Fanfiction

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Prologue * Chapter 1 * Chapter 2 * Chapter 3 * Chapter 4 * Chapter 5 * Chapter 6 * Chapter 7 * Chapter 8 * Chapter 9 Chapter 10 * Chapter 11 * Chapter 12 * Chapter 13 * Chapter 14 * Chapter 15 * Chapter 16 * Chapter 17 * Chapter 18 * Chapter 19 *
Chapter 20

Prologue

"Thanks, people. Make sure you read chapters 1 and 2 for Monday." The short, skinny woman called out as the students filed out of the room.

Buffy let herself sit back on the chair for a couple more seconds before she started packing her things.

"Hey!" A cheerful feminine voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Hey." Buffy replied a little less enthusiastically turning to see the redhead standing by the doorway just as the last student left the classroom.

"How was your first day as a freshman?" Willow asked as Buffy came down the steps and joined her on her way out.

"Incomprehensible." The blonde sighed, hugging her books against her chest as the two walked down the crowded hall. "I never thought anyone could say so many words without actually forming a logical sentence. My brain hurts!" She pouted.

"I'm sure it'll get better." Willow tried to reassure her.

"I really hope so. I don't think it can get any worse." She sighed. "Are you done for the day?"

"Yep." The redhead replied bringing her hands together for a loud clap.

"You're very cheery today. What happened?" Buffy questioned with a slight frown.

"It's just the whole college vibe. I feel so grown-up." She giggled. "Moving into the dorms, living on my own. Well, on my own as in without parental guidance anyway." She corrected. "I can't wait to meet my roommate. The RA said she's was going to move in tonight."

"I hope you have better luck than I've had." Buffy grumbled and earned a sympathetic smile from her friend. "I can't believe I forgot to sign up for housing." She growled.

"You had a lot of stuff on your mind. Your mom and all..." Willow reminded her. After a short silence she managed to gather the courage to ask: "How is she doing?"

"She's ok. She's scheduled for an MRI today. I'm going with her." Buffy explained.

"An MRI? Do they think she still has the tumour?" Willow asked a bit afraid.

"No. The doctor says it's usual procedure to check if they really got the whole thing."

"Oh." The redhead sounded relieved.

It had been a very hard summer.

What started as mild headaches had rapidly grown into full-blown migraines. Joyce Summers had tried to ignore them initially, but as the pain became dilacerating she decided to go to the doctor. After a CAT scan and MRI, a small tumour, growing on the right hemisphere of her brain, was identified. From that moment onward everything seemed to snowball around Buffy. Suddenly, her mother was in the hospital being prepared for surgery and she was left alone at home, looking after her younger sister, Dawn.

She still shuddered when she thought of those days. Living in terror, with the threat of losing her mother hanging over her head while she had to look calm and in control in front of her sister had eaten at her from the inside. She had felt a momentary relief when the doctor had told her the surgery had been successful. But, seeing her mother lying on the hospital bed, her head wrapped up in gauze, partially smiling, barely able to speak, was one of the memories she would never forget. That night she had crawled into her bed and cried herself to sleep as she finally let the pent-up fear surface.

The days after the surgery were nerve-racking and distressing as they waited for the histological results. When they finally came the doctor greeted her with a smile:

"Thankfully, the histological analysis revealed that it was a relatively benign tumour and that it has been removed with a considerable safety margin." He had told her.

To Buffy, the words that came from the strange man's mouth made absolutely no sense. She didn't really care to understand any of it anyway; she just wanted to know if her mother would be ok. Her confused frown told him that she didn't understand.

"She's going to be alright, Miss Summers. It's going to take a few weeks for your mother to recover, but I'm sure that she'll have little if any repercussions from the surgery.

From that point onward she stopped hearing what he was saying. She watched blindly as the man in the white coat moved his lips, but she didn't seem to comprehend any of it - Something about monitoring her mother for six months; she didn't care. Her mother was going to be alright, that was all she wanted to hear. All her worries had been lifted off her shoulders in an instant and she felt her entire body relax and go instantly numb.

Between worrying over her mother's health and watching over Dawn she had completely forgotten about signing up for a dorm room. When classes had finally started she had found out it was too late to get one. She had decided to stay at home and simply commute everyday to college but her mother had been absolutely against it. Not only was the campus two hours away, but she also believed that college was about growing up, moving on and learning how to live on your own. As a result, Buffy found herself scanning the paper for apartment rental ads. She had spent the last two weeks looking at everything from fancy, too-expensive-to-afford to sleazy and shady, wouldn't-live-here-if-they-paid-her apartments. She was growing increasingly frustrated.

"Buffy?" Willow's voice snapped her out of her thoughts as they entered the coffee shop.

"Huh? Sorry, Willow. What were you saying?" She asked, shaking her head slightly.

"Any luck on the apartment hunt?"

"No." Buffy pouted, taking her seat at the bar. "Yesterday, I thought I'd found one that worked. I was actually going make a deal with the landlord when all of a sudden the police burst in."

"What?!" Willow exclaimed.

"Yep. Turns out that my potential landlord is a peeping Tom." At the redhead's confused look, she raised her eyebrow and added: "Had a bunch of secret cameras installed all around the house."

Willow let her jaw fall.

"Yeah. You should have seen my face when the cop came out of the bathroom with a tiny camera in his hand."

Buffy rested her elbows on the table and held her head in her hands.

"I *have* to find an apartment soon." She sighed.

"Going hunting today too?"

"Yes."

"Sorry I can't come with. Gotta be at the dorm to meet my roomie." Willow apologised.

"It's ok. I have one last hope." Buffy took out a small cut-out as she spoke and handed it to Willow.

"This sounds good. It's only ten minutes away from here." She noted, handing the piece of newspaper back to her.

"Yeah, but with my luck it's probably going to be a rat infested dump." Buffy grumbled picking up her backpack. "I better get going. I said I'd go by at four."

"Good luck." Willow wished as she watched her friend walk out of the coffee shop.

"I'm gonna need it." Buffy shouted back.

~+~

She fumbled with the paper between her hands as she walked the small distance. She checked the black ink when she reached her destination.

"Apartment 9A." She read out loud.

She walked up the two front steps and pressed one of the small black buttons.

"Yeah?" A high-pitch voice was heard through the intercom.

"I'm here for the room for rent." Buffy replied.

"Come up."

After a second there was a buzzing sound and the door unlocked. Buffy pushed it open and waited the elevator.

"God, I hope the apartment is ok. Please, let it be ok." She muttered to herself, unconsciously crossing her fingers.

She was actually succeeding in coaxing herself into a positive state of mind as she rang the doorbell. That was until the front door was opened to reveal an overly cheerful blonde on the other side.

"Oh, my God! Buffy?"

"Harmony? What are-"

She wasn't able to finish her sentence as she found herself suddenly engulfed in a suffocating embrace.

Chapter 1

"Um... Harmony..." Buffy coughed a bit, but Harmony seemed to be unaware of her discomfort.

She was close to turning blue when the hysterical bottled-blonde finally let up.

"It's so good to see a familiar face." She sighed with a smile still over her lips as she added: "Even if it is yours."

Buffy's eyebrows furrowed immediately.

"Um, thanks. I guess." Buffy muttered.

"I've just been so lonely lately." Harmony complained; her eyes growing glassy with tears. "I don't think I like college. Everything is just so complicated. I don't understand half of what people are saying. They talk funny." Her face contorting into a disgusted look.

Buffy was left standing at the doorway without a clue as to how to reply to Harmony's outburst. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence Harmony took a Kleenex from her pocket and blew her puffy nose.

