did you enjoy the Prom last night?" he wanted to know.
Buffy nodded. "Very much so. I'm glad Liam asked me to go with him."
"As if there had been any doubt."
"I've been hearing that from everyone lately. It seems like I'm the last one to know."
Mr. Rosenberg stood up and walked over to the refrigerator. "What can I get you for breakfast? Pancakes? Eggs? French toast?"
She weighed her options. Willow's father was a terrific cook. "They all sound so tempting. French toast sounds the most appetizing, though. Thank you."
"You got it. Would you mind waking up Willow and Liam? By the time they get down here it should be ready."
"No problem."
Exiting the kitchen, she decided to wake Willow up first, knowing how long it took the redhead to get up in the morning. When she reached the couch, Buffy tapped her best friend on the forehead. After thirty seconds of tapping she opened her eyes.
"What?" she mumbled.
"Time to rise and shine," Buffy said.
"Ugh," Willow groaned. "It's too early to get up on a Saturday."
Buffy laughed. "Sorry, Will. Your father is making breakfast and he wanted me to wake you up, and Liam, too. So get up because I'm hungry."
"Yeah yeah." Yawning, the tired girl stretched her limbs.
Shaking her head, Buffy headed up the stairs so that she could wake Liam. His bedroom door was closed, not surprisingly. She knocked on it and was shocked when Liam told her to come in. She figured he'd still be sleeping.
"Your dad wanted me to wake–" She stopped mid-sentence when she saw him standing in the middle of the room, clad in a pair of tight black boxer shorts. It wasn't as if she'd never seen a man in that few clothes before; it was that she'd never seen *him* in so little since they were children. And Liam had definitely grown up since then.
He blinked at her abrupt silence. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, fine. I just wasn't expecting you to be so...naked."
Liam smirked. It was refreshing to see the usually unflappable Buffy so flustered. "You caught me in my pajamas. Truthfully, I thought you were Willow. If I'd known it was you at the door I would have put some clothes on." 'God, this is embarrassing.'
"That would have been appreciated. Anyway, your dad is making breakfast for us. Hurry up," she informed him.
He smiled at her. "I'll be down in a couple minutes." She nodded and turned to leave, and he called out to her again. "Are we still on for tonight?" "Definitely."
Tonight and the rest of my life
This is all I want
to feel tonight
I feel so light
Tonight and the rest of my life
As they walked out of the movie theater, Liam debated whether or not to put his arm around Buffy's shoulder. Given what they'd just sat through, he wasn't sure if it was such a good idea. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand, wishing he hadn't chosen to wear jeans and a heavy sweater. Man, was he ever hot, and it had nothing to do with the temperature outside.
"Um..." Buffy started. "Interesting choice you made."
"Yeah," he agreed. "Next time I take you to the movies, I won't wait until the last minute to buy the tickets. In fact, I think I'll get them a week in advance."
"It wasn't *that* bad."
Liam gazed at her in astonishment. "Buffy, it was practically porn. Not my idea of a great first date flick. It sounded artsy and foreign."
"It was foreign. There were subtitles."
"You didn't need them. Some things are universal."
She laughed at him. He was obviously embarrassed by the movie they had just sat through. "Okay, Mr. Expert," she teased, a thinly-veiled poke at his sexual inexperience.
"It's not funny!" he snapped. When he realized what he'd done, Liam immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry, Buffy. I didn't mean to snap on you like that. I just wanted tonight to be perfect."
In hopes of reassuring her date, Buffy took his hand. "It was perfect. Regardless of the rather tasteless movie we went to see, it was a fun date. It'll be hard to top, that's for sure."
"You're not mad?" he questioned.
"No. I had a great time. Although I don't know about you, but I could definitely go for a cold shower."
He nodded in agreement. "Oh yeah. Would you take it the wrong way if I kissed you right now?"
The question surprised her, but in a good way. It was the last thing she expected him to ask. Not that she had any objections to it. "I'd take it the wrong way if you didn't."
