One Good Lay | Acting The Part by Pattyanne

Acting The Part
Parts 10-12

Written by: Pattyanne
Author's Website

Summary: AU. William St. James is an actor in a hit television show. While appearing at a fan convention, he meets Buffy and her six year old daughter, Melanie.
Disclaimer: The show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (The Series) and all of it's characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, & Fox Prod.
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Part Ten...

After dropping Melanie off at school the next morning, Buffy decided to go in to work early, before the mall opened for business. Both Willow and Anya wouldn't come in until afternoon, which would give her some alone time to finish changing the window displays and tag some new merchandise.

She swung into a space in the far end of the parking garage and switched off the engine. It made an ominous rattling sound as it died out, making her wonder just how much longer she'd be able to extend the life of the elderly Plymouth Sundance. It was already having electrical problems, the key was constantly sticking in the door locks, and it was in desperate need of a tune up.

But as badly as her little car needed some serious TLC, most of her available income was tied up in other areas. Her store was just starting to show a profit after it's monthly expenses, but it wasn't exactly putting her and Melanie in fat city. By the time she made the lease payment and paid her employee's salaries, she just about had enough to cover personal expenses...like rent and food.

Although Angel was making a large salary, she had refused to accept alimony when they'd split up. She hadn't wanted them to have anything but Melanie in common, and he hadn't argued about it with her. He was fairly good about child support, more because it would hurt his 'image' with his firm and whatever political cronies he was currying favor with if he were to be seen as a 'deadbeat father', rather than any actual concern about his daughter's needs, she suspected.

Making her way through the empty corridors where the back doors of the mall shops were located, she dug through her purse to find her key. When she pulled it out, there was a small piece of paper stuck to it. She unlocked the door and dropped her bag inside, flicked on the interior lights and then unraveled the scrap of paper....it was the phone number that William had scribbled out for her the night of the convention.

Just thinking about that made a pleasant shiver creep all over her, giving her goosebumps. She stuffed the little piece of notepaper back into a side pocket of her bag and headed for the front of the store.

She spent most of the morning trying to distract herself from concen- trating solely on William St. James and his deliciously sexy face and form. It had definitely been too long since she'd been kissed and touched the way he had been doing last night. Now, it was all she could seem to think about.

When her watch beeped the hour of 10:00 am, she flicked the switch that raised the electric door at the front of the shop, then placed her white signboard advertising a sale she was running on Easter clothing.

The mall was never very busy so early on a weekday morning, so she decided to take advantage of the free time and began clearing items out of the display case beneath the cash register. When she had everything out, she located a bottle of glass cleaner and a roll of paper towels and proceeded to give the inside of the case a proper cleaning.

She was so engrossed in what she was doing that she failed to hear someone enter the shop.

"Good morning!" William was bending over and looking in at her. Buffy was so startled that she jumped backwards, banging her head against the wooden frame of the display case and making the glass rattle.

"Are you all right?" he asked, concern on his face as she fell back onto her rear. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Rubbing the back of her head, she grabbed hold of the counter and climbed to her feet, her face bright red. What an inelegant performance to put on before a man who had shown definite signs of interest in her.

"I'm fine," she assured him, trying to smile as though the whole episode was just too funny for words. "Just...surprised."

"Well, I guess you were," he replied, a smile curving the corner of his mouth. "You're not bleeding, are you?" Without waiting for a reply, he headed around the side of the display case and joined her behind the counter. "Let me see."

Placing one hand on the side of her head, he tilted it slightly and examined the area in question. "Well, there's definitely a bump, but no blood," he informed her, then bent his head and kissed the injured spot gently. "Poor baby."

Buffy tipped her head back to look up at him. "It feels much better," she said softly.

He stared down into her eyes, hypnotized by the gold flecks in their green depths. "I really am sorry."

She was equally fascinated by the deep blue gaze meeting hers. "I'm not," she said, before she could stop herself. Her cheeks instantly turned pink and she withdrew a little, breaking the spell his eyes had begun to cast around her heart. "Um...what are you doing here?"

William took a deep breath and backed off a couple of feet. "Turns out I wasn't needed on the set today," he said, glancing around at the various displays of merchandise. "I wanted to see 'Melanie's Garden'."

