Past Imperfect Repost (chapters 1-4)

["Christeen Demons" <Shyfox30@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey Guys.:-) I'm baaaaaack.:-) Heheheeh, and while I'm waiting for my very 
talented partner to finish up his story, I decided I'd try to finish up a 
few unfinished ones of mine. To refresh your memories, here's the first few 
parts of past Imperfect, with a new chapter to follow.

Shyfox

Characters of course belong to Joss, I'm just borrowing them for a short 
time.:-) I've taken quite a few liberties with the movie, changing things 
as I see fit, but some things I've taken straight from the movie, so I guess 
that is also copyright material. Here's hoping he doesn't sue. Okay, on 
with the story.

Past Imperfect

Chapter one

?No Way, Buffy! You can?t possibly expect me to believe that you were as 
bad as Cordelia.? Willow had exclaimed, as she had lain on Buffy?s bed, 
looking at a way, way old high school year book.

?Actually, I was worse than Cordelia.? Buffy had said, ruefully, as she 
looked at the old picture that had been taken of her and her cheerleader 
friends. She was sitting on top of the pyramid, and the smile on her face 
said it all. ?I?m so popular. Everybody likes me.? Funny thing about that 
was she hadn?t liked herself much back then. She hadn?t
really liked herself until she had met Willow, and Willow had shown her the 
true meaning of friendship.

Willow remembered that conversation clearly as she stared across the 
cafeteria at a fifteen year old Buffy Summers, dressed in clothes she 
thought Cordelia would be impressed with, surrounded by a group of other 
?popular girls?. She had no idea how she had come to be there, or even if 
she could be seen. The way the students had passed around her she felt as 
if she were invisible. Willow could just make out the conversation of the 
girls from where she stood, and some of the
comments Buffy was making were really surprising her. She knew Buffy had 
warned her about the way she used to be, but she really didn?t believe deep 
in her heart, that Buffy had been as bad as she had said she was.

?Is Jeffery coming over after the game?? One of the girls was asking Buffy, 
her perfectly permed hair blowing in the wind.

?Yeah. My parents are going to be out at one of my Dad?s dinner meetings, 
and Jeffery wants to come over and take advantage of the situation.? Buffy 
grinned, giving her friends a conspiring
look.

?Are you going to let him?? Another girl asked, her smile halfway between 
excited wonder and contemption.

?I don?t know. Maybe. If he?s lucky.? Buffy said snidely, before she and 
her friends started laughing. She glanced up from her circle and somehow 
managed to lock eyes with a shy, hurting pair of green. She froze for a 
second, taking in the appearance of the new girl that was standing a short 
distance away from her and her friends. The girl had straight, red hair 
down past her shoulders, and was wearing a hat and clothes that hadn?t seen 
a fashion magazine in...ever. She was surprised to find that she didn?t 
feel revulsion for a girl that would have been instantly branded a nerd and 
a geek from her friends. Instead she was surprised to feel a friendly 
warmth wash down her spine at the sight of her. The feeling shocked and 
frightened her.

Willow was very surprised to be staring into bright blue as she met Buffy?s 
gaze. She knew she should have averted her gaze, but she found she was 
unable to as their souls connected. She knew the instant the fear hit the 
bright blue eyes that she should turn and walk away, but she
was unable to do so as she watched the walls reappear in Buffy?s eyes.

?Hey, Buff. Are you listening to me?? Spiral perm asked Buffy, bringing 
Buffy?s eyes away from Willow?s.

?Of course I was Jen. Yeah, it?ll be cool if we go to the mall after 
school.? Buffy answered, carefully avoiding the strange red head?s eyes. 
She wondered how long the girl had been standing there staring at them, then 
shook the strange feeling off and returned her attention to the 
conversation.

*****
Willow didn?t know why following Buffy to the mall had been such a strong 
idea to her earlier, but now as she tried to hide in the closest Gap so she 
wouldn?t be spotted she wondered at the brilliance of her idea.