With her verbal permission, he brushed his fingertips along her cheek, reveling in the softness of her satin skin. A part of him still refused to believe this was actually happening. It wasn't the first kiss they'd shared, and if he had anything to say in the matter, it certainly wouldn't be their last. If there was one thing he wanted to do, it was make each kiss uniquely different. And for this one, he simply closed his eyes and brought his lips to hers and kissed her. No frills, just a chaste kiss on the lips.
Buffy had been expecting something more passionate, so she was taken aback by it. Staring into Liam's soulful brown eyes, she needed to know what was going on between them. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure." But he knew what she planned on asking before she asked it.
"What's going on here? Between us, I mean."
"What do you want to be going on between us?"
She sighed. "I think you know what I want. It's why I broke up with Riley. And Prom was great fun and so was tonight. But if you're only here for fun, or to be a sympathy date because you feel bad for me, then tell me right now."
"It's not about sympathy or guilt," Liam explained. "I don't know what on earth gave you that idea. Truth is, I'm attracted to you. I want to get to know you better; get to really know the girl I've known for most of my life. I thought I explained that to you last night when I said I wanted to be with you. Only you. That is, if you'll let me."
"You really mean it?"
"I want to see more of you. Outside of home and school and our friends, on a more continuous basis. Are you okay with that?"
Buffy nodded her head. If only Liam knew just how okay it was with her. "It's exactly what I was hoping you'd say."
It's amazing how you can
speak right to my heart
Without saying a word you can light up the dark
Mrs. Summers gulped hard when the doctor entered the examining room. It was Thursday morning and she had made an appointment to see him Monday, just like she had promised Buffy. Her forgetfulness in recent weeks frightened her. And her family.
"Hi, Joyce. How are you doing?" Dr. Henderson asked her.
"I was hoping you could tell me."
The doctor smiled, glancing down at Mrs. Summers' chart. "Well, I've gone over the tests you took on Monday and nothing appears to be out of the ordinary."
"Then why do I keep forgetting things? My daughter told me she planned on staying at a friend's house and twenty minutes later I completely forgot she even mentioned it," she explained. "It doesn't make any sense to me."
"It's common to forget things, Joyce. Everybody does it."
"If only it were that simple. Not everybody just had surgery to remove a brain tumor. I forget things not five minutes after the fact. I'm scared the tumor is coming back. So is my daughter."
He nodded his head. "You have every reason to be concerned, but I assure you everything is fine. Just because you forget something doesn't automatically mean you're having a relapse. Your tests have come back negative, Joyce. The tumor isn't growing back. I can safely say you are as healthy as a horse."
"Are you sure?" she questioned.
"One hundred percent positive."
Try
is a word I could never explain
But I hear you when you don't say a thing
Buffy struggled with her Math homework. She hated quadratic equations; she had absolutely no use for them. It wasn't as if she'd ever need them in real life anyway. More than once in the past hour had she been tempted to pick up the telephone and beg Willow for help. But she knew she had to muddle through it by herself. Willow, Liam, Oz and Xander were all at the Bronze.
As if sensing she needed a distraction, the cordless phone on her desk began to ring. 'Thank god,' she said to herself. But when the blonde reached over to pick up the receiver, it stopped. 'Just my luck.'
"Buffy!" Mr. Summers called from downstairs. "Telephone!"
"Who is it?"
"I didn't ask. It's a guy, I know that!" he responded.
'Must be Liam, finding out if I finished my homework so I can party with them. I *really* hate Math!' She picked up the phone. "I got it, Dad," she said into the receiver. When she heard him put the phone down, she giggled. "Let me guess. You couldn't go two hours without hearing my voice."
"Something like that," the male voice on the other end of the line replied.
The voice definitely didn't belong to Liam. It was Riley. "Riley. Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I thought you were–"
"Liam. Yeah, I figured as much. Sorry to disappoint you."
"It's not a disappointment. It's...it's nice to hear from you." Buffy had no idea what to say to her ex-boyfriend. Their last conversation was tension-filled to say the least.
"But I'm the last person you expected. Right?" he asked.
She swallowed the lump in her throat. She hoped this wasn't the beginning of another argument like the one at the Prom. "Truthfully, yes. Not to sound rude or anything, but what do you want?"