"What are you doing here?" She asked with a hoarse tone.

"I came about the ad. You know, the room for rent?" She was still dumbfounded by the revelation that Harmony could be her potential roommate. 'No, not Harmony. Anyone but her...' She thought to herself.

"Oh, come in." Harmony finally stepped away from the door and let her in.

The apartment wasn't very big. But it was very well lit. There were two large windows on the left that let the sun filter into the living room. The furniture consisted of a couch with its back turned to the entrance door, an armchair, a coffee table set in front of the sofa and up against the wall was a large cupboard with drawers and various shelves but it only held a TV set. In the corner, between the cabinet and the second window was a small fireplace. 'It's California. Why would you need a fireplace?' Buffy wondered.

On the opposite side of the room, closer to the front door was a kitchenette that was separated from the living room by a counter and three stools. Finally, between the kitchenette and the couch, was a round wooden table with four chairs around it.

"So..." Harmony started as she plopped down on one of the chairs. "You're going to Sunnydale University too?"

"Yes." Buffy replied still pondering whether or not to accept living with Harmony.

She liked what she saw of the apartment so far. It was clean, it wasn't too expensive and it was close to campus which was a major plus. She'd get to sleep a few extra minutes, and God knew those extra minutes were crucial at seven o'clock in the morning. On the downside there was the blonde slouching on the chair in front of her, checking her nails instead of showing her the rest of the apartment.

She didn't know Harmony all that well. They had gone to high school together but they had never gotten along. She was one of Cordelia Chase's airhead lackeys whose wardrobe consisted mainly of pink and baby-blue outfits. Not really Buffy's crowd.

"What's your major?"

Harmony was making small talk? Since when did Harmony Kendall want to speak to her? 'She must be really lonely.'

"Haven't decided yet." She replied a bit disconcerted by the whole situation.

"Me neither. I really didn't want to go to college, but my father said it was important for me as a person." She exhaled sharply as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right! Like hanging around with a bunch of geeky losers is going to do any good for my social life." She whinged. "At least the football guys seem cool."

Buffy had met the football crowd - the 'I-suffered-one-too-many-head-traumas-and-now-I-have-the-IQ-of-an-amoeba' football crowd.

Buffy looked at her watch. She was going to be late. She'd told her mother that she'd be home early to go with her to the doctor's. Harmony, however, was completely oblivious to her predicament and seemed intent on getting a free therapy session out of her.

"You see, my mother doesn't really think that college is that important. I mean, she didn't even finish high school and look how smart she is!"

Ah, yes! The intensely intellectually challenged Mrs. Kendall! All Buffy could feel for her was pity.

"But my father, he thinks I should expand my horizons - Whatever *that* means - so he rented this apartment for me and-"

"Um, Harmony?" Buffy stepped in and the sitting blonde looked up from her manicured nails. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm kinda in a hurry. Could you just show me the rest of the apartment?"

"Oh... Ok." She pouted a bit and stood up, reluctantly heading for the corridor next to the big living room cupboard, opposite the front entrance to the apartment. There were three doors, two on the left and one at the end of the hall. She opened the first one. "This is my room."

Buffy literally had to narrow her eyes as the pink emanating from almost every single object in the room attacked her retinas.

"Isn't it pretty? My dad talked to the landlord and he said it was ok to paint the walls too as long as we painted it back to white when we left. I'm going to have them painted sometime next week, or something." She explained while Buffy rubbed her sore eyes.

They walked further down until they reached the end of corridor:

"This is the bathroom..."

Buffy barely had time to see the inside of the compartment as Harmony moved back and opened the door they had passed on their way to the bathroom.

"... and this would be your room."

Buffy peeked in. It was perfect. Not too big, not too small and not too furnished. It contained one queen-sized bed in the corner near a large window, a closet on the wall near the door and a desk with a chair to her left against the wall that separated her bedroom from Harmony's. Buffy was amazed. After all the rooms and apartment she'd searched over the last days this looked like paradise itself. The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself:

"I'll take it."

"Great!" Harmony shrieked clapping her hands.

The moment she saw the girl's reaction she was sure she would regret her decision but, for the time being, she had no other choice.

~+~

"Your roommate is Harmony Kendall?" Willow exclaimed from the other side of the line.

"Yeah." Buffy muttered, running her comb through her hair, looking at herself in the mirror. "That was probably the only setback I could find in the whole thing."

"But it's one big and loud setback." Willow noted.

"Don't remind me."

"Well, it's only for one year. Next year you'll sign up for the dorms and get rid of Miss Cordelia Chase wannabe."

"I have the feeling this is going to be the longest year of my life." Buffy grumbled. "But you should see the apartment. It's really perfect. It's got a fireplace and everything."

"A fireplace? In Sunnydale? What for?" Willow wondered.

"I know. Strange, huh?" She placed the comb on the vanity and walked over to her bed. "Well, it's the last night I get to sleep in my own bed." Buffy sighed, sliding between the warm sheets.

"You already called Xander?"

"Yep. Ten o'clock tomorrow. Sharp." Stretching a bit she practically purred. "God! I'm so tired. This whole apartment hunting was really stressing. Glad it's over. What about you? How's your roomie?"

"She's pretty cool. Her name is Tara Maclay. Kinda shy, but very sweet. I think we're gonna get along just fine." Willow explained.

"That's great." Buffy half yawned.

"Well, I better let you get some sleep. I'll meet you at the coffee shop at ten thirty."

"See you tomorrow, Wills."

"Night, Buffy."

"Good night."

She pressed the off button on the cell phone and placed it on her nightstand.

~+~

Buffy practically stumbled out of the car when Xander opened the door. The brown haired boy offered to help her carry the large box she held in her hands, but she refused vehemently, shaking her head and shouting over her shoulder as she walked up the front steps of the building.

"Just help Willow bring the other boxes from the back."

She placed the heavy load on the floor and brushed her hands over her dirty jeans. Stretching herself for a second, she rubbed the back of her neck. She was going to have major backaches by tomorrow morning. Thank God it was a Saturday!

She rang the door bell and waited for an answer. When it didn't come, she rang twice more and once again got no reply. After she repeated the process three more times she gave up.

She sighed heavily.

"No one home?" Willow questioned with a frown, dropping the large box she was carrying next to Buffy's.

"I told Harmony I'd be here by eleven." Buffy grumbled, checking her watch before ringing the door bell again.

"Didn't she give you your own key?" Xander asked, walking up next to them and adding to the growing pile of boxes at the entrance of the building.

"She couldn't remember where she had left them and I was already late so... God, I can't believe she'd forget!"

"This *is* Harmony we are talking about, right?" Xander tried to verify.

Buffy simply pouted and gave the doorbell one last try.

"What are we going to do now?" Willow wondered.

"Wait?" Buffy offered.

"In the meantime, we can just unload the rest of the stuff."

"Good idea, Xander. Maybe she just went out to get breakfast, or something." Willow supplied.

"Ah! Willow, ever the optimist!" Xander exclaimed on his way back to the car.

~+~

Two hours passed and the three were still sitting on the boxes piled up at the front door. Willow and Buffy shared one, while Xander practically lay sprawled on another.

"I don't think she's coming." The redhead finally spoke what was on their minds.

"God, I'm gonna kill that pathetic excuse for-"

"Buffy!" Harmony's overly cheerful voice reached Buffy's ears and she snapped her head around to see the ex-cheerleader walking down the road, carrying two shopping bags in each hand. "What are you doing here? Willow! Zach! How are you?"

"Hey, Harmony." Willow replied while Xander corrected:

"It's Xander."