Buffy was gushing over this yellow leather jacket, which Willow thought was 
kinda nice, but not really Buffy?s style. At least not the Buffy that she 
knew. ?What do you guys think? Kim? Jen??

?Please, that is so five minutes ago.? The one Willow assumed was Kimberly 
said, turning her nose up at it. It looked like Jen was about to say that 
she liked it, that was before Kim said she didn?t.

?Yeah.? Jen nodded, then followed Kim out of the store. Buffy looked a 
little sad that her taste in jackets hadn?t been appreciated, then followed 
her friends out of the store. Willow followed them surreptitiously.

?What are we doing?!? Kimberly asked, bored of shopping.

?Oh, I don?t know. Why don?t we go see a movie?? Buffy asked, as she and 
her friends walked through the mall.

?Where??

?Omniplex?? Jen offered.

?Oh no way!? Nicole cried, totally grossed out by the suggestion.

?No THX.? Buffy scorned.

?They don?t even have Dolby.? Nicole agreed.

?Sorry.? Jen said softly. Sometimes her friend?s scorn could be rough.

?Beverly Center.? Kim suggested.

?Oh please. They show previews for porn movies.? Buffy said, totally 
grossed out.

?Oh yeah.? Kim agreed, in disgust.

?Amc?? Nicole suggested.

?Bogus Corn.? The group chorused.

?Totally stale, and their ushers are like the acne patrol.? Kim groused.

?Totally.? Buffy agreed, hitting the button for the elevator. The elevator 
opened and the girls got on, continuing their conversation.

?O.K. O.K. How, are we thinking? Pavilion?? Nicole asked the group.

?Sounds Toasty. We?re going to the Pavilion.? Buffy said, agreeing for the 
group. ?What?s playing?? She thought a few seconds later.

?I don?t know. Does it matter?? Kimberly asked, as the doors started to 
close.

Willow wished she could have gotten on the elevator with Buffy and her 
friends, but that would have brought too much attention to herself. 
Besides, she really didn?t know if she could handle whatever Buffy and her 
friends might say about her.

Just then, a strange guy in a fedora hat and an overcoat rushed up to the 
elevator pushing the button for it to open. The doors opened and the 
strange man and the girls looked at each other. Willow saw a mixture of 
revulsion and disgust cross the girls? faces, while the stranger just stood 
there in what looked like shock to Willow.

?Excuse much. Rude or anything?? Buffy asked, scornfully as she went to 
hit the elevator button again.

?Nice ensemble.? Kim said, glancing at the way the strange man was dressed.

?What a homeless.? Another of the girls cried out, though Willow couldn?t 
see which one said it.

Buffy froze staring at the stranger until the doors were closed and Willow 
watched as the old guy stood staring over the balcony waiting for the girls 
to come out of the elevator. Willow could hear Buffy and her friends 
laughing as they walked out of the mall. By the look on the old guy?s face, 
Willow could tell that he wasn?t happy with what he saw.

Suddenly, an intuition told her who this strange guy must be. Cautiously 
exiting the palm tree, she approached the old man who was still staring down 
at the milieu of teenagers beneath them. ?Merrick?? Willow asked, then 
stood stock still as the old guy swung around to look at the unnerved 
redhead.

?How do you know my name?? Merrick asked, taking in the unusual appearance 
of the teenager. He could sense a strangeness in this young one, although he 
couldn?t quite put his finger on what made him feel that way.

?Buffy told me a lot about you.? Willow said, stunned, not quite believing 
she was meeting the legendary first watcher.

?She did?? Merrick inquired, wondering how that was possible since he 
hadn?t even introduced himself to the young slayer yet.

Willow glanced around the mall nervously. ?Maybe we should talk somewhere 
less crowded.? She suggested.

Merrick eyed the girl with an appraising eye. ?Maybe we should. Come.? 
Merrick said, hitting the button for the elevator. They both stepped onto 
the elevator, giving each other wary looks.

Chapter two

?Do all watchers have cars like these?? Willow asked, incredulously as she 
took in the aging car. Merrick didn?t answer the question, just opened 
Willow?s door, then went over to the driver?s side and got in himself.

