A/N: Kudos to anyone who can figure out what movie Dave and Becky were going to see. I'll give you a hint; the actor who played Dave was in it. And for all of my oh-so-patient readers, here's what's up with Becky.

Dave knocked on the door to Becky's apartment. They had planned to see a movie that day, and while he was ten minutes early, he was looking forward to it. Not the movie, it was some sort of romantic comedy about a guy getting a girl that was infinitely more attractive than him. He never liked those types since they had always seemed unrealistic to him. Now they just hit a little too close to home in his mind.

So no, it had nothing to do with the movie. Between being battered with a sword and electrocuted he hadn't had a lot of time to spend with her. Hence the fact that he was ten minutes early. It was also Becky's birthday and he had determined to get things right. To start with there was the movie, which he was paying for. Then, and this had taken much bribing of her roommate and fellow pre-law major Jill, he had found out her favorite song. That as something he had sweated over and worn his fingers down with typing for.

After a few seconds the door opened. He had expected Becky or Jill. Instead he saw a woman who appeared to be in her late twenties. It was hard to tell her age though. There was something off about her hair and face that made him wonder just how old she was. Her eyes took him in shrewdly.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Uhm, is Becky in?" he asked.

"Oh, are you her tutor?" she asked patronizingly with an artificial smile.

He blinked.

"Um, wha-no," he said, feeling like he'd just been smacked in the face, "I'm her boyfriend."

A quick look of disgust came across the woman's face.

"Really?" she asked skeptically.

"Yeah," he said firmly.

"What major?"

Again a little taken aback he managed;

"Physics."

"Oh. Hmmm. You know, I didn't think that she needed that much help with her school work," she said, "I didn't think you needed to date someone to get it either. Don't they have T.A's for that?"

Dave swallowed his next remark, remembering that any swear words coming from his mouth sounded ridiculous.

"But no," she added as an afterthought, "she's not in."

"I'll come back later then," Dave said instead, taking a few steps back in order to leave.

"How cute. But wouldn't bother if I were you," she said.

Quietly he counted up a few stress-relieving techniques he'd been taught.

"I uh, don't think we've met," he said.

"There's a good reason for that," she said, her patronizing tone and smile returning, "You see…"

.

.

.

Becky opened the door to her apartment. She was running late that morning, her professor just wouldn't shut up. Maybe she should get him a watch at the end of the fall term, which was rapidly approaching. Flinging open the door she took a deep breath in. Her apology was on her lips when she noticed that there was a disturbing lack of Dave in the main room of the apartment.

Instead she saw Jill putting her coat on and getting ready to go out the door. Becky frowned and looked around.

"Hey, Jill?' she asked, "Did Dave come by?"

Jill shrugged.

"Dunno," she said, "I can't remember. You know, the doorbell might've rung earlier…but that might've been next door…"

Becky gritted her teeth in annoyance. She liked Jill, but her inattention to both the door and phone made her want to scream.

"But you should've told me that you had family coming over," she continued, "I would've cleaned up a little. Or made cookies, well, more cookies since I made some this morning. But, you know. Something."

"Wait, what?" asked Becky, feeling an awful rising panic in the pit of her stomach, "Family, what do you mean?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about," Jill grinned.

The door slammed ominously behind her.

"Yes Rebecca, don't pretend like you don't know what she's talking about."

Slowly Becky turned around.

"Hi mom," she managed, swallowing hard.

"Happy birthday Rebecca dearest," her mother said with a plastic smile, sitting down on the couch, "You weren't picking up your phone or answering my texts, so I thought a little visit was in order."

"It's certainly a surprise," Becky said, swallowing hard, "I see you've had some more surgery."

Her mother smiled indulgently at her.

"You're just guessing," she said, "A little lift around the eyes isn't surgery, it's a necessity."

Becky swallowed again. She tried to remember a time that her mother's face hadn't been so harshly perfect. It was hard, and she couldn't even remember her mother's natural hair color. For one thing Becky knew that it hadn't been blonde, perhaps more of a reddish brown. Then again, maybe not even that had been natural.

"There are three things that are worrying me though, besides you not responding which probably would've warranted this trip just a trifle unnecessary," she said, "To start with, why are your grades so low?"