"Whatever." She dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "What are you- Oh, you're moving in today?"

"Yes." Buffy practically growled, standing up and picking one of the boxes as she followed Harmony.

"Oh. I completely forgot." She explained nonchalantly as she fit the key into the lock and opened the door. "I just went shopping and I got this amazing Versace dress. You just gotta see it." She chirped happily, not bothering to hold the door open for Buffy as she walked inside.

As a result, the petite blonde was projected backwards, toppling over Willow as the door slammed against her. The box she was holding fell to the floor and the distinct sound of something breaking was heard.

"Oh, my God! My lamp!" Buffy explained stumbling to her feet and helping Willow up before kneeling next to the box and opening it.

Her panic expression was replaced by a completely distraught one as she picked a random piece of broken glass from inside the box.

"Oh, you broke it?" Harmony asked from her spot at the door.

Buffy threw Harmony a murderous look.

"Bummer." She said before walking inside.

"I can't live with her." Buffy hissed under her breath, picking up her box again and kicking the door open. "She's gonna turn me into a psychotic killer."

"Just relax. Maybe it won't be that bad." Willow offered just as they reached the elevator.

In about twenty minutes they managed to stock up all the boxes in Buffy's new room.

"I'm going to have some major back pains tomorrow." Willow mumbled, whipping the sweat from her forehead.

"I don't think I can move." Xander moaned plopping down on the bed.

Buffy smiled as she leaned on the nearest available surface.

"Finally, I thought you guys would never finish." Harmony complained, coming into the room.

'Maybe it would have been faster if you had actually helped instead of sitting on your fat, lazy ass.' Buffy's mind screamed, but her mouth simply grumbled: "Yeah."

A frown took over her eyebrows as she watched the bleached blonde walk across the room and start opening one of the boxes.

"Um... Harmony?"

"Yeah?" She replied without stopping what she was doing and forcing Buffy to stand up and walk over to where she was.

"What are you doing?"

"Just checking if you have any cool things to wear. We could share." Harmony explained picking up a shirt for a second before scrunching up her face and throwing the item on the bed.

She was about to reach for the next piece of clothing when Buffy's hand fell over the box and closed it.

"I don't share my clothes. Sorry." She apologized unconvincingly.

Harmony stared at her for a second before huffing:

"Fine! You probably don't have anything slightly wearable anyway. Everything you wear is just *so* last year." Harmony eyed her from head to toe before exiting the room with her nose raised high.

"I can't believe you're going to live with that for a whole year." Xander said from his spot on the bed.

"Neither can I." Buffy sighed. Her eyes still lingered on the door for a few seconds before she shook her head and snapped out of her daze. "So, who's up for some pizza comfort? I know I need it."

"Here, here." Xander instantly approved sitting up straight.

~+~

"Oh, my God, I haven't seen you wear this in centuries." Willow exclaimed, taking out the blue cashmere sweater and passing it to Buffy.

"Yeah. I don't really know why I keep it. I've been meaning to throw it away for some time now, but every time I decide to clean out my closet this sweater just seems to sneak its way past my cleaning radar." Buffy replied, folding the item and placing it neatly on one of the shelves of her closet. "It's one of life's mysteries."

Willow smiled and continued handing her clothes.

"How's that mattress, Xander?" Buffy asked sardonically.

"Very comfortable." The boy practically purred as he lay with his eyes closed on the bed.

"I bet." Willow smiled, shaking her head and exchanging a look with the blonde.

"I was being witty and sarcastic. You know, all college-like."

"Huh?" Xander pretended not to hear. "Sorry, I didn't hear you. I'm just too tired from carrying all those heavy boxes. You know, all friend-like." He jabbed. "And without any compensation I might add."

"What do-" Buffy wasn't able to finish her sentence as the doorbell rang.

"Pizza!" Xander jumped off the bed and was out the door in an instant.

When the two girls joined him he was already seated on one of the barstool with a large slice of greasy pizza in his hand he was about to bite into.

"God, how I needed that!" The sentence was barely comprehendible as he munched on the pizza.

Willow and Buffy smiled and took their seats on each side of the young man.

"Hey, you guys."

The three sighed in unison and turned to see the ex-cheerleader walk into the apartment. She had gone out shopping - Again! - as they had started unpacking Buffy's belonging and they had actually managed to have some peace and quiet.

"Oh, pizza! Great, I'm starving!" She cried, dropping her bags to the floor as she rushed to the counter and grabbed a slice of pizza.

The three just sat and watched as she gobbled up the slice in record time and reached for a second serving. Once again, the slice disappeared into her mouth and she took yet another one.

"Um... Harmony?" Buffy interrupted the blonde's binging fest.

"Huh?" She asked mouthful, not bothering to glance at her.

Buffy was about to say something but decided not to. 'Better not start off this whole roommate thing on the wrong foot.' She thought to herself.

"Nothing. H-How's the pizza?"

Harmony reached for a bunch of napkins and cleaned her mouth as she mumbled on her way to her room.

"Kinda greasy, actually. Not too good."

"Oh, she is just unreal!" Xander supplied. "Not too good? Good enough to gobble up half of a family-sized pizza in three minutes flat."

Buffy simply sighed, cleaning her hands on one of the few remaining napkins.

"I don't care. I just want to have my room, have some peace and quiet and not have to worry about her."

Chapter 2

She dragged her feet up the stairs and inhaled sharply when she reached the top.

"I can't believe the elevator is broken and I just had to walk up 9 floors... at nine o'clock at night!" She added, speaking to herself as she pushed her key into the lock and opened the door.

God, she was tired. It was only Monday but she felt like a wreck.

"Harmony?" She called out.

There was no answer.

"Good! She's not home." She sighed in relief, dropping her keys on the counter and letting her backpack fall to the floor on her way to the couch.

She sprawled on it, taking off her shoes and placing her sore feet on the coffee table. With some effort she reached for the remote and turned on the TV. Zombie-like she zapped through all the channels, occasionally mumble something under her breath. Within ten minutes she was asleep.

"Get OUT of here! You're kidding!"

As if she had been shocked by a powerful electric current, Buffy jolted from her spot on the couch, blinking wildly as her heart pounded in her chest.

"She wore the beige Channel bag with the D&G pumps? I can't believe that!"

It took a few seconds for her to register that the ungodly screeching she was hearing was actually Harmony chatting on her cell phone. Buffy rubbed her eyes, checking her watch for the time while the tall blonde walked into the kitchenette talking loudly.

"God, you're so lucky to be in LA, Cordy!"

Harmony's last hysterical squeak caught Buffy's attentions

'So Cordy really did go to LA...' Her stomach turned painfully at the image that flashed through her mind. Shaking her head, she tried to erase it. 'No. LA is a huge town, no way they're going to meet.' She swallowed hard as her reasoning didn't seem to ease the knot in her throat.

"There are so many cool people to meet over there. Over here all we have are the local losers."

Buffy couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she had the slight sensation that just as Harmony had uttered the last word she had thrown a sickened look her way.

"I mean, yesterday I saw this girl... she was wearing a number from last year's Prada collection. How pathetic can that be?"

The conversation continued, but Buffy wasn't able to hear the rest as Harmony walked out of the living room and into her bedroom.

Sighing loudly, Buffy forced herself to stand up and gather up her things. 'I really need a shower.' She thought.

She was in the bathroom and the water was already running when Harmony burst into the room.

"Oh! You're going to take a shower?"

"Yeah." She turned around to face her; her hand lingering on the hem of her sweater.

"Would you mind if I took a shower first? I'm going out tonight and I'm already kinda late." Harmony whined.

