"Anyone But You"
Notes: Lyrics are "Amazed" by Lonestar, "I Will
Remember You" by Sarah McLachlan, "Say Goodnight, Not Goodbye" by Beth
Nielson Chapman and "This Is the Night" by Clay Aiken.
Additional Notes: // \\ denotes flashback.
I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
"Do you mind if we stop someplace before we go to the mall?" Liam asked his girlfriend two days after they arrived in Los Angeles. They were driving down the road in the direction of the closest mall.
Buffy shook her head. "No, I don't mind at all. Where do you want to stop?"
"The Burkhardt's house," he informed her. "I haven't seen them since I visited in December. Is that okay? If you're uncomfortable with it I can go by myself some other time before we leave."
"It's fine with me. They're like family to you. I can't wait to meet them."
"That they are. They only live a couple blocks away. I just want to stop in and say hello. We won't be long, I promise."
"Don't worry about it, Liam. Take your time."
A minute later the couple was walking up the sidewalk leading to the front door. With a deep breath and slightly shaking fingers, Liam pressed the doorbell. Not ten seconds later the door opened, revealing a tiny redheaded girl not much older than twelve.
"Liam!" she screeched, launching herself into his arms.
Buffy couldn't keep herself from smiling at the sight. It was akin to being witness to a brother and sister reuniting after years apart.
"Hey, Ash. How're you doing, squirt?"
"I'm good. Why are you here?" she wanted to know.
"I'm visiting my dad for a couple days," he answered. "I needed to see my new little sister before I go off to college. Have you seen Amanda yet?"
Ashley Burkhardt nodded her head. "She's cute, I saw her a couple days ago. Your dad even said I could baby sit her when she's a little older." She looked to Liam's right, seeing the blonde standing next to him. "Is she your girlfriend?"
"Yep. Her name is Buffy."
She made a face. "What kind of name is Buffy?"
"It wasn't my first choice either," Buffy responded. "What's your name?"
"Ashley." She grabbed Liam's hand and dragged him inside the house. "Mom! Liam and his girlfriend are here!" Ashley announced.
Mrs. Burkhardt walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. Upon seeing her late daughter's best friend, she burst into a happy grin. "Liam O'Neal, is that really you?"
"It's me." They all had a seat on the couch. "Mrs. B, I'd like you to meet Buffy Summers. She's my girlfriend."
"Ah, yes. Your father mentioned you were bringing your girlfriend when you came to visit." She looked over the blonde girl who'd accompanied Liam. Buffy couldn't have been more different from Paige in looks. And she definitely looked younger. "It is very nice to meet you, Buffy."
Buffy smiled. "Thank you. Same to you, Mrs. Burkhardt."
"Mom, can I show Buffy my bedroom?" Ashley questioned her mother.
"As long as Buffy wants to see it, it's fine with me."
Ashley turned to Buffy, a hopeful look on her face. "Buffy? Do you want to see my bedroom?"
"Sure, I'd love to."
She followed Ashley down the hall to her bedroom, passing by a closed door labeled PAIGE'S ROOM. Buffy was willing to bet a month's allowance the room itself hadn't been changed since the teenager passed away a year earlier. When they entered Ashley's room, the girl pulled a picture off her bookshelf.
"This is me and Paige," Ashley told her, handing Buffy the picture. It had been taken a few weeks prior to her sister's death and it was the twelve-year-old's favorite picture of them. "Wasn't she pretty?"
"She was," Buffy answered truthfully. She couldn't understand why Liam chose her over someone as beautiful as Paige had been. "Very pretty." Pulling the locket Liam gave her out from under her blouse, she began to nervously play with it.
It didn't go unnoticed by Ashley, who recognized the necklace as her sister's. "That's Paige's necklace."
Buffy glanced down at it, completely forgetting that it had belonged to her. "Yeah, it is. Liam gave it to me."
"Why?"
"Because Paige wanted him to; because he loves me. And because I love him just as much."
"Aren't you too young to be in love with Liam? You're too young for him. He and Paige were the same age. And you're not."
It was an argument Buffy hadn't been expecting to have with the girl. "No, Ashley, I'm not their age, I'm only sixteen. But I've loved Liam since I was a little kid. For a very, very long time."
"Paige loved him, too," Ashley said, a hint of sadness in her voice.
"I know she did."
"Are you going to make Liam forget about her?"
She shook her head, her heart going out to the younger girl. "He'll never forget your sister. Liam loved Paige, too. It was just a different kind of love than he has for me."
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
"She seems like a nice girl," Mrs. Burkhardt noted when Ashley and Buffy left the room. "And from the look in your eyes, you're completely smitten."
Liam smiled shyly. "Completely. I-I gave her Paige's necklace. You know, the locket I bought her for her sixteenth birthday."
The older woman raised her eyebrows. She recalled Paige telling her that she wanted Liam to have the necklace to give to someone he loved. "I guess your feelings for her go beyond those of smitten. You love her."
"I do. I have forever."
"Are you happy?"
"Very. Buffy...she's been going through some difficult stuff lately. Her mom died about six weeks ago of an aneurysm. Complications from brain surgery. Mrs. Summers had a brain tumor," he informed Mrs. Burkhardt.
She was silent for a moment. "Like Paige."
"Exactly. Except that they got the whole tumor out and she was given a clean bill of health. Buffy found her mother's body on the living room couch just after the Fourth of July. It was very unexpected."
"How awful for her."
"It devastated the whole family. So I've tried to be there for her through all of it. Mrs. Summers was a great lady."
"From the way you're talking about her, I don't doubt it."
He nodded. "The Summers' live next door to my mom and they've always treated me like a son. Just like you and Mr. Burkhardt did."
"That'll never change, Liam. No matter where you live, you'll always be like the son we never had."
Every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you
With an annoyed sigh, Liam rolled his eyes and knocked on the door of his girlfriend's room for the second time. He'd been waiting for her for ten minutes; they were going to a local club he used to frequent called Rave to meet some of his high school friends. "Buffy, are you ready yet?"
"Just about. Hold your horses!" she shouted back.
Walking down the hall, Mr. O'Neal heard the exchange and laughed. Buffy Summers had his only son wrapped around her little finger.
"We're gonna be late," Liam argued. "I told everyone we'd be there by eight o'clock, and now it's ten minutes to. I don't want–"
He shut up the second Buffy opened the door and revealed herself. Whatever he'd been about to say was forgotten the moment he laid eyes on her. Dressed in a short black halter dress that accentuated every curve and strappy heels, Liam needed to swallow. Hard.
She twirled around, the skirt fanning out around her. "Do I look okay?" Buffy asked him.
"Wow" was all he could manage.
Buffy giggled at his reaction. "I take it you like?"
"I love. Only one problem now. I don't know if I want to let you out of this house looking like that," Liam told her.
"Okay, Dad," the blonde teased. "Now, shall we go and meet your friends? I'm dying to get all the good gossip from your days at Hemery High."
He frowned. "I can guarantee that there's not much to tell, but all right. Let's go."
The two of them headed down the stairs to the living room where his father and stepmother were waiting for them. "Look at you two," Amelia commented. "You look totally adorable. Don't they, Patrick?"
"They certainly do," Mr. O'Neal agreed. "A perfect compliment to one another. What time should we expect you home tonight?"
"Don't wait up," Liam said to his father. He wore a devilish smile on his handsome face.
"How does one o'clock sound?" Mr. O'Neal countered.
"Sounds fine."
Amelia reached over and removed a stray hair from Buffy's face. "Are you still going to stay in and watch Amanda tomorrow night for us?" she wanted to know.
"Definitely," Buffy answered. "I can't wait. Have you decided what you're going to do with your free night?"
"Probably go see a movie, then maybe dinner. You know, we'll be sorry to see you go on Wednesday. Having you both here has spoiled us."
Mr. O'Neal turned to his wife. "We should let the kids go now, Amelia. I know my son is getting anxious to show off Buffy to all of his friends."
"You got that right, Dad."
Every little thing that you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
"Liam O'Neal, is that you?" Mike Palmer cried out as soon as he saw his old friend approaching the table. They hadn't seen each other since Liam moved to Sunnydale.