"I wanted to apologize to you."
Buffy was taken aback. "Apologize?"
"Yeah. I've been meaning to talk to you all week, but every time I see you, you're flanked by Liam or one of your friends. And I didn't want an audience. Prom night I acted like a real ass."
"No argument here," she agreed.
Her words cut like a knife. Riley knew Buffy would never understand how much she meant to him. "I didn't mean to start a fight with Liam. I guess I didn't want to admit how much our breakup hurt me."
"It was nearly six months ago, Riley. You need to move on."
"I know that. Losing you to someone I once considered my best friend killed me. I tried for a long time to get you to notice me, Buffy. He never even had to try. Liam had you at hello."
"No he didn't."
Riley scoffed. "I was there. Maybe you didn't see it, but I did. At that moment I hated him."
His confession was eye opening, but she didn't understand why he was telling her now. "This is all well and good, Riley, but why are you telling me all this now?"
"I wanted you to know that I didn't mean to ruin your date with Liam. Seeing you in his arms, ready to kiss him, caused something inside of me to snap," Riley explained.
"You didn't deserve that."
"Thank you for admitting that to me, it was very big of you. And you didn't ruin my date," she informed him. In the privacy of his bedroom, he nodded. "I'm glad. I'm sorry, Buffy, I really am. It was selfish and completely out of line. Please tell Liam I said so."
"You can tell him yourself. It'll mean more to him if he hears it coming from you rather than from me."
"I know I have no right to ask, but I have to know. Are you and Liam going out now?" he wanted to know.
"We're in the beginning stages of seeing one another. So to answer your question, I guess that would be a yes," she answered.
"You're in love with him," whispered Riley, spitefully. Realizing how angry it must have come out, he instantly regretted it. "Sorry."
Buffy bit her lip. His statement caught her off-guard, but she couldn't very well deny it. What Riley had said was the truth. "Don't be sorry. You're right. I'm in love with him. Or maybe I'm falling in love with him again. I am not sure which."
"The moment he set foot in Sunnydale, I never stood a chance."
"Our breakup had nothing to do with you or my feelings for you. I cared about you; I still do and I always will. I've just always had these feelings for Liam. This is my time to act on them. I wish things could have been different between you and me."
Riley understood where Buffy was coming from. He'd felt the same way about her. "Maybe someday they will."
She frowned. "Maybe, but I don't think so. You are a great guy, Riley. Someday you'll meet the girl of your dreams. I'm sorry I couldn't be her," Buffy apologized. And she meant every word of it.
"I'm sorry, too."
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your
eyes saying you'll never leave me
There was never a mention made of Riley's apology. Buffy didn't want to upset Liam by bringing it up; it would only cause friction between them, and quite possibly another confrontation between him and Riley. And she didn't have the energy to deal with either outcome. So she kept it to herself.
Things seemed to be going well until graduation. Riley never brought up their conversation to his former friend, but decided he couldn't keep it in any longer. While the senior class congregated in the gymnasium prior to the graduation ceremony, he approached Liam.
"Do you have a minute, Liam?" Riley questioned, interrupting a conversation between the dark-haired young man and Oz.
Liam lifted his eyebrows in surprise. He and Riley hadn't shared a civil word to one another since he returned to town. "Barely. Is it important?"
"I would like to talk to you about something."
"Fine. But make it quick, I have to be on stage with the rest of the National Honor Society in a few minutes," Liam informed him.
"Me, too, so I promise it won't take too long." He waited until Oz left their sides before beginning. "I spoke to Buffy a few weeks ago about my behavior at the Prom."
It was the first thing brunette had heard of it. "Really? Buffy never mentioned it to me."
"Not surprising. I apologized to her for being such an ass. I had asked her to give you my apology but she refused; she told me to tell you myself. Which is what I'm doing right now. Liam, I'm sorry."
He stood expressionless, his arms folded across his chest. "Is that it? You hurl accusations my way and humiliate me in front of a girl I care very deeply about, and all I get is an 'I'm sorry'?"
