Part 1
"Come on, Wills. You have to come tonight otherwise I'll be forced to deal with Cordelia and the rest of her Cordettes by myself."
"Sorry, Xander. I promised Angel I would come over and help him move into his new house," Willow reminded her friend. "Besides, I'm sure Faith can protect you from your evil ex-girlfriend."
"She has to patrol. Make sure no big bad demons or vampires are out and about. Well, besides Deadboy that is," he couldn't resist adding. It was a week before school started and Xander was determined to have as much fun as possible. Cordelia, Willow and himself had taken it upon themselves to continue patrolling since Buffy had left town and he figured that they deserved a break. It had been five months since she left without so much as a word to any of them. And four months since Angel's unexpected return from Hell, complete with a permanent soul.
Angel had worked hard to regain the trust and friendships he had damaged when he was Angelus and with Willow's help, he had done so. Even Xander got along with the souled vampire, who was much less broody and more willing to joke and laugh with the group, even when the laughter was aimed towards himself.
And the group was changing too. Xander and Cordelia's infatuation with each had cooled to the mere tolerance level they had before their first kiss. Cordelia still helped the other Slayerettes when needed, not willing to let evil run amok and not do anything about it, but she went back to hanging out with her old friends whenever she wasn't researching or patrolling.
Xander, meanwhile, began a relationship with the new Slayer, Faith, who had come to Sunnydale two months after Buffy left with a chip on her shoulder the size of the Grand Canyon.
At first, everyone tried to make her into another Buffy, but eventually came to accept the brunette for herself. Oz left Sunnydale all together. The Dingos had received a recording contract and he moved with the others to New York. Giles began to date Mrs. Summers, the two of them growing closer over their depression with Buffy's disappearance, both of them blaming themselves. And then there was Willow.
On a way, the young hacker had changed the most. Gone was the shy, awkward girl that had no knowledge of the reality of the things that went bump in the night. In her place was a confident young woman who was growing more and more comfortable with who she was.
Her magick was growing stronger as were her fighting abilities. She often joined Faith or Angel for their nightly patrols and was now able to hold her own against the vampires they came across.
And, while she was heartbroken when Oz first left town, she quickly realized that her relationship with him was meant to be nothing more than friendship. With that discovery came her realization that her friendship with Angel was quickly turning into something else. She had been the first person to discover his return and she helped him to put the pieces of his life back together. She was instrumental with the other Scoobies in accepting Angel again.
The two of them spent most of their time together and, not to anyone's surprise, they fell in love. The others accepted the relationship, saying that it made sense. That the two of them were good together. Even Xander had to admit that the souled vampire and his best friend belonged together.
"So when does your new housemate arrive?"
"Wednesday," Willow answered as the teenagers waled up the steps that led into Sunnydale High. "I have to pick him up at the bus stop since Mom and Dad will be at some convention in San Francisco."
"That's always a real good way of making a first impression," Xander sarcastically stated. "Why even volunteer to take him in if they weren't going to be here when he arrives?" Willow shrugged as she thought of her parents' indifference to anything that affected their only child.
"They thought it would be good for me to have someone else in the house," she explained. "Anyway, I already told Pacey what to expect when he gets here. At least, in regards to my family." Xander and Willow entered the library, both smiling when they noticed their significant others. Xander turned to face the red head.
"And what about the nightly activities that thrive here in Sunnydale?" A sheepish look came over Willow's face as Angel came over to his girlfriend.
"That never really came into the topic of conversation." Willow wrapped her arms around Angel and gave him a kiss hello. "Hey there."
"Hey there, yourself," the vampire said. "Talking about Pacey."
"Yup. Have a lot to do between now and when he arrives, including trying to figure out a way to break the news to him about Sunnydale," Willow told him.
"Why tell him anything, Red?" Faith asked, joining the trio. Xander dropped his arms along the brunette Slayer's shoulder and kissed her cheek.
"You've kept the truth from your folks for this long, what makes this guy so different?"
"He's going to be living with me, well in my house. He won't know anybody in town, at least for the first few weeks of school. What am I suppose to do? Leave him at home at night and tell him not to open the door or invite anyone in?"
"Okay, so maybe keeping him in the dark won't be easy, but what makes you think he'll believe you?" Willow looked at Xander, not able to believe he even asked that question. He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Forget I even asked." The other three people laughed at Xander's expense.
"Well, just take things one day at a time, kitten," Angel assured Willow. "Thins will work out. Don't worry."
"I know. I just feel bad for him. Pacey Witter will never be the same.
Capeside
"I can't believe you won't be here for senior year, Pacey," Dawson Leery said to his best friend. "I always thought we would graduate together. You, me and Joey."
"We will be graduating at the same time, just on two different coasts."
"I still can't believe that your father actually signed you up to be an exchange student," Joey added. "I mean, that's actually almost human of him." Pacey shrugged his shoulders as he continued packing his bags."Not really. I think this is just his own warped way of telling me that I'm not wanted around here," the boy told his two closest friends. "Remember, this is my dad we're talking about."
"True. Do you know anything about the town you're going to or who you're staying with?" Joey inquired.
"All I know about it, is that its called Sunnydale and that its a small town with a high rate of disappearances and murders," Pacey informed the shocked couple.
"And your father thought it would be a good place for you to do?" Joey asked. She was worried about the boy she had grown up with. If Sunnydale really was as dangerous as Pacey was saying, she wasn't sure that him going there was all that great of an idea, even if it did mean getting away from his father. "What did Doug say to that?"
"Nothing. He pretty much didn't care," the boy said. "Told me to be careful and watch out after dark. Same stuff he tells me now, not that I expected it to be any different.
"What about the family you'll be staying with?"
"I know their names are the Rosenbergs. They have a seventeen ear old daughter named Willow, who is also a senior. We've chatted a few times on the computer and, according to her, her parents are rarely at home. She things that's why they volunteered to take me in, so that there will be someone else there with her."
Pacey shut his suitcase and looked around his childhood room, trying to see if he had forgotten anything. The room had the feel of a guest bedroom without his personal things in it. He had already shipped his computer to his soon to be home and had leant his television and VCR to Joey. As Pacey tool everything in, he had a feeling that it would be the last time he would be in this room.
"Come on, my bus leaves in an hour." Joey and Dawson followed Pacey out of his room and out of the house. Pacey's brother, Doug, was waiting for him by his truck and took Pacey's suitcase form him. He turned to face his two friends. "I guess this is it." Joey went over and gave Pacey a hug and places a light kiss on his cheek.
"I'll miss you, Witter," the girl said.
"School won't be the same without you man," Dawson added.
"And I'm sure the teachers will be more that happy about that fact."
Doug signaled that is was time to go. Pacey hopped into the truck and it
started to drive away. He looked back at his two friends and the place
he had grown up in and knew that his life was about to change all due to
a town called Sunnydale.