Parts: 11 - 16
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~Part: 11~
"I'll be right with you," William called out when he heard the bell above the door chime. He slid the box onto the shelf, deciding that next time he'd take the extra time to get the stool. He ran his hand over his shoulder, feeling as if he might have pulled something. He turned to face the customer, freezing when he saw that it was Taryn Finn. He frowned as she looked away from him, a flash of distaste crossing her pretty face. He glanced down, wondering what it was about him that she found so offensive. "Taryn."
"William," she said, keeping her eyes on a display of crystals. Good grief. She'd almost been caught ogling him. When he had had his arms above his head, his shirt had ridden up, giving her a glimpse of a rather nice jean clad bottom. You hate him, you hate him, you hate him, she told herself repeatedly as she glanced at the clock. "Is Anne here?"
"Why would Anne be here?" he asked with a puzzled look as he watched the enigma that was Taryn. He would never understood her, he decided. Even when they were children, he'd never been able to get inside her mind. It was one of the many things about her that unnerved him. She was unpredictable. She also seemed to hate him, which confused him even more. He'd always been nice to her, thinking her a rather bright kid, especially considering that her parents were Buffy and Riley, not the two smartest people he'd ever met. All the other kids liked him. Why, then, did she always look at him as if he were scum? It bothered him.
Taryn turned to look at him, scowling, "She's not here? It's after four."
"I can read the clock, you know," he said with just a hint of sarcasm. "Surprising what you learn in college, huh?"
"Anne told me after dinner last night to meet her here at four to go shopping," Taryn said slowly with a slight edge to her tone. "She's making some sort of bridal registry or something."
"Well, she's not here," he said, having gone home the night before after eating. Of course, he lived in an apartment above the garage so it hadn't been a very long walk.
"I can see that," Taryn responded with a roll of her eyes. "Is Willow here? Maybe Anne called."
"Today was ordering day," William said, "that means she won't be in. Spike is jealous of her order books and rarely lets her get any ordering done until mid-morning when he's asleep. By that time, she makes the orders and then sleeps in."
"Oh," Taryn said, not at all unaware of how Spike was probably gaining Willow's attention. She sighed, "I assume that means he isn't here either. What about your mother?"
"Met Dad after school," William said, noticing that Taryn was shifting in place, seemingly nervous. Why was she nervous? "I'm here alone."
"Alone?" she squeaked before gathering herself. Way to go, Tar. Hate, hate hate. She collected herself and frostily asked, "They just leave you to run this place alone?"
"I think I can handle it," he said, glancing around the empty store, "it doesn't get busy until after five and on weekends. Jesse is coming in today so it will be fine. Did you want to borrow the phone to call Anne?"
"I'm sure something must have come up," she said, not moving to the phone that was resting right beside him. "I should just go home, I guess. We can just reschedule."
"She had class today so she might be running late," he said, almost reluctant to see her leave. He'd been alone for a couple of hours, his mother having left to meet Cordelia for lunch. He liked being alone, but, sometimes, the silence was unnerving. "You could hang out here for a few minutes, see if she shows."
"I'd be in the way," Taryn said, glancing at him before looking away.
"No, you wouldn't. You can sit and wait. I'm getting back to this inventory," he gestured to the stack of papers in front of him.
"I'm not very good at just sitting," Taryn admitted, forgetting for a moment that she hated him as she confessed that fact. She dragged her bottom lip into her mouth before deciding. She put her bag down and moved a little closer to him, asking, "Do you need any help?"
"Well, sure, but it's pretty dusty. You might get dirty," he glanced at her clothes, noticing that she looked rather pretty in the light blue shirt and jeans.
"They can be washed," she said with a roll of her eyes as she grabbed the clipboard off the counter. "Where do I start?"
He had to smile as he pointed towards the books, "You can work on the books while I finish up back here. Annie should be here anytime."
"Right. The books," she turned, ignoring the way her heart sped up at seeing him smile. You hate him, you hate him, you hate him, she kept repeating as she got to work.