The dark-haired teenager broke out in a grin and embraced Mike when he and Buffy reached the table. "Hey, Mike. Long time no talk to. How the hell have you been?"
"Not bad." Mike cast his eyes to the pretty blonde on his friend's arm. "And I'm going to guess you're not doing half-bad yourself, what with the gorgeous girl you've got here."
"This is Buffy Summers, my girlfriend," Liam introduced. "Buff, these are my old friends from Hemery. Mike Palmer, Shawn Douglas and Caleb Devlin. Next to Caleb is Kara Shanahan and Erin Cooper."
Buffy smiled shyly. All of them seemed to be checking her out, which added to her apprehensiveness. "It's nice to meet all of you."
Erin pulled out the chair next to her. "Have a seat, Buffy. We want to know all about you."
"All about me? How keen," she said, sitting down.
Brown-haired Kara laughed at the younger girl. "Don't worry, we don't bite. At least not all of us."
"Great."
Standing behind his girlfriend, Liam could sense Buffy would have no trouble getting along with Kara and Erin. "Do you want anything to drink?" he asked her.
"A Dr. Pepper would be great. Thanks."
Following their friend's lead, Mike, Caleb and Shawn did the same. The four guys headed for the concession stand to order their drinks.
"Liam, man, you rock. You totally lucked out," Shawn began. "Your girlfriend is hot! How on earth did you meet her?"
"She's my sister's best friend. We've known each other since we were in diapers. She and I used to take baths together when we were kids."
Caleb raised his eyebrows. "Have you lately?"
While the other two guys laughed, Liam shook his head at Caleb's tactless question. "Real cute, Caleb. To answer your asinine question, no we don't bathe together. At least not in ten years."
"Testy testy."
"It was a dumb question. First of all, Buffy and I have only been dating for three months. Secondly, and most importantly, she's only sixteen."
Shawn scoffed at his friend's statement. "Age ain't nothin' but a number, Liam. If I had a girlfriend who looked like yours, I wouldn't hesitate to show her how I feel."
"There's a big shock," Mike said. "Once a hornball, always a hornball."
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
"Tell me, how did you manage to land our perennial bachelor?" Kara wanted to know. "So many girls before you have tried and failed."
"You mean crashed and burned horribly," added Erin.
Buffy didn't know quite what to think. "Perennial bachelor? I always thought Liam was popular with the girls. He was at Sunnydale High."
"Oh, he was definitely a draw at Hemery. It's just that he was rather...fickle is the best word to describe him. He wouldn't date just anyone," Erin informed her.
"Take it from someone who gave it her all and was shot down by Liam."
"You, Kara?"
She nodded. "Big time. Who wouldn't want him? He's got the whole package – looks, brains, personality, etc.. But I don't need to tell you that. How'd you guys meet, anyway? And subsequently hook up?"
"We live next door to each other. I'd been in love with him forever but he never looked twice at me. Or at least I never thought he did. When he moved back to Sunnydale, things between us changed. I guess he stopped looking at me as the little girl next door," Buffy explained.
"Wow," Erin said. "You got what Paige always dreamed of having with Liam."
"So I understand," Buffy noted.
Kara bit her lip, fearing Erin had inserted her foot in her mouth. "You know about Paige and Liam, right?"
"They were best friends."
"Those two shared everything. We always thought they would get together someday. And I mean no disrespect towards you, Buffy. But Paige was in love with Liam, and everyone knew it except for Liam. Her dying last year really hurt him."
"That's why he left Los Angeles," Erin told Buffy.
"Yeah, I know. He told me he left because everything reminded him of her. I'd have left, too, if it were me." 'I'm surprised I can even remain in Sunnydale after Mom's death.'
"He's fiercely loyal, Buffy," Kara stated. "He'll do anything for the people he loves. But I'm sure you already know that."
Buffy nodded her head. She didn't know if Kara and Erin were trying to be friendly or trying to warn her away. "I do. I've experienced it firsthand. Liam is the guy I've waited my whole life for. And he knows it."
Every little thing that you do
Every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you
Mr. O'Neal helped his wife put on her light jacket for their night out. It was an unseasonably cool evening in Los Angeles. "Okay, guys, the movie lets out at eight forty-five. Amelia and I are going to have dinner at La Joya, so don't expect us home much before ten or eleven."
"Got it," Liam said. "In other words, we have to have the band and the stripper out by nine." He jumped when his girlfriend elbowed him in the stomach. "Ow."
"Very funny, Liam," his father commented. "If there's even a hint that anybody besides you, Buffy and Amanda were in this house consider yourself dead." Despite his threats, Mr. O'Neal knew his son well enough to know he'd never throw a wild party.
"You don't have to worry about us, Mr. O'Neal," Buffy told him.
He smiled at her. "You can keep him in line, right, Buffy?"
"He listens when I threaten him."
"It's good to know at least one of us can get through to him. Amelia, am I forgetting anything? I feel like I am."
Amelia shook her head and laughed at him. Her husband would forget his head if it weren't attached. "Just go start the car, Patrick. I can handle it from here." When he left the house, she sighed heavily. "Thank god he's out of here, he was driving me batty. Okay, I wrote down all the numbers on the fridge. The hospital, Poison Control, the fire station, the police station and nine-one-one. I put the cell phone on there as well; we'll have it on all night. If you guys come across any trouble at all, let us know.
"Now, Amanda will probably be hungry around eight or so. I have two bottles chilling in the fridge, although chances are she'll only drink one of them. Then burp her and lay her down for a little while. She'll fall asleep in her swing or playpen about nine or nine-thirty. Just put her in her crib, I doubt she'll give you any trouble after that."
"Are you sure that's all?" Liam teased.
She felt all the air leave her lungs. "What do you mean? Did I forget something?"
"No, Amelia, you didn't forget anything," Buffy told her. "Everything will be fine tonight, I promise. I've done a lot of babysitting, I know what I'm doing. Go out, experience this thing called fun."
"All right. Take care of my baby," Amelia said.
"We will," Buffy promised. "Have a good time."
"Bye."
As soon as the door closed leaving them alone in the house, Buffy swatted her boyfriend on the upper arm. "A band and strippers, Liam? Are you a fucking idiot?"
He laughed at her outburst. Buffy was totally overreacting. "Get a grip, it was only a joke. My dad knows I'd never do anything like that. Besides, why would I give up the opportunity to spend some quality time with you to party with a bunch of people I don't know? Answer me that one, Buffy."
She shook her head. "Whatever."
They headed into the living room where Amanda sat in her swing making gurgling noises. Buffy leaned down and picked up the three month old. The baby stopped her baby talk and looked at the young blonde holding her.
"Hey there, Amanda. Do you want me to sing to you? Oh, Mandy. You came and you gave without taking. But I sent you away–"
"No!" Liam shouted. "Not that song. Please god, any other song but that one."
Buffy couldn't stop herself from laughing at his reaction. "What wrong with 'Mandy'? I think it's kinda pretty."
"I don't like it, end of story. For personal reasons. Let's forgo the singing and do something else," Liam suggested.
"Such as?" she asked, cocking her eyebrows upward.
"Anything but singing Barry Manilow songs."
Amelia picked at her caesar salad, turning the lettuce leaves over and over again on her plate. "Patrick, don't you think we should call the kids and see if everything is going okay back at the house?"
"And you claim I worry too much? They're fine, honey. If there had been any problems they would have called us."
"You don't think Liam was being serious, do you?"
"About what?" he asked, taking a bite of his stuffed shells.
"Having a party."
Mr. O'Neal sighed, finding his wife's concerns to be funny. "He was not even remotely serious, Amelia. Liam was only trying to ruffle my feathers. Besides, I don't think Buffy would have let him have a party. That girl knows how to keep him in line."
"She seems like she has a good head on her shoulders."
"I think she does. And I get the feeling she doesn't put up with any crap from my son. Buffy is exactly what Liam has always needed."
"She reminds me a lot of Paige."
He nodded. "And I'm pretty sure Paige reminded him of Buffy."
"Mmm..." moaned Buffy as her boyfriend's lips nipped at her sensitive earlobe. They put Amanda to bed ten minutes earlier, and the moment they were alone they attacked one another. It had been close to a week since they'd had any physical contact.
