Title: Sweet Sixteen Author: Pattyanne snapkik@yahoo.com Disclaimer: None of the BtVS characters belong to me. Feedback: Love some, thanks! Rating: Up to NC-17 Summary: AU. William and Buffy are teenage neighbors meeting for the first time. Part nineteen.... ~~~~~~~~~~ "Don't know much about history Don't know much biology..." ~~~~~~~~~~ "Buffy! Are you about ready?" What a question. She was as ready as she was ever going to be to start a new grade, at a new school where she only knew a handful of people...a small handful. Calling down something affirmative to her mother, Buffy took one last look in the mirror before she scooped up her book bag and ran downstairs. In the kitchen, her mom was pouring juice and shaking vitamins out of a bottle. She looked up and smiled when her daughter walked in. "You look nice, honey." "Thanks," Buffy replied briefly, accepting the vitamins and swallowing them down with a swig of orange juice. After changing her clothes four times, she had finally decided on her short waisted white sweater with elbow length sleeves and her blue denim almost-mini skirt. Want- ing to give herself a little stature, she'd zipped her feet into her knee high boots, then finished the outfit with a white elastic hair band. "How about breakfast?" her mother asked. "Some eggs, maybe? Cereal?" "Ugh...Mom," Buffy groaned. "I'm way too nervous to eat. I'll just have toast...with boysenberry jam. And maybe a granola bar." She pulled open the fridge and examined it's contents. "Where's the leftover pizza?" "Bottom shelf," Joyce answered, cracking eggs into a bowl and scrambling them into a pastel yellow froth. "Sweetie, don't be nervous. You'll do just fine at Sunnydale High. You already know some of the kids...and Mr. Giles will be there in the library. And of course, William will be there." Her mom's deliberately casual tone made Buffy smile. Joyce wanted so much for her to confide her feelings for the "boy next door" but Buffy wasn't ready for any heart-to-hearts on the subject. Their relationship was still so new, so tender, and so wildly exciting that she wanted to hug it to herself and not expose it to endless question and answer sessions. Joyce scooped mounds of fluffy scrambled eggs onto two plates. Without a word, she placed one in front of her daughter, satisfied when Buffy picked up a fork and began to eat. When the toast popped up, she grabbed the jam from the refrigerator and brought it to the table. Buffy reached for a piece and slathered a thick layer of boysenberry preserves over it's surface. "Good," she pronounced, her voice slightly garbled. "You sure you don't need me to take you today?" Joyce asked, sipping coffee. "I don't mind." Buffy shook her head. "No. I'd rather go with William." She looked up suddenly, hoping she hadn't hurt her mom's feelings. "I..I don't mean that the way it sounds. I just..I thought...you know...you shouldn't be late for work and...." Joyce held up one hand to stifle the flow of words. "Honey, don't worry. I'm not offended that you'd prefer to be driven to school by a handsome young man in a Ferrari. Much cooler than being dropped off by your mom in a dusty five year old Cherokee." "It's not that..." Buffy began to protest. Joyce, however, shook her head and smiled. "Buffy...believe it or not I was sixteen once myself. And I'm not so terribly decrepit that I've forgotten what it's like. Besides," she added, gathering up their dirty dishes, "I have a mountain of work waiting for me. It'll be good to get an early start." Jumping to her feet, Buffy snuck up behind her mother as she stood at the sink and threw her arms around her. She gave her a tight squeeze and a loud, smacking kiss on the back of Joyce's hair. "You're the best mom, ever," she said sincerely. "Which I know I should tell you more often." Joyce turned around and returned her daughter's enthusiastic embrace, thinking how fortunate she was that Buffy was such an affectionate girl. Most teens her age wouldn't be caught dead kissing and hugging their mother goodbye, but her daughter had always been willing to submit to as much cuddling as she could get and would hold still for excessive 'mothering'. Laying her head against her mother's shoulder, Buffy closed her eyes for a moment, snuggling into arms that had always meant safety and happiness, and unending love. "I love you, Mommy." "I love you, too," Joyce said, feeling that mixture of emotion that Buffy caused inside of her heart; the love and the pride at what a