"Sure." Buffy shrugged taking her things and exiting the room.

"Thanks, you're a sweetheart."

~+~

Buffy lay on her bed, tapping her fingers on the mattress and occasionally throwing a glance at the alarm clock. It read eleven thirty and she could still hear the water running in the bathroom.

"She's been in there for an hour now." Buffy mumbled under her breath, pushing herself off the bed and slipping her feet into her slippers.

She knocked on the door and got no reply.

"Harmony? Are you in there?"

"Yeah?" Harmony's muffled voice was heard from the other side of the door.

"Are you done yet?"

"Just five more minutes."

"You said that fifteen minutes ago."

There was a moment of pause before the shower stopped. Two more minutes passed before the door was flung open and a cloud of steam invaded the hallway, blurring Buffy's vision for a second.

"I'm done." Harmony smiled widely. "Bathroom's all yours."

"Thanks." Buffy breathed, entering the room.

She inhaled sharply, slipping out of her clothes. Her right hand grazed over the steamed mirror and she watched her reflection for a second before she turned on the faucet in the shower.

She stepped inside and let out a deep sigh as the warm water washed over her tired body.

"I really needed that." She moaned softly under the stream.

She reached for the shampoo bottle and poured some of the blue substance onto her hand before running her fingers through her hair. She massaged her scalp for a while before she let her hands roamed over her chest and down her legs as she dipped down under the stream once more and enjoyed the 'wonderful, nice, burning...'

Buffy frowned.

'Actually not that burning... come to think about it, it's not even hot.'

And it was growing less hot by the second. Soon the freezing water was rushing out of the shower to hit her back.

"Jesus Christ!" She swore, fumbling with the faucets under the excruciating cold.

She jumped in the shower; her attentions divided between the faucet and the showerhead. Eventually, her hands settled on the former and she was able to turn off the water.

"Harmony!" She shouted even though her jaw trembled as the air grazed over her pebbled flesh.

There was no answer.

Determined to get things straight she stumbled out of the shower and quickly wrapped herself in her towel. She stomped her way out of the bathroom and was about to knock on Harmony's bedroom door, when it was swung open.

"Buffy?" Harmony said with a frown as she walked into the living room and the shorter girl followed her with a fuming expression. "You have shampoo on your hair." She pointed out as she brushed her hair.

"I know." Buffy growled. "You used up all the hot water."

"That can happen? How? I just took a shower." Harmony wondered, placing her brush on the counter and fluffing her hair. "How do I look?"

"Harmony, you took a two hour shower. What did you expect?" Buffy ignored her question.

"Just wait a few minutes. The water should heat up." She dismissed her accusations with a wave of her hair.

"Wait a few minutes? It's almost midnight and I have an early class tomorrow-"

"Whatever. I gotta go. Bye." Harmony cut her off, swinging her purse over her shoulder and exiting the apartment, leaving a freezing and soaked Buffy in the middle of the living room, barefoot and wrapped in a towel.

~+~

"Miss Summers!"

Buffy jolted in her chair, snapping her eyes open to find a very pissed man looking back at her.

"Glad you could rejoin us." The professor said sarcastically and a murmuring giggle filled the class.

Buffy felt the blood rush to her cheeks. As if not understand a word of what the Professor Adam was teaching wasn't enough now she was being caught sleeping in class. She might as well just stop going to any of his lectures for the rest of the year, she was sure to fail now.

Awkwardly, she looked around for her pencil. She found it lost in her lap. Picking it up, she looked at the black board and started writing down the unintelligible gibberish written in white chalk.

She squinted hard, trying to decipher the teacher's calligraphy which to her was as comprehensible and as elucidating as Egyptian hieroglyphs. She sighed and reluctantly continued to transcribe what she could.

~+~

She let her books fall on the table with a loud thud.

"I hate... Achoo!... college." She said between sneezes as she plopped down on the chair and folded her arms over the heavy volumes.

"Are you ok?" Willow wondered a bit worried.

"No." Buffy mumbled, resting her head on her hands and closing her eyes.

"You don't look so good." The redhead's eyebrows came together for a sympathetic frown.

Buffy inhaled sharply and forced her head up, looking at her friend with bloodshot, glassy eyes and a red nose.

"I think I'm getting sick." She muttered with a nasal voice and a pout. "And it's all *her fault."

"Who?"

"Harmony." Buffy grumbled. "I had to take a freezing shower last night, *at midnight* I might add, all because little Miss Perky just had to take a two hour shower and use up all the hot water."

Willow tilted her head in compassion.

"And if *that* wasn't enough she got home at five o'clock in the morning, banging all the doors and practically shouting into her cell phone." The little rant seemed to exhaust Buffy's remaining strength and she let her head drop onto the books again. "Ouch!" She protested, rubbing her temple.

"You should go home." Willow advised, running her hand over the blonde's forehead. "I think you've got a fever."

Sighing, Buffy sat up straight with slouching shoulders.

"I've got two more classes today and one of them is the only one I can actually grasp what the topic is. I can't miss them."

Buffy let her eyelids slid closed for a second before she stood up and picked up her books.

"Where are you going? Aren't you going to have lunch?"

"No. I can't stand the sight of food, let alone eat it. I'm just going over to the library; see if I can catch some quality Z time. Bye." Buffy forced a smile and turned around to leave.

"Bye, Buffy. Call me when you get home."

She nodded and continued towards the large building, adjacent to the cafeteria.

~+~

She was brought out of her dreams by a soft hand tugging at her shoulder.

"Um..." She moaned. "Just five more minutes, mom."

"Excuse me..."

A male voice reached Buffy's ears and a frown quickly settled on her eyebrows. Reluctantly, she pried her eyes open to find a young man looking over her shoulder.

"What..." she mumbled as she slowly straightened up and realised she had been sleeping in a sitting position, with her head resting on her folded arms over a table. 'A table in the college library.' She noted, observing her surroundings.

"Oh, My god!" She jumped up and checked her watch. It signalled eight thirty pm. "Damn it! I missed my class." She protested a little too loudly which immediately earned her a couple of angry looks and a powerful "shush" from the old librarian.

"Sorry." She mouthed apologetically at the grey-haired woman with thick glasses. She was the perfect stereotype of what a librarian should look like.

It was only then that she realised that the person who had woken her was still standing at her side.

"Hey." The brown-eyed boy whispered, outstretching his hand.

"Hey." Buffy replied forcing a smile on her face, even though she felt like her nose was clogged up to the top and was about to explode.

"Parker Abrams." He introduced himself when she finally accepted his hand.

"Buffy Summers." She replied with a hoarse voice.

"Fell asleep?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Missed the only comprehensible class I have." She mumbled, lowering her voice when a few heads started to turn towards them.

"Happened to me too. Freshman year. You're a freshman, right?"

"That obvious?"

"You have all the tell tale signs. "

"Like what?"

"Sleeping in the library is a big one, for instance."

Buffy couldn't help but smile. He was... nice. She was about so say something when a powerful sneeze took over her. Instantly, the library lady was throwing her a murderous look, while Buffy held her Kleenex to her nose.

"Got the flu, huh?"

Buffy nodded as she tried to silently blow her nose. 'Great! First cute guy that approaches me since...' She paused her trail of thought for a second, trying to avoid remembering that painful period in her life. '...since *it* and I look like Bozo the Clown.' She grumbled inwardly.

When she failed to blow her nose without making too much nose she decided it was best to just leave the library and go home.

"I better head home, before the library lady kicks me out." She said with a muffled voice.

"Let me help you with those." Parker offered taking her books from her hands as they walked out of the building.

