Title: Day Gone Wrong
Author: Melissa
Email: princessbuffy79@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: Don't own them so please don't sue.
Summary: Buffy has a bad day
Distribution: Sure, if you really want it, but I wrote it really quick, so it's probably not worth it.
Feedback: If you want
Dedication: For Queen Angel, hope you like it.
Buffy had bad days before, but nothing compared to the day she had today. Not even dying. Well, maybe that was worse, but today came close.
It all started with the stupid alarm clock. Buffy had been so tired when she got home last night, she barely remembered to turn on the alarm before falling into a restless sleep. The clock went off as usual, but Buffy realized it was much later than normal. She had meant to set her alarm for 7 so she could get a head start on her day, but apparently, she set it for 11.
She had spent her morning, or what was left of it, rushing around in a futile attempt to make up for the lost time. After a very quick shower, Buffy sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee to scan the morning paper for any news relevant to her night job. She tried, anyway. The paper had letters cut out from various stories, rendering it impossible to read. *Dawn!* Buffy thought angrily. Her younger sister had obviously needed to do something for school, but chose to use today's paper instead of the pile of older issues lying in the corner. Buffy took a deep breath and reached for the sugar. She turned it upside down over her coffee cup and the lid fell off, splashing hot liquid all over her white shirt.
"Could this day get any worse?" Buffy asked herself as she headed up the stairs to change her clothes once more.
Buffy felt rotten as she entered the Magic Box. Glancing briefly at Anya, she mumbled, "I'll be in the back." She then proceeded to the back of the building and entered her training room.
Buffy moved to the stereo and searched for her cds. She could only find one thing, a tape mix Willow had made for her last year. "This will have to do," Buffy muttered as she pressed play and moved to middle of the floor. She was preparing to warm up when a horrible sound creeped from the speakers.
"Opera!?! What the..."
Buffy turned off the tape and flipped through the radio stations. Nothing worked so she decided that training was a no-go. But the stress was high and she needed to work it off. There was only one solution: shopping.
The Slayer hurried to the mall. *This has to work. Nothing cures a bad day like buying something expensive* she thought as she checked her wallet. *Or at least something inexpensive yet new* She spent the next hour window shopping, trying to decide exactly where she wanted to go. She finally decided on her favorite boutique. As she entered the store, the alarm went off. Buffy glanced around her, looking for the culprit. Seeing no one, she groaned. The sales clerk approached her, a stern look on her face.
"Could you walk through the door again, please?" the clerk asked. Buffy backed out and re-entered the store. The alarm shrilled in response.
"Miss, we're going to have to ask you to come with us," the clerk said.
*Us?* Buffy thought. That was, until she noticed the security guard behind her. "Sure, just lead the way." Buffy figured it was just her luck. If she obeyed, maybe they'd go easy on her.
The guard led her down a short corridor to a small room. It looked like a tiny office. Buffy sighed and did as she was asked. She pulled out the small vial of holy water disguised as breath spray, various coins, and a stake. The guard raised his eyebrow at the last item. "Self defense?" came Buffy's weak reply.
"Anything else? Other pockets?" he asked. Buffy shook her head pulling out the inside of the pockets to prove she was telling the truth. She was wearing running pants with no pockets and a worn t-shirt. Definitely not her cutest outfit, but today, she just didn't care. The guard frowned, "Please remove your jacket."
"Look," Buffy said, shrugging off the coat. "I bought this last week. I probably still have the receipt on me." She handed over her jacket and began to search through her wallet. Finding the receipt, she held it up. "See, here it is."
The guard took the receipt and located the item in question. He held up the jacket and gave it a quick once over. Grimacing, he handed it back to her. "I'm sorry, ma'am. It looks like they forgot to remove the security tag on the inside of the jacket. Just take it up to the counter, show them your receipt, and have them remove it. I'm really sorry."
Buffy didn't have the strength to argue. "Whatever." She did as he told her and then decided to leave the mall. Shopping didn't seem like such a great idea, after all.
Tired and upset, Buffy trudged back home. She entered the front door and flopped down on the couch. Curling up, she quickly fell asleep. A little while later, Buffy woke to the sound of the phone ringing. Before she could answer it, the machine picked up.