lovely young lady she was growing up into, combined with the inevitable sadness of knowing that her baby was no longer a baby at all. Soon, her little one would be making her way through the world on her own, and Joyce just wasn't sure she was ready to let go. But when Buffy pulled away, she allowed her to slip through her fingers, forcing down the instinctual urge to hold on tightly to the only child she would ever have. ~~~~~~~~~~ "Don't know much about a science book Don't know much about the French I took.." ~~~~~~~~~~ A soft knock startled Buffy and her mother apart. Joyce returned to the sink full of dishes, while Buffy threw open the back door. William looked up and their eyes met. Unspoken "I love yous" passed between them as they shared a knowing smile. "You all ready to go?" he asked, his glance moving up and down her small figure in a way she could almost feel. She took one step back as he took one forward. "Good morning, William." Joyce picked up a small towel and dried her hands. He returned her greeting, still staring at Buffy. It wasn't until Joyce turned around that he was able to change the direction of his gaze. "Bye, Mom," Buffy said quickly, snatching up her book bag and the lunch Joyce had made for her. Before she could get even one step away, her mother called her back. "Run upstairs and brush your teeth, honey." Buffy sighed impatiently. "We're gonna be late," she protested. Joyce wasn't buying it. "Then don't stand here arguing and just go do it." As she clomped up the stairs, muttering under her breath, Joyce regarded William with a steady gaze. "She's not about to admit it, but she's very nervous about all this." William smiled and shrugged. "S'pose that's to be expected. New town, new school...lot of changes all at once." Joyce only hesitated for a moment. "Keep an eye on her for me, William? As much as you can, anyway." "You know I will," he promised, projecting reassurance into his voice for her benefit. "She's not as brave as she pretends to be," she said quietly, hearing Buffy coming back downstairs. "I'm counting on you to take care of her." He nodded. "Till the end of the world." It was the easiest promise he'd ever made. ~~~~~~~~~~ "But I do know that I love you And I know that if you love me, too What a wonderful world this would be.." ~~~~~~~~~~ Swinging into a space in the student parking lot, William shut off the engine and looked at Buffy. "Ready to learn?" he asked, reaching for her hand and placing a gentle kiss on the back of it. She made a face. "I think so." "You nervous, love?" "No." There was a pause. "Kind of." "Got your class schedule?" "Yes." "Your locker assignment?" "Number 301. Seven...ahead to fourteen...back to thirty- six." "Rucksack?" "Say what?" He chuckled. "The thing you put your books in." "Why didn't you say so? Got it." "It'll be all right, you know." William climbed out of the car, then went around to open the door for her. She stepped out, expecting him to back up a little. He surprised her by staying in place and bending his head to kiss her. It was a sweetly soft kiss, and Buffy pressed closer, wanting more. He pinned her up against the car, obliging her desire. His mouth caressed her cheeks, and then returned again to her lips. "Now I'm ready," she whispered. ~~~~~~~~~~ "Don't know much about geography Don't know much trigonometry.." ~~~~~~~~~~ They walked up the front steps of Sunnydale High School holding hands. Both of them drew a fair share of attention and admiration, William from the girls and Buffy from the boys. "What's your first class?" "World history. What fun." She rolled her eyes. "Actually, it is...if you let it be." He gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "What's yours?" she asked. "Advanced Topics In Algorithms." Buffy stopped dead in her tracks. "Huh?" "It's a procedure for solving a mathematical problem in a finite number of steps," he explained. To her, it sounded like something developed by NASA engineers or some other bunch of geniuses. She only hoped that it wasn't a required course. Taking a grip on her hand, he delivered her to the door of room 211. "Corragio," he murmured, lifting their clasped hands and kissing her fingers before he released her. She smiled. "French?" "Italian. Now, I'll meet you at the bottom of the stairs and walk you to your next class, all right?" "All right," she agreed. "Don't go anywhere without me." "Why would I?" Dropping a light kiss on her lips, he nudged her through the classroom door. ~~~~~~~~~~ "Don't know much about algebra Don't know what a slide rule is for.." ~~~~~~~~~~ Thankfully, she spotted a couple of familiar faces in the classroom. Anya was sitting at a desk in the middle of the room, three back from the front row. Next to her, Buffy saw Willow Rosenberg, a girl she'd met briefly at her birthday party, and liked immensely. Sweet natured and soft spoken, Willow was the type of girl who always went out of her way to help. She was extremely intelligent, according to William, and made consistently high marks in all her classes. "Buffy! Come on and sit over here," Anya called out, pointing to the empty desk in front of her. Making her way through the group of milling students, Buffy plopped down in the desk and heaved a grateful sigh. "I was afraid I wouldn't know anybody in the class," she said, turning around to talk with the two girls. Willow pushed back a lock of her long reddish brown hair. "Don't worry," she said sincerely. "Every one here is really nice...with a couple of exceptions," she tacked on, glancing at the classroom door. Buffy followed her gaze and saw Cordelia Chase walking in and talking to another girl, one with long, smooth blond hair. They were both expensively dressed, and carried book bags with a gold Gucci buckle on the back flaps. Walking slowly towards the back of the room, they found two desks next to each other and arranged their belongings on them. Buffy watched for a moment, turning her face away when Cordelia's eyes met hers and she leaned over to whisper something in her friend's ear. The blond glanced at Buffy, then giggled annoyingly. "Don't pay attention to them, Buffy," Willow said, smiling encouragingly. "They've got their own little clique that they rule over like a couple of queens, but they're pretty harmless if you ignore them." "Buffy's already had a taste of Cordelia," Anya said, pro- ceeding to tell Willow about their encounter in the ladies room of the Bronze. Willow listened with a sympathetic ear. "Cordy warns every new girl about staying away from Angel. One of these days she should warn Angel about staying away from new girls." "Mm-hmm," Anya nodded, then gave Buffy a sky smile. "It's not a problem for Buffy," she said. "She's totally gone for William Darlington." Buffy smiled, her cheeks blushing a light pink, but she was saved from replying by the teacher coming into the room and insisting the class come to order. ~~~~~~~~~~ "But I do know one and one is two And if this one could be with you What a wonderful world it would be.." ~~~~~~~~~~ The rest of the morning passed fairly quickly. William met her at pre-appointed places and showed her where her classes were, leaving her each time with a kiss and a whispered, "Love you." Buffy was pleased to find out that she shared all of her classes with either Anya, Willow, or the both of them. Xander and Oz, Willow's boyfriend, were seniors and not in any of their classes, but they spent the morning break together, sitting on the front lawn and enjoying the sun. When the noon bell sounded, releasing the students for their lunch hour, she found William waiting for her outside her science class. He greeted her with a kiss, then took her hand and led her through the crowd of kids. "Where are we going?" she asked, having to trot to keep up with him. Instead of answering, he ducked down a short hallway and pulled her into a supply closet. There was a bare light bulb with a string hanging down to switch it on and off. The bulb was obviously on it's way out, because the light it gave off was dim and weak. "I'm going to die if I can't kiss you properly," William said softly in her ear, sliding his arms around her waist. "I've missed you all morning." Buffy dropped her bag and wound her arms around his neck, raising her face for his kiss. His mouth devoured hers with a single minded passion, and his hands moved restlessly up and down her back. She pressed closer, needing more contact. When her hips brushed against his, he gasped into her mouth and slipped his hands down to cover the curve of her bottom. Applying pressure, he ground his loins against hers. Buffy returned the pressure wholeheartedly, trying to relieve the ache that was growing inside of her. She could feel the wetness beginning to trickle into her underpants, and she rubbed harder against the iron hard erection William had developed in three seconds flat. "Buffy," he moaned, covering her face with soft, brief kisses. "I love you...so much...harder...please..." Taking