Rating: G. Disclaimer: All the characters you recognise belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, WB, Kuzui, Sandollar, Fox and anyone else who has rights to BtVS. All trademarks and copyrights are acknowledged. Anyone you don't recognise is mine, as is this original copyrighted work of fan fiction. No copyright infringement intended, inferred or implied.
Feedback: Yes Please. It is very important that I get it because ... "it gives me a happy".
Couples: B/A get a mention.
Spoilers: "Lie to Me". If you ain't seen it you won't understand this story. No other episode prior or after has any direct influence on this story. Though having said that a disclosure at the start of "Welcome to the Hellmouth" is referred to.
Dedication: To everyone who asked for a prequel to A Chat and A Bite to Eat ... this is to keep you busy will I try and work out what I'm gonna write. Distribution: Buffy Beta Fanfic Archive and Buffy Institute get it automatically. Anyone else, ask and ye shall receive.
Author's Note: This is what should have happened after "Lie to Me", but the evil tv companies wouldn't give Joss the airtime. So I've taken up the baton.
Summary: "Lie to Me" ... the day after.

The day hadn't just gone slowly for Buffy, it had dragged almost endlessly. She had waded through each lesson like she was walking through molasses while wearing lead boots giving an obese elephant a piggy-back. The previous few days had given birth to an army of unanswered questions. This growing up was really getting to be more trouble than it was worth. Willow and Xander had tried to raise her spirits, but to no avail. As the last class of the day finally came to its end her two friends give it another shot.

"So, Buff!", Xander chirrups as he sidles up to her as they exit the classroom, "You thought any more about Bronzing it tonight?"

"Come on Buffy ... it'll do you good to forget things and have a little fun", her red-haired best friend chips in.

"Yer ... and you can watch me dance", Xander concludes as he performs a little routine which in his mind alone is dancing.

She looks at him and temporarily raises a smile, "Thanks, but I don't think that watching you have an epileptic fit is my idea of fun at the moment".

Xander looks a little hurt, as Buffy briefly tramples on his feelings.

Realising how harsh she had just been, she takes her arm and puts it through Xander's. "I'm just not fun-girl at the moment. You two go, catch the bus. I've got to see Giles. Go ... go, I'll be alright ... Honest".

Even though she sounds less than convinced by her own words, her friends appreciate her desire to distance them from her current melancholy, and they yield to her requests and head down the hallway to the main entrance.

Buffy turns and enters the library and as she does she sees Giles sat at the computer with his head in his hands, mumbling a barely audible collection of graphic expletives.

"What's the matter Giles?", the blonde slayer asks as she approaches her exasperated Watcher.

"Oh ... er .. Buffy, didn't hear you come in. The ... um ... computer just isn't doing what I want". He runs his hand through his hair, as if this will somehow stimulate his brain into working out where he is going wrong.

"So, what's making you freak?" she inquires, as she rests her hands on the desk and looks at the computer screen.

Giles picks up the mouse, "It's my rodent-thingy, it isn't letting me move my arrow and get my mail".

"It's called a mouse, Giles", she offers. But it makes no difference.

"Then my mouse won't let me move my arrow-whatyamacallit and get my mail", he announces defiantly.

"I knew I could count on you to make me feel better", she offers as a small, but permanent, smile affixes itself to her face.

"Oh I give up", states Giles as he slams the mouse down on the table and switches off the monitor. "What's wrong with good old fashioned pen and paper? Damn colonials got to go messing with everything". Giles begins to descend into rant-mode.

Buffy lets out a giggle, which quickly turns into a laugh. "That's right Giles ... why we don't just revert to stone tablets now before it's too late, I don't know".

Realising that he has somehow wandered straight into the Giles-makes-a-fool-of-himself-zone, he decides that a timely change of subject would not go a miss. "How are you holding up?" he asks, "It's nice to see you laugh again".

"Oh, you know", she replies as her laughing curtails.

"The whole thing with Mr. Fordham is still eating away at you isn't it?", he asks as he places his arm around her shoulder. "You did what had to be done ... what was right".

Buffy struggles to explain her feelings, "It's just I feel so ...."