"Oh....well, this is it," she replied, gesturing at the interior of the store.

Buffy was proud of the small shop that she had put together all by herself. It was the first completely independent project that she'd ever undertaken, and she'd put in a lot of time and effort to make it special.

The store was decorated in soothing pastels and delicate fabrics. The various racks where clothing hung were made of heavy wrought iron that she had painted white. There were several tables covered with different types of clothing, from hats and shoes to daintily made gloves and scarves.

The left side of the store carried boys wear, while the right side catered to little girls. At the very end of the center aisle, there were four fitting rooms around which she'd arranged three plush armchairs and a white wicker table covered by children's books and fashion magazines.

The main counter where purchases were made had an antique wheelbarrow that she'd also painted white and filled with pots of colorful flowers resting next to it. Behind the counter were three wood shelving units holding a selection of picture frames and candles. The top shelves were home to several china dolls in elegantly old fashioned formal wear, interspersed with teddy bears and other assorted stuffed playthings.

Inside the main counter, she had stocked a selection of children's jewelry. There were lockets and tiny pearl necklaces, a velvet ring case with several birthstone rings in varying sizes, thin gold chains with fanciful pendants hanging from them, and a display of pierced earrings designed for very small children.

She had adorned the walls with framed photographs of children. Some black and white and some sepia toned, most of the kids in the pictures were dressed in vintage style clothing that could be made to order in the shop.

William wandered around the store, a delighted smile gracing his handsome features. He picked up a few items and carefully replaced them, examining everything with genuine interest and appreciation.

He was standing in front of a display of children's bath products, uncapping and sniffing the different fragrances of bubble bath and body wash, when his eye was caught by a large framed photograph in the front window.

It was Buffy's favorite picture of Melanie. She'd had it enlarged to 15 X 20, and had placed it in a beautifully carved walnut frame, which she'd then perched on a small easel.

Her daughter had been visiting at a friend's house that afternoon. The two little girls had found a trunk full of old clothes and they'd spent the day playing 'dress up'. When Buffy had come to pick Melanie up, she'd been sitting in a patch of sunlight and wearing a dressy satin and lace camisole that reached to her knees. The thin straps had continually fallen down her arms, and her light brown curls had been mussed and shining in the afternoon sun.

Buffy had quickly reached for her camera. When she saw that Melanie had coaxed her friend's cat up onto her lap, she'd called her daughter's name softly and snapped the photo when she'd looked up and smiled.

The child looked angelic in the photograph, and it had been the inspiration for 'Melanie's Garden'.

"She looks like an angel here," William said as he looked at the picture. He grinned at Buffy. "I don't suppose this is for sale?"

She laughed and shook her head. "No. Sorry. But..." She returned to the main counter and opened a drawer in one of the shelving units. Returning to the front of the store, she handed him a 5 X 7 copy of the picture. "For you."

His wide smile softened a little as he looked down at the picture, then turned his eyes on Buffy. "You know that I've fallen completely in love with this little girl, don't you?"

Buffy felt a swelling in the region of her heart. He was being truthful about his feelings. She could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice. It was a lovely moment, made bittersweet by the sad realization that Angel had never made such a sweeping statement of love for his daughter...and probably never would.

This man....who had only known the child for a very few days...cared more for Melanie than the man she'd called 'Daddy' all her short life.

"Well, you're in luck," she replied. "Because I happen to know that the little girl returns the sentiment."

He looked into her eyes, then placed the tip of his index finger beneath her chin. "And what of her mother?" he asked softly, tilting his head slightly. "Where do her affections lie?"

Buffy couldn't stop herself. She placed her hands on his shoulders and lifted her face to meet his intent gaze. "She's...also quite...fond."

"Is she?" he whispered, lowering his head until their lips were very close.

With a tiny nod of her head, Buffy said, "She is."

William pressed his lips to one corner of her mouth, and then to the other. When she didn't make a move to pull away, he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, then captured her lips on a softly indrawn breath.

Buffy's arms slipped up and around his neck as she lost herself all over again in the heady euphoria his touch roused inside of her. Making a soft sound in her throat, she pressed closer.

They broke apart for air, but stayed close, their lips not quite touching.

