Title: Sweet Sixteen
Author: Pattyanne
[email protected]
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.

AN: Okay, about the song lyrics. I've had
a couple of people ask me why I'm using
lyrics that are...well...old. And corny. I don't
want you all to think I'm 1,000 years old or
that I don't like any newer music, cuz I'm not
and I do. The reason I choose these lyrics
for this story is because they're from a more
innocent time, when love songs were not quite
as...descriptive as they tend to be now. (some
of them) and that's how I feel about this incar-
nation of William and Buffy. Even though they're
'trembling on the verge', they're still very innocent
and sweet to me, and I wanted to choose songs
that played on that.

(And I figured anybody who doesn't like them
will just skip right over them anyway)

Part twenty-two...

~~~~~~~~~~
"Imagine me and you, I do
I think about you day and night
It's only right
To think about the girl you love
And hold her tight
So happy together..."
~~~~~~~~~~

She was about to join the line at the concession stand,
trying to decide between plain popcorn or caramel, when
she felt a gentle tug on her ponytail. Thinking William had
joined her, she turned around and smiled.

"Hey, there Buffy," Angel said, grinning wolfishly down at
her. "How've you been?"

Unconsciously, she took a step back. "Fine, thanks."

"Good. That's good. School going all right for you?"

"Um...yeah. I think so. I mean...it's just started but...so
far it's...good."

She honestly didn't know why she was rambling on the
way she was. All she could chalk it up to was the plain
fact that Angel made her nervous for some reason. He was
so big and so "in your face" that she felt even smaller than
she actually was.

"Great," he murmured. "Hey, I was wondering...if you aren't
busy on Sunday, I'd love to show you around town a little
bit. We could grab some dinner, maybe see a movie?"

Oh, no, no, no. This wasn't happening. It was the absolute
last thing she wanted any part of.

"Sunday? Um, I don't....I think I may have to do something
with my mother on Sunday. We...well, sometimes we go out
and...do things....together."

He frowned slightly. Buffy could see that he wasn't used to
being turned down when he made this particular offer.

"Okay," he said slowly. "How about one day next week then?"

God, it was getting worse.

~~~~~~~~~~
"If I should call you up
Invest a dime
Would you say you belong to me
And ease my mind
Imagine how the world could be so very fine
So happy together..."
~~~~~~~~~~

"She's taking too long," William said, glancing at his
watch. "I'll bet she's lost."

Xander rolled his eyes. "You ALWAYS think that. Does this
girl have some kind of problem with her internal compass?"

"No," William laughed. "Not that I know of."

"Then, relax. I'm sure she'll find her way back."

But no matter how hard he tried to focus his attention on
the field, he couldn't seem to shake off his worry. The
longer he sat there, the jumpier he felt.

Two more minutes crawled by, and he just couldn't sit
still another moment. "I'll be back."

Xander didn't even glance at him. "The concession stands
are in the other direction."

"I'm going to the restroom. I am," he insisted, when his
friend just shrugged.

He made his way through the crowd of kids clogging up the
steps. On the bottom bleacher, he saw Cordelia Chase sitting
alone. The space next to her was obviously being saved, and
she had a serious frown on her face as she looked at her watch.

Something inside of him tightened up like an over wound spring.

"Cordelia," he said amiably. "How are you?"

The irritable look on her face vanished, replaced by a flirtatious
smile. "Hi, William. Nice to see you."

"You, too." He glanced at the empty space beside her. "You
all alone here?"

Now, she looked a little offended, as though he was suggesting
that she would EVER be out on a Friday without a date. "Hardly,"
she answered, waving her hand. "Angel just went to get me
something to drink." The reminder brought the frown back to
her face. "I don't know what's taking him so long, though."

Without even realizing it, William clenched his fists.

Angel. The concession stand. Buffy.

"You know, if I see him, I'll tell him you're waiting for him."

He didn't hang around to hear her reply.

~~~~~~~~~~
"I can't see me loving nobody but you
For all my life
When you're with me, baby the skies'll be blue
For all my life..."
~~~~~~~~~~

Confrontation was not Buffy's strong suit, but she
was beginning to think that it was going to come down
to one before Angel would stop whatever it was he was
doing.

"Look, Angel...I appreciate your offer. It's very nice of you,
but I'm kind of...seeing somebody."

If anything, his grin became wider. Almost....shark-like.

"That's all right," he said casually. "So am I. Kind of seeing
somebody. That doesn't mean we can't see....each other."

Oh, yuck. Just when she thought he couldn't get any
creepier.

"Actually, it does," she informed him, pulling back when he
moved one hand to play with her hair. "Don't."

His hand dropped, but his grin stayed in place. "Don't
what?"

"Don't touch me." Her words were clear and precise.

Angel's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're a little stuck-up,
aren't you?" he asked softly. "What...is little Miss Buffy too
good for me? Too good to be touched by me?"

He'd actually managed to back her up against the fence. She
could feel the cold wood grain through her shirt.

"I didn't say that. I just asked you not to touch me."

Her voice carried, and a couple of kids turned to see
what was going on.

This didn't make Angel one bit happy. "Right," he said, a
bit too loudly. "Like I have ANY interest in touching you."

He made a face suggesting that the whole ridiculous
situation was all HER idea.

"Sorry to disappoint you, honey. But you don't exactly,"
he snickered, "measure up."

Buffy couldn't believe what she was hearing. "God,"
she snapped. "You are SUCH a jerk!"

It sounded lame to her own ears, but it was the best she
could come up with.

"Oh, don't feel bad," he said. "I'm sure you'll grow into your
bra someday. Double up on your vitamins, and give me a
call in a year or two."

She could hear the kids around her laughing, and her
cheeks burned with scarlet heat as Angel chucked her
under her chin and winked at her.

The next thing she knew, he was flat on his back on the
ground.

~~~~~~~~~~
"Me and you,
And you and me
No matter how they toss the dice
It had to be
The only one for me is you
And you for me
So happy together..."
~~~~~~~~~~

TBC.....