One-shot

“I need to tell you all something,” Buffy announced.  She put the sword she’d been practicing with down on the table.

The Scoobies looked up from the books that they were using to research the latest supernatural threat to mankind.  They all had expectant looks plastered across their faces.

“I took out a personal ad in the newspaper to find my next boyfriend,” Buffy continued. 

“WHAT?” A male voice bellowed.  The sound echoed off the silent library walls.  “We’re… we’re…”

The other two males in the room didn’t sound much better with their blustering, hemming and hawing.  “This is unacceptable behavior for a Slayer,” Giles blustered.

Buffy shrugged.  “We’re nothing, Angel.  I told you that after Spike was in town.”  She rolled her eyes.  “Honestly, Giles.  I know what I’m doing.  I wasn’t born yesterday.”

Xander grumbled, “Why can’t you find dates the old fashioned way?”

“Are you sure about this?” Willow asked bravely.  “I’ve heard some terrible stories about personal ad dating.”

“It’s already a done deal,” Buffy said with a big grin.  “I’ve narrowed my options down to one.”

Angel, Giles, and Xander all opened their mouths to speak, but an evil glare from Willow stopped them from speaking.  The redhead turned to her best girlfriend, and she said sweetly, “Well, tell me all about this paragon.”  Then, Willow patted the seat beside her.

Buffy’s lips curved into a giant smile before she slid into the indicated chair.  “His name is William Jamison, but he asked me to call him Jamie.”

Angel and Xander both snorted while Giles pulled off his glasses for a quick polish.  Everyone in the room ignored the ‘Bloody Hells’ he was muttering under his breath.

“Is he cute?” Willow asked slyly.

“Oh my God,” Buffy said in her best breathless Valley Girl voice.  “He’s so cute, Willow.  He’s got these big blue eyes that are so pretty they’re sinful, and his white blond hair is so soft to the touch.  I just love running my finger through it until it’s all curly ringlets.”

“How sweet,” Angel sneered.  He went back to leafing through the book he was studying, clearly unhappy to hear about Buffy’s new beau.  He’d hoped that maybe she’d change her mind.  Clearly the past few weeks since she’d told him they were finished, she’d found a way to move on.  He hated it when he was left behind.  Maybe it was time for him to move on too.

Buffy ignored Angel while she continued to sing her new suitor’s praises.  “We went out for a moonlit walk the other night.  It was so romantic, Will.”

“Good Lord, Buffy.  You took the boy on patrol?” Giles blurted out.

“Not really, Giles.  It was just a little walk.  All the vamps ran in the other direction when they saw us.”

Giles slammed his glasses back on his face, and he returned to his research.  Maybe if he ignored everyone else in the room he could find a solution to the problem that was currently plaguing the Slayer and the Scoobies.

Xander looked at Buffy in horror.  He remembered Buffy’s story about how the vampire with the Freddy Kruger hand had run from Ms. French.  “He’s not a male praying mantis bug like Ms. French, is he?”

Buffy gave Xander a thoughtful look.  “I don’t think so.”  Then, she brightened.  “But I’ll be sure to ask him on our date this evening.”

“Okay, so blond with blue eyes,” Willow said to get the conversation back to what she wanted it to be.  “What else?  Is he tall or short?  Scrawny or well-built?”

“Yes,” Buffy nodded with a grin.  “He’s taller than me, but not too tall.  It’s so easy to kiss him.”

Willow’s eyes widened.  “There’s been kissage?”

“Major kissage.”

“Ick, must you talk about that?”  Xander wrinkled his nose.

“Yes, she must.”  Willow glared at Xander.  Then, she turned back to Buffy.  “Tell me more.”

“There’s not much else to tell you.”  Buffy shrugged.  She gave Willow a sly look.  “So, how’s it going with Oz?”

Willow blushed.  She had almost messed it all up with Oz a few months before when he and Xander’s girlfriend Cordelia had caught her and Xander kissing in the Science Lab.  “It’s going great.  Really it is.  Oh, oh.  Maybe you and Jamie can join us at the Bronze on Friday.  The Dingo’s are playing.”

“No fair,” Xander blurted out.  “I don’t have a date.”

“You could always ask Angel.”

“What?” Xander screeched.  “That is just gross, Buffy.”

Angel looked up from his book.  “Xander’s not my type, Buffy.”

“But you’re his type,” Giles replied, never looking up from his book. 

“How can you say that, G-man?” Xander asked in a disgusted voice.

“Well, you are apparently a demon magnet.  Angel’s a demon.  Ergo, he’s your type.”  After imparting that little nugget of information, Giles returned to his book again.  He was happy to get a little of his own back after the ‘G-man’ nickname.

Xander stared at the librarian in horror.  “Bite your tongue, Giles.  That is so not nice.”

“Buffy, has your mom met Jamie?” Willow asked.

Buffy nodded vigorously.  “Oh yeah.  She’s met him.  She’s not too sure about him, but she likes him better than my last boyfriend.”  She glared at Angel.  She knew it had been his evil alter ego that had bragged about taking her virginity to her mother, but Joyce didn’t really understand that at all.

Angel ducked his head when guilt filled his soul.  He really hated when anyone mentioned Angelus or his actions.

“Just how are you planning on telling this fellow of yours that you’re the Slayer?” Willow asked.

Buffy grinned.  “He already knows, Will.”

“You told him?” Giles blurted out, his attention once again pulled from his research.

“Uh, well…” Buffy’s voice trailed off.  “I already kinda knew him before he answered the ad.  I met him at the Bronze last year.”

Willow tried to think of who they’d met at the Bronze in the past year that could hold up to the description that Buffy had given, especially guys that Buffy may have shown an interest in.  The Slayer had really been into Angel back then.  She couldn’t think of anyone named William except… no, there was no way!  Buffy would never date him. 

Willow gave Angel a covert glance. 

Then, again, maybe Buffy would.  Vampirism in a boyfriend didn’t exactly put a guy out of the running for her heart.  If anyone could make a vamp walk the straight and narrow, it would be Buffy.  Willow gave a mental shrug.  Maybe she was wrong.

There were other Williams in the world besides Spike.

A body burst through the library doors.  A gray, lumpy demon like the one the gang was trying to find in Giles’ books skidded across the floor.

“What the Hell?” Both Angel and Xander leapt to their feet.

“Found your creepy crawly, Slayer.  Chop off the bugger’s head so we can get out of here.”  Spike swaggered into the library behind the demon. 

“Spike!”  The male Scoobies scrambled for weapons.

“Hi, Jamie,” Buffy chirped.  She grabbed up her sword, and she gave a quick glance at the demon.  “See, Giles.  I told you it looked like oatmeal with legs.”  She stepped forward to quickly slice the head off the demon.

“Now that you’ve taken care of that one, pet, grab your jacket.  Your mum’s expectin’ us in fifteen.”

Buffy grinned.  She tossed her weapon onto the table, and she grabbed her coat.  “Mom’s making lasagna.  I can’t wait.”  She went to Spike where she tucked her hand into his elbow.  “See you later guys.”

Spike escorted Buffy out of the library, smirking at Angel over his shoulder.

Willow smirked.  “Well, that’s gonna make things a bit more interesting around here.”

The End