"Just tell me when you want to stop," Liam told her, kissing a trail down from her neck to her collarbone.
Buffy threw her head back, feeling Liam's hands skimming over her bra-clad breasts, his mouth tasting the skin of her shoulder. It was the closest to bliss she'd ever been; and that included her night with Parker Abrams. "Don't stop. Don't ever stop."
She decided to take some initiative herself, not wanting to take their time together for granted. It wasn't often that they could be free around one another without adult supervision. Liam's shirt had long since been discarded, so she trailed her hands down his muscular chest until they reached the waist of his jeans.
Liam could feel her hands working on the buttons of his pants but he chalked it up to his imagination playing tricks on him. He didn't think it was even remotely possible that it could be happening. So far it had always been him who had done the exploring during their hot and heavy makeout sessions. But as soon as he consciously felt Buffy's hands cupping him, he broke away from her.
"What are you doing?" he demanded, more surprised than angry.
"What do you think I was doing?"
"I know what you were doing. I think my question was more along the lines of why were you doing it." Liam stood up and began buttoning up his jeans.
Buffy bit her lip, holding back the angry tears she knew were burning her eyes. She was angry at herself for what she'd done. "I'm sorry, Liam. Are you mad at me?"
He shook his head. "No, I'm not mad at you."
"Then why did you jump away like being near me was going to cost you your life?"
"I'm in shock, Buffy, that's all. Look, I'm not quite ready yet. At least not for that. Which I'm sure makes me some kind of freak in your eyes, but I don't really care. We have all the time in the world to do that stuff."
His words perplexed her. "I don't think I get it. It's okay for you to touch me but I can't do the same to you? Didn't you like it? Don't you want me to touch you?"
"It's hard to explain."
Buffy looked him in the eye and he did his best to avoid her gaze. Though he was trying to hide his true feelings, she could see right through him. "You're embarrassed."
"What?"
"You don't have to hide it, Liam. You've never done it before, you have every right to be embarrassed. It's not like I'm going to judge you."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied. Buffy had hit the nail right on the head. He *was* embarrassed of his inexperience.
She stood up and touched his cheek. "Yes you do. And it doesn't matter to me. I still love you more than anything. I can wait until you feel ready."
He took a deep breath. "I guess I'm *not* ready yet."
"It's okay. Just let me know when you are. I'm more than ready to break you in. Kinda makes the waiting more fun. It'll be a night we won't soon forget."
I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for all the memories
Placing the final box on the floor of Liam's dorm room, Mr. Rosenberg heaved a sigh of relief. One hour of lugging boxes up two flights of stairs was finally finished. "Please tell me that's the last of it," he begged his stepson.
Liam chuckled. His stepfather looked as if he was about to have a coronary. "I think there are a couple of boxes left in the trunk of my car."
"Screw that. You're on your own."
"I'm only kidding, Ira. That's the last of it."
Mr. Rosenberg narrowed his eyes. "That wasn't funny, Liam."
"I thought it was. Thanks for your help, though. After all, Mom and Willow conveniently had other plans. Emphasis on the word *conveniently.*"
"They had the right idea." He glanced around the room, noting that only Liam's belongings were there. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and say your roommate's not here yet."
Liam nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, I'm assuming so, too. The only thing I know about him is that his name is William Maxwell and he's from England. Other than that, he's a mystery."
"He's an awful long way from home."
"Yep. I'm just hoping we get along. If not I'll be spending a lot of time at home," the teenager commented.
"Let's hope you two get along. I'd hate to think of your father spending all this money for you to dorm at UC Sunnydale only to have you practically living at home," Mr. Rosenberg stated.
The teenager laughed. "Yeah, that would totally suck, wouldn't it? Thanks again for your help. I'm sure this is the last thing you wanted to do on a Sunday afternoon."
"Don't worry about it. Call if you need anything."
"Will do."
Remember the good times we had?
I let them slip away from us when things got bad
How clearly I first saw you smilin' in the sun
Wanna feel your warmth around me
I wanna be the one
Liam watched with wide eyes as a tall, bleached-blonde young man breezed into the room without so much as knocking first. It was like being witness to a hurricane blowing through as the man he surmised to be William dropped his bags on the floor. He didn't even say hello, he just threw himself unceremoniously on the bed.
"You must be William," Liam guessed, shaking his head in amazement.
"That would be me. Who the hell are you?" he demanded.
"Liam O'Neal. You and I are roommates."
William made a face. The idea of having to share a room with someone he already didn't like did not appeal to him. Couldn't the guy see he was tired and wanted to rest, not talk? "What a thrill," he said sarcastically.
'Oh yeah, this is going to be fun.' "So, do you want me to call you William, or do you have a nickname? Will, Billy..."
"How about you don't call me anything at all," he countered with his thick British accent. "We can each pretend the other doesn't exist. How does that sound, Peaches?"
Liam couldn't for the life of him understand why his roommate wasn't being more cooperative. "Look, I'm trying to make an effort to get to know you, here. If we're gonna be living together for the next four months, the least we can do is get along. Maybe you don't want to bother, but I'd like to make the most of the situation."
The blonde Englishman raised his eyebrows slightly as Liam turned around and resumed unpacking his belongings. 'He's got some spunk. Maybe this won't suck as bad as I thought it would. Hell, he might even have some hot little girlfriends to hook me up with.' "You can call me Spike. I won't answer to anything else."
"Spike?" Liam repeated. "What kind of name is Spike?"
"It's a nickname my grandmum used to call me when I was kid. It stuck. Why? If you have a problem with it, that's too damn bad."
With a roll of his eyes, Liam sighed softly. 'Yeah, I can tell I'm going to love this arrangement. I'm thinking living in the dorm wasn't such a good idea after all.' "I have no problem with your name. It's just a little unusual, that's all. Not too many Spikes around these days."
"Yeah," Spike agreed with a smirk. "I like to be unique. Where are you from anyway?"
"Sunnydale. But I went to high school in L.A.. My parents are divorced and my mom and stepfather live here, and my dad and stepmom live in Los Angeles."
Spike looked at his roommate closely for the first time. Liam, with his dark hair and dark eyes, didn't look anything like the stereotypical California boy. "Born and raised here in sunny Californ-I-A? You're bloody kidding me."
"Why does that surprise you?"
"You don't look like you're from around here. You know, you don't have the blonde hair and killer tan one would expect from a California beach bum," Spike commented.
"That's probably because I'm not a beach bum."
He nodded. "Yeah, whatever. So, you got any hotties you wanna hook me up with?"
I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for all the memories
Her green eyes closed, Buffy gave herself over to the feelings of excitement her boyfriend's kisses filled her with. She'd arrived at his dorm room half an hour earlier, and after a quick tour of the dorms they found their way to his bed, where they'd been ever since. They were making the most of the lack of parental supervision and interruptions they were accustomed to.
"Keep doing that," she moaned as Liam's teeth nibbled her earlobe ever-so-gently, his breath tickling the inside of her ear. His right arm held his weight off of her while his left hand had slipped underneath the cup of her bra.
"What should I keep doing?" he whispered. With her hands running up and down his back, her nails scraping the skin, Liam was almost beyond reason. And with her left foot bent up at the knee and her right one tangled around his left leg, their positions couldn't be more intimate unless they were actually making love.
"Everything. Don't stop any of it."
The heat radiating off Liam's body was making Buffy even hotter. She wanted to strip off what few clothes they had on and just go from there. But her better sense told her it wouldn't be happening anytime soon. Liam still wasn't ready to take the next step, even though she was. From the way he pressed against her thigh, his body was saying something totally different from his lips.
Buffy was two seconds away from ripping the clothes off his body when the door suddenly burst open. In walked a blonde-haired man she'd never seen before. Spike smiled appreciatively at the sight he'd walked in on.
"Way to go, Peaches," he said with a playful smile on his face.
Liam rolled off his girlfriend in shock and sat against the headboard. "Spike. Don't you ever knock?"
"It's my room, too. Gotta tell you, I didn't expect to walk in on some serious foreplay. Were we on the verge of naughty touching?" he asked.
Utterly embarrassed, Buffy stood up. "I think I'm going to use the bathroom. I'll be back in a minute." Keeping her eyes to the ground, she left the room.