~Part: 12~
Taryn frowned as she hung up the phone, glancing up to find William looking at her. She sighed as she answered his unspoken question, "She's not home."
"Have you tried her cell?" he asked.
"Yep. Just got voice mail. It's nearly six. She's never this late," Taryn said as she looked at the clock.
"Let me call Drew, see if she's with him. Maybe she forgot she was meeting you. Anne can be pretty absent minded at times," he said as he thought about his sister. He was a bit worried, though he wouldn't admit it to Taryn. Anne rarely turned her phone off, usually only when testing or in class. He dialed Drew's number, waiting for an answer.
"Was she home?" Jesse asked Taryn as he popped his head into the back office. When she shook her head, he glanced at William. "Is he calling Drew?"
"Yes," Taryn said, watching as William left a message for Drew to give him a call. "His phone is off too?"
"Yeah, but I left a message," William said, looking at the phone as his expression grew thoughtful. "Maybe we should go look for them."
"Dude, they're probably off together," Jesse said, only slightly worried about his older sister. "Lost track of time while being all sickeningly romantic."
"Jesse might be right," Taryn said, though she sounded doubtful. "They do tend to lose track of time when they're together."
"Jess, can you handle the store?" William asked, not liking the idea that his little sister and her fiance weren't answering their phones.
"Sure," Jesse said, "it's been slow tonight. But, what do you plan on doing? Going to look for them?"
"I'm sure you're right," William said, shrugging, "but this is Sunnydale. I'd rather find them and confirm that they're together, for my own piece of mind."
Taryn looked between the brothers for a few moments before she reached for the phone. She dialed her sister's number, "Kris, it's Tar. I've got a favor. Can you come up to the store and help Jesse close? William and I are going to find Anne and Drew."
"Find them? Are they missing?" Kristen asked as she balanced the phone and tried to put her shoes on.
"Anne was supposed to meet me here this afternoon and she never showed. Now, there is no answer at their apartment and neither cell phone is being picked up," Taryn explained, glancing at William and noticing him looking at her in surprise. She blushed as she looked away, realizing that he'd never asked her to go looking with him. Well, if he didn't like it, tough. Anne was a dear friend of hers and Drew was her brother.
"I'll be there in fifteen minutes," Kristen said, not realizing until she hung up that she was going to be closing the store with Jesse. She glanced down at her old T-shirt and worn jeans and sighed, knowing there wasn't time to change. She grabbed a clip for her hair, pulling it up into a hazardous ponytail before going to the car.
"Kris will be here soon to help you close the store," Taryn told Jesse as she hung up the phone. "I've got my cell phone so call us if you hear from Anne or Drew."
"You didn't need to call Kris. I think I can handle closing by myself," Jesse said before agreeing, "I'll call you if I hear anything from them."
Taryn looked at William, seeing that he was still watching her with amusement mixed with confusion, "Are we going to stand here all night or go find them?"
"Sure, you can come with me. Nice of you to ask," he said finally, glancing at his brother. "We'll let you know if we find them."
"Have fun, kids," Jesse said with a slight smile as they left the store.
~Part: 13~
Kristen entered the store seventeen minutes after she had hung up the phone. She glanced around, noticing that the store was empty. "Taryn? You here?"
"She's gone already," Jesse said as he stood up from behind the counter.
"Damn it, don't do that!" she said, glaring at him as he startled her.
"What? Did I scare you?" he asked with a wicked smile. He glanced around, "It's been pretty dead today so you can go home if you want. I can close by myself."
"Sorry, but I promised Taryn I'd close. Can't break that promise. Sisterly bond and all that," Kristen said with an apologetic shrug.
"You sure?" he asked, "I'd have figured you had plans or something."
"Not likely," she said with a roll of her eyes as she moved to sit on the stool beside the counter. "I finished my homework and was about to have eat my Mother's cooking. Trust me, you saved me."
"Buffy's not that bad," he said with a laugh as she looked at him. "I didn't say that she was that good, either."