She let out a low groan when she got outside and realised it was pouring.

"I'm never gonna be able to get home." She mumbled.

"Do you want me to give you a ride home? I've got my car just over there." He said pointing at the red Honda across the street.

"I don't know... I could just wait till it stops raining. I live really nearby and-"

"I promise I'm not a psycho killer." He interrupted her hesitation.

She gave him a questioning look.

"I swear. Look, I'll even show you my ID. That way, if I try anything funny, you can have me arrested. See." He said taking out his wallet and showing her his driver's license.

"But, if you're a psycho killer you can just cut me into tiny little bits and stuff me in the back of your car and no one would ever know." She countered with a half a smile.

"Good point. We need a safety witness then." He looked around but the campus was deserted as the rain continued to pour. "Do you have a cell phone?"

"Why? You're a mugger too?" She continued, earning a light chuckled from him for her comic effort.

"Maybe." He leered at her. "My idea is that you could call whoever you want and tell them that you're going to get a ride with me. Of course I can't know who that someone is, cause if I did I would just kill them too and once again you would be left without a safety witness, right?"

"Good point." She replied, taking her cell phone from the pocket of her jacket.

She speed dialled a number and waited for someone to answer.

"Hello?"

"Buffy?" Willow's voice was heard from the other side.

"Yeah, it's me." She said; her eyes fixed on Parker. "Just calling you tell you I'm getting a ride with..." She paused for a second as she read the name on the diver's licence he had just handed her. "Parker Abrams."

"Huh?"

"You're my safety witness."

"What?"

"Nothing. Tell you about it later. When I get home, ok?" She giggled a little as she handed the licence back to Parker.

"You better." Willow warned her.

"Ok, talk to you later."

"Bye."

"There. Now you can get a ride with me and not worry that I'm gonna cut you into tiny little pieces and stuff you in the back of my car." Parker joked. "Ready to run?"

Buffy nodded just as they took off and made their way to the car under the heavy rain.

~+~

"This is me." Buffy announced as the car came to a complete stop.

"Nice. Close to campus. And you were able to get it last week?" Parker wondered leaning forward to look up at the building through the windshield of the car.

"Yeah, moved in this weekend." Buffy confirmed.

"You were pretty lucky to get it."

"Well, the jury is still out on that one." Buffy sighed.

At Parker's confused frown she elaborated:

"My roommate." She paused and added: "She's from Hell."

Parker nodded and smiled.

"I can relate. I had one of the worst roommates you could get my sophomore year."

Buffy smiled and there was a moment of slightly uncomfortable silence between them.

"Well, I better..." She tilted her head towards the front entrance of the building. "Thanks for the ride." She said, picking up her books and reaching for the door.

"Anytime." He replied. "It was really fun talking to you, Buffy."

"You too." She replied. "I better run." She pointed at the rain that continued to fall.

She was about to open the door when she felt his hand on her elbow.

"Do you wanna have coffee sometime?" He asked her; his fingers lingering on her.

"I'd like that." She replied after a short pause.

"How about tomorrow?"

"I finish classes at three. I have to do some research for this assignment I have. So I'll be at the library till five." She explained.

"So, see you at five at the library entrance?" He asked.

"Sure. I'd love to." She said as he finally let his hand drop to his hip.

"See you tomorrow, Buffy."

"See you."

With a huge smile she opened the door, raced up the stairs and quickly let herself into the building. She looked back over her shoulder to find the car still parked at her entrance. She waved at him and entered.

She raced up the stairs as if she was walking over clouds, not letting herself be bothered by the fact that the elevator still hadn't been fixed.

"Harmony?" She called out when she opened the door and entered her apartment.

"Hey!" Harmony's ever chipper voice came from her room.

"I'm home." Buffy announced as her roommate entered the living room.

She was dressed in a tight red dress that ran high, barely covering her thighs and matching red pumps.

"Wow. You're going out again?" Buffy wondered.

Inwardly, her smile grew. She was really hoping for some quality alone time.

"Yeah. I'm going with the football crowd to the Bronze." Harmony explained, putting on a pair of earrings and picking up her purse on the way to the door.

"Well, have fun."

"I will." Harmony giggled exiting.

With a tired but content sigh, Buffy walked to her room.

Chapter 3

"So, what's this whole thing about me being a safety witness?" Willow wondered sitting on Buffy's bed.

"It's this guy I met at the library. Name's Parker Abrams. Very sweet and nice." Buffy explained a bit dreamily, walking around in circles in front of Willow.

"You met a guy? That's great." The redhead said enthusiastically. "But it still doesn't explain where I fit in." She noted.

"Well, when we were leaving, the rain was pouring outside and he offered to give a ride and-" Buffy stopped in mid sentence, frowning when she realised her best friend had her eyes closed and was mumbling something under her breath. "Willow?"

Slowly, her voice grew stronger and louder.

"Oh... God...So good... Good, Oh, God! Yes, yes, yes, YES, YES. HARDER! GOD!"

In seconds she was bouncing on the bed, making it screech and hit the wall hard, while she screamed her lungs out.

"OH, GOD. So GOOD, you're so GOOD! Don't stop, don't ever stop! Oh, MY GOD! SPIKE!"

Buffy's eyes snapped open to realise she was lying in her bed, under her warm sheets. She blinked wildly, trying to focus her gaze in the dark room while a loud thumping sound came from the wall opposite her bed. Tossing and turning for a few seconds as awareness slowly took over, her hand blindly tapped over her nightstand until she found the switch for her lamp. She turned it on and a soft glow flooded the darkened room. In the meantime, a litany of moans and groans came from Harmony's room accompanied by loud banging and metallic screeching.

"SPIKE, you're so BIG! Give it to me hard! Harder, HARDER, FASTER!"

Still a bit dazed, Buffy sat up in her bed and picked up the alarm clock.

"Oh, for Christ sake! It's four thirty in the morning." She grumbled, dropping the clock back in its place when her brain finally registered what was happening.

For the next twenty minutes Harmony's high-pitched voice carried clearly into Buffy's room as the momentum on the other side of the wall grew and the intervals between sequential thumps and screeches became shorter.

"So big, so good... Hard *gasp* HARDER *moan* Oh, GOD! Spike, I'm coming, God I'm- AHHHHHHHHHH!" Harmony cried out dramatically.

"Finally!" Buffy sighed in relief as she waited for the last few thumps and screeches to be heard.

But they never came. The banging sound continued, now at a slower and more even pace, but it was still there.

"What the hell?" Buffy wondered when, slowly, Harmony's moaning voice resurfaced.

With a groan, Buffy sunk in between her sheets as the symphony continued. She twisted and turned under the covers, using her pillow to cover her ears, but it was to no avail. Ten more minutes passed and Harmony was howling out her second orgasm. Buffy dropped her pillow to the side and waited. Sure enough, three or four harder bangs were heard before a distinctly male groan sounded:

"Fuck!"

Then there was silence and Buffy inhaled deeply, closing her eyes, preparing to fall sleep once more.

Not even five minutes had passed when:

Tap...tap...tap...bang...bang...BANG, BANG.

"Again?!" It was Buffy's turn to cry out, but her voice didn't even come close to Harmony's decibel range.

"God, you're soooooo GOD!"

Rolling her eyes, Buffy glanced at her alarm clock. It read five a.m.

~+~

A moan was the first thing to escape Buffy's dry lips when she woke up. She tried to turn sideways to check her alarm clock, only to freeze halfway through the motion when a sharp pain attacked her neck.

She stood completely still, waiting for the ache to cease. When it finally did she moved in slow-motion to check the time.

"Damn it."