"Look, all I can tell you is what I told Buffy. I was jealous, hurt and angry. Now I'm over it. Mostly," Riley explained. He knew it was going to be a long road to forgiveness with Liam O'Neal.
"Mostly, huh? That's very comforting. How do I know it won't happen again?"
"You have my word. Buffy doesn't want me, I see that now. I couldn't before. Who did she turn to when her mom got sick? You. Who defended her honor and beat the crap out of Parker Abrams? You. Who has she loved since she was three years old? You. I had a snowball's chance in hell of winning her heart once you were back in the picture. It's always been you. It'll always be you."
Liam was unimpressed. "That's quite a turnaround you've done, Riley. It's definitely a far cry from your attitude a month ago. I guess I just don't believe it."
"I'm being sincere."
"Six months ago...hell, two months ago you were accusing me of moving to Sunnydale so I could steal Buffy from you. You made it sound like I had an agenda."
"At the time that's what I thought," Riley admitted. "I was wrong."
Liam smirked. "You better believe you were wrong. It occurs to me you were never informed of the real reason I came back. But I'll gladly tell you. My best friend died right before school started. I couldn't drive anywhere in L.A. without seeing something or passing by a place that reminded me of her. So I decided I had to get out of there. As you can probably imagine, landing Buffy Summers was the last thing on my mind."
Riley didn't know what to say. Nobody told him what had happened to Liam to make him want to return to Sunnydale. "I didn't know."
"Well, I don't like to spread it around. Look, I'll accept your apology, but that's it. You and I are not friends. Maybe we could have been before, but not anymore. You ruined any chance of that ever happening."
"Just treat her well, Liam. That's the only thing I want from you."
"Then that I can do."
The touch of your hand says
you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all
Following the ceremony, Liam searched for his family in the crowded courtyard of Sunnydale High. It took several minutes of looking before he found them standing off to the side, talking to Mr. and Mrs. Osborne, Oz's parents. It brought a smile to his face when he spied his father and Buffy carrying on a conversation of their own.
He made his way over, stopping a few times along the way to say hello to some of his friends. As soon as his mother saw him, she ran up to him and gave him a congratulatory hug.
"I'm so proud of you, Liam," Mrs. Rosenberg stated. "My little boy graduated from high school. I can't believe it."
"Me neither. What did you think of the ceremony?" he wanted to know.
"It was longer than mine and your father's, I can say that. And much more interesting. Mayor Wilkins gave one heck of a speech."
Mr. O'Neal came up behind his ex-wife. "That he did. Liam, congratulations."
"Thanks, Dad."
Once Mrs. Rosenberg left to find Willow, Liam's father looked to the heavens. "She's watching you."
He knew exactly who his father was talking about. "Yeah, I know. She's probably up there laughing her ass off at me in this dumb flat hat."
"Knowing Paige, she probably is."
Liam laughed. He could picture it in his mind. But thinking about his best friend not being there to share the happy moment with him made him sad. So he chose to change the subject. "What were you and Buffy talking about?"
"Her parents. And you, of course. I understand the two of you are becoming quite close," Mr. O'Neal stated.
"Meaning...?"
"You've gone out on a few dates, not to mention you took her to the Prom. How serious is it getting between you two?"
The teenager smiled. "Serious enough to be taking her to the Rosenberg family reunion Fourth of July weekend," he told his father. "Willow's bringing Oz, so I asked Buffy."
"Your mother and Ira are actually allowing this?" he asked incredulously. "I'm shocked."
It was no secret that Patrick O'Neal and Ira Rosenberg didn't get along. The two had been friends since their early days teaching at UC Sunnydale, but when Ira starting having an affair with Sheila O'Neal, it caused an abrupt end to the friendship, as well as the marriage between the O'Neals. Since then, they avoided each other like the plague.
"Dad, it's not like we're going to do anything stupid. Give us some credit for brains," Liam admonished.
"I wasn't implying anything of the sort. I'm just surprised, that's all." He sighed. "Exactly how serious *are* things getting?"
Liam glanced at Buffy out of the corner of his eye. He still couldn't believe she was his. "It's getting serious. I never felt like this before. It must be love."
