***
As soon as Riley had called, Graham had known.
His friend had been very good about not giving any details, just saying that he thought it would be fun if a big group of them all went out to dinner. If Buffy hadn’t come to Graham’s the night before, he would have no idea of what was to come. That bit of knowledge made the hours until he was to meet them at the restaurant torturous as he dreaded having to pretend to be happy that the girl he loved was marrying his best friend. Yet at the same time, he was grateful that at least he could prepare. If he had been caught off guard, he wasn’t sure he would have been able to convincingly feign happiness.
He forced himself to get out of his car and walk to the doors of the restaurant. With a deep breath, he entered and looked around to see if he was the first to arrive. He quickly spotted Buffy and Riley sitting at a table with Dawn, Giles and a few of the guys he and Riley worked with.
Giving himself a quick pep talk that he *could* pull off the performance of his life, Graham walked up to the table and plastered a smile on his face.
"Hey Graham," Riley greeted his friend, a bright smile on his face.
"Hi," Graham replied, noting that Riley had never looked happier. Beside his friend, Buffy sat with a small smile on her face. "Hi Buffy."
"Hi," she replied, feeling nervous, embarrassed and uncomfortable at the same time as she faced the man that had unwittingly rejected her the night before.
They stared at each other for a few seconds before Graham remembered all the other people around who would undoubtedly find their behavior odd. He quickly said hello to everyone else and took his seat at the table.
Luckily, he was soon drawn into a conversation about a football game with Jack and Victor, two of the guys he worked with. Graham managed to stay distracted through the rest of the party’s arrivals. He was even able to get relaxed until Riley stood up after they had ordered their meals and told them all he had an announcement.
Graham watched on as Riley held out his hand for Buffy, who slowly stood and took the proffered hand, smiling shyly at the rest of them.
"There was a reason that we invited all of you here tonight," Riley began, beaming at Buffy before looking at the rest of the table. "Buffy and I wanted you all to know that last night I proposed and Buffy accepted. We’re engaged."
It was far from easy, but Graham managed to smile and appear to be happy for his friend as everyone around the table smiled as well and started offering the couple congratulations. Graham joined them, lying through his teeth, and felt he managed to give an Oscar worthy performance. Nobody noticed that in actuality, he wanted to declare to the world that *he* loved Buffy and grab her and take her far away so she could spend the rest of his life with *him*.
***
Graham didn’t realize it, but not everyone was unaware of his true feelings. Dawn was quite aware that his happy appearance was just that – an appearance. He did a good job of it; if she didn’t know for a fact that he was in love with her sister, she probably would have believed that Graham truly was simply glad for his friend.
While Graham had spent the evening trying not to think about the impending engagement announcement, Dawn had been silently observing him from her position in the chair next to Buffy’s, her arms crossed over her chest. Buffy had practically had to beg her to agree to come, as Dawn certainly wasn’t in the mood to celebrate, but a little guilt and the hope that she could do a little manipulating had changed her mind.
And judging by Graham’s thinly veiled distress at the latest turn of events, she definitely had a good chance at getting her way.
***
"Ah Buffy, come sit with me a moment?" Giles smiled up at his slayer as she approached the table after visiting the ladies room.
"Sure," she agreed and sat down in the empty chair between Giles and Anya. "Is everything okay?"
"Oh, wonderful. Absolutely fine," he assured her. "I just wanted to personally offer my congratulations. I’m so happy for you."
Buffy smiled widely, even as a voice screamed in her head to give up this lie. "Thank you."
"I must say, this came as quite a surprise. It seems so sudden."
"You know, it does!" Anya leaned over and agreed, then an idea came into her head and she gasped. "Buffy, are you pregnant?!"
Unfortunately, she asked her question quite loudly, so several other people at the table heard and looked over in shock – especially Dawn. Buffy marrying Riley was bad enough but if she was popping out his kid, there was no chance for Graham… plus, that would really muck up *her* life.
"No," Buffy replied, quickly shaking her head. "Not pregnant at all."
Some of Riley’s friends, unused to the twisted way Anya’s mind worked, still seemed a bit skeptical, but they accepted Buffy’s denial. If she was pregnant and didn’t want them to know, so be it.
"Anya, perhaps you should tell Xander about that gentleman you forced to buy that Indian talisman the other day," Giles suggested, attempting to have some privacy with Buffy.
"The one who almost cried?" she grinned. "Okay!"
With the other girl safely preoccupied with her fiancé, Buffy felt safe to resume her conversation with her watcher.
"I know that it’s sort of fast. If I had only been dating Riley since he came back a few months ago, then I agree it would be too soon. But we do have all that history and I know him well. I know that I want to spend my life with him."
Giles nodded and smiled, "I believe you. And I *do* approve. The only reason I asked was that you seem a little… I don’t know, not quite as happy as I might have expected. That’s not to say you don’t look happy, you just appear to be somewhat apprehensive."
Leave it to Giles to read her like a book. Buffy almost smiled at how well he knew her. But in this case, she wanted to fool everyone. "Well, to be honest, I am a little apprehensive. It’s Dawn… you have probably noticed that she isn’t very happy."
"Yes, I did notice that she doesn’t seem very enthused."
"She’s not. But I think she just needs time. Riley is sure that after she has a chance to adjust to the idea, she will be happier."
"I am sure that Riley is right," he assured her.
"He usually is," Buffy smiled. "And then everything will be perfect."
Neither of them believed that for a second, despite the fact that they both appeared to. Buffy doubted her life would ever be perfect unless she was with Graham, and that would never happen. And Giles didn’t quite believe that Dawn’s disapproval was the only thing bothering Buffy. However, if she didn’t want him to know the real problem, he would let her be… for now.
***
"Did he say what he wanted?" Riley asked as she and Buffy approached Giles’s apartment.
Buffy shook her head. "Just that it was imperative we have a Scooby meeting as soon as possible."
"Well, that’s sort of odd. We haven’t all had to get together for anything since I have been back."
"I know. I don’t think we’ve had one since we got rid of Glory," she replied. "It must be big."