She protested when she realised she had slept in and had missed all her morning classes. She closed her eyes and groaned again when she felt a coughing fit take over her. She coughed for a solid five minutes and when it was over she reached for a nearby Kleenex and blew her nose. It was official, she was 100% in flu-mode.

She sighed and let her head drop to the pillow. She could barely move; her body was completely sore.

With a lot of effort she reached for her cell phone on her nightstand and pressed a key continuously.

"Hello?" Willow answered.

"Hey, Wills. It's *cough* Buffy." She was barely able to speak.

"Buffy? Are you ok?"

"I think the flu is worse." She placed her hand on her forehead and moaned: "And I think I have a fever."

"Do you want me to come over?" Willow offered. "I just finished classes for the day, I could swing by."

"Thanks, Will." Buffy replied.

"I'll be there in five minutes."

Five minutes later the doorbell rang.

'Oh, right. I have to open the door. I forgot.' Buffy thought, preparing herself for the pain as she forced herself to move. She slipped her feet into her slippers and stood up, dragging her aching body across the living room.

"Hey." She greeted half-heartedly, quickly turning around and planting herself on the couch.

"Hey. I brought you cup-a-soup and some tea." Willow said, lifting the paper bag she carried in her hand as she entered the kitchenette. "It's chicken."

"The tea?" Buffy frowned, sitting sideways to be able to see her friend.

"No, dummy. The soup." Willow giggled.

"Oh, sorry. My brain's extremely non-functional right about now. Stupid flu." She mumbled before blowing her nose.

"I thought you were getting better - hot date and all." Willow questioned, starting to heat up some water.

"Not a date, Wills." Buffy corrected her friend for the umpteenth time.

They had talked on the phone the night before and the moment Buffy had told her about her 'coffee, non-date arrangement' with Parker, the redhead had been become clearly excited with the perspective of her best friend returning to the dating circle.

"And speaking of it, I'm not going to be able to make it. Not like this." Buffy said disappointed. "I have to find a way to let him know I'm sick or he'll think I stood him up."

"I think Riley, my TA, knows him. I could give him a call and ask him for his number." Willow explained on her way to the living room with the warm cup of soup in her hands. "Here you go. Eat it all up."

"Thanks, mom." Buffy mocked taking the cup.

"Be careful, it's hot." Willow warned her.

Buffy nodded, blowing on the spoon before placing it in her mouth.

"If I had any taste buds working right now I'm sure I would be telling you this tastes wonderful." Buffy assured her, taking another sip.

"How'd you end up like this?" Willow wondered, taking a seat next to her on the couch.

"The correct question is 'Because of *who* did I end up like this?' "

"Actually it would be 'Because of *whom* did you end up like this?' " Willow corrected.

"My brain is working on a very basic level right now, Willow and grammar is definitely *not* included as an essential intellectual function." Buffy replied promptly and Willow smiled. "And the answer to the question is the roommate from Hell." Her eyes widened at the last word and then looked up at Willow, tilting her head. "Apparently, it's mating season for overly chipper, bubble-gum-sweet, ex-cheerleaders."

Willow frowned.

"I woke up at five thirty in the morning to the symphony of headboard banging and bed screeching." Buffy explained.

"She brought someone over?" Willow asked surprised. "To have sex?"

"Yep." Buffy popped the 'p'. "And best of all? She's a talker. No! Actually, no!" She quickly corrected. "She's a screamer!"

"Ouch!" Willow replied sympathetically.

"Oh, God. Sooo good. Sooo big. Harder, harder." Buffy mocked in a high-pitched voice. "It went on, and on, and on. It just would. Not. Stop. Ever! I had to listen to this major moan-fest for almost three hours."

"THREE HOURS?!" Willow shouted, but quickly calmed down when her friend winced.

"Having major migraine here, Willow. Some sympathy, please." Buffy said in a groggy voice.

"Sorry. Momentary brain spasm." She apologised. "But three hours, huh?"

"So?" Buffy tried to seem indifferent.

"Well, it's kinda... you know, a lot of time to be having sex. Especially of the non-stop kind." Willow argued.

"Maybe." Buffy admitted, shrugging and flinching a bit when the pain in her neck returned. "But the point here is that you're supposed to commiserate with me over my three hour torture session and not be in awe of Harmony's fantastic sex-life."

"Sorry. Switching off pervy-Willow and starting intense commiseration mode."

"I can't even move my neck." Buffy pouted.

"Poor Buffy. Do you want some more? I bought two cup-a-soups." Willow offered, trying hard to be helpful.

"No, thanks." Buffy smiled, placing the cup on the table and running her hands over her face. "I just want to erase that freaky voice inside my head that insists on replaying Harmony's moans." She explained massaging her temples and closing her eyes.

"Try listening to Britney Spears. That helps! You'll have 'Baby, hit me one more time' screaming in your ears the whole day, but..."

"Still, surprisingly better than loud-roommate-sex." Buffy completed her sentence, opening her eyes.

"That bad?"

"So big. So hard. Harder, harder. Ah! You're sooo good!" Buffy mimicked again, thrusting her hips forward. She was about to throw her head backwards for greater impact but the pain in her neck prevented her from doing so.

"Spike?"

"Yeah. Must be Harmony's male equivalent, IQ-wise." Buffy rolled her eyes. "Those football guys have such stupid nicknames.

"I don't remember anyone in the football team named 'Spike'." Willow noted with a frown.

"Who cares? I know I *really* don't."

Willow smiled before starting to stand.

"Well, I better go. I told Tara I'd meet her for lunch today."

"Ok. Thanks for coming by. You're a sweetheart." Buffy called after Willow's retreating form.

"You're welcome." Willow stopped at the door as she remembered. "Oh, and I'll send you Parker's number when I get it, ok?"

"Before five." Buffy warned.

"Ok. Bye."

"Bye."

~+~

The rest of the day was spent vegetating on the couch, staring blankly at the TV screen as she mindlessly surfed through the various channels. She had taken a few minutes of the afternoon to call Parker and reschedule their 'non-date agreement'. He had been very sweet about it and had told her that they could have coffee on Friday. After that she returned to her television watching. Occasionally, she would doze off; her eyelids becoming increasingly heavy until their burden seemed unbearable and she had to close them. Her mind was lost in some strange, distant reverie when small, annoying sounds started to filter in and began pulling her back to awareness. She fought them, closing her eyes tighter and turning to burry her face in the back of the couch.

"Shhh! She's sleeping." Harmony's pathetic attempt at a whisper reached Buffy's ears.

By her calculations the ex-cheerleader was probably standing somewhere between the kitchenette and the couch.

'I can't believe she actually remembered to be quiet.' Buffy thought.

"This your roommate?"

It was a distinctly male voice; a male voice with a British accent. Buffy guessed that he was standing behind the couch and was leaning in to glance at her. She was sure of it when she felt the material of the sofa shift as some pressure was applied to it.

"Yeah." Harmony replied. She was till in the kitchenette and by the muffled sound of her voice, she was eating.

"Kinda small, isn't she?"

Buffy's first instinct was to frown in protest, but she repressed the urge just in the nick of time and remained still, her face still partially buried in the back of the couch.

"What?" Harmony's question was barely comprehensible.

'God, has she ever heard you're not supposed to talk when you eat. Just one more thing to add to the 'very annoying things Harmony does' list.' Buffy noted mentally.

"Spike, are you sure you don't want something to eat?"

'Oh, so this is the boinking-machine that kept me awake last night?'

An almost immediate dislike for the faceless man standing near her started to grow inside of her.

"Nah. Not hungry, luv."

