Life is Short (revamped) Part 1/7

["TheBear" <thebear@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Title: Life is Short (Revamped)

Author: The Bear!

Spoilers: kinda spins away from Welcome to the Hellmouth, and there?s
elements of the Harvest as well, so no real spoilers, unless you?ve
never seen the show at all.

Pairing: B/W

Summary: Buffy moves to a new town looking for a fresh start, and maybe
a new love.

Warnings: NC17 (but not really till part 7) 

Disclaimer: If I owned ?em, they?d have to show it on the Ecstasy
Network.

Author?s Note: If you?ve read this before, you?re in for a surprise!
It?s nearly twice as long, and extensively revamped, so, give it another
shot!

========== BtVS ==========

Part 1

========== BtVS ==========

Buffy was bored, her attention wandered while the history teacher
talked. ?This is all so weird,? she thought. ?New house, new school, new
people. A fresh start, huh?? She tried hard to convince herself. ?Oh
well. At least there are no creepy Watchers and no vampires.?

?Still not sure whether today goes in the good day column, or the bad
day column; Meeting that Principal Flutie guy wasn?t much fun... but,
what with my record, I supposed could have gone worse,? she thought.
?Of course, two minutes after that, I dump my bag all over the floor-
which definitely falls into the ?not-so-good category?. So
embarrassing. But, it did allow for the cute guy to come to my
?rescue?... what kind of name is Xander, anyway?? she wondered.
?Definitely cute, but kinda goofy.?

Just then the teacher?s lecture filtered back into her head, ?...If
you?ll look at the map on page sixty-three you can trace the spread of
the disease into Rome, and then north...?

?Page sixty-three,? Buffy thought in a panic. ?That would mean a book,
right?? Not having a book, she began to look around for help. The
brunette sitting next to her noticed and shared hers.

Buffy whispered, ?Thanks!? as she surreptitiously checked the helpful
girl out. ?Very nice!? she thought. ?Almost perfect in fact... great
body, great hair, great clothes, pretty face... probably completely
homophobic, though.?

While the teacher read from the book, Buffy kept casting surreptitious
glances up at the brunette. ?I wonder what it would be like to actually
date a girl... I mean, at Hemery, there was no way, People would have
freaked to see the head cheerleader date another *girl*!.? She imagined
the differences, ?Not that boys are bad, I like boys just fine- when
they?re not being macho jerks, at least not to me- but... Hmmm, like
that time with Tammy... so different! Sweeter, and much softer... I
was always so afraid of what my friends would say, but I don?t have any
friends here yet... Maybe I really can have a fresh start here. Dating
a girl can?t be as weird as being the Slayer...?

The bell rang and Buffy joined all the other students in getting up to
leave. As she stood up, the beautiful brunette introduced herself.

?Hi! I?m Cordelia,? she said, offering her hand

Buffy accepted the handshake, answering, ?I?m Buffy.?

Cordelia smiled and said, ?If you?re looking for a textbook of your very
own, there?s probably a few in the library.?

Buffy said, ?Oh, great, thanks.? She paused for a moment and then
asked, ?Uh, where would that be??

Cordelia said, ?I?ll show you, come on.? As they walked out of the
classroom and into the hall, She said, ?So you?re from Hemery, right? In
L.A.??

Buffy suddenly worried that her reputation might already be known here.
Trying not to let the fear show on her face, she mumbled, ?Uh, yeah??

Cordelia joked, ?Oh, I would *kill* to live in L.A.! That close to that
many shoes?!?

Buffy laughed as they walked down the hall. ?Friendly, funny, cute...?
she thought. ?Not that I?m gonna jump right in here, after all she
could be straight as and arrow- she could be dating someone already...
lots of things. But, it?s nice to have some options,? she smiled at the
happy thought. Considering her day so far, she mused, ?Cordelia...
Xander... Hmm, day?s looking up!?

As they got a little further, Cordelia said, ?Well, you?ll be okay here.
If you hang with me and mine, you?ll be accepted in no time.?

?Ok, obviously one of the ?popular? crowd...? Buffy thought, not really
surprised but suddenly just a tiny bit wary. ?No real surprise there.?

Cordelia continued, ?Of course, we do have to test your coolness factor.
You?re from L.A., so you can skip the written, but let?s see. Vamp nail
polish??

?Great!? Buffy thought sarcastically. ?A test on my first day!? Out
loud she said, ?Um, over??