"My Mother is great at many, many things. Cooking is just definitely not on that list," Kristen said. "Dad usually cooks, but he had to work late, so we were left to Mom. Trevor met Liam after school, so he wasn't there to suffer. And Taryn appears to have gone off with William, which is rather interesting if I may say."
"I agree. Would be mighty fun to be in that car as they look," Jesse said with a laugh.
"Do you think there's something wrong, seriously?" she asked, having been worried on the drive over that her big brother was apparantly missing.
"I don't know," he said. "It isn't like Anne not to show up if she made plans with Taryn, but she and Drew tend to forget everything but each other when they're together."
"You sound almost envious," she said quietly as she listened to him.
"Hmm?" he glanced at her and shrugged, "Not envious, really. They're happy. They deserve that. Is that my T-shirt?"
"Yes, they do. What?" she looked down, her face turning red as she realized that it was indeed his old T-shirt. "Uh, no. It's Trev's, I think."
"It's mine, Kris," he said as he looked at her in confusion. "I thought I'd lost it months ago. How did you get it?"
"I bought it at a thrift store," she said, not wanting to admit that she had found it one morning after he had stayed over with Trevor. She'd taken it to her room and would often sleep in it. She knew she should have changed. She hadn't even noticed which shirt she was wearing when Taryn had phoned. This was worse than humiliating. And Jesse was too damn stubborn to drop the subject.
"I thought it was Trev's," he shot back, watching her. "I recognize my own shirt, Kristen. What I want to know is why you're wearing it."
"I thought it was Trevor's," she said, wishing she could get him to shut up. "If it is yours, I'll give it back. Just shut up."
"Trevor wouldn't have had a shirt from my graduating class," he said, not letting the matter drop. He was intrigued and curious, two of his worst traits. "I don't want it back. You can keep it. I'm just trying to figure out why you have it in the first place."
"I found it at my house, assumed it was my brother's, and took it," she said, hating him for not letting it drop.
"You're lying," he said after studying her for several silent minutes.
"What?" she looked up at him and glared.
"I know you, Kris. I know when you're lying. You always look towards the left and you don't look me straight in the eyes. Why are you lying? It's just an old shirt," he was truly confused.
"This is stupid," she said, getting to her feet. "If you didn't want me here, you could have just told me to go home. You didn't have to force me into it."
"Now, wait a minute," he got to his feet and moved from behind the counter. "I haven't forced you into leaving. I never said I didn't want you here. I just figured you'd have better things to do than work tonight, especially working for free. Honestly, I rather enjoy talking to you. Makes it seem less quiet here."
"Really?" she ventured a look at him, her heart stopping as he smiled his lopsided smile that she liked to think was reserved personally for her. She loved him so much.
"Yeah, really," he said with a sheepish smile. "I didn't mean to make you mad. I was just wondering about the shirt. But, I promise I won't mention it again since it seems to upset you."
"I, uh, knew it was yours," she admitted quietly, looking at the floor. "It was your favorite shirt the summer after you graduated. I don't think you ever took it off. Even now, it smells like you. I feel safe when I wear it at night, like you're there to protect me from nightmares. Stupid, huh?"
"Oh," he said softly, startled at her confession. He was even more confused by his reaction to her words. He felt a purely male pride, seeing her in his shirt, knowing she thought of him when she wore it....when she slept in it. God, this was Kristen, he reminded himself. Kristen with the pretty blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. Kristen that had followed him around like a stray puppy since they were kids. Kristen that had been his friend since birth. Kristen that had somehow grown up into a very beautiful, very sexy woman right before his unseeing eyes. He licked his lips as he huskily replied, "It's not stupid, Kris."
She looked up and froze when she saw the way he was looking at her, having only seen that look in her dreams. She heard herself asking, "It's not?"
He shook his head, smiling slightly as he answered, "Keep the shirt."
"Okay," she managed to respond before his lips found hers, the kiss tentative and hesitant at first before deepening into something that neither one seemed able to control.
~Part: 14~
"Where could they be?"
William looked at Taryn and shrugged, "I honestly have no idea."