"Whatever it is, we can handle it," Riley smiled and put his arm around Buffy. "Maybe I should have called Graham and had him join us. We may find the extra manpower and weapons helpful and if we use them, we have to go through Graham anyway."
"Oh… we shouldn’t drag Graham into this until we know that it’s a big deal," Buffy quickly told him. It had been over a month since they had gotten engaged and she and Graham had done their best to avoid each other the entire time. "Besides, Giles can be a total drama queen. The grocery store could have run out of his favorite kind of tea."
She and Riley chuckled as they entered Giles’ apartment and found the rest of the Scoobies hanging out while Giles paced back and forth with his nose in a book.
"Great, Buffy’s here. Can we get this over with? Xander and I had plans for tonight," Anya complained.
Everyone in the room had little doubt as to what their plans were so in an effort not to hear any details about said plans, Giles quickly interrupted.
"Yes, very well, everyone take a seat! I have come across a prophecy that will come to pass tomorrow night. We haven’t much time to prepare!"
***
"There they are!" Riley hissed at the rest of their group as they trekked through the cemetery.
Looking in the direction where he was pointing, Buffy saw a small group of Zaffate demons gathered around in a circle, preparing to begin their ritual to bring forth their leader – in the form of a twenty-foot-long serpent. In her years on the Hellmouth, Buffy had learned to *hate* snakes.
As planned, they moved closer to the demons before Buffy attacked, effectively distracting them from their task temporarily. Her friends took advantage and joined in the fight. Both Buffy and Riley were able to kill several demons each on their own fairly quickly as the rest of the group worked in teams.
When only four demons were left, Buffy and Riley both took one on alone while Giles and Willow fought another and left the fourth to Xander, Anya and Tara. The slayer and her fiancé killed their respective foes a moment before the team of three defeated theirs. With triumphant grins on their faces, they turned to help Giles and Willow dispose of the last demon when Giles, going for the kill with a sharp knife pointed at the demon’s heart, was grabbed at the wrist by the demon.
A loud crunch was heard by all as the bone snapped. Despite the sudden pain, Giles didn’t back down and used the last of his strength to shove the weapon into the demon’s chest before clutching his injured wrist against his body.
"Giles, are you okay?" Willow asked worriedly as everyone gathered around.
Giles nodded and grimaced, "I’ll be fine. But would someone mind driving me to the hospital?"
***
Despite his protests that it wasn’t necessary, they all went with Giles to the hospital, even though they had to do so in two separate cars. Two hours, several x-rays, four pain pills and a bone setting later, Giles was released from the hospital with a broken wrist.
Their group was walking towards the exit, trying to decide who would take who home, when Riley spotted one of the men he worked with hurried over to see him.
"Cal, what’s going on?"
The other man, just a bit younger than Riley, was surprised to find his senior officer in the hospital emergency room, but knew that now was not the time to ask questions. "Miller was hurt during patrol. He hit his head pretty hard and we were worried and didn’t want to chance it. We brought him in."
"Is he okay?" Buffy asked, standing beside Riley with a concerned look on her face.
Cal looked at her, wondering who she was. "Yeah… I think so."
"Uh, Cal, this is Buffy Summers, my fiancée," Riley introduced the two of them. "He’s really okay?"
"Well, we aren’t sure yet. The doctor is waiting on some test results, but he seems optimistic," Cal answered.
"Hey Riley, how about I take everyone home? You and Buffy can stay here and make sure Graham is okay," Xander offered.
Riley gave him a grateful smile, "Thanks, I would appreciate that."
Still worried about Graham, Buffy gently squeezed Giles’ good hand. "You take care. I’ll come see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Alright," he agreed, "Give Graham my best wishes."
"I will," she nodded.
Once they were gone, Cal led the two of them to the room where Graham was in bed, a large bump on his head. However, he was conscious and appeared to be doing okay, all things considered.
"Man, the things you will do to get out of a patrol," Riley teased his friend as the three approached Graham’s bed.
Graham smiled up at him, then immediately noticed Buffy and felt his heart skip a beat. "I was just feeling lazy, I guess."
They made conversation for a few moments until Riley walked Cal out so that the other man could return to headquarters, leaving Buffy alone with Graham.
She stood next to her former lover’s bed and took his hand in hers. "You’re really okay?"
"I’ll be fine. I’m sure at the worst it’s a concussion," he assured her, then added with a wry grin, "And probably the worst headache of my life."
Buffy smiled down at him, "You scared the Hell out of me."
"I did?" Graham asked, taken aback.
She nodded, "When I found out you were hurt patrolling, so many horrible scenarios ran through my mind."
He couldn’t help but feel a thrill at hearing that. Buffy cared about him. Granted, she was engaged to another man, but it felt nice, knowing she cared.
"Don’t do that to me again, okay?"
He nodded, "I’ll do my best."
Buffy smiled a bit brighter this time and brought his hand to her mouth, kissing the back of it. As soon as she realized what she had done, she awkwardly moved both their hands back down to the bed. She felt like a fool, fawning all over him when he just saw her as a friend.
"Good news, Graham. The doctor says it’s just a mild concussion. He’ll be releasing you soon," Riley informed his friend as he came into the room. Though he didn’t comment on it, he did notice Buffy’s little slip a moment earlier. It had at first seemed a little odd to him, but he knew Buffy and Graham were friends, so it was only natural for Buffy to worry about him and show affection.
"Great, I can’t wait to get out of here," Graham replied, pasting a smile on his face as Buffy moved to Riley’s side and wrapped her arms around him.
"Just be patient," Riley told him, "Buffy and I will wait with you and take you home. That’s okay with you, right honey? You didn’t need to be home soon?"
"It’s fine," she said as she forced herself to smile as well.
As Graham and Riley started talking about work, Buffy settled into a chair and wondered how she was ever going to get through the rest of her life being married to the best friend of the man she was truly in love with.
***
"Buffy and Riley, look where you guys are standing!" Denise, one of Riley’s co-workers exclaimed.
"What?" Buffy asked, trying to figure out what she meant.
"You’re under the mistletoe."