"I know Buffy ... I know". Giles removes his arm. "Look, take the night off. Go home, watch sentimental movies, perhaps spend time with Angel".

"Yer ... that would be nice", she replies.

"Well then, get your stuff and I'll drop you off", Giles informs her as he removes his jacket from the back of the chair.

"Drop me off? As in take me home in your car? No ... no .. it's fine. I'll walk", she offers as her reply begins to sound more like a plea.

"It's no trouble. I'm going your way ... and it's got to be quicker than walking", he cheerfully replies oblivious to her protestations.

"The way you drive ... I doubt it", comes Buffy's sarcastic response.

"There's nothing wrong with driving defensively", Giles offers as he endeavours to justify his idiosyncratic approach to driving.

"Yer, but your driving isn't so much defensive as retreating", responds Buffy as she inserts the final nail in the coffin of Giles' ego.

"Thank you very much .... now come on", and he grabs her arm and pulls her after him.

***

As they arrive outside the Summers' residence they see that a blue saloon is already parked there, with a middle-aged man waiting inside. As Buffy opens the car door and gets out, the man in the car gets out also. Seeing this Buffy goes into auto-pilot, ready for the prospect of a battle. Giles opens his door and gets out ... prepared to assist his ward if needed.

As the stranger comes over to Buffy he presents her with a letter and a medium sized parcel, "Miss Summers? Miss Buffy Summers? I'm Terence Latchmore from the firm of Hodgkiss, Ruben and Blanks ... we are handling things for the Fordham family. These items are for you". He hands the parcel and letter to a surprised Buffy. "Could you just sign here", he asks as he produces a note of receipt.

Buffy takes the pen and signs the form in front of her.

He hands her a copy. "Thank you very much Miss Summers ... and good afternoon", and with that he returns to his car and drives off.

Giles looks over to her, "Do you want me to stay while you open that?"

Buffy shakes her head, "No, no it's alright ... You get to wherever you're supposed to be".

"Are you sure?", he asks just to be certain.

"I'm sure", she replies.

And with that Giles gets back in his car and drives away ... slowly.

Buffy turns and walks up the steps to her front door. Once inside she heads into the kitchen and places the package and the letter on the table. Grabbing a glass for herself she heads for the fridge, "Juice, juice ... errrr ... no juice. Okay, milk then".

After pouring herself some milk and grabbing something to munch on, she sits down at the table and opens the letter and begins to read .....

"How are you doing Summers?

Well if you're reading this you did your Slayer duty. You beat the bad guys, gave Marvin and Chantarelle a world class wake up call and staked me when I rose from the dead. Knew I could rely on you.

I hope I haven't caused you too much heartache. But then again, knowing what a big heart you have. Sorry Summers.

You had to do it. It's what you do. It's who you are. You are the Slayer. When nasty things come knocking, you are the one who sends them away ... in a hurt locker.

I guess you're feeling a little confused about now. Well, that's one thing I could always manage to do. Constantly running each scenario through my brain like it was some sort of film. Trying to predict what the characters will do next. You used to like that. Used to. Still it allowed me to be a kick-ass chess player as a result, which was the only think that ever made my dad proud of me.

But, you don't want me wittering on about my father. This letter is to explain what exactly happened. The part you played in an elaborate production, entitled 'A Life For A Life' and why I hope you can forgive me. There I go again, seeing everything as if it is a movie. Well, it's not a problem I'm suffering from anymore. Sorry, bad taste.

Let's go back about a year to when you 'left' Hemery. Your antics with the gymnasium were amusing, well not for you I suppose. Still for someone who had been part of the in-crowd, arson was not typical behaviour. Shortly, after you left I found out about the brain tumors. It certainly explained the headaches and bouts of dizziness.

God, you don't know how much I needed a friend right then. Dad, as usual, was so far removed from any sort of emotion that he was no comfort. I realised then how much I really missed having you around. It was then I seriously thought about finding an easy way out. The doctors were no help. The tumors were inoperable. I was a terminal case. Their best advice was to rush out and get myself measured up for a coffin while I still had the time. Sorry, bad taste again. They gave me eighteen months, maybe a bit longer. But all I could do was take the drugs and wait for ... well wait.