"We've checked the apartment, the school, even the parent's houses," she said, irritation mixing with concern. "Neither one is answering the phone. They can't have just disappeared."
"This is the Hellmouth," he reminded her with a slight smile.
"Inactive, you forgot to mention," she said with a roll of her eyes.
"Maybe they went out to eat," he suggested, not really sure where they should check. He also wasn't sure if they should even be bothering. Anne and Drew were both adults. They could take care of themselves. True, it wasn't like Anne to make plans and forget about them, but they were in love. That alone excused many things in his mind.
"I'm being childish, aren't I?" she asked softly, looking out the window.
"Taryn, you're anything but childish," he said truthfully. Taryn was very mature for her age, often causing him to forget just how young she really was. She was intelligent, always able to hold a conversation with him about any number of subjects. She was also one of the few people to best him in an argument. "Maybe we should call Willow. Anne mentioned going by to see her about the wedding."
"Yeah, sure," Taryn said, not able to hide the slight trace of jealousy in her voice. She loved Willow, truly she did, but she had grown up seeing William's crush on the pretty redhead. Even now, he practically drooled thinking about her. She wished Spike would just beat the crush out of William, but she knew the vampire found it amusing. She didn't. She found it annoying that William was so caught up in wanting someone he would never have to miss seeing someone that he could. Not that he could have her. No, not at all. She wouldn't take him if he got down on his knees and begged. She sighed, wondering if being this pathetic was part of being an adult.
"Would you mind stopping to get something to eat first?" he asked, realizing that he hadn't eaten since breakfast. "That would also give me time to make sure they're home and that they don't mind us stopping over. I never drop in unannounced. I know they wouldn't mind, but I'd rather not catch them...you know."
"Shagging?" she asked, glancing at him and seeing that he was blushing. She felt her lips curl into a smile as she teased, "Come on, William. It's not a difficult word to say. Try it."
"Shagging," he said, glaring at her before looking back at the road. "Anyway, I've no desire to walk in on that. Up for some food?"
"Yeah, food sounds okay," she said, trying to sound bored. She didn't want him to hear the excitement in her voice. William was taking her out to eat. Sure, it was just because they were looking for their siblings, but it was still dinner. She would still be sitting with him, without family interference, talking. She loved to talk to William. That, in fact, was the first sign of her attraction to him. His intelligence and sense of humor. Not to mention those gorgeous eyes and crooked smile and rather nice body that was usually hidden under baggy shirts and slacks.
"Burgers sound good?" he asked, seeing a fast food place on the right side.
"Burgers are great," Taryn said with a small smile.
~Part: 15~
William frowned as he hung up the phone. He glanced at Taryn and shrugged, "Willow didn't answer her phone."
"She's not home either?" Taryn put another fry into her mouth and chewed as she thought.
"You know, this is getting weird," William decided. "I mean, Anne was supposed to go see Willow today to talk about the wedding. She told me last night after dinner. Now, she and Drew are both not answering their phones *and* Willow and Spike aren't home either."
"They're probably together," Taryn said. She thought about the dinner the previous evening, having to stay, "You know, Anne looked pretty stressed last night. She and Drew both kept whispering and making faces as your Mom discussed the wedding arrangements. Do you think they did something rash?"
"Rash?" William looked at her, "You think they eloped?"
"Well, it makes sense," Taryn said, fidgeting now that his attention was focused fully on her. God, why had she invited herself along with him? It was difficult enough to not react to him when they were surrounded by their family and friends. Hate him, hate him, hate him....who was she kidding? She'd been in love with William since she was old enough to realize that he was intelligent and gorgeous and kind and never failed to make her think. She liked a challenge, loved talking to him because he was smart enough to carry on a conversation on so many topics, made her feel things that no one else ever had. She felt as pathetic as Kris with her silly crush on Jesse, only, in that case, she thought the feeling might be reciprocated. For Kris's sake, she really hoped that Jesse was smart enough to realize that he had feelings for her little sister. So, she guessed that made her more pathetic than Kris. She had loved William for years and he had no idea that she even existed.