Spike whistled. "Hel-lo, cutie. She's a stiffener, Peaches."
"Go to hell. She's my girlfriend," Liam informed him. "That means you keep your hands off and stop undressing her with your eyes."
"Why can't I? That outfit doesn't leave much to the imagination."
"Is there something you wanted?" he demanded angrily.
"Just came for some money and I'll be out of your way. Don't expect me home too early." Spike smirked, taking a closer look at his roommate. "You might want to take care of that little problem of yours before Blondie gets back."
I'm so tired but I can't sleep
Standing on the edge of something much too deep
It's funny how you feel so much
But we cannot say a word
"School," Buffy mumbled, rolling her eyes in disgust as she and Willow entered the main doors of Sunnydale High. "Why does it seem like summer vacation just started last week?"
Willow nodded, agreeing whole-heartedly with her best friend. "Yeah, I know what you mean. And for you it wasn't exactly a vacation-y vacation anyway. It's not like you even got to enjoy any of it."
'I enjoyed parts of it,' she thought. 'The parts with your brother were pretty memorable. But I can't exactly tell you that.' "Summer vacation just sucked rotten eggs. I need a vacation from my vacation. Do you think Snyder would give me another three months to recuperate?" Buffy knew it was a far-fetched idea.
"Doubtful. Think of it this way, we're juniors this year!" Willow stated excitedly.
The blonde lifted her eyebrows at her friend's statement. "Okay, Will, that's something to be excited about because...?"
"Well, there's the Prom in May and...and we'll be seniors next year."
Neither of the two girls saw Xander walk up behind them. He'd been listening to their conversation for the last thirty seconds. "I'll be excited about that next year when we actually *are* seniors," he said, announcing his presence.
The two girls turned around and broke out into huge grins upon seeing their friend. Xander had gone on a cross-country trip with Anya, and they hadn't expected him back until the following week. To have him back so soon was a pleasant surprise for the first day of school.
"Xander!" the redhead exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Your mom said you wouldn't be back until sometime next week."
The boy frowned. He hadn't had the greatest summer either and was glad to be back in Sunnydale. "Yeah, well, that was the plan originally. But it changed a few days ago. And let me tell you how happy I am to be back here."
Buffy could tell something was definitely wrong with him. "Xand? What's wrong? Did something happen during the trip?"
"You could say that."
The three stopped walking when they reached the auditorium. On the first day of school, all returning students had to listen to Principal Snyder's Welcome Back speech. After waiting in line to enter the crowded auditorium, they took a seat in the middle of the room and the girls waited for Xander to fill them in on what had happened.
"Okay, spill it," Willow ordered.
"Anya broke up with me," he stated simply, staring at his hands. "She did it two days ago. Just dumped me out of the clear blue sky."
From her seat in front of them, Cordelia Chase heard his admission. Turning around, she flashed her trademark snide smile. "Oh, you poor baby. The girlfriend finally woke up and discovered what a loser you are? Certainly took her long enough."
"Bite me, Cordy," retorted Xander. "I've had a sucky enough week without additional grief from the peanut gallery."
Making a snotty face, Cordelia faced the other way and continued talking to her friends.
"I'm so sorry, Xand," Buffy apologized. She felt awful about the breakup, despite her dislike for Anya Emerson. Nothing made her feel worse than seeing her childhood friend so heartbroken. "What happened?"
He sighed. "We were in Ohio; we'd just gotten to the university and were putting her things away. I had to stay in the motel down the road because they wouldn't let me stay in the dorms with Anya. The next day while we were unpacking her boxes she told me it was over. Apparently she met some guy during orientation and decided she didn't want to be tied down to a high school student."
Buffy was outraged. The couple had been together for close to six months, and Xander deserved better than to be treated like that. "I know you cared about Anya, but the girl was nothing but a bitch. Especially for doing that to you. If you want, Liam can introduce you to some of the girls in his dorm. I'm sure they'd love to get to know someone as great as you." She thought for a moment. "Hey, you know what? There's a party this weekend at the Sigma Delta Gamma house. Liam and I are going, why don't you come with us? It'll be fun."
"Thanks, but no thanks," he declined. "I think I'm just gonna stay at home and listen to country music. The music of pain."
Willow put her arm around his shoulder as a supportive gesture. "Everything will be okay. If you decide to go, I'll go with you. Oz and the Dingoes might be playing at the party, so you and I can dance and hang out and stuff."
"While Buffy and your brother make out in some dark corner?"
Buffy laughed. "You got that right."
We are screaming inside
But we can't be heard
But I will remember you
Will you remember me?
"How was school today?" Mr. Summers asked Buffy that evening over dinner.
She shrugged her shoulders. "It was okay. The first day of school is always the first day of school. A big disappointment."
"Sorry to hear about that." He took a deep breath. "Honey, I have some bad news. I have to fly to New York this weekend. I'm leaving on Friday morning and I won't be back until Monday night."
"How come?" It was unusual for her father to go away for a weekend.
"It's for work, nothing to be worried about." Mr. Summers couldn't tell his daughter the real reason. At least not yet; not until he'd come to a decision. "I'll be staying with your aunt Meredith and her family while I'm there."
She bit her lower lip. "What about me?" Buffy was concerned he'd make her join him. She was looking forward to her first college party that weekend.
"Unfortunately, you can't come with me. I don't want you to miss any school, especially not this early in the year. I'm allowing you to stay home alone for the weekend. Mr. and Mrs. Rosenberg will be watching the house while I'm away. Promise me you won't do anything that'll require them to call me."
"You have my word, Dad. No wild parties while you're gone. I just can't believe you are letting me stay here by myself," Buffy said. "This is so cool."
"Well, I trust you. Remember that."
She heard the underlying warning in his voice. "I'll remember." 'I can't wait to tell Liam. This is going to be the best weekend ever.'
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories
"Guess what? I've got some really good news I heard last night," Buffy said to her boyfriend the next night at the Bronze. They were off to the side of the dance floor, swaying to the ballad the club's deejay was playing.
"What's the good news?" Liam asked.
She lifted her head off his shoulder and gave him a half-smile. Every time she looked deep into his brown eyes she thanked her lucky stars to have him in her life. "Dad is going out of town tomorrow morning. That means I'll be home all by myself this weekend."
Liam didn't have to be a genius to know what she was getting at. But he wanted to hear her say it. "Really? You sound like you're pretty excited about it."
"I'm very excited about it. You know, I was thinking last night that maybe you might want to stay over with me."
"You mean like a sleepover?" he teased.
"Something like that. I sorta planned on having a slumber party for just you and me. How does that sound? Are you game?" Buffy wanted to know.
He pretended he needed to think it over, just to aggravate her. In reality, he was more than game. Over the last few weeks Liam had been giving more and more thought to taking their relationship to the next level. And after serious consideration he came to the conclusion that he was ready. Mr. Summers going away for the weekend was beyond perfect timing; it was fate.
"Sure, why not?" he responded. "Could be fun."
Buffy tried to gauge the expression on his face but it was unreadable. Something was going on in his mind, she knew that for a fact. "Are you sure you're okay with this? You don't have to stay over if you don't want to, Liam."
He didn't want to let her in on his plans. If Mr. Summers was going out of town, they couldn't let this opportunity pass them by. "I'm fine with it, Buffy. Don't worry about me."
"I just don't want to rub your nose in it. If you're still not ready, that's okay by me. Nothing has to happen. I'll be perfectly content just to snuggle with you all night long."
'Boy are you in for a big surprise,' Liam thought. "I appreciate that. You have no idea just how much."
I'm so afraid to love
But more afraid to lose
Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose
Liam entered his dorm room at eleven o'clock that evening, after walking Buffy home. For the first time in weeks he was actually happy to see Spike there, lying on his bed listening to his portable CD player. Ever since Buffy told him about her father going out of town that weekend, he'd been debating whether or not to ask his roommate for advice. Spike had bragged numerous times about his experience with the opposite sex.
Seeing the dark-haired boy return, Spike stood up and pulled off his headphones. "You're back early. I'm leaving."
"Can we talk, Spike?"
"You mean you want to have another rousing one-sided conversation? That should be really exciting," he replied sarcastically. "Count me out, Peaches."