Cordelia rolled her eyes, saying, ?So over! James Spader??

Buffy thought ?Ooo *so* fine!? She gushed, ?He *needs* to call me!?

Cordelia continued, ?Frappaccinos??

Buffy warmed to the test, thinking, ?this is actually kinda funny!? She
answered with a smile, ?Trendy, but tasty.?

Cordelia said, ?John Tesh??

Buffy quickly answered, ?The Devil!?

?That was pretty much a gimme, but... you passed!? Cordelia said with a
smile.

?Ok, that was a joke right? I mean, no one?s that shallow... right??
Buffy thought. When nothing further seemed forthcoming, she put on what
she hoped looked like a sincere smile and said, ?Oh, goody!? while
thinking, ?oh my God!?

They turned toward a drinking fountain where a girl with long auburn
hair- wearing a rather unflattering dress- was leaned over taking a
drink. The redhead straightened back up but froze when she saw them
coming.

Cordelia said, ?Willow! Nice dress! Good to know you?ve seen the softer
side of Sears.?

?Ouch!? Buffy thought as she stared at the redhead.

Willow looked at Buffy for a moment before dropping her eyes and turning
back toward Cordelia. Her tone was clearly uncomfortable as she said,
?Uh, oh, well, my mom picked it out.?

Buffy was captivated by the girl?s innocent beauty. ?Clearly not too
happy with the whole ?being around Cordelia? thing... and that dress is
pretty unflattering, but...? 

Cordelia said, ?No wonder you?re such a guy magnet. Are you done??

?And again I say, Ouch!? Buffy thought, wincing internally. ?God, why
is she being such a bitch??

Willow looked at the fountain, then back at Cordelia as if she wasn?t
sure what she was asking. Then she got it, saying, ?Oh!? Without
another word, she turned and walked away.

Buffy watched her go for a moment, feeling a pang in her chest at the
sad resignation she could see on Willow?s face. She then looked back at
Cordelia as she started talking again.

Cordelia said, ?You wanna fit in here, the first rule is: know your
losers. Once you can identify them all by sight...? she glanced after
Willow, ?...they?re a lot easier to avoid.?

Buffy let out a nervous laugh and nodded, but she was thinking, ?God,
how cruel!? She looked at Willow again, who had gone through the door
at the end of the hall.

Willow looked back at them, mostly at Buffy, before continuing away.

Buffy felt bad. ?Jeeze, and I didn?t say anything. Some hero I am, I
can?t even stick up for one innocent girl... one shy, beautiful...? 

Looking back to Cordelia, who was still yammering on about something
inconsequential, Buffy thought, ?Oh God! Shallow, abusive, popular...
That used to be me!? She followed Cordelia down the hall to the
library, her stomach rumbling in turmoil. She no longer liked the
person she?d been back then very much.  

========== BtVS ==========

It was lunchtime, and Buffy walked out onto the quad at school. She?d
avoided Cordelia, and she was still dealing with the fact that that
weird librarian who somehow knew about her and vampires. ?I *so* am not
getting involved with the undead in any way- not ever again!? she
silently vowed.

She was looking for Willow Rosenberg- the redhead from the fountain
incident earlier. She?d asked around in her last couple of classes
about who could help her catch up, and Willow?s name had been one of
those brought up. ?Which works out very nicely!? she thought. ?I want
to, well... not really apologize, ?cause I didn?t actually say anything
wrong... but maybe I can convince her that I?m not the cruel bitch-type.
I was just an innocent bystander... yeah right!?

?Plus there?s just something about her... she makes me feel, well, kinda
all warm and tingly...? she thought while rubbing her hand down low on
her belly over her skirt. Any thoughts of Xander or Cordelia as
potential dating interests had flown out the window the moment that she
saw Willow. ?I just want to get to know her,? she mumbled to herself,
trying to justify her desires.

Willow was sitting on a bench taking her lunch out of a paper sack when
Buffy saw her. 

Buffy approached her, saying, ?Uh, Hi! Willow, right??

Willow looked up and said, ?Why? I- I mean, hi! Uh, did you want me to
move??

?Oh my God! She?s so adorable!? Buffy thought, instantly smitten with
the self-conscious girl. She said, ?Why don?t we start with, ?Hi, I?m
Buffy,? and then let?s segue directly into me asking you for a favor.?

Willow had a surprised look on her face, but remained silent in the
momentary pause. 

