Disclaimer: I own nothing, Whedon owns it all. Including my soul.

A/N: I promised myself I wouldn't get sucked into writing another long fic during the school semester, especially since I already have two others to work on. But then I got inspired by the massive amounts of Spuffy all-human AU fics I was reading and the lyrics to "How to Save a Life" by The Fray. So here I am...

For Jane and Mindy, my biggest fans and biggest inspiration.

~Rose

Prologue

"Step one—you say, 'We need to talk.'"

Sunnydale: Five Years Ago

William Pratt knew he was running late. He was supposed to pick up Buffy fifteen minutes ago but he got held up dealing with his mother again. It was the night of the prom and he thought perhaps his mother would be civil for once and let him have one special night but no such luck. She was just as drunk as ever and decided yelling at him and telling him over and over that she thought he was a worthless git was a good confidence booster for what he was about to do.

Buffy Summers had been his best friend since he moved from England with his mum ten years ago. She was the only one who kept his life from being a complete living hell. Only she knew that is mum would get so drunk that she would often hit him. She had been there when no one else was. A boy like William didn't have very many friends, in fact all he had was Buffy, and she meant everything to him.

He couldn't pinpoint exactly when he had fallen in love with her but gradually over the years it had happened. She had no idea how he felt and he knew she would never feel the same way but she would soon be moving to L.A. where she would be going to school in the fall and he knew he had to tell her how he felt before she left. He had to tell her tonight.

He would never be able to tell her though if he never got out of his bloody house and picked her up.

"She'd never be with you," his mother spat out at him, "You're beneath her. You're just some pathetic wanker who she could never love."

William hadn't even told his mother what he was planning on doing but she assumed as soon as she found out that he was actually going to go to prom. She had been making comments and making him miserable ever sense. She knew exactly what buttons to push to hurt William the most and he was tired of it. He was tired of feeling this way.

"I don't care Mum," he finally said, "I don't care that you hate me."

He opened the front door, rage still surging through him, and his mother tried to stop him from leaving. She grabbed his arm but he pulled it away immediately and stormed out the door, slamming it behind him.

~O.o.O.o.O~

"Are you sure you're okay?" Buffy asked him for what had to be the tenth time.

"I'm fine," he lied, yet again. Buffy knew that he'd had a fight with his mother but she dint know what it was about. Buffy was usually his rock when it came to his mother. She was the only one who knew about the verbal abuse—and the physical, in those times she would get really drunk and hit him.

"If you're sure," she said, not believing him. They had been at the dance for a couple of hours now and William still seemed a bit upset. Little did Buffy know, it was her that made him so damn nervous.

"Can we talk Buffy?" he asked her quietly.

"Of course," she replied, confused at why he would even ask. She dragged him outside where they could have a little more privacy.

"Buffy, I..." he began, not sure how to tell his best friend that he was in love with her. He was afraid that she would never see him that way. She, she had come with him to the prom tonight but that was just because her boyfriend Riley had broken up with her a week ago, leaving her dateless.

"I..." he tried again. "I don't know how to say this..."

She looked at him encouragingly. God she was beautiful. Tonight she was wearing a long gold dress that complimented her golden hair and tanned skin perfectly. She was stunning and William couldn't get the words out.

"Buffy I lo—" he tried again, this time interrupted by his phone ringing. He gave her an apologetic look before answering it.

"Slow down... What happened?" he asked. As he listened to the person on the other end of the line he became paler and paler. His hand ran through his light brown curls as he tried to calm himself.

He finally hung up and Buffy, also looking worried now, asked, "What happened? What's wrong?"

"Mum," he answered simply, "She got into a bit of trouble at the bar. I have to go pick her up."

"I'm coming with you," Buffy told him.

"No, you're not. I'm not going to have you missing the rest of the prom because of me."

"I don't care about the damn prom! I care about you!"

He didn't say another word, knowing Buffy wouldn't let this go and would come with him whether he liked it or not. He grabbed her hand in his, his attempt of revealing his feelings to her forgotten, and led her out to his car.

~O.o.O.o.O~

"I didn't need you to come get me, William!" Anne Pratt snapped at her son.

"That's not how Willy told it," he shot back. William and Willy, the owner of the local bar, were not only on a first name basis but they also had each other's numbers due to how often William had to come get his drunken mother.

Anne and William fought the whole car ride. Buffy sat there silently waiting for William to drop her off at home so he could take his mother home and sober her up. Buffy hoped he would walk her to her front door and finish telling her what he had tried to before.

All three of them were so wrapped up in their own little dramas that they didn't notice the drunk driver swerving out of control until the vehicle hit theirs.

The last thing heard was Buffy screaming William's name before she lost consciousness.