"Buffy," he murmured, leaning his forehead against hers. "Do you have to stay here all day?"

"Well," she breathed warmly against his skin, "I guess not. Why?"

"Because....because I want to go somewhere...with you. Somewhere we can...talk...be alone. Please, honey?" he sighed deeply.

She tried to clear her head and think. Willow would be coming in soon, then Anya would come later in the afternoon and stay until closing. There was no reason she had to stick around. Anything she had been planning to do could wait one more day.

"When Willow comes in," she said, returning the kiss he gave her, "then I can leave."

"When?" he asked. "Soon?"

Buffy nodded. "Um-hmm. Very soon." They exchanged another long and lingering kiss. "You could...you could wait in...there's a coffee shop a few doors down," she panted as his mouth traveled down the side of her throat. "I'll...I'll come and...and find you when...she gets here."

"Yes," he groaned, his hands sliding down her back to her hips. "Okay, I'll wait for you." He forced himself to let go and took one step back, then lunged forward again and stole another kiss. "Hurry," he hissed against her lips. "I don't know how long I can stand it."

She watched as he left the store and turned in the direction of the coffee shop she'd directed him to, pressing her hands against her warm cheeks, and still feeling the touch of his mouth on hers.

"Neither do I," she whispered.

Part Eleven...

Never had a clock's hands moved so slowly.

Buffy had discovered that there was a polar opposite to the old adage about time flying when fun was being had; that it crawled when fun was being anticipated.

Not that she was anticipating anything. Much.

Staring at her watch for the fifth time in the last five minutes, she held it up to her ear, then gave it a good shake, then listened to it tick some more. There was a wall clock mounted over the fitting room area, and she was about to climb up on a chair and make sure the battery wasn't kaput when Willow walked in the back door.

"What's wrong?"

Buffy blushed and pushed the chair back into it's original position. "I thought maybe the clock had stopped."

"Why, am I late or something?" the other girl asked, stuffing her handbag into a drawer behind the cash register.

Buffy grabbed her own purse out before Willow could close and lock the drawer. "No...I just...I have to go. Something's come up and...I need to...um...go. For the day...probably."

Willow nodded, looking concerned. "It's not Melanie, is it? Did the school call?"

Although she was perfectly willing to stretch the truth as to what her plans were, Buffy wasn't going to do it at the expense of Willow's feelings. She was...as were most of the adults in Melanie's life, ex- cluding her father...extraordinarily fond of the child and would worry herself into a state of babbling nervousness if she thought something had happened to her.

"It's not Melanie," Buffy assured her. "She's fine. I just need to go and...do something." She started backing towards the entrance. "I'll check in later, okay?"

Not giving her employee a chance to reply, she turned and walked swiftly down the marbled floor of the mall's second story, mentally jettisoning all thoughts of anything else but the man waiting for her.

He was standing outside the coffee shop, examining the collection of tea pots and mugs in their window display. His hands were jammed into the front pockets of his jeans and he was wearing a pair of wire rimmed glasses that she'd not seen on him before.

They didn't detract from his good looks and sex appeal one iota. In fact, they added to it by giving him a charmingly bemused _expression and further depth to his dark blue eyes.

He must have seen her coming in the window's reflection, because he turned around and reached for her hand. Pulling her back into his arms, he whispered, "Thank Christ! I was losing my bloody mind," and kissed her on the mouth, long and hard.

Without a moment of worry over who might be seeing what, Buffy gave in to the delight his touch evoked in her. She slid her arms up and around the back of his neck, returning his kiss in full measure.

When they came up for air, she smiled. "I like those," she said, indicating the glasses he was wearing.

"Do you?" he asked, slipping his hands up and down her back in a very pleasing caress. "Make me look smarter than I really am, don't they?"

She laughed a little, tilting her head and getting a closer look. "I'm serious, I like them on you. They make you look....."

"Devastatingly sexy?" he suggested.

"....cute."

"Ouch," he winced. "There's a staggering blow to my ego."

Buffy shook her head. "I'm sure your ego will survive."

"Only if you feed it a little, darling." He stepped back, retaining his hold on her hand. "Let's get out of here."

******************************

He walked with her to the mall entrance opening onto the back parking lot where his Lexus sat in the late morning sun- shine.