"It's about sex," Liam stated matter-of-factly as his roommate began opening the door.
Spike raised his eyebrows in interest. There was no other subject he enjoyed talking about more. "Well, you've piqued my curiosity. What about sex do you want to talk about?"
"I wanna know how to do it."
The bleached-blonde man burst out laughing. "Right, that's a good one. You almost got me there. But Spike's not that stupid." He started to leave the room again.
"This isn't a joke, Spike. I'm one hundred percent serious about this. I need your help," Liam pleaded. He hated admitting it, but his roommate was his only hope.
By the look on his face, Spike could see he was telling the truth. And that surprised him. "Gotta say, Peaches, I'm a little shocked. Especially after seeing you and the hottie going at it a few weeks ago. You mean to tell me you two have never knocked the boots?"
"I wouldn't put it as crassly as you just did, but no, we haven't slept together. And her dad is going away this weekend, which gives us the perfect opportunity to do so," Liam explained.
He nodded. "Yeah, I guess it does. But what the hell do you need my help for?"
Liam looked away in embarrassment. This was the part he'd been dreading – the admission of his inexperience. "Because I've never done it before. And I don't have the first clue as to what I need to do. I mean, I know what to do...I'm just not sure if there's a technique or anything like that. Maybe there's something I don't know that everyone else does."
Spike would never have guessed by the way Liam carried himself that he was a virgin. He exuded self-confidence. "Just rent a porno. That'll give you an idea of what you need to do."
"I can't do that stuff!" he exclaimed. "I've seen pornos and there is no way I would ever be able to do that stuff with Buffy. Or *to* Buffy."
"Never say never."
"Spike, please. It's hard enough for me to come to you, can you at least take it somewhat seriously? I'm in trouble here and I only have until Saturday night to become an expert."
"Ain't no way you're gonna be an expert in forty-eight hours, even with my guidance. The most I can do is give you a few pointers and let you in on some tricks I've picked up along the way. Guaranteed to blow her mind."
"I don't want to blow her mind. I just want to make sure I don't do something wrong."
"Being there first definitely has its advantages. Nothing to compare it to."
Liam nibbled on his lower lip. "That would be part of my problem. I won't be the first."
Spike whistled. "Well then, that *is* a problem for you. Although I am a bit surprised to hear that Fluffy's done it and you haven't."
"With a guy who has more experience than you do, probably."
"I would highly doubt that. Look, if you want my help, you got it. But I can only lay down the ground rules for it; the rest is up to you. First order of business is protection. You got any?" he asked.
He shook his head. "No."
Walking to his dresser, Spike pulled out a box and tossed it to his roommate. "Take them. They're the most important part of sex. You have to remember to put it on every time. You don't want her getting pregnant." He paused. "God, I sound like a bloody public service announcement."
Liam examined the box. "Ribbed for her pleasure?" he read off the back of the box. 'I'm in way over my head.'
"Which brings me to point number two. The first time is never about you. It doesn't matter if you've never had sex before or if you've done it a million other times, the first time with a woman is never about you. It's all about her and making damn sure she enjoys every last second of it. If the first time isn't good, you can pretty much guarantee there won't be a second time."
"How do I do that?"
"Find out what she wants. Fluffy should be easy; she's done it before so she knows what she likes and what she doesn't. It's as simple as this: do what she says. If she says you give it to her harder, give it to her harder. She wants you to slow down or speed up, bloody well do it. Given enough time you'll know before she tells you."
Liam nodded. "Sounds easy enough."
"One more thing, though. If she says no, you stop. No questions."
"Yeah, that much I know."
Spike patted him on the shoulder. "Gotta say, Peaches, you're a quick study. Don't worry, you'll do all right."
"I guess we'll find out on Saturday night."
"I can always let you borrow my video camera so you can tape it. I could watch later and critique it," he suggested with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
"No way in hell."
"It was worth a try."
"I don't why I let you guys talk me into this," Xander complained as he, Willow and Buffy walked down the hall toward Liam's dorm room. "I'm *so* not in the mood to get down and boogy."
Willow grabbed her friend by the arm and practically dragged him down the hallway. "Come on, Xander, it will be a lot of fun. You need to get out and enjoy yourself."
"Yeah," Buffy agreed. "Besides, this isn't like hanging out at the Bronze on a Saturday night. This is a full-blown college party. Our first! You'll meet all sorts of new people. Girls even."
"I don't want to meet new girls. I want to sit at home and mope over Anya."
The blonde knocked on her boyfriend's door. "Well, that's too damn bad, because we are not going to let you mope around for the rest of your life. You need to get over Anya Emerson, forget she ever existed. There are going to be tons of college girls here. I told you the other day Liam will introduce you to a bunch of them."
Xander rolled his eyes. "Puh-lease. He'll be too busy showing you off to his new friends to worry about me. I don't plan on holding my breath."
The door opened and Spike smirked at the three high school students, his roommate's girlfriend in particular. Her black dress showed off her curvaceous figure. 'No wonder the Poof's so hung up on her, look at that body! She's in for the surprise of her life tonight.' "Hello, cutie. Red," he greeted.
"Who's the big dork?"
Xander threw his arms up in the air. "That does it, I'm out of here." He started to walk away.
But Buffy yanked him back. "This is our friend Xander Harris. Xander, this is Liam's roommate Spike."
They walked in the room and Xander gave the bleached-blonde Englishman a dirty look. "Charmed, I'm sure."
"Where's Liam?" Willow wanted to know. She hadn't seen her half-brother since Thursday night at the Bronze.
"In the bathroom down the hall doing his hair. I have a feeling he could be in there for quite some time, so why don't we all sit down," he suggested.
The three guests sat down on Liam's bed while Spike took a seat on his own. He kept looking Buffy up and down, trying to imagine what his roommate's response to her delectable body would be. Buffy, on the other hand, felt uncomfortable under his scrutiny.
"Are you doing to the party tonight?" Buffy asked him.
Spike shook his head. "Nah. I got other plans." 'Not that I wouldn't mind sticking around for the post-show later. Maybe I *should* hook up the video camera before I leave tonight.'
Liam walked into the room, not realizing Buffy, Willow and Xander had already arrived. His heart dropped, fearing his roommate might have spilled the beans about his plans for the night. Seeing Spike wink his eye at him, he no longer felt worried. His secret was safe.
"Hey, guys," he said when he came up behind them. "Are you ready to party?"
The blonde jumped off the bed and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. With Liam around, she knew Spike would stop undressing her with his eyes. "Thank god you are here," she said, relieved he'd finally arrived. "I can't tell you how much I missed you."
"You just saw me last night," he reminded her.
"And I was hoping I could have woken up next to you," Buffy whispered. "But you just left."
"Hi, Liam," his sister said, hoping to get his attention. Willow knew first-hand that whenever Buffy was in the room Liam tended to forget the rest of the world existed.
"Hi, Wills. Xander. How are you guys doing?" he asked them.
"I've had better days," Xander replied.
"Hopefully that'll change tonight. I made a mental list of girls who'd be perfect for you. I'll introduce you to them at the party," Liam informed him.
Xander frowned, not really believing the college student. "Sure." 'I'll believe that when I see it. That might require you to keep your hands off of Buffy for more than five minutes. I don't know if you can handle the time apart.'
"Mom wanted me to invite you over for dinner tomorrow night," Willow told her brother. "We're having vegetable lasagna."
"Sounds good. Everyone ready to go?" he asked them.
As they left the room, Spike followed them to the door. "Have a good time," he said, an unseen smile playing upon his lips.
Say good night, not goodbye
You will never leave my heart behind
Like the path of a star
I'll be anywhere you are
In the spark that lies beneath the coals
In the secret place inside your soul
Keep my life in your eyes
"That was so nice of you to do that for Xander," Buffy commented to Liam while they danced two hours later. The band had taken a break and the sound system was playing a slow song. To their right, Willow and Oz were sharing a few stolen kisses before the band had to start playing again.
"Do what?"
"Introducing him to that girl over there." She turned her head to see her friend dancing with a tall blonde young woman Liam had introduced him to. Liam looked at the two. He had to admit they made a pretty cute couple. "You mean Kate Lockley? She's a nice girl."