a tighter hold on her rear, he began thrusting his hips forward a little. He moved his right hand and pulled her arm from around him to take her hand, then began guiding it down between them.... Unfortunately, there was no lock on the door, and they jumped apart when it suddenly swung open. The janitor shooed them out, warning them not to let him catch them in there again. Buffy's face was bright red with embarrassment, and William tightened his arm around her as he walked her back to the front lawn of the school. "I'm sorry," he murmured, pressing his lips against her hair. She shook her head. "Don't be. I wanted to be there, too." He spotted their friends sitting at a table and headed in that direction, trying to will away the hardness still aching between his legs. ~~~~~~~~~~ "Now, I don't claim to be an 'A' student But I'm trying to be Cause maybe by being an 'A' student, baby I can win your love for me..." ~~~~~~~~~~ After the lunch break, Buffy's next class was P.E., and she was glad to go there, hoping that lots of physical exertion would curb the raging desire William had set off. It only worked to a small degree. She was waiting her turn to run when she spotted him coming out of the boys gymnasium wearing track shorts and a maroon tank top. He was walking with Xander, talking about something that must have been funny, because he laughed. Buffy couldn't take her eyes off him. The shorts revealed his well built legs, and the tank top showed off the definition of hard muscle gracing his biceps. He knelt to retie his running shoe, looking up to say something to Xander as he shook his shaggy hair back from his face. When he stood up and glanced towards the field, he smiled and waved to her. Grinning idiotically, she waved back, then had to endure a round of good natured teasing from Willow and Anya before the teacher blew her whistle and directed her onto the track. Buffy smoothed her T-shirt down and lined up next to a tall girl with long brown hair. "I'm Amy," she said, smiling as they knelt into a starting position. "I'm Buffy. Hi," was all she had time to say before the whistle went off again, signaling them to begin their race. Buffy was feeling so good about how well her day was going that she nearly flew around the track, leaving Amy in her dust. Back at the starting point, the teacher praised her time and directed her to the next event. Amy came up behind her, still breathing hard. "That was great!" she said, tying her hair back into a pony- tail. "You should think about trying out for the cheer- leading team. You've got a lot of energy." It sounded like fun. "Maybe I will," Buffy replied. "Well, if you decide to, let me know. I'm the co- captain and I can show you some of our moves for the try outs." Buffy nodded, turning her gaze back out onto the field, searching for William, wanting another look at him in his shorts and tank top before she took her next turn. The sight inspired her to do her absolute best. ~~~~~~~~~~ "Don't know much about the middle ages Look at the books and I turn the pages Don't know nothing 'bout no rise and fall Don't know nothing 'bout nothing at all..." ~~~~~~~~~~ Fifth period was a study hall for her. William scooped her up and she came out of her math class and walked her over to the library. It was nearly deserted, since most of the students used their study period for anything but studying. Much to her surprise, William sat down next to her and opened his science book. "You have a study period, too?" she asked brightly. "Mm-hmm," he said. Locating the page he wanted, he began to read. Buffy pulled out the notebook with her English assignment, then went off in search of the book she needed. The student library was beautiful, filled with shelf after shelf of well used books. There were a few computers located at one far end, and the tables and desks gleamed under the mellow light filtering in from the high arched windows on the top floor. Buffy climbed the two sets of stairs, her feet silent on the carpeting. She wandered up one aisle and down the other, letting her fingers drift along the spines of the books. Reaching the end of one shelf, she turned the corner and ran smack into William. "Oh!" He grinned. "Sorry I startled you, love," he said, not looking sorry in the least. "But have you noticed that we have the place all to ourselves?" ~~~~~~~~~~ "But I do know that I love you And I know that if you love me, too What a wonderful world this would be..." ~~~~~~~~~~ TBC....