They both looked up and found that they were indeed standing beneath the mistletoe that was hanging from the ceiling. The couple grinned and gave each other a kiss, earning a round of applause from several other partygoers.
As soon as Graham entered the crowded home, he spotted Buffy and Riley kissing. Immediately, he regretted coming to the Christmas party… or at least coming without a date. Unfortunately, he didn’t really have a choice. He just wasn’t very good company for any females that could be potential dates when he was already in love with someone else.
He was already trying to figure out how long he would have to stay before he could make his excuses and go home when Jack approached him.
"Hey Graham!"
"Oh, hi Jack," he smiled politely at his friend. "How’s it going?"
"Great; having a good time. You just get here?"
"Yeah… It seems very couple-friendly," Graham commented.
"Hi Graham," Riley greeted as he joined them, tugging Buffy along by the hand.
"Hello," she smiled at him.
"Hi," he replied, almost forgetting that Riley was even there. She looked so beautiful in her sleeveless red velvet dress that hugged every curve, her hair curled into ringlets and framing her face perfectly.
"What’s going on?" Riley asked his friends.
"Oh, I was just telling Graham that it’s cool we’re here stag. We don’t need dates. We’re in the love ‘em and leave ‘em gang, right Graham?" Jack grinned.
"Sure," Graham replied, despite the fact that he was a complete lie.
Buffy felt an ache deep in her chest. Graham certainly did love her and leave her and she couldn’t even be mad about it. She’d known how it was the whole time.
"Hey, do you guys want to get a beer?" Jack asked.
"That’s okay, I’m fine," Buffy told him.
Riley held up a bottle of Michelob, "I’m set."
"I could go for one," Graham replied, deciding that would be the best way to get through this party. Hopefully he could get drunk enough not to care that Buffy was there with Riley.
***
"Hey Buffy, did I tell you how pretty you look tonight?" Graham grinned as he found the blonde in the bedroom that was being used to hold all the party guests’ coats.
Buffy smiled, "I don’t think you did. Been drinking much, Graham?"
He laughed, "Maybe a little."
"Well, as long as you’re having fun," she said, finding both Riley’s coat and her own.
Graham sighed, "Not as much fun as the last time I was this drunk. Remember that?"
"Graham…" she blushed, recalling all too well what had happened the last time he had been in this condition.
"I know – never happened. Or at least, as far as anyone else knows, it never happened," he said, slowly moving closer to her until they were face to face. Gently, Graham moved his hand to the side of Buffy’s face and stroked her cheek. "But nobody else is here right now, Buffy."
"Graham," she said again, sighing. "What are you doing?"
"I’m pretty sure I’m about to kiss you," he smiled, then leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.
Buffy just took a second to get herself together and pushing Graham away. As much as she missed kissing Graham – and doing all the other stuff they did before Riley’s return – this was wrong. She had made a commitment to Riley and, unlike before, this *would* be cheating.
Besides, it wasn’t a big ego boost that it took Graham getting completely drunk to make a move on her.
"What’s going on?" Riley asked, standing in the doorway of the room, shocked at the sight of his best friend and fiancée in what appeared to be a passionate embrace.
***
As soon as Riley had called, Graham had known.
His friend had been very good about not giving any details, just saying that he thought it would be fun if a big group of them all went out to dinner. If Buffy hadn’t come to Graham’s the night before, he would have no idea of what was to come. That bit of knowledge made the hours until he was to meet them at the restaurant torturous as he dreaded having to pretend to be happy that the girl he loved was marrying his best friend. Yet at the same time, he was grateful that at least he could prepare. If he had been caught off guard, he wasn’t sure he would have been able to convincingly feign happiness.
He forced himself to get out of his car and walk to the doors of the restaurant. With a deep breath, he entered and looked around to see if he was the first to arrive. He quickly spotted Buffy and Riley sitting at a table with Dawn, Giles and a few of the guys he and Riley worked with.
Giving himself a quick pep talk that he *could* pull off the performance of his life, Graham walked up to the table and plastered a smile on his face.
"Hey Graham," Riley greeted his friend, a bright smile on his face.
"Hi," Graham replied, noting that Riley had never looked happier. Beside his friend, Buffy sat with a small smile on her face. "Hi Buffy."
"Hi," she replied, feeling nervous, embarrassed and uncomfortable at the same time as she faced the man that had unwittingly rejected her the night before.
They stared at each other for a few seconds before Graham remembered all the other people around who would undoubtedly find their behavior odd. He quickly said hello to everyone else and took his seat at the table.
Luckily, he was soon drawn into a conversation about a football game with Jack and Victor, two of the guys he worked with. Graham managed to stay distracted through the rest of the party’s arrivals. He was even able to get relaxed until Riley stood up after they had ordered their meals and told them all he had an announcement.
Graham watched on as Riley held out his hand for Buffy, who slowly stood and took the proffered hand, smiling shyly at the rest of them.
"There was a reason that we invited all of you here tonight," Riley began, beaming at Buffy before looking at the rest of the table. "Buffy and I wanted you all to know that last night I proposed and Buffy accepted. We’re engaged."
It was far from easy, but Graham managed to smile and appear to be happy for his friend as everyone around the table smiled as well and started offering the couple congratulations. Graham joined them, lying through his teeth, and felt he managed to give an Oscar worthy performance. Nobody noticed that in actuality, he wanted to declare to the world that *he* loved Buffy and grab her and take her far away so she could spend the rest of his life with *him*.
***
Graham didn’t realize it, but not everyone was unaware of his true feelings. Dawn was quite aware that his happy appearance was just that – an appearance. He did a good job of it; if she didn’t know for a fact that he was in love with her sister, she probably would have believed that Graham truly was simply glad for his friend.
While Graham had spent the evening trying not to think about the impending engagement announcement, Dawn had been silently observing him from her position in the chair next to Buffy’s, her arms crossed over her chest. Buffy had practically had to beg her to agree to come, as Dawn certainly wasn’t in the mood to celebrate, but a little guilt and the hope that she could do a little manipulating had changed her mind.
And judging by Graham’s thinly veiled distress at the latest turn of events, she definitely had a good chance at getting her way.