?How many watchers do you know?? Merrick asked, his curiosity of the girl 
expanding with every minute he spent in her presence.

?Umm, you would be my second actually...though you were technically Buffy?s 
first.? Willow babbled.

?Were?? Merrick asked, his eyes leaving the road to glance at the 
mysterious red head.

Willow gulped and nodded, wondering if she should be telling the Watcher 
this much, since she herself couldn?t even remember how she got here. ?You 
could say I?m kinda from the future...Buffy?s future actually.?

******

?Slug those Monsters!? Buffy rolled her eyes for what seemed like the 
hundredth time. Here she was trying to forget the strange things that had 
happened to her today...from the strange appearance by that girl at 
school...a girl that she could swear she had never seen before, not that it 
was all that unusual in itself being in a large school like Hemry, but the 
girl dressed so funny that she was sure she would have recognized her if for 
the only fact that her friends would have picked
on her instantly. That was also the other funny thing about her...although 
she had never seen her before...she felt like she had known her all of her 
life. Also there was that strange dude that had
stopped the elevator and had looked at her funny, she didn?t even want to 
know what that was about. He was probably a child molester or something.

Buffy shook her head, realizing that she had gotten lost in her thoughts at 
some point, but the point was she was trying to distract herself from those 
strange happenings by losing herself in a somewhat average horror 
movie...and she was being prevented from doing that by two scruffy
looking drunk losers who were sitting right behind her. She had asked them 
politely to shut up...well, she had thrown a piece of licorice at one of 
them, but they were being way obnoxious.

?God...like we don?t have rights too.? Kimberly complained.

?Ignore them...just ignore them, okay?? Buffy said, turning her attention 
back to the action on the screen. Her friends started laughing again, and 
the loser behind her acted up again.

?I can?t believe these people. We paid good money to see this.?

?No, we didn?t.? The other one said in a hushed voice, trying to avoid 
getting attention directed to him.

?No...we didn?t.? The first one, repeated, as if the realization had just 
sunk into his drunk brain. Buffy would have liked nothing more than to 
report the two losers, but they shut up after that and she lost herself in 
the movie again...thinking of what might happen with Jeffery later...if he 
was lucky.

*****

The jerks ran into them again, literally, on their way out of the Pavilion, 
and they exchanged a few choice words with them, but then Buffy saw her 
boyfriend pulling up to the curb, and her attention
span was completely taken up by his adorable face. Two of his friends were 
in the car with him, Andy and Greuller, although it looked like Greuller was 
getting out and was saying something about booking it, but she only had eyes 
for her hunky boyfriend. She moved away from the pack
and made her way to the car, straddling across Andy, who was riding 
shotgun, to reach Jeffery and share her licorice with him.

Andy took a long look at the sight Buffy had unwittingly presented to 
him...her polka dotted covered bottom, and started drooling. ?Jeffery, I 
don?t want to sound sexist or anything. But, can I borrow her??

?Andy!? Buffy said in disgust as she crawled out of the car and gave him a 
dirty look.

?No way. You?d get her dirty.? Jeffery said, although he was somewhat 
amused. ?He would, honey. He?s an animal.?

Buffy rolled her eyes at the antics of the two stooges. ?See you at my 
house.? She said, as she started to walk back to her friends.

?Don?t look.? Jeffery said, slapping Andy upside the head, as Andy?s eyes 
followed the curvaceous form as it walked away.

*****

Greuller walked quickly through the amusement park, his hands stuffed in his 
pockets as he tried to avoid the cold breeze that chilled the night air. He 
wasn?t in the best of moods, having gotten razzed at by his friends for 
sucking on the basketball court. It wasn?t his fault he wasn?t exactly the 
MVP of the year. Coach always gave him mixed signals. What was worse is 
that Jeffery never seemed to want to hang out and party anymore. All 
Jeffery seemed to want to do these
days is party privately with busty Buffy.