"And how does she feel?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I don't want to put any pressure on her; Buffy's been burned in the past by guys. She and I will be taking things nice and slow."
"How do you feel about that?" Mr. O'Neal had the sneaking suspicion his son was ready for more.
"I'm fine with it. For now."
All day long I can hear people talking about
But when you hold me near you
drown out the crowd
Liam held Buffy close to him while they slow danced at the Bronze later that evening. The club was closed to the public for the night, open only for the graduating seniors and their dates. And even then, the club was still crowded.
"I had a rather interesting conversation before graduation today," he informed her. "Thought you might want to hear about it."
"Hmm?"
"Riley made it a point to come up to me before the ceremony and talk to me about his feelings. I guess he's not too keen on us dating. But then again, you and I already knew that."
Buffy closed her eyes in preparation for the argument about to ensue.
'Here it comes.' "Yeah, we did."
"He mentioned you two spoke a few weeks ago."
"That's true."
He placed his hand under her chin and lifted it from his shoulder, looking her directly in the eye. "Why didn't you tell me, Buffy?"
She shrugged her shoulders uncertainly. "I didn't want to start an argument between you two, or between us. The only reason Riley called me was to apologize for acting like a prick after we broke up. He said he was going to apologize to you, but I did not know when he'd do it, so I wasn't going to mention it. I was afraid you'd be mad."
"You didn't have to hide it from me. I hope you know you can tell me anything," he said to his girlfriend. "I thought we established that when you mom was sick last year."
"I know," Buffy replied with a nod of her head. "Did he at least apologize like he told me he was going to?"
"Yes. Blew me away."
"Not surprising. What did you say to him? Tell me you didn't give him a hard time."
Liam smiled down at her, losing himself in her green eyes. Words couldn't express the love he felt for the sixteen-year-old blonde in his arms. "It was civilized; no punches thrown. And Riley sounded very sincere. Basically, I accepted his apology but made a point of telling him we'd never be friends again."
"Liam..."
"Well, what was I supposed to say? I can't be friends with someone if I always have to wonder if he or she has a hidden agenda. Sorry, but I just don't trust him."
She shook her head. "It wouldn't kill you to be friendly. When you see him, say hi or something."
"He'd be lucky if I even look in his direction."
"That's real mature. You two are like little old ladies," she stated.
He knew they were going to end up fighting. It was the last thing he wanted to do, especially in the middle of the dance floor in front of a hundred people. "What do you say we drop this conversation and finish dancing. No more talk of Riley Finn."
"Works for me."
Old Mr. Webster could never
define
What's being said between your heart and mine
"Aren't your parents home?" Liam asked Buffy as they entered the darkened living room of the Summers' home.
"Nope. They went to dinner and a movie," she told him. "I'm willing to bet they won't be home much before ten-thirty."
He nodded his head and smiled. Alone time with Buffy. It was the best graduation present he'd received so far. "Did you plan this?"
Buffy turned around, flashing him her most innocent facial expression.
"Me? Why would I do that?"
"I don't know. You tell me."
All she could do was laugh at him. "Do you want something to drink? I think we have Pepsi and Seven-Up."
"Seven-Up, if you don't mind."
"Coming right up."
Buffy waltzed into the kitchen as if on air. Their arrival at her house had been meticulously planned out. Her parents went to see a movie that didn't start until eight forty-five, which gave her and Liam plenty of time to "bond." She poured them each a glass of Seven-Up and headed back into the living room.
She found Liam seated comfortably on the living room couch. After handing him his glass, she took a seat next to him. Then an awkward silence filled the air for several moments, neither of them sure how to fill it.
"The, um, graduation festivities were nice. The committee really outdid themselves this year," Buffy commented.
"They sure did. Well, not that I have anything to compare it to," he said.
"I went to last year's ceremony. This one was better." She took a sip of her soda. The wait was driving her up a wall. "Do you want to make out already? 'Cause I'm getting kinda antsy."
"Yep. Let's cut the small talk," he agreed.