***
"Ah Buffy, come sit with me a moment?" Giles smiled up at his slayer as she approached the table after visiting the ladies room.
"Sure," she agreed and sat down in the empty chair between Giles and Anya. "Is everything okay?"
"Oh, wonderful. Absolutely fine," he assured her. "I just wanted to personally offer my congratulations. I’m so happy for you."
Buffy smiled widely, even as a voice screamed in her head to give up this lie. "Thank you."
"I must say, this came as quite a surprise. It seems so sudden."
"You know, it does!" Anya leaned over and agreed, then an idea came into her head and she gasped. "Buffy, are you pregnant?!"
Unfortunately, she asked her question quite loudly, so several other people at the table heard and looked over in shock – especially Dawn. Buffy marrying Riley was bad enough but if she was popping out his kid, there was no chance for Graham… plus, that would really muck up *her* life.
"No," Buffy replied, quickly shaking her head. "Not pregnant at all."
Some of Riley’s friends, unused to the twisted way Anya’s mind worked, still seemed a bit skeptical, but they accepted Buffy’s denial. If she was pregnant and didn’t want them to know, so be it.
"Anya, perhaps you should tell Xander about that gentleman you forced to buy that Indian talisman the other day," Giles suggested, attempting to have some privacy with Buffy.
"The one who almost cried?" she grinned. "Okay!"
With the other girl safely preoccupied with her fiancé, Buffy felt safe to resume her conversation with her watcher.
"I know that it’s sort of fast. If I had only been dating Riley since he came back a few months ago, then I agree it would be too soon. But we do have all that history and I know him well. I know that I want to spend my life with him."
Giles nodded and smiled, "I believe you. And I *do* approve. The only reason I asked was that you seem a little… I don’t know, not quite as happy as I might have expected. That’s not to say you don’t look happy, you just appear to be somewhat apprehensive."
Leave it to Giles to read her like a book. Buffy almost smiled at how well he knew her. But in this case, she wanted to fool everyone. "Well, to be honest, I am a little apprehensive. It’s Dawn… you have probably noticed that she isn’t very happy."
"Yes, I did notice that she doesn’t seem very enthused."
"She’s not. But I think she just needs time. Riley is sure that after she has a chance to adjust to the idea, she will be happier."
"I am sure that Riley is right," he assured her.
"He usually is," Buffy smiled. "And then everything will be perfect."
Neither of them believed that for a second, despite the fact that they both appeared to. Buffy doubted her life would ever be perfect unless she was with Graham, and that would never happen. And Giles didn’t quite believe that Dawn’s disapproval was the only thing bothering Buffy. However, if she didn’t want him to know the real problem, he would let her be… for now.
***
"Did he say what he wanted?" Riley asked as she and Buffy approached Giles’s apartment.
Buffy shook her head. "Just that it was imperative we have a Scooby meeting as soon as possible."
"Well, that’s sort of odd. We haven’t all had to get together for anything since I have been back."
"I know. I don’t think we’ve had one since we got rid of Glory," she replied. "It must be big."
"Whatever it is, we can handle it," Riley smiled and put his arm around Buffy. "Maybe I should have called Graham and had him join us. We may find the extra manpower and weapons helpful and if we use them, we have to go through Graham anyway."
"Oh… we shouldn’t drag Graham into this until we know that it’s a big deal," Buffy quickly told him. It had been over a month since they had gotten engaged and she and Graham had done their best to avoid each other the entire time. "Besides, Giles can be a total drama queen. The grocery store could have run out of his favorite kind of tea."
She and Riley chuckled as they entered Giles’ apartment and found the rest of the Scoobies hanging out while Giles paced back and forth with his nose in a book.
"Great, Buffy’s here. Can we get this over with? Xander and I had plans for tonight," Anya complained.
Everyone in the room had little doubt as to what their plans were so in an effort not to hear any details about said plans, Giles quickly interrupted.
"Yes, very well, everyone take a seat! I have come across a prophecy that will come to pass tomorrow night. We haven’t much time to prepare!"
***
"There they are!" Riley hissed at the rest of their group as they trekked through the cemetery.
Looking in the direction where he was pointing, Buffy saw a small group of Zaffate demons gathered around in a circle, preparing to begin their ritual to bring forth their leader – in the form of a twenty-foot-long serpent. In her years on the Hellmouth, Buffy had learned to *hate* snakes.
As planned, they moved closer to the demons before Buffy attacked, effectively distracting them from their task temporarily. Her friends took advantage and joined in the fight. Both Buffy and Riley were able to kill several demons each on their own fairly quickly as the rest of the group worked in teams.
When only four demons were left, Buffy and Riley both took one on alone while Giles and Willow fought another and left the fourth to Xander, Anya and Tara. The slayer and her fiancé killed their respective foes a moment before the team of three defeated theirs. With triumphant grins on their faces, they turned to help Giles and Willow dispose of the last demon when Giles, going for the kill with a sharp knife pointed at the demon’s heart, was grabbed at the wrist by the demon.
A loud crunch was heard by all as the bone snapped. Despite the sudden pain, Giles didn’t back down and used the last of his strength to shove the weapon into the demon’s chest before clutching his injured wrist against his body.
"Giles, are you okay?" Willow asked worriedly as everyone gathered around.
Giles nodded and grimaced, "I’ll be fine. But would someone mind driving me to the hospital?"
***
Despite his protests that it wasn’t necessary, they all went with Giles to the hospital, even though they had to do so in two separate cars. Two hours, several x-rays, four pain pills and a bone setting later, Giles was released from the hospital with a broken wrist.
Their group was walking towards the exit, trying to decide who would take who home, when Riley spotted one of the men he worked with hurried over to see him.
"Cal, what’s going on?"
The other man, just a bit younger than Riley, was surprised to find his senior officer in the hospital emergency room, but knew that now was not the time to ask questions. "Miller was hurt during patrol. He hit his head pretty hard and we were worried and didn’t want to chance it. We brought him in."
"Is he okay?" Buffy asked, standing beside Riley with a concerned look on her face.