"She seems like it. And she seemed to really take a liking to him. But you never told me how you met her."
"We're in the same English Lit class. She actually asked me out on the first day of classes, but I had to tell her I'm already taken. It broke her heart in a million pieces. I think she's handling my rejection fairly well," noted Liam.
The blonde rolled her eyes. "You are such a heartbreaker, Liam O'Neal."
"It's often been said."
"And conceited, too."
Say goodnight, not goodbye
Don't you fear when you dream
Waking up is never what it seems
Like a jewel buried deep
Like a promise meant to keep
You are everything you oughtta be
So just let your heart reach out to me
I'll be right by your side
"I have to admit, I was a little disappointed when I woke up this morning and you weren't there," Buffy told her boyfriend. "I was *very* disappointed."
The couple had stayed over at the Summers' house Friday night watching a movie on cable. "Sorry," Liam apologized. "I left right after you fell asleep."
"Why? I thought you were planning to spend the night with me. In a purely PG-13 sort of way."
"That was the plan at first."
Buffy was confused. "So what changed?"
"I decided to go back to the dorms. I-I couldn't trust myself to keep it strictly PG-13. Don't get me wrong, nothing would have happened, it's just that I didn't want to be faced with the temptation."
His words brought a smile to the sixteen-year-old's face, which thoroughly confused him. "You were tempted by me?"
"Yeah."
"Were you afraid you'd lose control and do something you weren't ready to do?" Buffy wanted to know.
Liam touched his forehead to hers. "Something like that."
You are everything you oughtta be
So just let your heart reach out to me
Keep my life in your eyes
Say goodnight, not goodbye
Say goodnight, not goodbye
"Do you not trust me?" she asked, even though she was afraid of his answer.
"Are you worried I might lose control and push you into doing something you're not comfortable with?"
He sighed. "It's nothing like that, Buffy. It's going to take me a little longer to be comfortable with the sexual aspect of our relationship. You know how most guys are ready to jump right into the pool without testing the water? I'm not one of those guys; I never have been. I like to ease into the water slowly." 'God, I hope Buffy is buying this.'
Buffy nodded her head. "All right. I'm in no hurry, just...don't make me wait forever, okay?"
"I won't. What do you say we skip the rest of the party and go back to my room," he suggested. "We can hang out in there for a little while."
"Sounds like a plan."
"...so that's why I decided to major in law enforcement and criminal justice," Kate told Xander.
He nodded, staring blankly into his drink. He'd spent the last twenty minutes listening to Kate Lockley ramble on about her family, career choice and her ex-boyfriend. If there had been a wall nearby, he'd be banging his head against it by now. "Sounds great. I'm, uh, gonna go to the bathroom. I'll be back in a minute."
"I'll wait right here until you get back."
"There's a shock," he mumbled as he walked away.
Heading through the kitchen, Xander found a door marked PRIVATE and turned the doorknob. It opened, much to his shock. Closing the door behind him for privacy, he turned on the light and found that he was not alone in the room.
"What the hell are *you* doing here?" he demanded.
When the world wasn't upside down
I could take all the time I had
But I'm not gonna wait when a moment can vanish so fast
Because every kiss is a kiss you can never get back
Upon opening the door to his dorm room, Liam sighed with relief when he found the room empty. Spike had promised to spend the night elsewhere, but he feared his roommate hadn't left yet. The last thing he wanted was for Spike to rattle his nerves even more. It was the most important night of his life to date, and he wanted to be certain it went perfectly.
Buffy noticed his hand shaking. "Hey," she said. "Are you feeling okay?"
'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,' he thought. 'Keep it together. This is supposed to be a surprise.' "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired, I guess."
"Do you want me to leave so you can get some sleep?" she offered. "I know you were out late last night."
"No! I'll be fine." They walked inside the room, Liam holding the door open for his girlfriend. Glancing around quickly, there was still no sign of Spike.
She smiled, sitting down on Liam's bed while he closed the door for privacy. "No Spike, huh? Must be our lucky night."
"You have no idea," he said under his breath. "Do you want something to drink? I think there might be a bottle of Coke in the mini fridge."
Buffy shook her head, standing up once again. "No thanks. I want to take advantage of our time alone before Spike gets back."
She walked up to her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around his neck. Even though she wore heels, Buffy was barely able to reach his lips. But when they touched it was always worth the effort. This kiss, though, felt different somehow. Buffy could feel more passion and heat in it, radiating not from her but from Liam. He wasn't holding anything back this time. That was unusual.
Liam had wanted to take things slowly, build up the passion and lust and wanting. His body had a different idea, however. His blood boiled to be one with his love while his mind pleaded to behave. So he chose to ignore his body, not wanting the night to be over before it began. Liam wanted to remember this night for the rest of his life.
The couple took several steps backward until the backs of Buffy's knees connected with Liam's bed. She was forced to sit down, then scooch further back until her boyfriend knelt on the mattress, straddling her with his knees. She sensed the change in him from their previous encounters. Something was going to happen if they didn't stop very soon.
"We should stop," she told him, pushing weakly on his shoulders. "Spike - Spike could walk in any minute."
Liam peppered kisses along her cheek until he reached her left earlobe, nibbling gently on it. "Not gonna happen," he whispered.
Buffy was almost beyond thought; she loved it when he did that. "What did you say?"
"Spike's not coming back tonight," Liam informed her, lifting his head up to look in her green eyes. Mentally, he prepared himself for rejection.
"He's not?"
"Nope. We have this place all to ourselves until tomorrow morning. How do you feel about that?" he wanted to know.
"I feel pretty good about it." She looked in his brown eyes and realized what was going on in her boyfriend's mind. "Liam, did you plan this?"
He swallowed. Hard. And it burned because his throat was as dry as a bone. "Yes I did. I thought...with your father being out of town this weekend you might want to sleep over here tonight. Or, not sleep. That's up to you."
Buffy opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Her heart pounded, her blood raced through her veins. She thought she knew what her boyfriend was getting at, but wouldn't let herself believe it until Liam said the words himself. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"Depends on what you're thinking."
"You're ready? You want to..."
Liam nodded, kissing her hungrily. "I want to."
Lift me up in your arms
If you told me that's what heaven is, well you'd be right
I've been waiting forever for this
This is the night
Xander could not believe his bad luck. The night was getting progressively worse; he wished he'd shown more backbone when Willow and Buffy dragged him to the party. All he wanted to do was go home and curl up underneath the covers, listening to depressing music. But he was stuck at this party with a girl he didn't care to spend another five minutes with, much less another three hours.
He groaned upon seeing the other person in the room and looked to the ceiling. "What did I do to deserve this?" he asked.
"Shut up, Xander," Cordelia Chase retorted, sniffling loudly. "I'm *so* not in the mood for you and your stupidity right now."
Xander raised his eyebrows at her comment before noticing the makeup smudged on her cheeks. Even though he didn't care for Cordelia, he was concerned as to what had made her so upset. "Cordy? What happened?"
"Just go away."
"No. Not until you tell me what happened."
"Nothing," she lied, wiping away her tears. The brown-haired girl stood up from the bench she was sitting on and started to make her way around him toward the door.
But Xander wasn't about to let her go anywhere. "You're crying. And I'm not letting you leave this room until you tell me what happened to make you cry. Don't you dare say nothing because I'll know you are lying," he said.
Sighing heavily, Cordelia knew there was no way out of it. "My date took me upstairs and he tried to – he tried to..."
He waited anxiously for his classmate to continue. "He tried to what?"
"Tried to make me have sex with him!" she exploded, a fresh batch of tears streaming down her face.
For once in his life, Xander was virtually speechless. "Cordy, I–"
"Go ahead, say it! I know you want to. You're probably brimming with excitement because Cordy finally got hers!"
"Look–"
Cordelia interrupted him once again. "What, no snappy comeback? Come on, Xander Harris, hit me with your best shot."
He grabbed her hand and led her back to the bench. Too emotionally and physically drained to fight him, Cordelia simply let him sit her down. "I'm sorry this happened to you. Nobody deserves that, not even you."
She shook her head. "I don't want your fake sympathy. Just leave me alone and go back to your party."
"So you can do what? Wallow in your self-pity? Play the victim for all it's worth? I am not going to let that happen. Stop pretending you are a cold, heartless, unfeeling bitch. Be human. Let it out."