She put her drink on the coffee table next to Liam's and practically attacked him. It was the first time they'd really been alone, and she fully intended on utilizing every moment. His hands were on either side of her waist, his tongue proving the inside of her mouth. Buffy grabbed clumps of his spiky brown hair in her hands, holding his head in place.
Their kisses were punishing, almost as if they wouldn't get enough of one another, or were too afraid to stop. Their tongues dueled for dominance, their hands began to wander, and Liam gently pushed her back to the couch. She held him tight while he used his elbows to support his body weight. He didn't want to crush her small frame with his large one.
"Mmm..." Buffy moaned as his right hand slipped under her silk shirt. He caressed the smooth skin, causing it to break out in gooseflesh.
Slowly he inched his hand upwards, taking his mouth downwards at the same time. Liam suckled on the sensitive area under her ear, causing his girlfriend to moan once again. It was a sound he found himself enjoying. Beneath him, Buffy's breathing was coming in short pants. A part of him felt proud; no girl had ever had such a reaction to his kisses.
Deciding to take things a step further, he maneuvered his fingers inside the confines of her bra, brushing against her breast. When Buffy didn't tell him to stop, Liam dipped them even more, cupping the breast and kneading it with his hand. Just touching and kissing her was beginning to get him worked up in ways he'd never experienced.
"Oh god," Buffy whispered at his ministrations. She'd been felt up by boyfriends before, but it never felt so good as when Liam did it, almost like a dream come true. Waves of pleasure flowed through her body, and all she could do was hold on to him. Her hands clutched at his hips, but eventually found their way inside his shirt, her long fingernails scraping his warm skin.
Things were spiraling out of control, not that either one of them cared enough to stop. Liam moved his lips even lower, kissing along Buffy's collarbone to the hollow of her throat. Freeing his right hand from the inside of her bra, he brought it to the buttons of her blouse and undid three of them. He kissed a trail down to the valley between her breasts, licking and sucking, as he felt her hips bucking upward slightly for even more contact between their bodies.
Then the front door opened, surprising the couple. They bolted up and straightened out their clothes and hair so her parents wouldn't suspect anything had been going on. Buffy had just finished buttoning the top button on her blouse when her parents entered the living room.
"You guys are home early," she nonchalantly noted. 'Damn you!'
"We decided to skip the movie," Mr. Summers responded. "Your mother isn't feeling too well."
Buffy's heart pounded nervously. "Are you okay, Mom?"
"I'm fine. I probably ate my dinner too fast. Nothing to be concerned about." She gazed at the couple, who seemed to be wearing guilty expressions on their faces. "Did we interrupt something?"
Liam shook his head. "We just got here a few minutes ago. Buffy and I were trying to decide what movie to watch."
"Sorry to interrupt you guys, then. Your father and I are going to go upstairs. Liam, we'd appreciate it if you left at midnight," Mrs. Summers said.
"No problem. Hope you're feeling better, Mrs. Summers," he replied.
Mrs. Summers waited until she and her husband were in the privacy of their bedroom before commenting on the couple downstairs. "Hank, did you believe them?"
He shook his head. "Not a word. You?"
"Me neither. It's a good thing we skipped the movie."
"You got that right."
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me
"Wow," Liam noted when he laid his eyes on his baby sister for the first time since she'd been born. "She's so little."
Amelia O'Neal smiled and nodded. It was the first civilized thing Liam had said to her in the past eighteen months. She and her eighteen-year-old stepson had had their fair share of differences since she married his father. "She certainly is. Would you like to hold her?"
He widened his eyes at the suggestion. It was something he'd never even given thought to. "I-I don't want to hurt her."
She picked up her two week-old daughter. "Trust me, Liam. You're not going to hurt her. Just remember to support her head at all times."
"Okay," he agreed, taking his half-sister in his arms. Liam couldn't believe how fragile and tiny she was. It had been sixteen years since he'd held a newborn baby, and even then he was too young to really remember it.
"You're a natural," Amelia commented. "You have a way with babies. You'll be a good father, I can see it already. Amanda doesn't take kindly to strangers."