Cal looked at her, wondering who she was. "Yeah… I think so."
"Uh, Cal, this is Buffy Summers, my fiancée," Riley introduced the two of them. "He’s really okay?"
"Well, we aren’t sure yet. The doctor is waiting on some test results, but he seems optimistic," Cal answered.
"Hey Riley, how about I take everyone home? You and Buffy can stay here and make sure Graham is okay," Xander offered.
Riley gave him a grateful smile, "Thanks, I would appreciate that."
Still worried about Graham, Buffy gently squeezed Giles’ good hand. "You take care. I’ll come see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Alright," he agreed, "Give Graham my best wishes."
"I will," she nodded.
Once they were gone, Cal led the two of them to the room where Graham was in bed, a large bump on his head. However, he was conscious and appeared to be doing okay, all things considered.
"Man, the things you will do to get out of a patrol," Riley teased his friend as the three approached Graham’s bed.
Graham smiled up at him, then immediately noticed Buffy and felt his heart skip a beat. "I was just feeling lazy, I guess."
They made conversation for a few moments until Riley walked Cal out so that the other man could return to headquarters, leaving Buffy alone with Graham.
She stood next to her former lover’s bed and took his hand in hers. "You’re really okay?"
"I’ll be fine. I’m sure at the worst it’s a concussion," he assured her, then added with a wry grin, "And probably the worst headache of my life."
Buffy smiled down at him, "You scared the Hell out of me."
"I did?" Graham asked, taken aback.
She nodded, "When I found out you were hurt patrolling, so many horrible scenarios ran through my mind."
He couldn’t help but feel a thrill at hearing that. Buffy cared about him. Granted, she was engaged to another man, but it felt nice, knowing she cared.
"Don’t do that to me again, okay?"
He nodded, "I’ll do my best."
Buffy smiled a bit brighter this time and brought his hand to her mouth, kissing the back of it. As soon as she realized what she had done, she awkwardly moved both their hands back down to the bed. She felt like a fool, fawning all over him when he just saw her as a friend.
"Good news, Graham. The doctor says it’s just a mild concussion. He’ll be releasing you soon," Riley informed his friend as he came into the room. Though he didn’t comment on it, he did notice Buffy’s little slip a moment earlier. It had at first seemed a little odd to him, but he knew Buffy and Graham were friends, so it was only natural for Buffy to worry about him and show affection.
"Great, I can’t wait to get out of here," Graham replied, pasting a smile on his face as Buffy moved to Riley’s side and wrapped her arms around him.
"Just be patient," Riley told him, "Buffy and I will wait with you and take you home. That’s okay with you, right honey? You didn’t need to be home soon?"
"It’s fine," she said as she forced herself to smile as well.
As Graham and Riley started talking about work, Buffy settled into a chair and wondered how she was ever going to get through the rest of her life being married to the best friend of the man she was truly in love with.
***
"Buffy and Riley, look where you guys are standing!" Denise, one of Riley’s co-workers exclaimed.
"What?" Buffy asked, trying to figure out what she meant.
"You’re under the mistletoe."
They both looked up and found that they were indeed standing beneath the mistletoe that was hanging from the ceiling. The couple grinned and gave each other a kiss, earning a round of applause from several other partygoers.
As soon as Graham entered the crowded home, he spotted Buffy and Riley kissing. Immediately, he regretted coming to the Christmas party… or at least coming without a date. Unfortunately, he didn’t really have a choice. He just wasn’t very good company for any females that could be potential dates when he was already in love with someone else.
He was already trying to figure out how long he would have to stay before he could make his excuses and go home when Jack approached him.
"Hey Graham!"
"Oh, hi Jack," he smiled politely at his friend. "How’s it going?"
"Great; having a good time. You just get here?"
"Yeah… It seems very couple-friendly," Graham commented.
"Hi Graham," Riley greeted as he joined them, tugging Buffy along by the hand.
"Hello," she smiled at him.
"Hi," he replied, almost forgetting that Riley was even there. She looked so beautiful in her sleeveless red velvet dress that hugged every curve, her hair curled into ringlets and framing her face perfectly.
"What’s going on?" Riley asked his friends.
"Oh, I was just telling Graham that it’s cool we’re here stag. We don’t need dates. We’re in the love ‘em and leave ‘em gang, right Graham?" Jack grinned.
"Sure," Graham replied, despite the fact that he was a complete lie.
Buffy felt an ache deep in her chest. Graham certainly did love her and leave her and she couldn’t even be mad about it. She’d known how it was the whole time.
"Hey, do you guys want to get a beer?" Jack asked.
"That’s okay, I’m fine," Buffy told him.
Riley held up a bottle of Michelob, "I’m set."
"I could go for one," Graham replied, deciding that would be the best way to get through this party. Hopefully he could get drunk enough not to care that Buffy was there with Riley.
***
"Hey Buffy, did I tell you how pretty you look tonight?" Graham grinned as he found the blonde in the bedroom that was being used to hold all the party guests’ coats.
Buffy smiled, "I don’t think you did. Been drinking much, Graham?"
He laughed, "Maybe a little."
"Well, as long as you’re having fun," she said, finding both Riley’s coat and her own.
Graham sighed, "Not as much fun as the last time I was this drunk. Remember that?"
"Graham…" she blushed, recalling all too well what had happened the last time he had been in this condition.
"I know – never happened. Or at least, as far as anyone else knows, it never happened," he said, slowly moving closer to her until they were face to face. Gently, Graham moved his hand to the side of Buffy’s face and stroked her cheek. "But nobody else is here right now, Buffy."
"Graham," she said again, sighing. "What are you doing?"
"I’m pretty sure I’m about to kiss you," he smiled, then leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.
Buffy just took a second to get herself together and pushing Graham away. As much as she missed kissing Graham – and doing all the other stuff they did before Riley’s return – this was wrong. She had made a commitment to Riley and, unlike before, this *would* be cheating.
Besides, it wasn’t a big ego boost that it took Graham getting completely drunk to make a move on her.
"What’s going on?" Riley asked, standing in the doorway of the room, shocked at the sight of his best friend and fiancée in what appeared to be a passionate embrace.