He sounded like he was closer, hovering over her and she had to fight not to jump away.

"Spike, what are you doing?" Harmony's voice closed in on them until Buffy was sure she was standing next to the boinking-machine.

"Nothing." He replied. "Just go change and let's go."

"Ok, give me a minute."

Ever bubbly, she walked across the living room and into her bedroom. Buffy heard the sound of a door closing.

She remained perfectly still, trying to assess where the stranger was. She had heard a few footsteps but she couldn't pinpoint his exact location.

A few seconds filtered by without a sound. She was about to move, sure that he had followed Harmony into the bedroom when she sensed the leather of the sofa shift right next to where she lay her head, at the arm of the couch.

Her heart skipped a beat when she felt a hand brush lightly over her hair, pushing it back to reveal her face. The intense scent of cigarettes and alcohol broke through her stuffed nose and she immediately realised that he was kneeling near the arm of the couch, leaning in.

'Please go away. Please go away.' Buffy chanted the mantra mentally. 'If he touches me again I swear I'll scream.' She promised herself. 'Why does Harmony have to take so long dressing?'

"Oh, Spikey..."

'Speak of the devil's annoying little minion...'

"Could you come here for a second?"

There was a moment of stillness, as if he was pondering his answer but then she felt the pressure on the leather ease up and footsteps walking away from her. A door opened and closed and there was completely silence that lasted for about twenty seconds.

"Oh, yes, Spike. You're so good."

'Oh, not again.' Buffy rolled her eyes inwardly.

She was trapped. If she moved from the couch they would know she hadn't been sleeping or at least had woken up and heard them and she really didn't want to discuss the event taking place. She had no choice but to sit tight and wait it out.

'Great, just great.'

Twenty minutes later, Buffy was laying on the couch, hands crossed over her chest, mindlessly tapping her fingers to the beat of the banging coming from Harmony's room.

"Yes, yes, yes... Oh, God! YES! Ahhhhh!" Harmony came with a loud cry.

Three or four more thumps and:

"Ahhhhh!"

The boinking-machine seemed to be done too.

Quickly, Buffy turned to her side, resuming her position, facing the back of the couch, her hands nestled under her head.

It took only two minutes for the sound of a door being open was heard and footsteps into the living room followed.

"See, I told you. She sleeps like a rock. She didn't hear anything." Harmony's giddy voice sounded.

'Didn't hear a thing, my ass.' Buffy thought and this time she couldn't help the angry frown from settle over her eyebrows. Thankfully, the couple seemed too busy getting dressed to notice her - the distinct metallic sound of a zipper was heard.

"We better go." Harmony announced.

"Right." The boinking-machine said with a groggy voice.

The moment she heard the front door being closed, she opened her eyes and sat up only to immediately fall back down when the door reopened.

Buffy winced inwardly as she banged her head on the arm of the couch. Heeled-footsteps were heard around the room before the door closed again.

This time, Buffy waited a few seconds until she was sure they wouldn't come back.

"Finally!" She sighed in relief, sitting up. "I hate my life." She mumbled, standing up and dragging her feet to her room.

Chapter 4

"So, how was the non-date arrangement with mysterious, potentially non-psychotic Parker?" Willow asked with huge eyes, sipping from her cup.

The two best friends sat in the campus coffee shop chatting away during their break from classes.

"Rescheduled for today." Buffy replied.

Her voice was still a bit froggy and she hadn't completely recovered from the flu yet, but insisted on going to classes.

"You excited?"

"Kinda." Buffy lowered her gaze to the mug she held in her hands, but when Willow giggled excitedly she added, looking up: "It's just coffee. I don't know if I'm completely ready to start seriously dating again. It's still a bit... strange." Buffy said in a weaker voice, staring at the cup once again when past memories flooded her mind and caused her stomach to twist painfully.

Willow gave her a sympathetic look as a long pause filtered between them.

"Cordelia's in LA too." Buffy spoke finally, looking up to meet her friend's stare.

"Oh."

"I overheard Miss Perky talking to her on the phone earlier this week." Buffy swallowed hard, fingering her mug for a few seconds. "Do you think they'll meet?" She suddenly blurted out.

"It's a pretty big city, I doubt they'll meet." Willow noted.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Buffy pressed her lips together and nodded.

"Are you afraid that Cordy and..."

"No, no! A-and even if they did, Angel and I aren't together anymore so..." Buffy trailed off as the knot in her throat seemed to strangle her and make it impossible to speak.

"They're probably not going to see each other at all."

"Yeah, exactly." Buffy nodded once more, trying to convince herself.

"And even if they did, Angel would never go for her. She used to hit on him all throughout high school and he never even spared her second glimpse." Willow continued to point out.

Buffy nodded and paused for a second before continuing:

"Plus, I shouldn't even be thinking about this. Angel has the right to have a relationship with someone else. I mean, it's time to move on, right?" She looked at her best friend for support.

"Right. And if you think Parker's nice a-and funny, you should just go out with him and have fun."

"And that's what I'll do." Buffy decided. "I'll go and have coffee with him and if it all goes well, we'll go on an official date."

"Good." Willow smiled, happy to see her best friend turning things around.

~+~

Buffy sprinted across the street eyeing her watch. She was late. Very late.

"God, I hope he's still there." She spoke under her breath making her way to the coffee-shop.

When she reached it, the café was packed. It was the social hotspot to be at on late afternoons on Fridays. She stood in the corner, on the tip of her toes, hugging her books against her chest while she scanned the crowd. She sighed and let her shoulders slack when she failed to find him.

"I was starting to think you had stood up me up."

She jumped up at the familiar voice coming from behind her. She turned around to find a smiling Parker standing there.

"Hey. I'm really sorry. Professor Adam thought it would be a great idea to have an extra class today and I really couldn't miss it and-" The words rushed out of her mouth.

"It's ok." Parker gently cut her off. "The important thing is you made it."

"Yeah." She gave him a shy smile, dropping her gaze.

"I never thought this would be so crowded." Parker noted eyeing the crowd.

"It's cause it's late afternoon. Sorry." She apologized again.

"It's ok. Really!" He assured her. "Come on. I know this great place just around the corner. I'm pretty sure it's not this crowded."

She nodded and followed him out of the coffee shop.

~+~

Two long hours later...

Buffy walked slowly alongside Parker, her fingers busy pulling at the edges of her sleeves.

"Are you going home for the weekend?" He questioned, his hands buried deep in his jeans' back pockets.

"Probably not. Don't have enough laundry pilled up."

He chuckled at that.

They came to a stop when they reached the familiar building.

"Ready to return to the roommate from Hell?" He asked.

"Don't remind me." She grumbled and rolled her eyes. "With any luck she's gonna bring lover boy over again. God, I hope she goes out tonight and doesn't come back home before ten am!"

"I'll keep my fingers crossed for- Ouch." He was cut off when a blur of blonde hair swung the door open and crashed into him.

"Hey!" Harmony protested standing up straight.

"Sorry." Parker automatically apologized when he regained his equilibrium.

She looked at him from top to bottom and gave him a leer.

"It's ok." Her voice was pure saccharine and it made Buffy's blood boil.

The shorter girl cleared her throat and caught Harmony's attention.

"Oh, hey Buffy. Didn't see you there." She greeted dismissively turning her gaze back to Parker. "Hi, I'm Harmony!" She outstretched her hand.

"Parker."

"Nice to meet you, Parker."

"Um, Harmony? Don't you have anywhere to be?" Buffy cut in on their conversation.

Harmony's eyes widened as she seemed to remember something.

"Oh! Right! Gotta go!"

Without another word the ex-cheerleader was jogging down the street.

