Buffy

OK, breaking both the coffee machine and the yogurt machine? So not cool. Slayer strength comes in handy during patrol. In the real world, with real machines designed for real people with real human strength? Not so handy.

I hate being distracted; that's what leads to mistakes like this. But I can't stop thinking about the dream. What has Spike or Beauty and the Beast got to do with anything?

I mean, sure, Spike showed up a couple of weeks ago looking for that Gem of Amara thing, but he left again afterwards. He was in LA, trying to take the Gem from Angel – who then decided to smash it, the idiot. I mean, yeah, I get that he couldn't let it fall into the wrong hands, but he could've gotten himself a sun tan. He could've gone for long walks in the park.

He could've… We could've been together.

OK, so the Gem probably wouldn't have stopped him from losing his soul…

I sigh. I need to stop thinking about Angel. Moving on, remember? Yeah, I tried that with Parker, and look how well that turned out.

I overhear some of the TAs talking about me. Sneaking a glance, I see that Riley is one of them. He's not so bad. He looks good, nice, safe, dependable…

…boring.

I listen in as they talk. Two of them – Forrest and Graham I think their names are – talk about how hot I am. Graham is a little more polite about it, but Forrest keeps saying things about how I'm 'smoking' and 'on fire'. What a douche.

Riley says I'm pretty. He also calls me 'interesting' and 'peculiar'. He says I'm a mystery, and he can't figure me out.

So the usual verdict then. Buffy's a hottie who all the guys want in their bed. She's also the odd one; the one who stands out because she's 'peculiar' and 'interesting'.

Somehow I'm not surprised.

When the fighting is over I take Willow back into our dorm. Her side of the room is a mess, a result of what happened with Spike.

I can't believe Spike tried to kill her, but at the same time I can.

So why didn't he?

He arrived long before those commando guys did, from what I could tell. So why isn't Willow dead or worse? Did he just decide to have a chat with her before he killed her? Spike's usually not a patient guy.

"Are you OK?" I ask.

"Yeah." She nods. "Strangely enough, Spike comforted me."

My eyes widen. "We are talking about the same Spike here, right?"

She nods again. "I thought it was me, and no one wants me because I'm just Willow, the best friend who's like a sister to everyone. He said he'd bite me in a heartbeat. He even liked the jumper I wore last year; the pink fluffy one…"

"Willow," I interrupt. "Why didn't Spike bite you? He even told you he would."

She shrugs. "I don't know. One minute he was going to, and the next he was holding his head in pain and yelling. He kept trying but the same thing kept happening. Do vampires have trouble biting sometimes? You know, like sometimes guys have trouble "performing". Is that a thing?"

"Not one I've heard of," I say. "But he's gone now, and hopefully he won't be coming back." I rub her shoulder. "I'm sorry the party was a bust."

"Did Riley talk to you?"

"He…tried," I say, remembering his offer of cheese.

"He says he likes you," says Willow. "He came by earlier today and asked me what you liked. He seems nice."

I nod. "He's nice. But he's too…normal. I mean yeah, Angel said I should find a normal guy, but I need some excitement. I can't help but feel that a relationship can only work with pain and fighting, so you're never bored and it's worth it. Love is passion, and…Riley doesn't really scream 'passion'."

"He could if you asked him to."

I laugh. "Besides, I learnt my lesson with Parker. No blindly jumping at guys. I don't wanna date someone because I feel I have to. I wanna do it because I want to; because he's the right guy for me."

"Sounds too fairy tale-y for me," says Willow. "This is the real world. We don't get happily every afters."

I think of all the loved ones we've lost one way or another – Jenny, Cordelia, Angel, Oz – and can't help but agree.