***
"What’s going on?" Riley asked, standing in the doorway of the room, shocked at the sight of his best friend and fiancée in what appeared to be a passionate embrace
Buffy’s head darted to the doorway to find her fiancé staring at her in a very compromising position with his best friend.
"Um… Graham’s had a little too much to drink. He’s not thinking clearly."
Graham looked down, sobering up a bit and feeling incredibly embarrassed and ashamed of his behavior.
Riley was a bit skeptical, but since he had walked in to see Buffy forcefully stop the kiss, obviously not into it, he believed her. Still, he couldn’t believe his friend, drunk or not, would kiss *his* fiancée.
"Graham?"
"I’m sorry, man. I don’t know what I was thinking. I was… joking and then… took it too far."
"Okay," Riley accepted. After all, Graham had never given him any reason not to trust him. "Buffy, are you ready to go?"
"Yeah," she replied, giving him a small smile and holding up their coats and then walking over to him.
Riley put his own coat on and helped Buffy into hers before looking at his friend again. "You shouldn’t be driving, Graham. Would you like to give us a ride?"
Graham felt his guilt multiply at his friend’s concern for his well being after what he had just done, or at least tried to do. What he would have done had Buffy not stopped him. However, there was no way he could stand being around the couple right then.
"That’s okay, Daniel said he would be my designated driver."
"All right, I’ll see you Monday at work then, okay?"
"Sure," Graham nodded. As they turned to leave, he spoke up, "Guys? I really am sorry."
Buffy granted him a small smile while Riley just nodded before putting his hand on her back and leading her out of the room.
Alone, Graham sat on the side of the bed and put his face in his hands. What had he done?
***
"Riley, can I speak to you in here for a minute?" Graham asked, poking his head out of his office the following Monday.
The day before had lasted forever, as Graham had spent the entire time running the events of the night before through his head over and over. He was embarrassed, ashamed and felt absolutely horrible. Especially since a part of him felt very *not* horrible about kissing Buffy again. He knew that nothing would ever be "right" again between he and Riley, since he was in love with Riley’s wife-to-be, but Graham hoped he still stood a chance to make things right in Riley’s eyes. Which meant he needed to make it clear to his friend that he truly was sorry. As hard as it was seeing Riley with Buffy, Graham didn’t want to lose him as friend.
"What did you need?" Riley asked, not appearing angry, but he wasn’t as affable as he usually was either.
"To apologize again. I was a complete ass. I really owe Buffy an apology too, because what I did was completely out of line, but as your friend, for me to do something like that with your girl… it was *so* wrong."
Riley sighed, "It was wrong, but you were drunk and not thinking clearly. I keep reminding myself that, but this whole thing does bother me. I mean it was the last thing I would have expected you to do. I *know* you aren’t the kind of guy who is into hitting on ‘unavailable’ women and I really wish I could forget this whole thing. But I do forgive you, Graham. Just give me time and the weirdness between us will pass, okay?"
Graham nodded, feeling yet another twinge of guilt. He didn’t deserve a great friend like Riley. "I still want to apologize to Buffy again."
"That’s probably a good idea," his friend nodded, "I’m fine with you calling her or going by her house to do it in person. Or, if you want, you can just tell her when you come over for dinner Christmas."
"I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea," Graham said. "You know, under the circumstances."
After the incident, Riley hadn’t been sure that he had still wanted his friend to come over for the gathering as they had been planning for weeks. He and Buffy had talked it over and she had said she would be fine with whatever he decided, but that she truly believed what happened with Graham was a one-time mishap that they should all try to forget. He wanted to just agree with her, but he couldn’t shake this feeling of uneasiness. Things still weren’t perfect, but he knew now that as a good friend, he couldn’t let Graham spend the holiday alone.
"Come. We want you there."
***
"So have you two put any thought into where you might like to go on your honeymoon?" Hank Summers asked before taking a bite of the turkey his daughters had prepared for Christmas Eve dinner.
Buffy shook her head. "We haven’t had a chance to discuss any wedding plans at all for the most part."
"It’s pathetic, honey. We should at least start looking at dates," Riley smiled at his fiancé, affectionately rubbing her back.
Dawn rolled her eyes as her sister smiled at him, playing the part of the blissful fiancée perfectly. The teen seemed to be the only one who saw right through it.
"I’ve always heard February 30th is nice."
Buffy and Riley shot her looks, knowing exactly what she was trying to say, but her little jab went right over Hank’s head.
"Sweetheart, there are only twenty-eight days in February, twenty-nine in a leap year."
"Silly me," Dawn faked a smile.
"Anyway, the reason I asked was that wherever you two decide to go, I want to take care of it. Plane tickets, the hotel, everything," Hank informed them.
"Oh Daddy, that’s too much," Buffy protested.
Riley shook his head, "We couldn’t let you do that."
"Nonsense! Believe me, I can afford it. And it would make me so happy to pay for something that my little girl deserves so much. You too, Riley, for making her happy."
Buffy and Riley exchanged looks before she smiled at her father. "Thank you."
"What about me? Are you guys going to let me have free reign of the house while you’re gone?"
"Actually, Pumpkin, I was thinking that you and I could go on a little trip of our own. Or just spend time together here or in LA. Whatever you wanted, just you and me."
Dawn felt a pang; that sounded really nice. She couldn’t count all the times over the past few years she wished she could spend some bonding time with her father. But even something as great as that wasn’t enough to make her be happy about Buffy and Riley getting married. It was best that she didn’t get too excited, anyway, because if she had her way Buffy would never go through with it and there would be no honeymoon!
***
Against his better judgment, Graham went into the kitchen when he knew Buffy was alone in there. After what had happened, especially so soon after, it seemed like a bad idea to purposely be in a room alone with her, but apologizing to her in front of Dawn or one of her friends would require him to explain what he had done, and this was best left between Buffy, Riley and himself.
"Buffy."
Buffy turned around from the open refrigerator door, surprised to find Graham in the room. Smiling, she asked, "Did you need something?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess. I needed to apologize. I am *so* sorry about what happened."