The brunette was prepared to slap him for what he'd just said. But one look in his concerned eyes and all desire to lash out at him washed away. For the first time in her life, Cordelia saw that Xander Harris actually cared about her feelings. "I don't want to be cold and heartless."
"Then stop acting like it."
"I don't know how to act any other way. I'm so alone, Xander. You don't get it; nobody gets it. I can be in a crowded room, surrounded by my friends and still be completely alone," she whimpered.
"So let someone in," he suggested.
"It's not as easy as you make it sound."
He shrugged. "Make it that easy."
Biting her lip, Cordelia nodded in agreement. But then she remembered her date pawing at her clothes, and then she saw the rip in her skirt and felt hot tears burning her eyes. "I was so scared, Xander. He could have raped me. Or killed me."
He put his arms around her, holding her close to him in hopes of comforting the frightened girl. "You're fine."
"Thank you." Before she realized what she was doing, Cordelia's lips were pressed against his.
When the answer to all my dreams
Is as close as a touch away
Why am I here holding back what I'm trying to say?
Liam tried to remember everything Spike had told him Thursday night, but he could do nothing but draw a blank. His mind was so jumbled that he could barely tell up from down. Luckily he had enough wits about him to unzip Buffy's dress, although he nearly forgot his own name the second he saw her stand before him in only her matching bra and underwear.
Their lips met; the kiss began slow but quickly progressed to passionate in record time. Buffy's right hand found the back of his neck, her fingertips massaging his scalp all the while her palm kept his head in place. Her left hand busied itself by attempting to unbutton his shirt. Giving up, she brought her right hand down and yanked on the buttons, ripping the shirt open.
Her boyfriend was both frightened and aroused by her forcefulness. He could safely ascertain that whatever the night held, it wouldn't be dull. Closing his eyes, he felt Buffy's lips leave his and venture lower, and her hands laid flat on his bare chest, pushing his shirt off his shoulders. It fell into a heap on the floor, much in the way Buffy's dress had.
Buffy didn't want to waste a single moment. She couldn't wait another minute to make love with Liam; she'd waited for nearly seventeen years and as far as she was concerned, that was enough of a wait. She wanted him inside of her now. So no sooner had she removed his shirt did she begin working on his pants. Pulling hard, Buffy forced the belt through its loops and threw it across the room. It landed on Spike's bed.
"Hey, slow down," Liam told her. "We have all night. Don't you want to remember this moment?"
Hearing his words brought her back to earth. She'd almost forgotten this wasn't about only her. It was Liam's first time. Of course, they had to slow down. "I'm sorry," Buffy apologized. "I forgot."
"It's not that I don't love your enthusiasm, Buffy, but I sorta want to make this moment last. Is that okay with you?"
She nodded her head. "Take all the time you need."
"Just promise me something before we go any further," he began. "Promise me if I do something wrong you'll tell me. Or if I do something you don't like. Or–"
Buffy touched his cheek. "Do whatever you feel comfortable doing. This isn't a competition, this is about the two of us showing each other how much we love one another. There is no right or wrong tonight."
"That makes sense."
"I know it does."
Instead of kissing her boyfriend's lips, she started at his shoulder and kissed along it until she reached his collarbone. There she left open-mouth kisses on the skin. Scraping her fingernails across his taut abdominal muscles, Buffy brought her hands to the waistband of his pants and undid them. They slid off his waist and Liam stepped out of them, bending down to remove his shoes and socks.
While Buffy had had it relatively easy in removing his clothes, Liam came across some difficulty. He'd seen movies where guys unclasped a woman's bra with ease, but it wasn't the case for him. He struggled with it to the point where he was close to ripping it off of her body. And to make matters worse, he could hear Buffy's giggles as she kissed his chest. Never in his life had he been so embarrassed. After what seemed like an eternity he got it off.
Liam put his hands on either side of her waist and lifted her off the ground. Buffy took the opportunity to wrap her legs around him, feeling his erection poking her buttocks. At that precise moment it sunk in that they were finally going to make love. There would be not turning back now.
Gently, he placed Buffy on the bed and attacked her lips as he pushed her back against the mattress. His tongue slipped between her teeth and probed the inside of her mouth, a prelude of what was to come. His hands found her panties and pulled them down her legs until she was naked beneath him. Then he debated what to do next.
But his girlfriend made the decision for him. She took his hand in hers and pressed it against her breast. At first he cupped it gently as he had always done in the past. Slowly he began to kneed it until the nipple pebbled under his palm. Lowering his head, he took it between his lips and suckled like a newborn.
Buffy was in heaven. Though her sexual experience was limited to her one night with Parker Abrams, she knew there was no basis for comparison between him and Liam. Everything Parker had done to her had been done out of lust. But with her boyfriend, it was done out of love. He may not have had the expertise Parker possessed, but he knew innately what she needed.
After lavishing the same attention on her other breast, Liam slipped off his boxer shorts and laid on the bed next to his girlfriend. "Are you ready?" he asked her.
"Totally ready. You?"
"Yeah."
Reaching inside his nightstand drawer, he pulled out the box of condoms Spike gave him. Trying his best not to let Buffy see his shaking hands, he opened the box and grabbed the first condom he found inside. Just as he was about to unwrap it, Buffy put her hand over his.
"Let me do it."
Shocked, he let her take it out of his hand and watched as she ripped the plastic packaging. Liam sat up when she did, waiting for Buffy to put it on his erect member. But she didn't, at least not at first. She brought her hand to it and stroked up and down. He'd never felt anything so good in his life as her touching him, so he closed his eyes and let her continue. That is until he felt her hand being replaced by her mouth.
Buffy wanted to make his first time special, so she pulled out all the stops. She'd read enough romance novels to know what a man liked, and she decided to put that knowledge to good use. Swirling her tongue around him, she spent close to a minute giving him her very first blowjob. When she finished, she put the condom on his slick penis, doing it agonizingly slow to drive him out of his mind.
It worked. Liam was panting and sweat glistened on his chest. They hadn't even made love yet and he was practically spent. "How...in the world...did you learn to do that?"
"I wanted to try it. My first time, did I do okay?" she asked.
"Oh yeah.."
Following her back to the mattress, he braced himself with his arms on either side of Buffy's shoulders. She spread her legs, feeling the tip of his erection teasing her lower lips. Reaching her hands up, she ran them from the back of his neck to his upper arms. "Whenever you're ready, Liam. Take your time," she told him.
Slowly, he began to push his way inside of her. It was the strangest thing he'd ever experienced, but also the most wonderful. His eyes never left Buffy's face, gauging her expression with every inch he pushed further inside of her. He stopped dead when he saw her face fill with pain.
"Oh my god. Did I hurt you?"
She shook her head vigorously. "No. It just hurts for a second. Keep going."
"Buffy–"
Not wanting to hear him argue with her, Buffy grabbed his buttocks and pushed down on them as hard as she could, at the same time thrusting her hips upward. She cried out at the invasion, but loved the feeling of having all of him inside of her. She and Liam were finally one. "Perfect," she moaned.
Liam brought his head down and kissed her hard, exiting her body and pushing himself back in until they found a rhythm they both enjoyed. He didn't want to push too fast or too hard, so he let Buffy set the pace. Next time he'd do things his way, he promised himself. If the moans coming from his girlfriend were any indication, their lovemaking would be nothing short of intense.
"Harder," Buffy ordered him, close to the edge. Liam had been gentle and considerate so far, which she loved. But with her orgasm fast approaching, she needed him to be a little more forceful.
Doing as she requested, Liam thrust himself home as hard as he could without hurting her. It put enough pressure on her clit to send his girlfriend immediately into her orgasm. He watched in awe as she spasmed under him and around him, calling his name over and over again while bucking her hips up to meet him. Not letting up on his thrusts, he sent her into another peak thirty seconds later.
This time, though he joined her, milking his climax for all it was worth.
When they finally calmed down and were able to catch their breaths, Liam smiled down at his love. "That was the most amazing thing I've ever done."
"That was beyond amazing. It was mind-blowing."
Feeling himself growing soft, he pulled himself out of Buffy's body. Then he scooped her into his arms. "I love you, Buffy Summers."