Opening the passenger door, he seated her gracefully, then went around the front of the vehicle and climbed in. "Where would you like to go?" he asked, keying the ignition. "How about out for lunch? I know it's a little early, but....."

"We could to my house," she said, before she could stop herself. "I just mean...I could fix lunch...if you'd like. Because...be- cause you did...you know...take us out for dinner last night, and...and there was the peanut butter sandwich on the....."

She stopped speaking abruptly when he slid one hand behind the back of her neck and pulled her forward, capturing her mouth with his and ceasing her nervous chatter.

Buffy had no defense whatsoever against such tactics. It simply felt too good to resist.

"You know," William said, a few minutes later, when the first urgency began to quiet down, "I haven't done this since I was in school. Made out in the front seat of a car, I mean. I'd forgotten how much fun it is."

She smiled, running one finger over the high arch of his cheek bone. "Make you feel sixteen again?"

"Oh, yeah," he chuckled ruefully. "Raging hormones and wild curiosity, punctuated by an occasional smack when I got a little too free with my hands."

"Someone slapped you?" she asked in patent disbelief. "You?"

He shrugged. "I wasn't always this handsome and self assured, you know," he said teasingly. "But I pretended to be. Drama classes helped me put it across. Then, when I was almost seventeen, I had my first girlfriend. Alexandra. Gorgeous little Italian bombshell. Alex showed me things I'd never even dreamed of. I was nuts about her."

"What happened?"

"Oh, she met the right tackle on the football team and decided that brawn was more appealing than brains...or acting ability. I was un- ceremoniously dumped."

Buffy couldn't imagine such a thing ever happening to him. "Bet she's sorry now."

"I doubt it. Her boyfriend was drafted by the NFL three days after he graduated college. So far he's been in two Superbowls AND was voted MVP two years in a row. They have a house in Fort Lauderdale and three kids, last I heard."

He looked cheerful enough, so she had to assume that his heart hadn't been too terribly shattered by his first love.

"Actually," he went on, "it's all worked out for the best."

"How so?"

"Well...now there's you," he said simply. "Worst thing in the world is to be involved with someone else when the right person comes along."

Buffy sat back in her seat and gave him a speculative look. "Are you?" she finally managed to make herself ask.

"What...involved with someone else? No."

He said it quite matter-of-factly, with no evasive tone or guilty _expression, but Buffy had to have it all out on the table before things moved too far along to stop painlessly.

"That woman the other night?" she ventured. "At the convention. She seemed kind of...angry...when you were talking to me."

Unconsciously, she held her breath.

"Woman?" His brow furrowed for a moment. "You mean Dru? Dark hair and eyes?"

Buffy nodded, then shook her head. "It's not my business, I know..."

"Dru is my agent," he informed her. "Period."

She looked doubtful. "She seemed awfully possessive for an agent."

William sighed. "Agents ARE awfully possessive," he said. "Their clients are their livelihood, and they want them to stay focused on their careers. Buffy," he added, taking her chin in his hand and turning her to meet his steady gaze, "Drusilla Howard is NOT my girlfriend. At the moment, I'm 'girlfriend free'. Or, I was...until a couple of days ago."

He kissed her lips again; a sweeter, softer kiss, with the express purpose of doing exactly what it accomplished....melting her heart.

"Now," he said, pulling back and smiling at her. "Did you say something about lunch at your place?"

******************************

He drove her around to the parking structure to pick up her car, then followed her back to her house.

She instructed him to sit at the kitchen table, trying to put the memory of the last time he'd sat there out of her mind, without much success.

"I haven't been to the store in a couple of days," she confessed, searching the contents of her refrigerator. "How about an omelet?"

"Sounds good to me," he replied, shedding his jacket and rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. "Keeping in mind the fact that I've never prepared a meal in my life...anything I can do to help?"

Buffy looked at him. "Never? What in the world do you eat?"

"Out. A lot."

Her heart did a little flip-flop. Damn it! Was he TRYING to be so charmingly adorable?

She cracked eggs into a mixing bowl, added milk and whisked them into a yellow froth. After melting butter in a skillet, she poured the egg mixture in and waited for it to set, then grated cheese on top, flipped it and turned the heat down to a low blue flame. While she waited for it to get puffy, she made toast and set the table.