"It’s okay," she assured him.
"No, it’s not. I was such an ass and I put you in a horrible position. I can’t express how much I regret it."
"I know you do. I know that if you were sober, you never would have done it. And I think you know that I understand how out of character a person can behave when they have too much to drink."
"Yeah. I still feel bad, though."
Buffy nodded, "Maybe after some time passes, you’ll feel better?"
"Maybe," he nodded, doubting he could *ever* feel better. Not unless Buffy suddenly decided Riley was completely wrong for her and *he* was the one she wanted. And what were the odds of that?
"Oops, am I interrupting?" Dawn asked as she came in the room with an empty glass that she had intended to refill with Mountain Dew for herself.
"Uh, no, we were just hanging out," Graham covered.
"Oh, okay. I just thought maybe you two were in the middle of a heavy make-out session," Dawn smirked, retrieving the two-liter of Mountain Dew from the refrigerator and pouring it in her glass.
"Dawn…" Buffy warned.
"What?" her little sister asked innocently, then sighed. "Look, I told you I would keep your secret. It’s not like Graham doesn’t know already."
Buffy frowned, but Dawn ignored her, practically skipping out of the room with a smug look on her face.
"She knows about the other night?" Graham asked.
Buffy shook her head. She already knew where Dawn stood as far as she and Graham were concerned and didn’t want to give her any more ammunition. Besides, it wasn’t like she was exactly proud of being the girl guys went after when they were too drunk to know better.
"She knows what happened before Riley came back. Between you and I."
Graham’s eyes widened in surprise, "How? Did you tell her?"
"No way, are you crazy? Dawn and secrets are dangerous. She, um… she saw us. On the couch in the living room."
"Oh man," he lamented, "This is not good."
"I know, but she promised not to tell Riley."
"Buffy, you just said that she’s bad at keeping secrets."
"I know, but she’s kept this one so far. She makes pointed comments to Riley and I, and lets us know every chance she gets that she doesn’t like this, but she never even hints at what happened in front of him."
Graham shook his head. Despite the fact that a part of him almost wanted everyone to know the truth, just so he wouldn’t have to live with the burden of the secret anymore, he didn’t want Riley to find out through Buffy’s little sister. He deserved better than that.
"Look, I know that getting a third party involved makes this a lot more risky, but what choice do we have? I didn’t tell her. She *saw* the two of us making out with your hands up my shirt with her own two eyes. I couldn’t deny it. What else can we do besides hope she keeps her word?"
"Nothing," Graham agreed. Buffy was right; they couldn’t do a damn thing except cross their fingers and hope nobody ever found out. Instead of getting better, it seemed like things just got messier.
***
"Riley?"
Riley turned around to find a familiar face from his past standing a few feet away in the busy bookstore.
"Audrey?"
"Hey," Audrey Simmons grinned, walking over to him. "I can’t believe I ran into you here, of all places. Do you live in Sunnydale?"
"Yeah, how about you?" Riley replied, still shocked to see Graham’s ex-girlfriend.
"No, I just moved to L.A. a few months ago. I’m here on business."
"Wow, what a small world," he grinned. "Graham lives here too."
"No way!"
"Yup, we’re still working together."
"You’ve got to give me his number. It’s been years since I have talked to him," Audrey grinned.
"Sure, I bet he would love to hear from you."
"Thanks. So, what’s new with you?"
"Well, a lot of the same. But I’m engaged now."
"Really? That’s great. Hey, I would love to meet the lucky girl."
"Buffy’s amazing," Riley smiled as he got an idea. "How about we all get together? I can call Graham and see if he is free tonight. If he is, the four of us can have dinner together. Buffy and I were planning on going out, anyway, so I know she is free."
"That sounds wonderful!"
Audrey and Riley talked for a few more moments before exchanging numbers and saying their goodbyes. With an extra bounce in his step, Riley found the book he had been looking for and took it to the front of the store to make his purchase.
It had been several weeks since the incident at the Christmas party and despite his best efforts, Riley had been unable to forget what had happened. He had tried to assure himself that Graham had just been drunk, but he was starting to notice that his friend tended to behave a bit strangely when it came to Buffy. He was quiet when Riley spoke about something they did together or the wedding plans, even by Graham’s standards of quietness. But what really got to Riley was the way Graham looked at Buffy.
Like he longed for her.
He didn’t want to be the over-jealous, possessive type, but Riley couldn’t shake the feeling that Graham had a thing for Buffy. So this reappearance by Audrey couldn’t have come at a better time. Despite the fact that she and Graham had broken up, it had been completely amicable. She’d been transferred to England, and the couple had decided that they would rather see other people that try to deal with a long-distance relationship. Now that she lived so close, perhaps they could give it another shot.
And then Graham could have his *own* girlfriend and stop making eyes at Buffy.
***
"So how long ago did she and Graham break up?" Buffy asked from the passenger seat as Riley drove them to the restaurant.
"About four years ago," Riley answered. "But like I said, they were both totally cool with it, so we won’t get stuck in the middle of any huge argument or anything."
Buffy grinned, "Good. That would be uncomfortable."
"I think it will be fun. She’s really nice. I don’t know her *that* well – I only spent time with her when Graham brought her along for some function – but she seems really cool."
"I’m sure she is. This will be nice – a double date," she smiled at him, all the while feeling an ache in her stomach. It was ridiculous, really. Here she was, engaged to Riley, sleeping with him and pretending to be in love. What right did she have to worry about Graham having a girlfriend? She was a hypocrite!
***
"So Audrey, what do you do?" Buffy asked the pretty redhead sitting across from her.
"I’m an art director for an advertising company. I create designs that are used in commercials and magazine ads and all that," Audrey replied.
"Wow, that’s really cool."
"I love it. I get to be creative and work with other people. It’s really fun."
"That’s great. I still have no clue what I want to do with my life, but I hope I end up with a career I love," Buffy told her.
"Don’t worry baby, you will," Riley assured her with a smile before leaning over and kissing her forehead.
