 |
 Title of Chapter: Introductions Author: Alicia08 Author’s note: Last we spoke, my Cordy/Angel love was lacking, and I
decided to not incorporate that pairing into this fic. Guess what?
I’m fickle. It’s back in… although that might change come next chapter.
Anywho… read, review and enjoy!!! **~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** Chapter 3 Buffy shivered in the cold wind, Willow standing by her side, wrapped up tightly
in her red and blue scarf, a gray turtleneck sweater and the wool black coat
Buffy bought her for Christmas. It was now late March; the earth
was beginning to awake to spring, after a long and cruelly cold winter. March,
particularly the latter part, was a wet time in Frenton Connecticut. The
ice from the snowstorm the week prior was just beginning to thaw, leaving
puddles behind, huge potholes covering the pavement, as cars swerved, trying to
avoid getting their tires punctured. It had been drizzling earlier, which only added to the puddles, and as if
the ‘Powers that Be’ commanded, it suddenly stopped once the two reached their
destination. She and Willow had left her apartment, and started the drive to
Connecticut earlier that afternoon, and although she had explicit directions,
somehow she’d managed to get lost. Willow was the one driving, so all
blame landed on her shoulder, although Buffy hadn’t helped with the misreading
of said directions. Patiently, being of the female persuasion, they had the sense to ask for
directions from folks in the towns they passed through. Eventually, they were back on the right route, and as the car turned the
corner and came into Frenton, Buffy’s excitement mounted. This was the
town she was born in. That gray house, with the open porch, and the dog
in the yard, could very well be the house her mother lived in. This
street she was now driving on, could be the very same street her mother drove
on to go to the grocery store, or the pharmacy, or the bank. That park,
with the swings, and the green grass, and the see saw just off to the right,
and that bench in the center, could very much be the same park her mother took
long walks by, or even sat in, to gather her thoughts and take in the view.
But, most impressive of all though, was the thought and the possibility that
any person walking the streets now, could be her family member. Her
father or mother maybe. Even a sister or a brother. Who’s to say either
of her birth parents never had kids after she was born. Or even had kids
before she was born. “Well, shall we” Buffy turned to Willow smiling, teeth chattering from the
cold wind, that hit her just then. “We shall” Willow smiled back, leading the way into the Preston Inn. The two 20 somethings made there way into the foyer of the small inn.
Curiously they both looked around to take in their surroundings. A young
boy sat on the couch towards the window, a car truck in his hand, making ‘vroom
vroom’ sounds. An older women, more than likely his mother sitting off to
the right, away from the windows, her head buried in a magazine. “They read Cosmo too!!” Buffy elbowed Willow Rolling her eyes “It’s a small town Buffy, not Mars” Willow caught site of
women behind the reservation desk, and was instinctively motioned over with a
gesture of the hand. Willow grabbed Buffy’s hand and lead her towards the front
desk. “Hi” Willow and Buffy said simultaneously “Friendly bunch aren’t we” the older woman behind the counter replied
laughing. “It’s not often we have young folk like yourself visiting
Frenton. So, how long you two here for? “A week” Buffy said, her mind swirling with possibilities. This woman
could very well be her mother. Or maybe even a friend of her mothers, or
her Aunt. Who knows? “Would you two like separate rooms?” the elder woman asked, glancing from
the computer screen before her, to Buffy and Willow. “No. Same room is fine” Buffy replied looking at Willow for
conformation. With a silent nod and assurance from the red head, Buffy
continued. “A two bedroom occupancy will do fine” Buffy saw a
grimace flood the woman’s face and automatically, knew something was up. “I was hoping you would say yes to separate rooms”. The older woman
pounced on a few keyboards, on her computer, as she scanned the screen, before
focusing her attention to the two in front of her. “We’ve been
experiencing a bit of problem. We had a pipe breakage the other day, and
it’s still being worked on. It seems to be affecting the water flow to
most of the double occupancy rooms. The ones that are not reserved that
is. Strangely enough, the single rooms weren’t affected.” She smiled,
hoping that they would understand. She saw the redhead and the blonde
exchange a look, as if they were communicating with their orbs. “It’s fine. The single room works for me. How about you Will?” “I have no complaints” “Cool. Then the single room it is” Buffy finished as she turned to the
women behind the desk, reaching into her purse, retrieving her credit card, and
handing it over. As Buffy watched the elder women, scan her credit card, and dabble with the
keyboards on the computer, a wonder came to mind. “Um, you wouldn’t know
where the nearest hospital around here would be… would you” she asked
expectantly. “Oh… Preston Hospital is a few blocks up the road from here. It’s the only
one we have. Huge building. Can’t miss it. You sick?”
The woman asked, still pouncing away on the keypad. “No. I have a… an old friend of my father’s works there. He
wanted me to stop by and say hi” Buffy fibbed, “Oh really. What’s the name? Maybe I know this person” Willow and Buffy exchanged a hopeful glance. “Valrose Dallen” Buffy
spitted out nervously. Returning the credit card to its owner, the women smiled. “Rose. Great
lady. She works in the infant ward. Did you know she used to be a
midwife? Delivered my bundle of joy she did” She sighed.