As he walked, he got the eerie feeling that someone was following him. He 
stopped for a second, looking around at his surroundings, but he couldn?t 
see anybody. The uneasy feeling was still pulling at his belly, but he 
started walking again, faster than he had been before. He took a few steps 
before he heard somebody start to laugh behind him, and he froze in place.

?Oh man. I am so not in the mood for this.? He said, fear and anger 
swimming around inside him. ?Okay. Whoever?s behind me better be gone when 
I turn around.? He hoped that he sounded forceful, and not the scared 
chicken that he felt like he was. He waited a second, taking
a deep breath, and then turned letting the air out in a soft gasp as he saw 
a strange man, sitting side-saddle on a carousel horse, grinning menacingly 
at him.

?What are you, some kind of weirdo or something. Huh?!? The strange man 
just grinned at him, and he felt the anger turning into unrelenting fear. 
Before he could question his own manliness at running away like a little 
girl, he turned and ran across the park toward the far gate.

The lunatic started laughing again, he could hear it behind him as he ran, 
and he felt his bowels release at the fright it caused in him.

?Oh man...oh man...oh man...? He chanted as he ran, feeling the wetness 
seep into his shorts, as his breath came in short pants. He had just made 
it to the gate, and was starting to think he was going to get away from the 
maniac, when he felt strong arms gripping his shoulders in an Iron tight 
grip and felt sharp pain erupting in his neck as sharp teeth sank into his 
flesh. He tried to fight it at first, his muscles pulling with futility 
against the madman?s strength, but he soon felt his
own strength dwindling, being sucked away with every strong slurp he heard 
pulling at his neck. ?Mommy.? Was the last clear thought he had, before a 
red haze washed over his eyesight leaving him in darkness.

Chapter three

Willow walked cautiously through the large spacious house that looked 
remarkably like Angel?s mansion had, and wondered how the Watcher?s council 
had managed to get Merrick such a large house for Buffy to train in, when 
Giles didn?t have anything bigger than a small apartment. She
could feel Merrick?s eyes on her as she studied the place, he no doubt had 
many questions for her, but she wasn?t exactly sure where to start, or how 
much she should tell him.

It had made for a very quiet car ride, after that first revealing fact, 
Willow suddenly wondering if she should be revealing all to this man after 
all. She knew that he had been Buffy?s first watcher, and that he had 
trained Buffy in all that she had known...right up to the point where Giles 
had taken over. Buffy had even spoken very highly of Merrick, in the few 
times she had actually mentioned his name. She knew that not being able to 
save him was still a sore spot for Buffy, and
had been one of the major reasons she had renounced Slaying when she had 
first moved to Sunnydale. She wondered idly if that was why she was here, 
was she really meant to save Buffy?s first watcher, preventing the scarring 
that had no doubt caused Buffy?s reluctance to slay once she had reached 
Sunnydale, and thereby causing the chain of events that had happened after, 
with the master.

Or was she merely a bystander to these events, meant merely to watch them 
play out for some unfathomable reason. Could she even have a lasting effect 
on events that had already happened. Since she wasn?t exactly sure how or 
why she had come to be here, how much could she really reveal without having 
some unforeseen consequence. There was too much she just didn?t know. The 
only option that remained for her was too tell Merrick as much as she did 
know, without crossing certain lines. She only hoped that she would know 
what those lines were before she
crossed them.

Merrick watched the fascinating young girl as she examined his living space. 
There was such knowledge behind the emerald gaze, he had noticed that 
right off, while they had still been standing in the mall, but there was 
something else there as well, something he couldn?t quite put
his finger on. If she were telling the truth about being from the future, 
that could explain the peculiar emanations that were coming from her in 
waves. But he couldn?t help feeling that there was so much more to be known 
about this quirky, young individual.

Like her name for instance, it struck him just then that he didn?t even know 
what her name was. He cleared his throat and waited for the young woman to 
turn her eyes away from the old ornate mirror she had been studying with a 
certain degree of fascination. When the eyes met his, he once again felt 
the oddness that appeared to be a permanent halo around her. ?I?m sure I 
should have asked this earlier, but I?m not even sure what to call you.?