The uncomfortable look on her face did not go unnoticed by Audrey, nor did the pained expression on Graham’s. As soon as Audrey had met Buffy and seen the way her ex-boyfriend had acted around the petite blonde, she had known that something was going on. In the half hour since, she’d realized that the river ran both ways. Buffy certainly tried to be Riley’s adoring fiancée, but Audrey saw right through it. She prided herself on being a good judge of character, very intuitive and observant. Something was going on between Buffy and Graham.
***
Once Buffy and Riley had said their goodbyes, everyone agreeing they would have to do this again sometime, despite the fact that half their little group had been uncomfortable for the entire meal, Audrey persuaded Graham into joining her for a drink in the restaurant’s bar. She knew it was really none of her business, but she *had* to know what the deal was with him and Buffy. If she didn’t know Graham like she did, she would think that he and Buffy were sleeping together, maybe even in love with each other, but certainly not acting like the best friend and fiancée of Riley. And that didn’t add up. Graham was loyal, he would never dream of stealing another man’s girlfriend, especially not Riley’s. And while she barely knew Buffy, she didn’t seem like she was the type to do that either.
But what else could it be?
"Sometimes I wonder if we ever should have dated," Audrey commented lightly, knowing that if she wanted to extract information from her ex-boyfriend, she had to catch him off-guard. "We’re great at being friends."
"We’ve always been friends. When we were a couple, even when we broke up."
She smiled, "That’s true."
"Do you regret it?"
"Nah… the sex was good."
Graham shook his head and chuckled. "You’re bad."
"I know," Audrey sighed. "But you know, that’s pretty much all we ever were – friends that slept together. When I look back, I see that."
"We were a *little* more than that," he disagreed before realizing she was right. "But not much. I don’t think I could ever get along with you like this if we’d had this big, great love."
"Buffy and Riley, they have a big, great love?"
He frowned at her. "Sure, I guess. I mean, they’re getting married."
"I know. And he loves her very much, I can tell. She seems to love him too, but I don’t know her very well."
"She loves him," Graham sighed.
"And you love her?"
He turned his head towards her sharply. "What?"
"Graham, I know you. It may have been four years, but I can still read you like a book. I saw the way you were looking at her all night. I saw how miserable you looked whenever she and Riley kissed or cuddled. I saw the envy, the pain, the look that screamed that you wished it were you and not him."
"You don’t know what you’re talking about."
"Yes I do. Don’t insult me by lying," she warned. "Face it. You want Buffy and you know it. *I* know it. Just admit it and save us some time."
"Fine," he sighed, "I have a thing for Buffy, who is engaged to Riley. It doesn’t even matter."
"Yes it does, it matters very much. Especially since I think she has a thing for you. She may really try to be Riley’s happy fiancée, but when she doesn’t think anyone is paying attention, she looks at you like she wishes you had put that diamond on her finger."
"You just said it yourself; you don’t know her. I don’t know how you come up with this stuff."
"Oh, I was just being modest before. I know people and I am positive that she doesn’t just see you as Riley’s best friend," Audrey insisted, leaning closer to him. "Did you and she have an affair? This is more than the two of you having a crush on each other."
Graham sighed and decided to just tell her. She would just harass him until he confessed, anyway, and he knew that this would remain between the two of them. "We had a sexual relationship for several months."
"Really?" she asked, her eyes wide. "I mean… well, in a way I can absolutely believe it but… she’s Riley’s fiancée, I never would have thought that you would do that."
"She wasn’t Riley’s fiancée at the time. She wasn’t even his girlfriend," he explained. "They were together for about a year and then Riley left, because they had problems. That was last December. He came back in August. It happened while he was gone. I came back to Sunnydale and ran into Buffy in May. We got drunk and slept together and then we kept sleeping together, despite the fact that we were just friends. It was just sex. But as soon as Riley came back, our sexual relationship ended."
"But it *wasn’t* just sex, was it?"
"For her, it was."
"For you?"
"I love her," he admitted.
Audrey smiled, "It wasn’t just sex for her, trust me. I see how she looks at you, Graham. I don’t know why she is engaged to Riley she when wants you, but then I also don’t understand why you aren’t fighting for her if you love her."
"Riley’s my best friend. How is he going to feel if I tell him that I want Buffy?"
"Ah, so that’s it. You two are ignoring what *you* want for Riley’s sake. So neither of you are happy, but he is?"
Graham shook his head. "That’s not true. *I* love Buffy, but she loves Riley. When he proposed to her, she ran to me to first make sure I wouldn’t tell him."
"She actually said that?"
"Well, no… I don’t remember exactly what she said, but basically, she came to me and asked what she should do."
"Don’t tell me you told her to marry him!"
"Of course I did. What am I supposed to do? Say ‘no, marry my instead’?"
"Yes! God, you are clueless. She went to you because she wanted you to tell her that you wanted her, but instead, you pushed her to Riley."
"Where do you get that?"
"I’m a woman. Our minds work differently."
"You’re wrong about this. Trust me."
"I’m not, Graham. Look, if you don’t want to believe me, at least agree to keep an open mind. Entertain the idea that she loves you. Look at things with a different perspective, especially when it comes to her behavior. When you see her, instead of seeing the person you love who loves someone else, see her as someone who could love *you*. You might be surprised," Audrey said. "Promise me."
Graham sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue… and kind of wishing she was right. "Fine, I will consider it a possibility. But even if she did love me, it wouldn’t change the fact that if Buffy and I become a couple, it will break Riley’s heart."
"Right… so in order to protect Riley’s heart, Buffy is supposed to marry the man she isn’t in love with and you are supposed to just sit by and watch? Graham, get real. You are miserable. Buffy is miserable. And if Riley is married to a woman who wishes she were with someone else he won’t be happy in the end. So, in my opinion, your choice is to either hurt Riley now before he gets even more invested… or drag this out, mess things up. Ooh, maybe Buffy can have his kid and screw their life up when she gets divorced – and, regardless of your presence, she will."
Graham took a swig of his beer, taking in her advice. He had to admit… she had a point.
:: Back To
Alessandra's Page ::
:: Back to
Author's Page ::
:: Slightly Over The
Edge ::