"I'm impressed," William said after taking his first bite. "This is very good."

She shrugged, pleased at the compliment. "I enjoy cooking. When I have the time."

"I enjoy eating," he replied, grinning at her in a way that made goose- bumps pop up on her skin. "So we were obviously meant to be."

After they finished, she sent him into the living room and threw the dishes into the sink to soak before joining him.

He was standing in front of the fireplace, studying the framed pictures she had displayed there. When Buffy came into the room, he turned and took her hand, pulling her over to the couch.

She thought for a moment that he was going to say something, but instead he leaned forward and kissed her, nudging her back into the corner of the sofa.

Every bit of pent up emotion that had been churning inside of her came to the fore, spilling over into a torrent of desire. She allowed her mind to drift off and her body to take the wheel.

******************************

William's own mind was clouded with Buffy. Everything about her seemed like the only thing he'd ever wanted.

He had never really been in a serious relationship before, and he was surprised at how easily he was ready to embark on one with a woman he'd only met days ago.

It wasn't for lack of opportunity. He met plenty of attractive and eligible women. The business he was in was rife with them.

And it wasn't as though he didn't want to settle down. He was over thirty, and so far his life had gone pretty much the way he'd planned for it to go. He had spent years paying his dues before 'Outpost: Space' had been offered to him. Now, he was able to sit back and take advantage of the results.

Movie offers were coming in on a regular basis. Nothing he was particularly interested in just yet, but it was nice to be asked. He had plenty of money in the bank, and had just bought his first home.

Everything in his professional life was steaming along nicely. Then, just four short days ago, his personal life had been turned upside down...and given a good solid shake as well...when Buffy and Melanie had entered it.

And he loved it! Absolutely and unequivocally loved it!

He was swerving into this new direction eagerly, with no second thoughts or worries, and the only warning signal going off was telling him not to waste any time establishing himself in the lives of these beautiful ladies.

Nothing in him was telling him to slow down, to be careful, to watch his step. Instead, his gut was informing him that there was no point in waiting, no reason to hesitate. The right woman had finally come along, and she was a highly desirable little package with an added bonus holding on to her skirt.

He didn't want to scare her off by being too aggressive in his pursuit, but he was also afraid that if he didn't move quickly he was running the risk of another man possibly stepping in ahead of him...such as an ex-husband realizing what a colossal mistake he'd made and deciding that he wanted his family back.

The thought of such a thing happening made him feel remarkably more possessive than he was actually entitled to be at this point. His caress became a little rougher, his kisses more demanding.

Ordering himself to slow down was an exercise in futility. She was too lovely, and he was too attracted.

William honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd been so hard...so ready...just from kissing a woman. Probably sometime in his adolescence, before he'd developed the skill of self control.

Buffy was making that very concept difficult to maintain, and he doubted she was even aware of it.

Her lips were moist and warm, and they tasted of a cherry lip gloss that he wanted to lick off. Did she know what she was doing to him with her mouth, and that he never wanted her to stop? That she was driving him insane?

Drunk on her taste, he pressed down harder, pushing her deeper into the sofa cushions and pinning her there with his body.

He groaned softly when she parted her lips, and their tongues met and mated in a way their bodies were aching for.

They finally separated, both gasping for air. William pursued his advantage, kissing and nuzzling his way down the slender column of her throat as she tilted her head back, offering it to him.

His lips encountered the open V of her blouse. Only the top two buttons were undone, denying him access to all the treasure he'd find further down.

One of his hands went searching for the third button. It slipped from it's buttonhole without a word of protest from Buffy, and he started on the fourth one.

Before he could complete the task, they were interrupted by the sound of a small brass clock on the mantle chiming half past two o'clock.

He felt her hands on his chest, and he reluctantly allowed her to push him slightly away.

"School's out in fifteen minutes," she told him. "I have to go and get Melanie."

******************************

Buffy knew her body would never forgive her for what she was about to do, but there was no hope for it. She stood up on mildly shaking legs, smoothing her mussed hair and re- fastening her shirt buttons.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, hating herself for the state she was leaving him in.

William took a couple of deep breaths before he rose pain- fully to his feet. "It's all right," he said, trying to sound like he meant it.