The green eyes lit up with a certain amount of amusement, while a quirky 
grin lit up her face. ?My name is Willow Rosenberg Su...Uh...but you can 
call me Willow.? Merrick caught a ghost of something float across the red 
head?s cheeks, before she smiled it away, flopping down on the
oversized couch, and looking up at him with an unreadable expression. 
Willow could have kicked herself for almost giving that vital piece of 
information away...the man didn?t have to know everything about her, after 
all...and some things were just meant to remain...private.

Merrick nodded, while taking off his coat and hat, seeming to be digesting 
what she had just said. Yes there was certainly more to this individual than 
what first met the eyes, Merrick concluded, before taking a seat across from 
her. ?Well since you already know my name, I?d say we?ve been properly 
introduced, wouldn?t you?? Willow nodded, much to the Watcher?s 
satisfaction. ?Good, then you won?t mind me asking you a few questions, 
then?? He watched as the somber eyes turned inward, apparently considering 
what he had said, before she came to a conclusion.

?You can ask...I?m not sure I?ll be able to answer all of them, though I?ll 
answer the ones I can.? He nodded, sure that was the best he supposed he 
could expect to get, then thought about what he?d like to ask her first.

?You say you?re from the future...Buffy?s future to be more exact, and you 
seem to know a lot about Watcher?s...though we?ll get to that in a moment, 
how did you come to be here in this particular part of Buffy?s ?history?.?

Willow could tell that the Watcher wasn?t sure if he believed her story or 
not, though that could be expected...she wasn?t sure if she?d believe it if 
she wasn?t absolutely sure that she was experiencing it herself, but she 
wasn?t quite sure how she could convince him either. ?I don?t
know.? She answered simply, laying her biggest problem out on the table. 
?I don?t even know what I?m doing here, or even if there is a reason, though 
I?m sure there must be...this couldn?t just be a coincidence or an accident 
of some kind...could it?? She could see the Watcher?s eyes getting bigger 
and bigger the longer she talked, and forced her lips to clamp down on the 
words that wanted to continue spouting out. ?Sorry...I tend to babble when 
I?m nervous.?

?That?s all right. It would probably be a good idea if we shelved that 
problem for later, though.? Merrick said, reasonably, and Willow had to 
agree.

?How much do you know about Watcher?s and what they do?? Once again, an 
unreadable smile lit up the young woman?s face giving him an idea that she 
was quite familiar with Watcher?s even before she commented.

?Do you want the whole story...or the abridged version?? Willow asked, 
knowing that the whole story would probably take until sunrise to finish.

?The abridged...please.?

?Well...I know there are vampires in the world...? And 
demons...sorcerers...witches...Willow could have gone on forever but by the 
look on Merrick?s face, he was stunned to just know that she knew Vampires 
existed. ?In every generation a Slayer is born...one girl in all the world 
with the strength to fight and kill vampires.? The statement was not quite 
exact, but it was close enough to cause Merrick to stare at her in wide eyed 
wonder.

?You know.? Merrick said at last, wondering once again just who this 
remarkable girl was.

?I know.? She acknowledged, ruefully. ?It?s kind of a side effect from 
living on top of the Hell mouth.? Willow shrugged her shoulders, as if that 
explained it all.

*****

The dark vampire walked almost noiselessly across the dark crypt, toward the 
coffin that lay in the center of the stone dais. ?Sleep my master. My own. 
Sleep.? He knelt in front of the coffin, pledging his legience to his 
master. ?I have already begun building you a new family. Soon we
will be legion. When you rise we will claim this place as our own. Rubies 
will drip from your lips.? The eyes took on a fiery glow as he stared 
unseeingly at the visions of mayhem and murder that danced in his head. 
?Soon.?