Buffy continued, ?It doesn?t involve moving, but it does involve hanging
out with me for a while...? she added in her thoughts,
?Oh-please-oh-please!? feeling unaccountably nervous.

Willow?s glance darted around for a moment, as if to see if anyone was
watching, then she said, ?But aren?t you hanging out with Cordelia??

Buffy frowned, once again embarrassed by Cordelia?s unprovoked attack on
the obviously shy girl. She asked- somewhat jokingly, ?I can?t do both?

Willow said, ?Not legally.?

Buffy was momentarily nonplussed at the seriousness of Willow?s answer.
After a short pause she exhaled loudly and said, ?Look, I really wanna
get by here- new school... and, Cordelia?s been really nice... to me
anyway,? she qualified. ?But, um, I kinda have this burning desire not
to flunk all my classes, and I heard a rumor that you were the person to
talk to if I wanted to get caught up,? she finished with a hopeful look.

Just like that, Willow?s face went from worry and confusion to happy and
excited. ?Oh, I could *totally* help you out! Uh, if you have sixth
period free we could meet in the library??  

Buffy?s amusement at the transformation in Willow?s face was wiped away
by the suggestion. ?I have, like, zero desire to ever set foot in there
again,? she thought, picturing the library and her encounter with the
weird librarian.  

She quickly answered, ?Or not.? Trying to backpedal, she began to
babble, ?Or we could meet someplace quieter. Louder.?  

?Way to go Buff! Insane much?!? she berated herself. Shaking her head
slightly she tried again, ?Uh, that place just kinda gives me the
wiggins.?

Willow nodded and said, ?Oh, it has that effect on most kids. I love it
though, it?s a great collection, and the new librarian is really cool.?

?Danger, Will Robinson!? Buffy shouted in her mind. She asked, ?He?s
new??

Willow, obviously missing Buffy?s wariness, continued to gush, ?Yeah, he
just started. He was a curator at some British museum, or, or The
British Museum, I?m not sure. But he knows everything, and he brought
all these historical volumes and biographies and...? suddenly Willow?s
happy face dropped away and she looked upset as she continued, ?...am I
the single dullest person alive??

?Ok, that?s just too cute. Pretty much gushing with the shy sweetness
and innocent beauty here!? Buffy quickly reassured her, ?Not at all.?

Suddenly two boys invaded their space. Buffy recognized the one who
jumped up onto the wall behind them, insinuating himself between her and
Willow. Another, much taller boy moved to stand in front of them and
dropped his bag. ?Oh look, it?s Xander and friend. Just when I was
making progress!? she thought, suddenly annoyed.

The tall boy displayed his keen wit, saying, ?Hey!?

Xander interjected, ?You guys busy? Are we interrupting?? he looked back
and forth between the two girls, then continued, ?We?re interrupting,?
as he tossed his bag to the tall boy.

?Yes! You?re interrupting!? was Buffy?s aggravated response in her
mind. Out loud, she just responded, ?Hey!?

Willow also gave the horse-trough greeting, ?Hey!?

The tall one repeated himself, saying, ?Hey there!? as he dropped
Xander?s bag next to his own.

Buffy looked at Willow and saw her frown for just a moment before
putting on a happy face, and then she did the introductions, ?Buffy,
this is Jesse and that?s Xander.?

Xander said, ?Oh, me and Buffy go waaay back, old friends, very close.
Then there?s that period of estrangement where I think we were both
growing as people, but now here we are, like old times, I?m quite
moved.?

Everyone looked at Xander like he was an idiot. Jesse said, ?Is it me,
or are you turning into a bibbling idiot??

A look of realization came over his face and he sheepishly said, ?No,
it?s, uh, it?s not you.?

?I wanted to talk to Willow!? Buffy thought with a brief mental pout
before she resigned herself to the encounter, saying, ?Well, it?s nice
to meet you guys, I think.?

Suddenly Xander jumped down and grabbed his bag, retrieving something
from inside. 

Jesse said, ?Well, you know, we wanted to welcome ya, make ya feel at
home, unless you have a scary home...?

Xander added, ?And to return this,? as he turned around holding a wooden
stake.

Buffy?s eyes widened and a cold thrill of fear shot through her as she
realized she must have dropped it in the hallway earlier.

?The only thing I can think is that you?re building a really little
fence,? Xander joked as he handed it to her.

?Crap!? she thought, scrambling to come up with a plausible explanation
as she took it back. ?Hah, no, um, a-a-actually it was for
self-defense. Everyone has them in L.A. Pepper spray is just so passé.?