"Um, Buffy. Where are you? We were supposed to work on your paper today and you never showed. Did you forget? It's due tomorrow." Willow's voice sounded through the contraption.
Buffy shot up. *What paper? Due tomorrow? How could she forget?* Buffy's mind raced, but had no answers. She couldn't remember anything about a paper.
She stood up and decided to go for a walk. *This day has just been so horrible* she thought, near tears. Some fresh air would probably do her some good. *And that brings us to the present* she thought, pulling her jacket tighter around her. The night air had caused the temperature to drop, but Buffy didn't care. It matched her mood. She was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear the footsteps behind her.
"Hey Buffy! Wait up!" Xander called out to his friend. When she didn't respond, he grabbed her shoulder.
Buffy whirled around, her fist flying. It connected with the side of Xander's face and he flew backwards. "Ow! What was that for?" he cried.
Buffy's eyes widened in shock when she realized whom she had just hit. "Ohmygod! Xander! I didn't mean to hit you. I guess I just got so wrapped up in my thoughts. I mean I had a bad day and I decided to go for a walk and I just…" Buffy rambled as tears flowed down her face. "I'm sorry."
Xander noticed Buffy's misery and rushed to help. "It's ok, Buffy. Really. See, I'm fine. No harm done." Xander grasped Buffy's arms and led her over to the curb. Sitting down, he motioned for her to do the same. She did. "So, what happened today that made it so horrible?"
Buffy looked at him and sniffled. Wiping her eyes, she let the whole story flow from her lips. From the morning paper to the shopping mall incident, she didn't leave anything out. It felt so good to share this with someone.
Xander listened to everything that had happened in shock. He dropped his face when Buffy finished. "I'm sorry Buffy."
"Why are you sorry?" Buffy asked. "It's not like it's your fault." Xander refused to look at her. "Right?"
Xander couldn't look her in the face. Instead, he chose a spot to the left of her shoulder. "Well, in a way it is."
"What!" Buffy cried. She couldn't believe it. She had just had the worst day of her life and it was all Xander's fault. "Why?"
"Buffy, what is today?" Xander asked her.
Buffy stopped and thought for a moment. "March.." Xander shook his head. "Um, April...April Fool's Day."
"Bingo," Xander commented.
"So you did all of this as a prank," Buffy asked, shocked. *How could he do this to me?*
"No, Dawn did all of that to you," Xander corrected her.
"What, but you said..."
"That it is all my fault?" Xander sighed. "Well, in a way it is."
"How?"
"To make a long story short. I asked Dawn to make your day horrible."
"Why?" Buffy's heart ached, unable to believe Xander could do something like that to her.
"Well, I wanted to ask you out, on a real date," Xander admitted. "Things have been going so great for us lately, I wanted to see if maybe we could try something new."
"How is making my day miserable going to make me say yes?" Buffy asked, incredulous.
"I figure, your day couldn't get any worse. A date with me would probably be a step up," Xander hung his head in shame. "But I guess it backfired, huh?"
They sat in silence. "I wouldn't say that exactly," Buffy said after a few moments.
Xander's head shot up and he looked at the blond sitting next to him. "You mean..."
"That I'm saying yes?" Buffy asked. At his nod, she continued. "Yes, Xander, I'm willing to give us a try. In some weird, sick and twisted way, what you did was kind of sweet. Do it again, though, and I'll just have to stake you."
Xander couldn't speak. He just threw his arms around Buffy and squeezed her hard. "I won't let you down, I promise. It'll be worth it."
"I know," Buffy whispered. "Walk with me?"
"Anywhere," Xander replied. He stood up and offered his hand to Buffy, pulling her up beside him. They began to walk along the deserted streets into the crisp night air.
"Hey Xander?" Buffy asked, questions in her tone.
"Yeah Buff?" he replied.
"Why April Fool's Day?"
"It's my favorite holiday," he replied. "Can't forget this date." Buffy smiled and wrapped her arm around Xander's back. *Well, at least this day from hell had a happy ending. I got my prince. And Dawn is so beyond dead!*