Chapter four

Willow had told Merrick as much as she knew about the Watcher?s council, and 
Slayer?s, leaving out certain pertinent details from the future, like the 
Council?s betrayal of the Slayer...and the fact that it was possible for two 
Slayer?s to be called at the same time...until Buffy?s temporary death, that 
hadn?t been known. But she was confident that Merrick did believe her.

?There is still the minor problem of you being from the future. I?m not 
sure how much you should mingle with the Buffy of your past. It could have 
some unforeseeable consequences to your present, things we couldn?t even 
begin to speculate on. Under the circumstances, you couldn?t have come at a 
worse time. I still have a Slayer to call and make ready to do her duty. 
You could only get in the way.?

Willow wasn?t sure if she liked Merrick?s delegation of her as a potential 
problem. ?On the other hand, I could have been sent here to help Buffy in 
some way. If I can?t see her, how can I help her.?

?You don?t know that for sure, though. Do you?? Merrick asked, his tone 
turning cold. ?I can?t have you interfering with my mission. If something 
happens to Buffy, because you interfered...?

?How dare you?? Willow cut his speech off before he could continue any 
further. ?You don?t even know Buffy. You?ve seen her once...at the 
mall...and most likely think that she?s the worst choice of a Slayer the 
powers that be could ever possibly make. But I know Buffy. She?s done
more for me than I could ever possibly repay, and I l...I would never do 
anything to hurt her.?

The fire that this young one possessed surprised the Watcher, and he found 
himself rethinking his previous position. ?I?m sorry. I never meant to 
imply that you would do anything to hurt Buffy. You?re right...she?s not the 
type of girl I would have chosen, she appears far too capricious for what 
this job entails...but It?s not my job to choose her, it?s just my job to 
train her, and I will do that to the best of my ability. But that still 
might not be enough...she should have been told about all of this long 
before now, but she was somehow lost in the cracks and I wasn?t sure it was 
her until tonight. She has a lot to learn in a very short period of time. 
And she will most likely fight
me every step of the way. The transition might be easier for her if I have 
your help.?

Willow stared at the old Watcher for long moments, wondering just what would 
be asked of her, and if she really could be around Buffy without 
revealing...too much. ?Can I count on your support?? Merrick asked, 
watching the shifting emotions that were swirling in the depths of her
green eyes.

Willow nodded, almost feeling like she was making a pact with the devil.

*****

One of Willow?s jobs was to keep a close eye on the Slayer, noting her 
movements, and reporting back to Merrick the girl?s schedule. She would be 
a lot less conspicuous then Merrick was, part of the reason that he sent her 
in his place.

So here she was, sitting on a park bench at Hemry high trying not to be 
noticed as she observed Buffy?s pack of friends make their way to a table to 
sit. She noticed how quickly that particular table had been vacated, and 
assumed that it was the table the popular group sat at every day.

?The environment. I?m telling you, it?s totally key. The earth is in 
terrible shape. We could all die.? Willow wasn?t quite sure what Buffy was 
talking about...it sounded way too...Earth science for the popular 
cheerleader.

?What?cha guys doing?? One of the guys asked, twirling a basketball in his 
left hand, as he joined them.

?Yeah, that?s what I want to know.? Willow thought, while noticing, in an 
abstract, kind of way, the jock that sat next to Buffy and received her 
welcoming kisses. ?Who?s that?? She wondered, trying not to get jealous, 
though it was difficult with her kissing him like that.

?The end of the year dance.? Nicole responded, sucking on a cherry flavored 
lollipop. ?We have to come up with a theme.?

?It has to be a socially conscious theme.? Buffy added, rolling her eyes in 
disgust at the lameness of her teachers.

?Yeah. One that reflects the students growing awareness of, and involvement 
in the world around them.? Answered a girl Willow hadn?t seen before...she 
was different from the rest of the group, more of a brain than a popular 
girl, and Willow figured that she must be the token brain...the one that 
probably did the group?s homework for them, in exchange for being allowed 
into the ?club?.