"Actually, it makes a lot of sense," William agreed. "I wondered why Anne told me about her meeting with Willow last night. I mean, she's not the type to report her plans to me. I guess she thought I'd figure it out."
"I don't know how she could expect you to know she was planning on eloping just because she was going to Willow's," Taryn said.
"Because, we'd talked about it before, right after she and Drew got engaged. She said that Willow knew someone that could marry them quickly and easily without any fuss. That's what they'd been planning before Mom got involved. Something simple with a party afterwards for their family and friends. I should have figured it out," William felt stupid for not picking up on Anne's hint and for not remembering their previous conversations on the topic.
"Quit blaming yourself," Taryn said sharply. She was sick of him assuming responsibility for everything around him. She'd watched him do it for years and it really needed to stop. "Not everything that happens to people around you is your fault or responsibility, William. The only thing you can control is your life, your actions. And don't give me that story about saving Willow back when you were a kid. That was an exception."
"Well, tell me Taryn, when did you become an expert on my life?" William asked, amused by her reaction to his comments about Anne. Yes, she was definitely a puzzle. He watched her blush and found himself intrigued, his eyes narrowing as he found himself wondering what had caused the confident, blunt girl opposite him to blush. Okay, maybe girl wasn't the right word anymore. She was graduating this year, nearly out of high school. She'd had her eighteenth birthday a few months before. She was nearly a woman, a rather beautiful and intelligent woman as he was starting to realize. What the hell was he thinking? He was too old to be thinking about her in that way, as if she was a prospective date or something more.
"I uh I'm not an expert," she stuttered, not wanting to confess that she had studied him for years without him ever noticing. "It's just my opinion."
"Sure, whatever," he said, a frown on his handsome face as he realized that he wasn't able to move his thoughts off her as easily as he would have liked. She was intriguing and beautiful and honest and smart, everything he'd always wanted in a girl. Sure, she was a few years younger than him, but she was more mature than most people his age so maybe she wouldn't mind a few years age difference. Willow was always warning him that one day it would hit him, that he'd find someone special and he'd finally see what the fuss was about. Was that someone Taryn? If so, how had he not realized it before? True, this was the first time they'd spent time together without family around, the first time they'd spent hours talking without fighting. What was he thinking? She wouldn't be interested in going out with someone like him. He wasn't suave or charming or sexy. He shook his head, saying, "Do you want to go to Spike and Willow's and make sure they just weren't too occupied to answer the phone or do we want to assume we're right and that Anne and Drew eloped?"
"I guess it doesn't hurt to drive by Willow's house," Taryn decided, reluctant for their time together to end. Once she went home, it would be back to ignoring her feelings and wanting what she couldn't have.
"Fine, we can drive by," William took his trash and stood, moving to dump it. She followed him outside to his car. He didn't speak as he drove towards Willow's, still caught in his thoughts. He kept stealing glances at her as he drove, wondering if he was going crazy or was just finally seeing the truth.
"What?" Taryn finally demanded when she caught him looking at her again with that thoughtful look in his dark eyes. "You're staring at me!"
"Oh, uh, yeah, sorry," he apologized as he neared Willow's house. Finally deciding to go for it, he pulled the car to a stop in front of the redhead's house and turned to face Taryn, "Taryn, I'm sure this is a stupid question and that you'll think I'm crazy, but would you maybe want to go out with me sometime?"
"What?" she asked softly, having trouble following the rush of words that had come from his lips.
"I knew it was a stupid idea," he laughed as he made a face, "I just thought that there was something happening between us. Just forget this, okay?"
"Wait, I don't want to forget it," she said, pinching her arm just to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She wasn't. This was real. William was stumbling through asking her out and he'd felt something happening between them. She couldn't believe it. She gave him a brilliant smile as she said, "I'd love to go out with you, William Harris. It's about time you asked!"
"Really?" he smiled back, deciding that this dating thing might not be so bad after all. He glanced at the house and said, "It's dark so I'd assume they went with Anne and Drew."