As time passed I searched for something to occupy me. Partying, drinking (well when the drugs would permit it) and moving from one crowd to another. It was then I found the fans of the 'lonely ones'. Here were these people who had their health and they had their lives. They had friends and they had family. They had a long term future. And what did they want to do? Have some friendly vampire exsanguinate them and turn them into one of the exalted.

It was then that I started to come up with a plan. Something that would allow me to die, but die for a reason. Die for a purpose, for a cause. To achieve something. I knew that in the time that remained I could make a difference, but only with your help.

So I got matey with some of them, and ended up meeting Marvin. He was typical of the vampire wannabes. Lots of money and little personality. I guess he figured becoming a creature of the night would give him a personality, well at least make him attractive to women. Obviously watched too many films featuring seductive vampires. By now you've met him so you know what I'm talking about.

Of course, I still needed an in with the vampires. So, I figured that I'd offer them you. Well, Slayer-on-a-platter is a meal that no vampire worth his fangs would refuse. But it still left me having to find some. And where's the best place to find vampires? Where there is a Slayer. And you delivered last night while we were at the school. I don't know what they were doing up at the school, but while you were dealing with the large one I was getting the other one to tell me where they hang out. Oh, I released her. I hope she doesn't cause any problems for you or your friends I would hate that. But I made a deal, she told me what I wanted to know and I let her live (or would that be unlive?)

Of course, I headed out there and struck up a deal. They get you and the patrons of the Sunset Club and I become a vampire. Well, that's what they think. But they didn't get it did they? Knew you'd find a way to save everyone.

I don't know if you've met any of the I-want-to-be-a-vampire brigade before, but whatever you tell them they won't listen. No matter how hard you try they just won't take that reality check. So I figured I'd give them what they want, actual vampires. When confronted with the demons themselves my bet is that they will decide that the life they have is better than being drained of blood. Am I right?

Of course, there's only one way to get rid of a horde of vampires, set a Slayer loose on them. Which is another reason why you had to be there. Hey, if I'd have told what I planned: Set loose vampires on a bunch of sad inadequate vampire wannabes and get you to rescue them, whilst allowing me to be killed so I don't have to spend the last six months decaying in some hospital bed somewhere, what would you have said. Well, after a copious amount of swearing I think it would be nudging towards a no.

If nothing else, I'm glad I've seen you Summers. You really were a sight for sore eyes. You're face the night before last, when you tried to explain your slaying as two fighting cats, who had subsequently run away, it was priceless. You stood there with your hair illuminated by the streetlight and that dumbfounded expression ... "What, whatting a what?". You always knew the right word for the situation.

Anyway, guess I better go. It's just gone five. Got to get ready to meet the guys. I know I told you nine, but you'll show up earlier, you'll have clicked that something is decidedly iffy by now. And you've got your friends to help you.

Hold on to them Summers. Keep them close. You have friends and family who care for you deeply. I can see that and they're much better than your so-called friends back at Hemery. And your boyfriend, Angel, the one you weren't sure was your boyfriend, he really does care for you. I could see it when you introduced us the other night at the Bronze, he was jealous. You could see how he reacted, particularly when he learned I was here for good. Bet he was the one who started snooping first.

Don't let any of them go. Don't let yourself be alone. Trust me Summers, you don't want to be alone when the bad things come. You don't want to be alone when you die.

I only hope that in time you can forgive me for using you like this. And don't feel sad. Open the parcel which you got with this letter. Go on, see what's inside.

Ford".

Buffy puts the letter on the table and reaches for the box. She hesitantly opens it, not too sure what she will find. As she peels back the lid the mystery of its contents is revealed.

"He hasn't? How could he?", she asks herself. Unable to force herself to extract the gifts.

"Oh, Ford .. you ................. Oh, Ford".

She finally pulls the items from the box allowing them into the daylight. As she places them on the kitchen table, it can be clearly seen what they are .....

..... A box of Oreos and a carton of apple juice.

Attached to the box of Oreos is a small post-it note, it simply reads "In Sixth Grade - I Chose Wrong".

Question: How does Buffy react? How does she feel towards Ford now?

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