Buffy hadn?t told her about her, and she found herself wondering why. The 
young student reminded her of how she was herself in high school, although 
she had never hung out with the popular group, and she found herself 
wondering how close the two had been, if at all. She had
mentioned most of the other?s in passing...Jen, Kim, Nicole...she had 
explained how she had never really felt herself around them, like she had to 
put up a false front and never show how she really felt. It was quite 
apparent as she watched her with them now.

?I still say the environment. That?s my suggestion.? Buffy said, and 
Willow found she was proud of her for sticking to her convictions, even in 
this small way.

Jenifer and Kimberly nodded in agreement. ?Yeah.?

?What are the most immediate threats to the world environment right now??

?Uh...Litter.? The jock suggested, and Willow swore she could smell the 
smoke coming from his brain from here.

?Well, that cinches that. She?s certainly not with him for his brain.? 
Willow thought caustically, feeling slightly ashamed of herself, but not 
being able to help it.

?Forest fires.? Nicole offered, helpfully.

?Bugs?? Willow almost choked as the word sprung from Buffy?s mouth, as it 
was she had to clamp her hand to her mouth and hope for the best.

?Bugs, totally.? Kim said.

?Yeah, I hate Bugs.? Jen echoed.

?What do they do, share the same brain?? Willow had seen the sheep 
phenomenon with Cordelia?s crowd, but this was beyond ridiculous. They were 
obviously just following ?Queen? Buffy around and mirroring every word that 
she said.

?Cassandra, write it down.?

Buffy and her boyfriend started kissing again, and Willow wondered if they 
were ever going to come up for air. ?Oh give me a break. I shouldn?t have 
to watch this. This is so unfair.? She complained to the Powers That Be, 
hoping her state of nausea wouldn?t get much worse.

?Okay guys, what do you think about the ozone layer?? Cassandra asked, 
excitedly, and Willow knew instantly that this was a girl that she could get 
a long with. They might even have been friends if circumstances had turned 
out different.

?Yeah. We gotta get rid of that.? Willow almost fell off the park bench 
after hearing that one. ?It?s like she has no brain. What did she do...grow 
it after becoming the Slayer?? She thought incredulously. ?No wonder Buffy 
doesn?t like talking about her Hemry high days.?

The bell signaling the end of the lunch period rang then and Willow noticed 
a man stop behind Buffy. ?First bell, People. Time marches on.? The man 
intoned dramatically, and Willow was instantaneously reminded of Principal 
Snyder, in a slightly more jovial way.

?What?s your point?? Buffy?s boyfriend asked sarcastically.

?Button it Kramer.? The Principal said, before moving on.

The girls hastily made plans to meet together later at some place called 
?Cafe Blase? to talk about the dance some more, and Willow had to decide 
whether to follow Buffy into the school, and risk getting caught by a 
teacher who would know she didn?t belong in that class, or go to the cafe 
early and find a good hiding spot.

She decided on the latter course of action, not being ready to supply the 
teacher with an excuse of why there was a new student in her class, and 
besides she needed to buy some clothes, if she went around in the same thing 
day after day, Buffy would surely notice.

*****

?Buff, I still don?t see why we have to invite every single Freshman.? 
Nicole complained, although she could tell her friend was only partly 
listening.

?Because it?s a school dance, it?s just a shot in the dark.? Buffy 
explained, sarcastically. Something was nibbling around the base of her 
awareness...something...she scanned the dim Cafe? looking 
for...there...isn?t that... Before the thought was fully formed, Buffy 
spotted Kim and Jen walking into the Cafe? and Kim was wearing the yellow 
leather jacket that the teen had been ogling the day before. Jen was 
wearing a black one, and Buffy knew that they must have stopped
at the mall before they came here.

Whatever had been nagging her before was lost in the disgruntlement of 
seeing her friend in the leather jacket that she had wanted. Much to 
Willow?s relief, as she scrunched down further in her seat, determined to 
stay hidden behind the book she was pretending to be reading.

Kim saw her exasperated look and questioned her about it. ?I thought that 
look was over.? Buffy said, snappishly, hurt that her ?friend? would go out 
and buy a jacket that she knew Buffy had wanted.