Buffy waited for half a beat, then went looking for her purse.

******************************

Out on the front porch, Buffy locked the deadbolt, then turned to look at William. He seemed a tiny bit less uncomfortable than he had been.

Wondering what came next, she walked with him to where his car was parked. "Can I call you later?" he asked, unlocking it.

"Sure." She gave him the sunniest smile she could produce at the moment and wished he would be more specific. "I'll be home tonight," she said, inwardly cringing at the obvious hint.

He climbed into the car, and was about to close the door when he remembered something she'd said yesterday.

"Can I ask you something?" When she nodded, he asked, "Did you say something about Melanie having a problem at school?"

"Yesterday, she did. Her class has this thing they do called 'Share Time'. You might know it as 'Show and Tell'?"

"What about it?"

"Well...Melanie doesn't do 'Share Time'. She never has, not even once...until this past Monday. She got up in front of the class and told them that she'd gone to the convention and all about you...you know, the picture and the autograph and all." She sighed deeply. "Some of the older kids found out and they didn't believe that she knew you, called her a liar, and...made fun of her."

Buffy purposely left out the "My new Daddy" part of the story, even though he'd probably get a kick out of hearing it.

"So...she got upset and started to cry, and her teacher had to go and take her off the playground."

"Hmm. But she's all right now?"

"Yeah. She's all right."

******************************

She was late. Again.

She parked in the lot and almost sprinted for the classroom, making her way through the usual afternoon throng of kids and parents.

Melanie was standing next to Miss Ashton, holding a sheet of paper in one hand, her backpack's strap slipping down her small shoulders. The anxiousness on her face faded when she saw Buffy.

"Hey, baby," Buffy said, taking the paper Melanie offered and examining the drawing. "Very good. More art for the refrigerator gallery," she added, although she was beginning to think that if she taped up one more piece of her daughter's work, the entire refrigerator would topple forward from the weight.

She was still talking with Miss Ashton...hoping that there had been some progress in ferreting out the bullies that had cornered Melanie on the playground...when she noticed a change in the nearby crowd of parents, teachers, and kids.

Turning around to see what they were all staring at, Buffy's eyes widened when she saw William striding casually across the playground in her direction.

A slow smile tugged at the corners of her mouth when they made eye contact.

**Okay, it's now official. I'm definitely falling in love with this man!**

Part Twelve...

Paying no attention to the crowd of gawkers assembling on the playground, William grinned and swung Melanie up into his arms. "There's my princess," he said, loudly enough for everyone around to hear.

"You mean me?" Melanie asked.

"Course I mean you." He gave her a squeeze. "Didja have fun in school today?"

The child nodded. "We did vowel sounds today. As, Es, Is, Os, and Us."

As always, she focused all of her attention on him, not once looking around to see who might be witnessing the encounter and reporting it the next day.

Buffy, on the other hand, very much wanted this vindication for her daughter and hoped that every single one of the kids who'd been picking on her were watching.

Smiling at William, she said, "How did you know where..."

"I followed you," he interjected, reaching for the drawing she still had in her hand and looking it over.

His admission surprised her. "You're good. I didn't notice you at all."

William shrugged. "I did a season and a half on 'Precinct Twelve' I guess something stuck. This is very good," he said to Melanie as he inspected her art work. "What are you going to do with it?"

"Mommy hangs stuff on the frigerator," she explained.

"Well, Mommy's very lucky to have so many of your pictures to hang up. The only thing on my refrigerator is a reminder from the vet that my dogs need to be wormed," he hinted broadly.

She tilted her head slightly and wrinkled up her small nose. "Ewww!"

Much as it had at the convention Q & A, their conversation was drawing the attention of the people around them, people fascinated at the rapport between the two.

"I'd love to have some of your pictures to put up," said William, setting her back on her feet while keeping her hand firmly in his.

After that, nothing would do except that he see her classroom, and she dragged him willingly inside with her.

Buffy stayed by the door, watching as Melanie showed off the evidence of her scholastic triumphs. Spelling tests with large red 'A' s on them were stapled up on the "Look How I'm Doing" board. A chart with the five food groups that she had colored was displayed with others at the back of the room.

"Why is the cheese purple?" William asked, bending over to examine her work.