“That was 23 years ago. How they grow up so fast” Both girls smiled, not really following the latter part of her rant. “When you see Rose, give her my best would you. I’ve been so busy
here, I haven’t had a chance to be sociable” “Will do” Buffy nodded. “Speaking of socializing, is there a place
around here where people go to have fun?” Buffy asked. The woman smiled “I forgot how you young folk like to party. Um, my
daughter goes to the Bronze. Nice club. The young people like it I
guess. There is a brochure in your room. It tells you where most
everything is located.” “Thanks” Buffy and Willow returned out of sync. “Ok… well, here you go” the woman handed them two keys. “Your rooms
are ready.” She peered over the counter. “Where’s your luggage” she asked
inquiringly. Taking the keys she was handed, Buffy, turned to point towards the
entrance. “They’re in the car. I’ll go and fetch them” “No. It’s fine. Go on up to your room. Just give me your car
keys and I’ll have Jeff get your luggage and bring them up to your room.” “That’s not necessary” Willow offered. The woman gave a stern look “Will, let the lady do her job” Buffy replied playfully, delving into her
purse and retrieving the car keys. “Here”. *~*~*~*~*~*~* Buffy and Willow entered the club. It was crowded, something neither had
expected. After all, it was a small town in the middle of nowhere. Once they had settled into their hotel rooms, Buffy had become restless, and
decided, now was as good a time as any, to get started on garnering information
on the single life in Frenton. She’d taken a shower, and called Willow,
begged her to hit the town and accompany her. After a minute of prodding,
and convincing, the redhead finally conceded. 30 minutes later, they were
dressed to please. The two stood in the doorway for a while, scanning the area for a
place to sit. A young woman approached them from the left. She was
a few inches taller than both Willow and Buffy, and looked to be of the same
age, although that was a calculated guess on Buffy’s part, who was looking her
over. Her hair was long, but not overtly so, dark brown, like her
eyes. There was a kindness in her eyes, which put the two at ease “You guys must be Bbb… Buffy and Willow” the young women greeted, extending
her hand. “I’m Willow” the redhead shook hands “How did you know our names?” “Oh… I’m Tara. My mother told me about you two.” “Your mother knows us?” Buffy questioned confused “She works at the Inn” Tara clarified “Oh. So you’re her bundle of joy” “The one and only” Tara laughed. “If you want, you can sit with me at
my table” “We don’t want to intrude” Willow responded as she took in the club’s
atmosphere. ‘Nn…no. I was just waiting for a friend. Come on” Tara grabbed
Willow’s hand, leading her to the seated area, Buffy bringing up the rear. “This is nice” Buffy commented, looking about the club pleased. “You
come here a lot?” “Most Fridays. It’s one of three clubs the town has. The other
two are on the other side of town, but they mostly attract an older crowd.”
Tara explained, taking a seat. “I bet there is an assortment of clubs to
choose from in New York Buffy gave her a look “Oh… your license plate. I saw your car parked outside the Inn” Smiling, Buffy removed her jacket, and rested it on the back of her
chair. “Yeah. The lackage of clubs is not a problem. There’s
one on every street corner” “Really?” Tara asked astounded “No…I was just kidding. But there are a lot of clubs” “Tara sighed. “It must be amazing living in the city” “It has its perks. The traffic is the bestest of them all.” Buffy said
with a playful tone to her voice. “I always thought the traffic sucked” Tare replied confused “That’s
what Angel told me” Buffy laughed, unable to hold it in. “Tara. I was kidding.
I kid” “She’s a kidder” Willow finally joined the conversation “Oh” Tara replied wryly “Who’s Angel?” Buffy asked interested. “Oh… he’s a frr… friend. We went to school together. He went off
to College in New York. Columbia. Lived there for a while after he
graduated too. He’s back now though. You’d like him. He’s
really nice” “Cool. Maybe you can introduce him to me sometimes” Buffy replied
politely “Well. He’s usually here on Fridays” Tara lifted her neck, peering
over the crowd, “but I don’t see him” Buffy turned her head, just slightly, looking through the crowd
inquisitively, trying to find this Angel. Not that she had a clue what he
looked like, but she figured, it didn’t hurt to look. Something… someone caught her eye. Leaning against the wall, was one of the most handsome men she’d ever come
across. From the distance, he seemed to be close to her own age, if not a
few years older, though there was a hardness to his feature that aged him
somewhat. His eyes were blue, his hair blond, his nails painted black, giving him a
rebellious look, that was reinforced by the stud in his left ear. He wore
black jeans, paired with a black fitted shirt, which only extenuated his
muscular build. “Wow” “Yeah, he’s a loo… looker. He can pretty much get any girl he
wants. Plus, it doesn’t hurt when your father owns most everything in the
town” “Rich and very lickable too” Buffy shook her head pleased. “Impressive,
don’t you think Will?” Buffy elbowed the redhead “Um, ouch” “Sorry” Buffy apologized but noticed her friends attention was focused on
someone entirely different. “Oooh, he’s a cutie” “What?” Willow finally turned to face Buffy Pointing in the directions her friends eyes were fixated upon just seconds
before “Him… Mr. Laid back and calm-y” “Oh, that’s Oz” Tara interrupted, as she followed the gazes of her two
acquaintances. “Well, his name is Daniel Osborne, but everyone in town
calls him Oz” “How about you inviting Oz over so we can say hi” Buffy gave Willow a
mischievous look. “It’s the polite thing to do” Willow stared at her friend in defiance, as Tara walked away to invite a
certain someone to join them. “Buffy” the flushed redhead drawled.
Leaning closer to Buffy and lowering her voice. “You’re here to do a story on
them,” she pointed to the crowds of people about the club “not to hook up” Buffy smiled “You’re single, I’m doing a story on the single scene, and
hopefully Oz is single… so I don’t see the problem here. And I’m not
hooking up. You are” Buffy smiled devilishly. Willow opened her mouth to respond, but hadn’t the chance. “Hey” Oz greeted with a nod of his head, as he approached the table, with
Tara picking up the rear. “Oz, this is Buffy and Willow” Tara introduced them. “They are staying
at the Preston” “Hi” Buffy looked at Willow to gage her reaction “Hi” Willow beamed looking up at Oz “We’re staying at the Preston” “Yeah… I got that” Oz smiled down at her, sensing her nervousness. He
was drawn to her instinctively. “Where are you guys from?” Buffy remained silent. She sensed the mutual attraction, and didn’t
want to ruin the moment, with her butting in. “New York” Willow said “hmmm… interesting” Oz nodded his head as if contemplating something. Awkward silence “So Oz… do you have a girlfriend” Buffy couldn’t resist asking, feeling the
deadly stare burning her skin, that her best friend shot her way. Oz smiled. “None that I’m aware of” after a pause “Was that a
proposition?” “BULLOCKS” Buffy quickly forgot her funny comeback at Oz’s last words, and swung around
to gage the commotion, as did the entire table where she sat. “Hanny up poofwad. A bet is a bet. Be a bloody man and hand over
the money” Buffy looked to see the face of the man she had been admiring earlier.
He held a bottle in his left hand. Straining her eyes, it was revealed to
be a bottle of Hennessey. It was half filled… or better yet, half empty, going
by the way he took jugs, in between words. Her view was suddenly skewed,
by the small crowd gathering around him. She stood from her chair, and
tried to peer over the crowd, but considering she was shorter than most people
in the club… her peering did little to better her view. Buffy heard
shouting, but couldn’t decipher actual words. “Excuse me” Oz told them, as he headed toward the commotion “What’s going on?” Willow asked, looking to Tara for explanation. “Spike” a voice to the left retorted simply, the tone annoyed, beating Tara
to it. “It never fails with him. It’s always something” Buffy and Willow looked to Tara once again, for an elucidation. When Tara saw the confused looks on her newly acquired friends features, she
clarified “Oz and Spike are close friends” still confused, she clarified
more. “Oh… guys, this is Cordelia. Shh… she’s a friend” Cordelia took her eyes off the dance floor, to acknowledge the two new
faces. “Hi… I’m Cordelia” “Buffy” the blonde waved “Willow” the redhead nodded “What an ass” Cordelia’s attention back to the fuss, mere feet away, her
hands crossing at her chest, her small Gucci purse matching her attire dangling
from her wrist. With that, Buffy shot her focus, back to the crowd at the back of the club
as well. The music had stopped now, and everyone in the club, was aware
of the obvious. She heard Oz’s voice, but with the mumblings of the club
goers, she couldn’t make out what was being said. She watched in curiosity One minute Five minutes Seven minutes The music started up again, and the crowd dispersed, some returning to their
tables to converse, other’s heading to the dance floor, some calling it a
night, and heading home. Through the disbanded crowd, she saw both Spike
and Oz, heading her way. Reason’s unexplained; Buffy felt a slight rush
of excitement. Spike intrigued her, and she wanted to know more about
him. Here he comes. “Ladies” Cordelia rolled her eyes, as Spike mocked hurt. “I take offense pet. You hurt my feelings” More eye roll “Whatever. You’re an ass. I don’t even know why
Angel hangs around you. You’re obviously beneath him” “Do I sense a bit of envy?” Spike gave a devilish grin Buffy caught the hurt in the brunette’s eyes, but before she could question
it or analyze it’s meaning, it was quickly replaced by disdain. “You’re so not worth my time” Cordelia spat, as she turned and stormed off,
towards the bar. Buffy, “She has the hots for me. Just doesn’t know it yet” he offered, as
explanation to the events seconds before. “I find that a ticked off brunette is not one to be taken lightly” Oz
injected. “One of these days, she might just hurt you” his words directed
to Spike. “Pffft” Spike gulped down a mouthful of liquor. |