?Well, it?s retro.? Kim said, not feeling sorry in the least.

?Yeah, retro.? Jen copied.

Kim noticed Buffy?s hurt and anger growing. ?You can borrow it sometime.?

?Okay...maybe I will.? Buffy said, though she wasn?t quite ready to forgive 
her friend for stealing her fashion idea, yet.

Willow just slowly shook her head. It was like being present at one of 
Cordelia?s fashion shows. Willow smelled the two intoxicated men before she 
saw them, and noticed Buffy and her friend?s wrinkling their noses in 
disgust around the same time.

They stumbled up to the counter, a few feet from where Buffy?s group sat, 
ignoring the cries of revulsion that sprang up from the blonde?s table. One 
of them pulled a handful of change out of his pocket and plunked it onto a 
waitress? serving tray. ?What does it look like?? He asked, staring 
blearily into the waitress face.

She sighed in disgust and counted the small amount of change on her tray. 
?Two coffees, or a hotdog. Nothing on it. Nothing inside. I?m Charlotte. 
I?m your waitress.? The woman said, completely repulsed that she had to 
wait on these two losers.

?Hi Charlotte.? The one who had plunked down the money said, with a half 
attempt at a wave, then watched as she brushed past them to get the order.

?You guys are thrashed.? Buffy said harshly, examining the poor excuses of 
humanity that leaned drunkenly against the counter.

?Are we?? One said to the other.

?That would explain the slurred speech. Thanks.? The other responded, as 
he tried to make conversation. ?What?s your name??

?Buffy.?

?Yeah, it figures.? He said, as if her name was explanation enough for her 
snobby behavior. ?I?m Pike...this is Benny. I?m, um, Pike.?

?Pike...?Bad boy? Pike...the one she told me about. Oh boy...this isn?t 
going to be fun.? They?d had a rather long discussion one day of all the 
men Buffy had fallen for on the long road to Willow, and how they had all 
had a certain ?Bad Boy? quality to them...Parker, Angel, and
Pike...they had all fit the bill. And it looked like Pike was the one who 
had started Buffy on the ?Bad Boy? kick. Willow was certainly not looking 
forward to seeing this part of Buffy?s past...but it wasn?t like she could 
do anything about it.

?Pike isn?t a name. It?s a fish.? As Buffy spared verbally with him, 
Willow felt herself sinking further in her seat.

Pike and Benny?s eyes clouded over as the girl?s started laughing, then they 
started to put it all together.

?Don?t we know you guys??

?Hey, wait a minute. You?re the guys from the movie.?

?We hate you guys.?

?Like we care, I?m sure.? Kimberly said, sarcastically, laughing 
hysterically.

Charlotte delivered the hotdog to the agitated men, Benny grabbed the hotdog 
while Pike took a large mouthful of bun.

?You guys, your behavior...was shocking.? Pike mumbled, with his mouth 
full.

?Well, you just snuck in anyway.? Nicole said, defending the group.

?Hey Buffy, you hungry? I?ve got something for ya.? Benny said, putting 
the hot dog at the crotch of his pants and lunging at Buffy like a horny 
sheep dog.

Buffy had no idea what possessed her do it, but she picked up a knife off of 
the table, and slashed at the hotdog twice, slicing it neatly into three 
uniform strips. She could feel the stares of her
friends as they looked at her in undisguised awe and not a slight twinge of 
repulsion. She could hear Pike gagging in the background as Benny mourned 
his mangled dog. Feeling rather self-conscious, not to mention nauseus, she 
rose from the table and made her way to the bathroom,
leaving her bewildered friends behind.

Willow watched her go with heartsick eyes, knowing that it had begun.

*****

Buffy?s heart was beating rapidly as she stared at her refection in the 
mirror. Her stomach still felt tied in knots and she hoped that she 
wouldn?t throw up in here, she would never live it down...it was bad enough 
that she had freaked out there with the knife. ?What is happening to me??

...to be continued.


_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com