"So that's the roommate from Hell?" Parker questioned, turning to face Buffy again.

"Yeah." She mumbled; her eyes lingering on Harmony's departing form.

"I guess you got your wish. Or at least part of it."

"What?" Buffy snapped out of her daze and looked up at him.

"She's out of the house." Parker pointed out.

"Right." Buffy smiled.

An awkward silence stretched between them, standing there at her doorstep as she began to wonder whether or not to ask him upstairs.

'He's sweet and nice. And college *is* about experimenting and being different. And it's been so long since...' A part of her mind tried to convince her. On the other hand she was still a bit hoarse and kinda weak, even though she was sure her horniness would take care of that. The truth was that deep inside she still didn't feel ready and no matter how sweet and perfect Parker seemed to be, this was still their first date. She had given up on pretending it wasn't a date after the first hour of giggling and laughing at the bar he had taken her to.

"So..." Parker broke the stillness.

"Yeah..."

'What if Harmony comes back? What if she brings the boinking-boy with her? God, how embarrassing would that be?' That last thought tipped the mental scale in her mind.

"I better go. I'm pretty tired and still kinda groggy."

"Of course. Better get some rest." Even though he tried to sound encouraging, the disappointment was evident in his voice.

"But I loved the coffee!" Buffy quickly added. It seemed to give Parker renewed hope:

"There's this frat party I have to go to next week. It's kinda lame but a friend of mine is hosting it and he insists on me being there. Do you wanna go? It would sure help to make it less lame and more interesting." He blurted out.

"I'd love to."

"Great. It's on Friday. I'll pick you up at ten?" He offered.

"Ten it is."

"Ok, then. See you on Friday..." He trailed off but remained in place, staring at her.

'Oh, God! The dreaded to kiss or not to kiss moment of the evening.'

Buffy winced inwardly when she instinctively leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. Once more, the disappointment was clear on his features.

"Goodnight, Parker." She said pushing open the door.

"Goodnight." He replied walking down the steps and away from the building when she entered.

Buffy leaned on the closed door for a second, her heart slamming in her chest. God, she hated first dates. It was all so weird. All the expectations, all the doubts and awkward silent moments were intolerable.

With a long sigh she pushed herself off the metallic structure and walked over to the elevator.

"It's working!" She couldn't help exclaim when she pressed the button and the doors opened.

Harmony was out, the elevator was working. Things were looking up for this weekend.

A high-pitched sound announced she had reached the desired floor and the doors glided open again. She slid the key into the lock and entered her apartment.

Not bothering to turn on the lights, she made her way down the hall, dragging her tired feet across the living room. In the dark corridor, she blindly reached for the doorknob and opened the door to her bedroom. With a long sigh she flicked the lights on and threw herself on the bed.

"Tired, tired, tired..." She mumbled as she stared up at the ceiling. "Thank God it's Friday!"

After a few minutes she forced her body to move and pushed herself off the mattress. Opening one of the drawers in her closet, she searched for a towel, finally settling for a white one. Rolling her sore shoulders and stretching her neck, she unbuttoned her shirt and let it slide down to the floor while she simultaneously kicked her shoes off. Her fingers went for the fastening of her jeans and quickly undid them, letting them pool down to meet the discarded shirt. Finally, her thumb hooked into her socks pulling them off before reaching behind her back to work on her bra.

Wearing nothing but her panties, she wrapped the towel around her chest and walked out of the room. She entered the bathroom and turned on the water. A nice, warm shower was all she needed.

As she sat on the toilet, waiting for the water to heat up, she felt her stomach growl.

'Right, I didn't have dinner.' She realised.

After the first hour at the bar, Parker had suggested they go eat somewhere but, for some reason, the thought of going out to dinner with him had freaked her out a bit. So she had graciously declined even though she was pretty hungry.

"I actually consider asking a guy up to my apartment on the first date but the thought of having dinner with said guy is out of the question. Oh, I'm very healthy, no doubt." She mumbled to herself when she realised how ridiculous the situation was.

Shaking her head, she left the bathroom and was making her way through the corridor when she suddenly became aware of rustling sounds coming from the living room, quickly followed by footsteps.

Her heart skipped a beat when a male shape came into view. Instinctively, she hid in the shadows of the corridor, heartbeat racing, her palms growing sweatier by the second as she watched the man walkabout in the room. He seemed a little disoriented as if he was looking for something.

'Oh, my God. It's a burglar!' She realised, cowering against one of the walls of the corridor and clinging to the towel that was wrapped around her body. 'And I'm naked!' She suddenly realised.

She held her breath when she heard the man mutter something incomprehensible as he continued to walk around the room.

'I have to do something. 911. Call 911!'

Mentally she tried to remember where she had left her cell phone and almost cursed out loud when she recognised the outlining of the small device over the kitchen counter. 'Great, just great!'

Her mind raced, trying to figure out what to do when suddenly, just as the stranger turned his back and faced the front door, she went on automatic. In an instant the metallic jug that was on the coffee table materialized in her hand as she crossed the living room and BAM!

A loud but dull sound filled the silent room when the copper connected with the stranger's unprotected skull. It took all of two seconds for the man to fall flat on the floor; head tilted limply sideways, eyes closed.

Buffy's hands immediately went to cover her partially-open mouth, the jug tumbling loudly to the linoleum floor.

"Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!" She practically screamed the mantra hysterically, standing over the unconscious body. "I killed him, I killed him. I killed a man."

Her breath was coming in short, urgent pants when she began to move erratically around the room, her brain too tired and shocked to know what to do next. Finally, she settled for lighting up the place so she could actually assess just how much damage she had inflicted. She crawled clumsily over the couch, clutching the towel against her chest as she reached for the small lamp on the other side, closer to the window. A soft orange glow flooded the previously darkened room.

Awkwardly, she trembled her way back to the unmoving stranger, kneeling next to him she hesitated. She eyed him, trying to figure out just by looking if he was alive. He was dressed in black from head to toe which contrasted with his bright white, clearly bleached hair.

'Not very discrete for a burglar.' Buffy noted; tilting her head sideways when she realised that looking at him wouldn't solve her problem.

Even so, she stared at him for a few seconds more. Her shaky hand slowly started to hover over his chest, making its way to his neck, while the other remained gripping the towel.

"Please don't be dead. Please don't be dead." She muttered constantly, just as her fingers reached their goal. "Please don't be-AHhhhhh!"

Ice-blue eyes stared up at her for a brief second before she found herself lying on her back, on the floor, arms pinned at her sides, trapped under the full weight of the stranger.

Without another thought in mind but her own safety she bucked her hips wildly against her attacker, shaking her head like a mad woman, her hair flying in every direction succeeding solely in covering her face and in making it impossible to see the stranger that still lay on top of her.

"Ah!" She continued to scream, shaking her entire body, pushing and pulling her arms trying to free herself but failing miserable. "Let go of me, you creep!"

"Bloody hell, woman! What are you doing?!" She heard him shout at her.

"LET GO!"

"Stop screaming!" He commanded. "Will you just - Hey! Watch it!" He warned her when she managed to free her left leg for a fraction of a second and her knee came very close to his groin.

"Let go of me, you perv!" She yelled one last time before she stopped rattling.

She stood still, her face completely covered by her hair, yet he could see angry-hazel eyes staring murderously up at him.

"You touch me or try anything, I swear to God I will hunt you down and castrate you!" She growled between clenched teeth.

He frowned at that.

"What?"

With a violent motion of her neck she succeeded in pushing away most of the strands that covered her face and green and blue eyes met each other under the dim orange light for the first time.

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