"I like purple."

"Of course."

Grabbing his hand, she towed him up front to introduce him to the class mascot, a plump black and white hamster named Oreo.

"I know it's none of my business," Miss Ashton said quietly, standing next to Buffy and preventing anyone else from entering the classroom, "but I'm beginning to think Melanie knew exactly what she was talking about the other day."

With her arms folded across her chest, Buffy looked at the teacher. "What do you mean?"

Miss Ashton smiled and nodded at William, who was now being shown the contents of Melanie's desk. "He looks like pretty good 'Daddy' material to me."

Her cheeks tinted a light pink, Buffy watched her daughter peel a gold foil star from a math test and stick it on William's shirt. "He does, doesn't he?" she murmured softly.

*************************

After introducing him to her teacher, Melanie tugged William outside again and pointed out the various landmarks of her school, giving him a comprehensive tour of the swings and slides, the cafeteria, and every single drinking fountain on the premises.

Gradually, some of the other children became braver, and the next time Buffy looked around she saw him sitting on one of the swings with Melanie in his lap and a group of kids gathered around them, hanging on every word he said.

She slowly drifted closer, listening as he talked with the children, patiently answering all their questions.

His affection for Melanie was plain for anyone to see, but what surprised Buffy was the fact that she was sitting there...virtually surrounded on all sides by a growing crowd, a situation she usually avoided like the plague...calmly. She wasn't participating in the conversation, but at least she wasn't hiding in the bathroom.

When the little group began breaking up, William vacated the swing and carried Melanie back to where Buffy stood waiting.

"Thought maybe we could stop and get some ice cream," he said.

"Before dinner?" the child asked incredulously. This was an un- precedented event.

He shrugged and looked at Buffy, leaving it up to her.

She was in far too good a mood to give a lecture on proper nutrition. "I think that's a great idea," she said, taking the hand he held out to her.

Their fingers laced firmly together, he gave her hand a squeeze as they walked towards the parking lot.

Without thinking twice, Buffy squeezed back.

********************

"Can you have dinner with us?" Melanie piped up from the back seat of William's SUV. "Can he?" she immediately asked her mother.

They had returned to the parking area of the school and Buffy had buckled Melanie into her booster seat. After being grabbed and thoroughly kissed, she had driven her car home, followed by William, and they had taken his car to the local Baskin and Robins.

Surprised at the initiative her daughter had just taken, Buffy auto- matically nodded and said, "Sure. If you'd like to," she added as he pulled into a parking space.

Turning the key and shutting off the engine, he turned to look at her with a slow smile appearing on his face. "I would love to," he said, his eyes telling her things he couldn't say in front of a six year old.

Unable to keep a silly smile off of her own face, Buffy pushed open the car door and climbed out. Melanie was already out of her seat and was yanking at the inside door latch. "It's stuck shut," she announced, looking out through the rear window.

William opened the door from the outside and held her hand as she jumped down to the pavement. "It's not stuck," he said. "There's a special lock that keeps little girls from opening it on the inside."

"How come?" Melanie asked, keeping tight hold of his hand.

William closed the door and smiled down at her. "So that it can't be opened when the car is moving," he told her. "It's to keep you safe, pixie. It's the first time I've ever used it," he said to Buffy.

As they crossed the parking lot, Melanie slipped her free hand into her mother's. "We don't got one of those on our car, do we?" she asked Buffy.

"No, baby. Maybe next time."

Melanie looked up at William. "Our door sticks shut a lot," she said. "Sometimes Mommy has to kick it."

Holding the door open for them, he gave Buffy an inquiring look. "You're having car problems?"

A little embarrassed, Buffy tried to shrug it off. "Nothing serious. It's just an old car. You know how they are...there's all kinds of little things that act up."

He said nothing for a moment, watching as Melanie examined the various choices of ice cream available. "You know," he finally said, "I have an excellent mechanic. Maybe he could take a look at it."

As much as she appreciated the offer, there was no way she could afford to have the work needed to fully repair her car. She had been letting the minor problems slide by, all the while hoping that nothing major would crop up.

William noticed her hesitation and knew what was causing it. "It won't cost anything," he added quietly. "He's a friend, he'll do it as a favor."

He was an actor, and he knew how to deliver a line, but her ex-husband's half baked stories had provided Buffy with on the job experience at recognizing a snow job when she heard one, and she would be willing to wager that she was hearing one right now. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that the proposed repairs wouldn't cost HER one thin dime.

She didn't want to shoot him down by accusing him of duplicity, especially when it was so obviously well meant. But, at the same time, she wasn't about to have him owe money on her account, knowing full well that he probably wouldn't allow her to pay him back.

Fortunately, Melanie saved her from having to turn him down by announcing that she'd chosen one of the '31 Flavors' being offered to her.

******************************

They sat at a small table in the far back of the shop.

Melanie worked diligently to keep the ice cream from dripping down the sides of her cone.

William had opted for a dish, hoping that Buffy would do the same. He knew that sitting there, watching her licking an ice cream cone would result in an uncomfortable situation for him.

Blithely unaware, she'd done the exact opposite of what he'd wanted.

He kept his raging libido as calm as he could manage, until his eyes zeroed in on a tiny smear of chocolate on the corner of her mouth. The napkin holder at their table was empty, and he sent Melanie back up to the counter to fetch some.

As soon as the little girl was out of ear shot, he leaned over the table and pinned his gaze on Buffy's. "I want to lick that chocolate off you with my tongue," he whispered. "It's killing me."

His comment both aroused and unnerved her. Turning her head for a moment to check on her daughter's progress, she decided to go with the arousal.

"Go ahead," she whispered back.

William's eyes widened for a bare instant, and he wallowed in the lust her words had caused in him. Cupping her chin, he drew her closer until he could feel her warm breath on his skin, then extended his tongue and lapped up the drop of ice cream.

He lingered on her lips for a moment, nearly choking when her tongue darted out and touched his.

Wondering who the uninhibited stranger occupying her body was, Buffy pulled back seconds before Melanie walked up with enough napkins to wipe every face within a three mile radius.

Shoving her chair back and jumping to her feet, she said, "Time to go!" in a tone that sounded sickeningly chirpy to her ears.

******************************

Dinner that night was later than she normally served it.

Needing some time alone to re-group, Buffy turned down William's offer to help. She located some leftover lasagna in the freezer and reheated it, then tossed a simple salad of greens and tomato wedges.

After putting the meal on the table, she went upstairs to announce that it was ready.

Hearing quiet voices, she paused in the doorway to her daughter's room, and her heart melted at what she saw.

William was sitting in the large rocking chair with Melanie in his lap and a book open in his hands.

"Charlotte and Wilbur were alone," he read. "The families had gone to look for Fern. Templeton was asleep. Wilbur lay resting after the excitement and strain of the ceremony. His medal still hung from his neck, by looking out of the corner of his eye he could see it. 'Charlotte,' said Wilbur after a while, 'why are you so quiet?' 'I like to sit still,' she said. 'I've always been rather quiet.' 'Yes, but you seem especially so today. Do you feel all right?' 'A little tired perhaps.' "

Once again she compared William and Angel...and once again, Angel came up short. He had never...not one time...sat in that rocker with his daughter on his lap, reading to her.

It was another thing to add to the list she kept in her head of things that Angel had never done; he had never changed Melanie's diaper...or prepared a meal for her...or played a game with her...or gave her a bath...or tucked her into bed at night. Small wonder that the child had gone searching for a 'Daddy'.

She'd never really had one.

"Nothing can harm you now. These autumn days will shorten and grow cold. The leaves will shake loose from the trees and fall. Christmas will come, and the snows of winter. You will live to enjoy the beauty of the frozen world, for you mean a great deal to Zuckerman and he will not harm you, ever. Winters will pass, the days will lengthen, the ice will melt in the pasture pond."

Buffy sat down on the side of Melanie's bed, just as engrossed as she was.

"All these sights and smells and sounds will be yours to enjoy, Wilbur. This lovely world, these precious days...."

The words he spoke were evocative. These WERE precious days.

The first six years of Melanie's life seemed to have flown by at the speed of light. Buffy could only imagine how fast the next six would go.

Precious days...

For the first time, she found herself almost pitying Angel for everything he had thrown away...all the precious days that would never, ever come again.

CONTINUED...

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