"I love you, too, Liam O'Neal. And I'm glad you made me wait. This was absolutely perfect."
Lift me up
In your arms
If you told me that is what heaven is, well you'd be right
"Well?" Spike began late the next morning when he returned to the dorm room he shared with Liam. "How did last night go between you and Fluffy?"
Liam rolled his eyes at the Englishman's nickname for Buffy. It didn't matter how many times he corrected him, Spike continued to call her by that name. "It went well."
The bleached-blonde man made a face. "'It went well'? We're not talking about a bloody business meeting, we're talking about sex. And your first time, at that! You must have a better adjective than that."
"I don't want to go into gory detail with you," he defended himself. "It's very private, just between me and Buffy."
"You don't have to give me all the details, just *some* of them," Spike pleaded. "After everything I told you; all the tips I gave you, you owe me that much."
Shutting his eyes, the brunette gave in. "All right. It was great. But a part of me is glad it's finally over."
"Don't tell that to Blondie. She might not like hearing that. To tell you the truth, no woman likes hearing a man say that."
"I didn't mean it in a bad way. The experience itself was wonderful. I'm just happy to have finally done it. Do you understand what I mean?"
Spike nodded his head. "Yeah, I get it. The pressure is off."
"Exactly! It's like Buffy and I can move forward to the next level in our relationship. We reached the hurdle and cleared it. I guess I'd equate it to jumping off a cliff and reaching the bottom without splattering into a million pieces."
"You're comparing the loss of your virginity to suicide?" questioned Spike. "That's a lovely analogy."
Liam groaned. "Ugh! That's not what I meant at all. It-It's hard to explain. The act itself...god, I love every second of it, but the before was scarier than anything I'd ever done in my entire life."
"Man, I wish I *had* set up my video camera."
"You're sick."
"Come on, tell me how it went down."
Taking a deep breath, he recalled the events of the previous night. "We left the party around nine o'clock and came back here. Buffy had absolutely no clue what I had planned, which made everything so much better. The look on her face when she figured out we were going to sleep together was like a little kid's face on Christmas morning. She just lit up."
"And how did it go? Did you do everything I told you to do?"
He shook his head. "Okay, Spike, we only did it once, so I didn't get to do *everything* you told me to do. Half the stuff you told me about I would never be able to do in a million years!"
Spike smiled wickedly. "Never say never. Do it with the chippy a few more times and you'll grow the balls to do just about anything. And she'll beg for more, guaranteed. Now gimme the bloody details."
"I told you before, I am *not* giving you details. That's private and between me and Buffy."
"Liam O'Neal, you are a sodding party pooper," the blonde whined. "Don't I deserve some sort of compensation for helping you out?"
"What do you want to do, watch us next time?"
"Now there's an idea!"
Liam shook his head. "How about not? All I will tell you is that everything went smoothly. No major problems to speak of."
"Would Blondie agree with that statement?" he wanted to know.
"Buffy had no complaints whatsoever. I have to admit – which does embarrass me a little – that she did have to tell me what to do at certain points. I was so afraid of hurting her in the beginning, I just stopped dead. But then she...she–"
"She what?" he prodded.
"Grabbed me and..."
Spike sighed. His roommate was embarrassed, he understood that. But he needed to get over his annoying shyness when discussing sex. "And what?"
"Do I really have to say it?"
"Yes!"
"She grabbed my ass and pushed me all the way inside of her." 'Oh god, did I just admit that to Spike?'
He laughed. "Way to go, Fluffy. At least one of you has a pair. You really gotta loosen up; you're way too stiff."
"I am not stiff!" Liam argued.
"If you can't talk openly with me about sex, you're not gonna be able to talk to her. And you'll need to talk about it with Blondie sooner or later. Try it tonight. You *are* seeing her tonight, aren't you?"
"Yeah. She's gonna be at my mom's house for dinner."
"Do it then. Well, not then, but when you're alone. You'll feel better after you finally lighten up. You're eighteen, talking openly about sex is not the end of the world," Spike informed him.
Hold me close to your heart
I would go with you to the ends of the earth and we'll fly
I've been waiting forever for this
This is the night
"How are your classes going?" Mrs. Rosenberg asked her son at dinner the next night. The Rosenberg family, including Buffy, sat at the dining room table enjoying homemade vegetable lasagna.
Liam swallowed the forkful of lasagna he'd just put in his mouth. "So far so good. There's a lot of reading. I've been spending more time in my dorm room studying than I have been going out with everyone. For the life of me I can't understand how people can go and party all night and still show up prepared for class in the morning. It boggles my mind."
"Well, you just keep concentrating on your studies and leave the partying to them," his stepfather told him. "I can't tell you how many students I fail each semester because of excessive partying."
"Don't worry, Ira. I've never been a big partier."
From across the table, Buffy took a sip of her water and slipped her shoe off. Stretching her right leg out, she found her boyfriend's leg and slid her foot inside his pant leg. She'd been thinking about him all day long, and about how wonderful the previous night had been. It took nearly all of her willpower to keep from dragging him up the stairs to his bedroom and riding him until they were both spent.
Liam did his best to ignore the fact that his girlfriend was rubbing her bare foot up and down his leg. Especially when it felt so damn good. If he didn't have her soon, he'd burst.
"Liam?" his mother repeated. "Did you hear me?"
He jerked to attention. "I'm sorry, Mom. What did you say?"
"I asked if you had a good time at the party last night. Willow said it was fun."
"Yeah, it was a good time had by all," he answered.
His sister gazed at him suspiciously. Something was amiss with him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "You and Buffy left kinda early, didn't you? I didn't see you when the Dingoes played their second set."
"We took a walk," Buffy replied. "It was getting really stuffy in the house and I couldn't breathe."
She nodded. "Oh, okay. Come to think of it, Xander left pretty early, too."
"Maybe he and Kate hooked up," Liam surmised.
"No, I don't think so. She was still at the party long after Xander left. And I tried calling him this morning but he didn't answer his phone."
"I'm sure he's just tired, Will," Buffy said. Feeling brave, she removed her foot from inside her boyfriend's pants and lifted it higher until it was pressed against his penis.
Liam practically jumped out of his chair when he felt her foot stroking his manhood. Gazing at her across the table, he saw Buffy run her finger across her plate and smear sauce around it. Then she put her finger in her mouth. He knew what she was telling him, and he wanted dinner to be over right then and there.
"Are you okay?" Mr. Rosenberg asked him.
"I'm fine. I just had a-a cramp in my leg, that's all," he lied.
Willow didn't buy it for a minute. Looking from her best friend to her half-brother, she had a pretty good idea what was going on.
This is the night where we capture forever
And all our tomorrows begin
After tonight we will never be lonely again
"You are evil, do you know that?" Liam chastised Buffy as they walked back to her house after dinner.
The blonde smiled evilly. Her ministrations over dinner had their desired effect on him. "You seemed to be enjoying it at the time. Don't be such a prude."
"I'm not being a prude, Buffy. My mother or Ira could have seen you doing that. Or even Willow."
She didn't get it. "Are you ashamed?" she asked.
Liam shook his head as his girlfriend opened the front door to let them inside. "No, not at all. What we do when we're alone is our business, not theirs. I don't want to make a spectacle of our private relationship."
Buffy closed the door behind them. Looking in his eyes, she pouted. "You mean I can't take out a full-page ad in the newspaper saying that last night was the best night of my life? Or that you are the kindest, gentlest, most considerate lover on the face of the planet?"
"No!" He let her words sink in. "You mean that?"
"Every word." She pushed him against the door and began to pull off his polo shirt.
"What are you doing?"
She laughed. "What do you think I'm doing? I want you. Right now."
"We're in the hallway," he reminded her.
"Yeah, I know that." Once she got Liam's shirt over his head, she unbuttoned her own blouse and started pulling off her pants. "Unfortunately, I'm not very patient at the moment. The hallway will just have to do for now."
"But what about...I don't have–"
Reaching into her pants pocket, Buffy pulled out a condom. "I stole it from your box while you were in the bathroom this morning. Now, do you have any more flimsy excuses or are you doing to make love to me?"
Pulling his girlfriend into a passionate kiss, the two fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs.