"So, does that really happen a lot?"

Willow glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. "What, them acting like total dimwits? Frequently." She giggled.

"Um, that too. Actually, I meant about the bodies. You...get a lot of that?" William held the library door open for her, motioning her to go ahead of him.

"Thanks." She blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Well, kinda. I mean, people tend not to dwell on it too much, but...weird things happen here. Not just here at school, that's a given. But...Sunnydale has its seamier side."

"That's not exactly what one wants to hear about the town one has just moved to."

"Yeah, I can imagine it's not very reassuring." She set her books down on a table. "Hi Mr. Giles!" she called.

Rupert's head popped out from behind a row of books. "Ah, hello Ms. Rosenberg. What brings you here so early?"

Willow shrugged. "Dead body. Gym canceled. Free period. Studying."

Rupert blinked. "I...see. Ah, William, hello," he greeted his son with a soft smile.

"Hi, Da," William responded.

"Well, I'll let you two get back to your studying while finish shelving these books." He cleared his throat, then disappeared into the stacks once more.

Willow sighed as Rupert left. "Your dad is so cool," she told William. "He's not all nosy and in your face. I mean, it must be pretty weird to have your dad working where you go to school." She blushed a little. "He's not that bad looking, either."

William choked, then went into a fit of coughing. When he recovered, he gaped at Willow. "You're...you're not serious!"

"What? He's pretty decent for an older guy."

"He's my *father*!"

Willow rolled her eyes. "Well, it's not like I'm planning on dating him or something. I was just saying..."

"Don't...please." He shuddered, ignoring Willow's giggles. "Books. Study. No talking about...that. Or *thinking*. Or ever, *ever* bringing it up again."

Willow shook her head, a huge grin on her face. "Fine," she conceded with a sigh. "You're such a baby."

William stuck his tongue out at her, pulling back sharply when she made a grab for it.

"Watch it, buster," she warned with a mock glare.

~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm going now, Da." William walked past Rupert on his way to the door.

"Is your homework finished?"

"Da!" he protested. "It's Friday, I have all weekend to do that!"

"Well, there's no sense in leaving it for the last minute." Rupert glanced at his pouting son, and grinned. "I'm joking, William. Go. Have fun. Don't see anything too scary."

William smiled back and gave him a wave goodbye before slipping out the door.

William met Willow on the way to the theater, and they walked together. "What are we going to see?"

Willow shrugged. "Jesse and Xander will probably want something awful and bloody. I'm pushing for sweet and romantic. We'll probably compromise and see something funny instead."

William blinked. "That's an...odd compromise."

"Oh, not for us. Trust me. You haven't even *seen* odd."

Smiling, he asked playfully, "Should I be scared?"

"Oh, petrified." She bounced as they neared the theater. "Oh look! There they are!" She dragged William with her as she hurried over to the other boys.

Willow's prediction proved to be true. After a friendly debate over the merits of gory horror versus sappy romance, they came to the decision that comedy was the way to go. They managed to purchase their tickets, raid the snack bar, and make it into the auditorium where their movie was playing just as the previews started.

Xander and Jesse immediately headed for the front row, but Willow hung back. "Oh, come on guys!" she hissed. "You always make me sit down here. I wanna go up to the top row."

"It's too far away," Xander hissed back. "You don't get the same experience."

"I also don't get a major crick in my neck!" Her arms crossed. "I'm not outnumbered this time," she warned, eyes narrowed.

"If I may interrupt," Jesse broke in. He pushed his way between them. "Could we settle this *before* we get thrown out? Or...why don't we let William pick?"

William blinked as all three turned to him. "Um..." He shrugged uncomfortably. "We can sit in the middle?"

"Ah, the man with a plan." Xander slung his arm over William's shoulders. "Willow, lead the way."

They filed up the steps and found themselves seats, settling down as the lights dimmed. Snacks were hastily distributed, then traded around when Jesse complained that he hated jujubes and somebody better switch with him.

The movie proved to be a hit, leaving the boys weak with laughter, and Willow giggling breathlessly. Afterwards, they decided to swing by the ice cream parlor for yet more sugar before heading home.

As a group, they strode down the nearly deserted sidewalk. Xander managed to engage William in a spirited discussion on whether or not pistachio ice cream was better than walnut fudge, with Willow egging them on.

Jesse added the occasional comment, but mostly just listened in rapt fascination. Suddenly, he stumbled, catching himself on a wall. Looking down, he noticed his shoelace had come untied, tripping him up. With a sigh, he bent to tie it again. By the time he stood and brushed himself off, the others had moved far ahead, not having noticed his pause.

He hurried to catch up, breaking into a slow jog. As he rounded a corner, he nearly crashed into the girl standing there.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking. You're ok, aren't you?"

Jesse grinned at the pretty young woman. "Sure, everything fine here. How about you? Anything broken?"

"No, I'm all right. Um, I am a bit lost, though. I'm...new to the area."

Jesse was eager to be helpful, especially to someone as sweet as this girl seemed to be. "Well, I can point you in the right direction; where are you trying to go? Oh, I'm Jesse, by the way." He held out a hand.

"Darla." A slim, pale hand met his in a cool grasp.

Xander glanced back, pausing. He cut Willow off as he asked, "Where's Jesse?"

They all looked back at the dimly lit sidewalk behind them, swallowing hard. "Jesse?" three voices called as one.

There was no answer, and William shuffled nervously. "I...I have a bad feeling. I think we should go back."

"Right." Xander grabbed one of Willow's hands in his own, and she in turn took hold of William. Hastily, they began to backtrack their route.

A few minutes later, they had found no sign of Jesse, and Willow was on the verge of tears. Then William turned sharply, pointing at a nearby alley. They all held their breath, listening.

A muffled yell caught their attention, and they surged forward. The scene they came upon left them gaping.

"Jesse!?" Willow choked out, wondering who the blonde girl that had her friend pinned up against the wall was, and where Jesse had met her, and why they were making out here.

It was Xander who saw the panicked look in Jesse's eyes, and he grabbed hold of the woman's shoulder. "Hey, lady, get off!"

The woman tore her head away from Jesse's neck, wheeling around. Bloody fangs greeted the trio, and yellow eyes burned with malice. Willow covered her mouth before she could shriek.

"What the fuck--?" Then Xander shook himself. "I said, back off!"

William searched the alley, finding a jagged bit of broken crate and hefting it menacingly. This earned him a venomous hiss from the...creature, who narrowed her eyes in brief consideration before releasing Jesse, shoving him toward Xander and then racing off.

Xander caught his friend, holding the shaking boy as he watched the creature disappear into the shadows.

"Jesse, are you all right? What happened?" Willow rushed forward, checking Jesse over for injuries.

Jesse nodded, then winced, reaching for his neck. He heard Willow gasp when he pulled away bloody fingers. "She bit me," he said in a voice tinged with disbelief and a touch of hysteria. "I was just trying to help, she said she was lost. Then she dragged me into this alley, turned all freaky-looking, and *bit* me. What the hell *was* that thing?"

"Um, guys?" William waited until they looked at him. "I think we should get away from here. Inside somewhere, and get a bandage or something on Jesse's neck."

Jesse gave a weak nod. "Man, I'll vote for that plan. Someone help me up?"

*****
Part 8:

The group stumbled into the ice cream shop, Xander and William propping Jesse upright while Willow hovered protectively. It was interesting how none of the patrons currently in the shop even looked at them askance, behaving as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

Willow bit her lip, brow furrowing as she studied Jesse, who was holding a hand clamped over his neck. "We should get that fixed."

"I'll take him to the lavatory to clean up," William volunteered. "You and Xander should find us a table and...act normal."

"Wait a sec, shouldn't we report this or something?" Xander glanced at his friends quizzically.

"Woah. No way man! Do you have any idea how much trouble I'd be in if my parents got a call from the cops? Huh-uh, no thanks!" Jesse's face was set stubbornly with his refusal.

"Jesse. Come on." William smiled at the others, then dragged Jesse to the restroom. Once inside the small room, he grabbed a handful of paper towels and wet them under the faucet.

Jesse watched for a moment, then hopped up onto the counter. He picked distastefully at his shirt, which had acquired a small bloodstain near the collar. With a shrug, he pulled the shirt off over his head and soaked the spot under the stream of cool water.

"I'll get that." William took the shirt and set it aside for the moment, then tilted Jesse's head back. Carefully, he dabbed at the blood-encrusted bite, apologizing softly when Jesse hissed in pain. Finally, he stepped back and looked at the wound. "Well, I haven't any bandages, but it's stopped bleeding, and if you keep your collar pulled up, it shouldn't be too noticeable."

"You think?" Jesse twisted around to look in the mirror, wincing at the livid bruising that surrounded the twin punctures. "I dunno. Looks kinds obvious to me."

"Well, there's not really any other choice, you know," William commented softly. He threw away the soiled napkins, then pulled out some new ones and began to work on Jesse's shirt.

Jesse studied William intently as the other boy scrubbed at his shirt. "So, William."

"Hmm?" William continued with his task, listening to Jesse distractedly.

"You like Xander, don't you?"

William's arm jerked, knocking painfully into the wall. Hissing, he rubbed it, trying to calm his racing heart. "Um, well, yes. I mean, I l-like all of you."

Jesse sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but not the same way. You look at Xander like he's dipped in Hershey's syrup and you're a starving chocoholic."

William flushed a bright red. His hands shook as he smoothed out the damp but mostly clean shirt. "I...I d-don't know what you m-mean." He refused to look up.

"Bullshit." That made William's head snap up incredulously, and Jesse glared at him. "Don't lie to me, William. I may be an idiot sometimes, but I'm not blind."

A look of utter desolation washed over William's face. His legs collapsed, and he slumped to the floor. He wrapped his arms around his knees and started to rock gently.

Jesse hopped off the counter and knelt next to him. "Hey, what's wrong? It's ok. I mean, I'm not gonna get all phobic on you just 'cause you have the hots for a guy. Come on, talk to me."

William sniffled wretchedly. "I didn't mean to," he whispered brokenly. "I just...he...it's..."

Jesse slung an arm around his shoulders. "Dude, chill. It's not the end of the world. I mean, at least you didn't have some freaky chick gnawing your throat out tonight!" He snorted with laughter. "Now granted, Xander wouldn't be *my* first choice for fantasy material, but...each to his own."

With a groan, William tilted his head back. "You don't understand. Just seeing him makes me feel..." He sighed, a dopey smile flickering into appearance.

"Crushing on the Xand-man, huh?" Jesse smiled. "Well, you could do worse I guess. At least you don't have a thing for Larry."

William looked confused. "Who?"

"Eh, the requisite school bully. Has the whole dumb jock thing goin' on."

"Oh. No, it's just...him." Another sigh, this one with a note of sadness. "But...Willow likes him too, and they've known each other a lot longer. Plus she's a girl. Why would he want *me*?"

"Dude, just between us, those two are *not* gonna hook up." He stood up, grabbing his abandoned shirt and slipping it back on. "She's like a sister to me and Xander. He'll never see her as girlfriend material. Besides, them as a couple?" He shook his head. "Talk about your bad ideas! Willow's too stuck in the hero worship phase, and Xander...well, I don't think he's as uninterested in you as you think he is."

William wiped at his nose as he stood. "W-what do you mean?"

"William, my friend...the boy was *totally* checking out your ass at the theater tonight!"

William blinked, then blushed again.

"Word of advice? Don't rush him. He's not used to people liking him, other than me and Willow. He he's definitely not used to people *liking* him, if you know what I mean. Just...keep giving him those shy little looks you do so well." With a huge grin, he slapped the other boy on the back, herding him toward the door. "Oh, and a little ass wiggling probably wouldn't hurt, either," he advised as they left the restroom.

Willow and Xander looked up from their mega-banana-splits as the other two came up to their table. They both scooted down, and Jesse sat next to Willow, leaving the vacant spot beside Xander for William.

Xander firmly ignored how the pinkish tinge lingering on William's face seemed to make him glow, and instead examined Jesse. "Hey man, nice bruise."

Jesse smiled and tenderly prodded the discolored skin. "Think I can get away with calling it a hickey?"

Xander rolled his eyes and snickered.

"Looks more like you were mauled." Willow squinted closely at the mark. Once she had assured herself that Jesse was relatively fine, Willow smiled and handed him a spoon. "Here, I got mine without nuts since you're allergic."

Xander grinned and shoveled a mouthful of ice cream topped with hoards of peanut bits into his mouth as he tossed William a spoon as well. "Dig in," he managed after he swallowed. "I got extra Hershey's syrup."

William almost cursed his fair complexion as he felt himself blushing yet again. Absently, he wondered if he'd ever get that reaction under control. He tentatively dipped his spoon into the sweet concoction, darting a glance across the table. Jesse was staring at him with a mischievous look, waggling his eyebrows as he stared at the chocolate sauce dripping off William's spoon. Giving the other boy a halfhearted glare, William defiantly shoved the spoon into his mouth.

Somehow, Willow and Jesse managed to finish theirs first, and got up to dispose of their trash. William and Xander each gulped down their last mouthful, then eyed the lone maraschino cherry. "Mine," William claimed quickly, and went for it. But Xander had the same idea, and the two laughed softly as a brief spoon war ensued.

"Quit goofing around you guys," Willow admonished good-naturedly. "We'll be waiting by the door."

Xander took advantage of William's momentary distraction and scooped up the cherry. He popped it into his mouth, chewing it with a blissful look on his face. When he finished, he smirked at the glowering boy next to him. He stuck out his tongue. "Ha! Stole your cherry!"

William's breath caught, and he froze in his seat. He watched all laughter fade from Xander's face. When Xander inched closer, he swallowed hard.

Xander could hardly breathe as he stared at William, watching as those pale eyes darkened with some nameless emotion. He licked his lips and leaned toward him.

"Guys! Come on!"

Willow's voice broke the spell, and they sprang away from each other, completely flustered. Quickly, they scrambled out of their booth and over to their companions.

Willow was completely oblivious to what had happened, but Jesse had to restrain himself from pinching the redhead. He had been sure something was about to happen. Then he shrugged. Better it not happen in public the first time, he supposed. But if he had to, he'd find a way to lock those two into a room together. A *small* room.

*****