Xander seemed unconcerned, saying, ?So what do you do for fun, what do
you like, what do you look for in a man, let?s hear it.?

Jesse added, ?If you have any dark, painful secrets you?d like us to
publish?

?And it just gets more uncomfortable...? Buffy said, ?Gee, everyone
wants to know about me. How keen.?

Xander said, ?Well, not much goes on in a one Starbucks town like
Sunnydale. You?re pretty big news.?

Buffy shook her head. ?I?m not. Really.?

At that moment Cordelia walked up and interrupted. ?Are these guys
bothering you?? she asked haughtily.

?Oh oh, bridges burning here...? Buffy thought as she blurted, ?Uh, no!?

Willow sounded uncomfortably nervous as she said, ?She?s not hanging out
with us.? 

?How cute is that?!? Buffy thought at Willow?s somewhat sad attempt at
being helpful.

?Oh, he?s got it bad!? Buffy thought with amusement as she watched Jesse
move next to Cordelia. ?Hey! Cordelia!?

Cordelia rolled her eyes and gave Jesse a half-glance, saying, ?Oh,
please!? She turned her attention back to Buffy, saying ?I don?t mean
to interrupt your downward mobility, but I just wanted to tell you that
you won?t be meeting Coach Foster- the woman with the chest hair-
because gym was canceled due to the *extreme* dead guy in the locker.?

Buffy said, ?What??

?What are you talking about?? Willow asked.

Cordelia clarified, ?Some guy was stuffed in Aura?s locker!?

?Oh no, not again!? Buffy thought as she mumbled, ?Dead...?

Cordelia waved her hands dramatically as she expounded, ?Totally dead.
Way dead.?

Xander quipped, ?It?s not just a little dead, then??

Cordelia shot him a withering glare and said, ?Don?t you have an
elsewhere to be??

Jesse, sadly still trying, said, ?Y?know, if you need a shoulder to cry
on, or just to nibble on...?

Buffy interjected, ?How did he die??

Cordelia seemed surprised by the question. She said, ?I don?t know...?

Thinking, ?And now; everyone look at the weird chick...? Buffy
hesitatingly followed up, ?Well, were there any marks??

Cordelia?s expression moved from ?surprised? to ?taken aback?. She
rolled her eyes and exclaimed, ?Morbid much! I didn?t ask!?

?Well that?s it, I?m officially gonna be know as the ?weird new girl...?
Buffy thought as she nervously looked around at the others. ?Um, I
gotta book. I?ll, I?ll see you guys later,? she said as she grabbed her
stuff and left.

She heard Cordelia?s annoyed ?What?s her deal?? comment as she leftthe
group behind.

========== BtVS ==========

Later that evening, Buffy made her way to the ?only cool place in
Sunnydale? as it had been described to her.  

She walked into the Bronze in the midst of an angry mental rant, ?I
don?t know how, but somehow I?m all mixed up with the whole vampire
thing again! I promised myself that was never gonna happen again! But,
oh no, I?ve gotta check and sure enough, that dead guy was totally
sucked dry... Oh, and the ?new librarian?? A Watcher. My Watcher!
Instead of being a quiet, little- and most importantly- vampire-free
town, Sunnydale turns out to be built on some kind of mystical whosits
just chalk full of undead! Oh no, my life doesn?t suck!? she thought
sarcastically.

?Then Mom?s all, ?we just moved to a new town, and it?s hard, and
basically you screwed it up for us in LA; don?t screw it up here too!?
Hey, thanks, Mom. You really know how to inspire confidence!? she
thought.

?And, to top it off, there?s Mr. Cryptic in the alley all with the vague
warnings about The Harvest; whatever *that* is! And how he?s a friend,
but not my friend... whatever *that* means!? she thought angrily.

Buffy took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. ?Well, enough with
the badness for today. I seriously need a little goodness to balance
things out!?

She paid her cover and wandered into the club. ?Cool band,? she mused,
bobbing her head to the beat as she walked around for a bit. ?Of course
I don?t see anyone I know... Not that I really know anybody yet anyway.?


A guy waved in her direction and she thought, ?he?s kinda cute,? and she
started to wave back when she noticed that he was waving to someone
behind her. Feeling her face heat up as she blushed, she mumbled, ?Well
that was nicely humiliating.?