The teenager glanced up, then back down to look at the baby. "I'm not a stranger, I'm your brother," he said to Amanda. "Are you and Dad gonna cal her Amanda all the time, or do you you plan on calling her Manda or Mandy?"
"We haven't thought that far ahead yet. Why? What do you think we should call her?"
"Amanda. No nickname."
"Works for me. I could never imagine calling her Mandy anyway. Always makes me think of that dreadful Manilow song," Amelia said.
Liam thought about what his stepmother said. "Now that I think about it, you have a valid point there. Amanda it is."
The thirty-year-old woman watched carefully as Liam shifted the baby in his arms. Even though she completely trusted him with Amanda, she couldn't help but be nervous. "Your father says you've been seeing someone in Sunnydale."
"He says right."
"So spill already! I want the details."
He shrugged his shoulders. "There's not much to tell, Amelia. Her name is Buffy, she and Willow are best friends, and she lives next door; we've known each other forever. And we've been going out for about a month now."
"Is she the same girl you were hung up on around Christmastime?"
"One in the same."
"How's it going?" She noticed the gleam in his eyes. His father sported the same gleam quite often. She'd recognize it anywhere.
"It's going. She makes me happy."
"Good for you. You needed someone to take your mind off Paige and everything that happened after she died last year. It was a rough time for you," she recalled.
Amelia had a point. He hated it when she had a point. "Yeah, it was. I got into a lot of trouble, did a lot of stupid things. But I'm perfectly happy now. In some weird, twisted way, Paige's death was a good thing for me. It helped me fall in love with Buffy all over again." He paused.
"Does that make me an awful person?"
"Not at all. It makes you human."
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall You say it best when you say nothing at all
"Mom, have you seen my bathing suit?" Buffy asked her mother a week later. She was packing for the family reunion she was attending with the Rosenbergs.
Mrs. Summers dried her hands on the dish towel hanging from the refrigerator. "No, I'm sorry, honey."
"Oh, okay." She grabbed a glass from the cupboard and poured herself a glass of ice water.
"How's the packing coming along?" her mother wanted to know.
"All right I guess. Almost done, actually. Just need to find my bathing suit and some sunscreen and I should be good to go."
Her mother nodded. "What time do you have to be at the Rosenbergs' house?"
"We're leaving at eight tomorrow morning," Buffy informed her. "Far too early, if you ask me. But I'll probably sleep most of the way there."
'Falling asleep on Liam's shoulder. Now there's something I could definitely get used to.'
"I think we need to have a talk about this weekend, Buffy. Please sit down."
Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Buffy reluctantly followed her mother to the kitchen table. "Am I about to get lectured?"
"Just a mother-daughter talk, that's all. Things between you and Liam are getting pretty serious. Your father and I picked up on that the night of Liam's graduation when we caught you two in the living room. And don't deny that anything was going on," Mrs. Summers stated.
Buffy nodded her head slowly. They were busted. "It is getting serious."
"And while you know I completely trust the two of you to make the right decision, I want you to be careful this weekend."
The blonde's jaw dropped from the shock of her mother's words. "Be careful? You're giving me a safe sex talk, aren't you?" she accused.
"I was once a teenager, too."
"I can't believe this."
"Buffy, it's only because I love you that I'm saying this."
She simply couldn't comprehend why her mother was having this conversation with her. They'd already had it years earlier. "Okay, let's get some things straight, Mom. First of all, it's a little late for the precautions of sex talk. About a year-and-a-half too late. Second of all, Liam and I have only been dating for a month. I'm not going to sleep with him after that short a period of time." Off her mother's accusatory expression, Buffy realized what she'd just said. "Parker Abrams not withstanding. Thirdly and lastly, I'm not stupid enough to do it when his mother and stepfather are in the next room."
"Just promise me you'll be careful."
Buffy groaned. "Mom!"
But Mrs. Summers was adamant. She wasn't about to let her daughter leave the room until she got the answer she wanted. "Buffy, promise me or you're not going anywhere this weekend."
"I promise. Nothing was going to happen this weekend anyway."
"Good. I can sleep easier knowing that."