"Yeah, looks like it. Man, I can't wait to get my hands on that miserable brother of mine and Anne. Those sneaky brats are so going to hear from me about this," Taryn said though she was still smiling from happiness at William's request for a date.
"You know, it's not that late," William said as he glanced at the car clock. He arched a brow as he asked, "You want to see a movie or something?"
"I'd love to," Taryn responded with a shy smile, discussing with him the possible choices for a movie as he drove towards the theater.
~Part: 16~
"I can't believe you two!" Anya said as she hugged Anne, wiping tears from her face as she pulled back, "I didn't mean to get so overbearing."
"That's okay, Mom," Anne said with a smile. "We always wanted to elope. I'm sorry we were so sneaky about it. I just wanted it to be perfect."
"It *was* perfect," Drew said as he kissed his wife. His wife! It had been two days and he still couldn't believe it. He was married to the only woman he'd ever loved.
"God, I think I might be sick," Trevor said as he shuddered in fake horror at Drew's words. He started laughing as he ran towards Liam as Drew forgot his maturity and started chasing him. "Liam, help me get him!"
"Dude, he's going down!" Liam said as he joined his best friend in tackling Drew. The three guys laughed as they fell to the ground.
"Yes, that's my husband," Anne said with a faint smile as she watched him wrestling with Trev and Liam.
"I don't know how you put up with him," Sian said as she shook her head, taking Emma's hand as she said, "but I'm happy that you're happy."
"You make a radiant newlywed, Sis," Emma said as she kissed her sister's cheek. Leaning closer, she whispered, "And speaking of sickening, have you seen Jesse and Kris? They're all sappy and making eyes at each other. I caught them making out in the kitchen when I went for more ice!"
"I think it's sweet," Anne decided. "Besides, take a look at Taryn and William. I don't think they'd stopped talking since we got here. And notice how close they're sitting. I think I deserve some praise in setting them up, thank you very much."
Sian rolled her eyes, "All you did was arrange for Taryn to meet you at the store when you knew Will would be alone. They did the rest."
"BUT, if she hadn't been supposed to meet me, it would have taken them who knows how much longer before admitting that they were into each other," Anne gloated.
"And who pointed their connection out to you in the first place?" Willow asked sweetly as she joined the three women. She arched a brow and smiled, "It's nice seeing him happy, isn't it?"
"Hopefully, this means he'll quit following you around like a puppy dog," Spike told his mate as his arms went around her waist pulling her back against him. "She's good for him, luv. You chose well."
"He told me that they're just dating now, taking things slow," Willow said, "but I think it won't be long before they realize that some things are just meant to be."
"I'd better go rescue my husband from the boys," Anne said, excusing herself to go get Drew before Trevor and Liam had him rolling around in the dirt.
"I'm gonna go see if Mom and Dad need any help," Sian said, thinking that it was cool that her parents had thrown Anne and Drew's party. She figured that they'd volunteered because Cordelia and Angel had not wanted to give Anya the chance to turn the party into some huge event. She looked at Emma and asked, "You coming?"
"Of course," Emma said good-bye to Willow and Spike and followed her lover to where their parents were sitting with Buffy and Riley. Wesley, Gunn and Faith had even shown up for the party, laughing as they tossed each other into the swimming pool.
"Happy, luv?" Spike asked as he nuzzled Willow's neck.
Willow smiled, her eyes finding Kristen and Jesse who were laying together on a blanket and looking at the stars, moving to William and Taryn who was engaged in a heated discussion about who knew what and smiling when she saw that they were holding hands, and finally moving to settle on the rest of her family who were talking and laughing and enjoying their lives. She nodded, moving her head to give Spike a kiss before she answered, "Yes, I'm very happy. I've always loved happy endings."
"No endings, pet," Spike corrected with a kiss of his own, "just beginnings."
She laughed as she took his hand and moved to join their friends, curious to see if Angel had gotten any better at grilling since their last cookout. She looked at the sky as she settled into Spike's arms, a content smile crossing her face.
THE END