?Well I think today is going to end up with a definite check in the
?bad-day? column. I mean... wait a minute...? her thoughts trailed off
when she spotted a girl at the bar. A girl with long auburn hair.  

?Mmm, things may be looking up!? she thought, suddenly happy. ?MaybeI
can turn this whole day around; cause one good thing did happen
today...?

She walked up to the corner of the bar, where the redhead in question
was sitting, and said, ?Hey Willow!?

Willow looked up with a shocked expression on her face. ?Oh, hi!?

Buffy walked around her and sat on the stool next to her. 

Willow turned to face her, and again said, ?Hi!?

Suddenly, self-doubt and fear crept into Buffy?s thoughts, ?Uh oh, is
she brushing me off?? Her stomach sank and she asked, ?Oh, you?re here
with someone??

Again Willow looked surprised as she answered, ?No, I?m just here.? She
added disappointedly, ?I thought Xander was gonna show up.?

And, again with the stomach sinkage. ?Oh, are you guys going out??
Buffy asked nonchalantly while thinking, ?Please say no, please say no!?

Willow?s shook her head, ?No, we?re just friends. We used to go out,
but we broke up.?

?Yes!? Buffy shouted in her mind, and was immediately embarrassed at the
relief she felt. She tried not to let the elation show on her face as
she asked, ?How come??

?He stole my Barbie,? Willow said seriously.

?Ok, Huh?? Buffy thought.

At Buffy?s look of confusion Willow explained, ?Oh, we were five.?

?Oh, that?s so cute...? Buffy half smiled and said, ?Oh.?

?I-I-I don?t actually date a whole lot... lately,? Willow said.

Buffy was confused. ?Sure, she?s not the most confident... and she?s
probably considered a bit of a nerd... but she?s so beautiful! I can?t
believe... don?t at least the other nerds hit on her? They must! I
mean, come on! Look at her!? she thought. She asked, ?Why not??

Again, in all seriousness, Willow said, ?Well, when I?m with a boy I
like, it?s hard for me to say anything cool, or, or witty, or at all. I-
I can usually make a few vowel sounds, and then I have to go away.?

Even though she could feel the pain in those words, Buffy laughed and
said, ?It can?t be *that* bad!?

Willow said, ?No, i- it is. I think boys are more interested in a girl
who can talk.?

?Yeah, right!? Buffy smiled at that thought. ?You really *haven?t* been
dating lately.?

?It?s probably easy for you,? Willow sighed.

?There was a time when that was true. Before I became the ?Chosen One.?
More like ?chosen to be a Freak!? she thought not a little bitter still.
She echoed Willow?s sigh and said, ?You think so, huh??

Willow said, ?I-I mean; you?re so pretty, and nice, and sweet... and you
don?t seem too shy.?

?She thinks I?m pretty? That?s a good sign!? Buffy thought. To Willow
she said, ?Well, my philosophy...? she paused to ask, ?do you wanna hear
my philosophy??

Willow smile eagerly, ?Yeah, I do!? she said.

Buffy nodded and said, ?Life is short.?

?Life is short!? Willow repeated.

Buffy elaborated, ?Not original, I?ll grant you, but it?s true. You
know? Why waste time being all shy and worrying about some guy, and if
he?s gonna laugh at you. Seize the moment, ?cause tomorrow you might be
dead.?

Willow said, ?Oh, that?s nice!?

?Of course, here I am; not living up to my own philosophy... see me not
telling you how beautiful you are, or saying that I want to get to know
you better, or pretty much anything at all,? Buffy thought as she looked
around, not wanting to get caught staring into Willow?s eyes.  

Looking up, Buffy saw the Librarian, Mr. Giles, on the upper level. She
thought, ?Great, Watcher-guy is here, looking seriously un-blendy. I
really don?t want to deal with Slayer stuff right now... but I guess I
should at least go see what he wants.? She said, ?Um, I?ll be back in a
minute,? as she stood up.

Willow said ?Oh, tha-that?s okay, you don?t have to come back.?

Buffy turned her attention back to the shy redhead, thinking ?God, you
are just *so* adorable!? She unthinkingly reached out and covered the
redhead?s hand on the bar with her own for a moment. ?I?ll be back in a
minute,? she reiterated.

Willow looked into Buffy?s eyes for a couple seconds, seeming a little
dazed. ?O- ok,? she finally whispered.

Buffy suppressed a shiver of excitement at the feel of Willow?s hand in
her own, and then rushed off.

========== BtVS ==========

 

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