"Well, if you'd read the e-mails I sent you then you might know. As I told you, I don't like being a pre-law major," answered Becky, "In fact I might go so far as to say I hate it. Maybe if you'd let me do something with, I don't know, say, music, then perhaps my grade point average would be higher."

"How drool," her mother said, rolling her eyes, "You know perfectly well that there's no future in something like that. I don't even want to see what the starting salary would look like. Two digits perhaps?"

She shuddered.

"Besides, don't you have that radio station to indulge your little hobby?" she asked, "The one that seven people listen to?"

"You can round it up to eight nowadays," Becky said, narrowing her eyes.

"Quaint," her mother laughed, "And another thing, why do you still insist on you going by Barnes? And Becky, Becky's tacky."

"Like I told you last month, I was born with it," Becky said, "And I think Becky sounds less stuffy than Rebecca."

"Your loyalty really is very touching, but your Dad's been dead for fourteen years now, and that's a very long time since he called you Becky," she said, "Besides, Rebecca Anne Black sounds soooooo much better than Rebecca Anne Barnes."

"My initials stay the same no matter what," pointed out Becky.

"They won't in a few months if you follow my lead," Ms. Black said cheerfully, "I'm getting married."

"Again?" Becky asked drily, "This makes it what, the third time since Dad?"

Frowning Ms. Black gestured to the armchair.

"Sit down," she said, "When you use that tone and stand like that then it gets so confrontational."

Knowing that that would only prolong a birthday that was rapidly being ruined Becky turned to the only thing that offered a little sunshine; Dave. Wherever he was, perhaps lessons with Balthazar had run late, she would go off and find him. They could go see that movie and then she could maybe stay over at his place until her mother got the message and went back to Florida.

"You know what?" said Becky, "As much as I would love to stay and listen to you rant about how I'm not enjoying the life you'd picked out for me, I'd already made plans to do some things with my boyfriend and I'm already running late-"

"If you're talking about that scrawny little physics major who was here earlier, then we've come around to point three," Ms. Black interrupted, "You have the most exquisite timing."

Her blood ran cold.

"Oh God," she moaned, "What did you say to Dave?"

"Just that he should probably reschedule whatever he had planned with you, since as your mother I'm more important, and that he should stop playing Warcraft long enough to go out and get some sun," shrugged Ms. Black, "A physics major? Really?"

Becky shut her eyes. She wanted this nightmare to be over so bad.

"Personally I'd prefer a football player or something with a bit more pizzazz to it, or perhaps someone with a Trust Fund," her mother said, "If you had to pick a geeky one, and maybe you're just doing it for the novelty, who knows, then you could have at least gone for one who might make something of himself-"

"Okay, that's it," snapped Becky, "Dave is better than eight football players who can't do long division combined, he does not play Warcraft and it wouldn't matter if he did, he's the most considerate guy I've ever met, and I happen to be extremely happy with him."

Her mother blinked, and then scowled.

"She's been putting more silly ideas in your head, hasn't she?" she said, "Very well for her to say things like you can fall in love whenever you want, she was a fabulously wealthy socialite who married another fabulously wealthy socialite in the same circle. It's downright hypocritical for her to talk like that."

"Don't you bring her into this," growled Becky, clenching her fists, "Just because she actually bothered to raise me-"

"Not this again. Rebecca, dearest, I was busy. Besides, who cares if I missed a few school plays-"

"Every school play, every Christmas, every Thanksgiving, and every single Birthday for twelve years," she interrupted, "Then when I get comfortable in my life you have to butt in again."

"Well it's not like she could actually see them now is it?" her mother asked.

Becky's mouth dropped open.

"You did not just say that."

"I'm still your legal guardian and you couldn't seriously believe I'd let her pay for your college," Ms. Black said, rolling her eyes and ignoring Becky, "People would talk. And I leave you alone for a few months and you've fallen back into your old ways."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, don't talk like you don't know. I asked that Jill or something who he was. And then I googled David Stutler on my phone. He's a byword for a nervous breakdown for goodness sake. If you wanted to date someone you knew I wouldn't like couldn't you have at least picked a rich nutcase?"

Breathing in deeply Becky turned around and headed for the door.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

"Where I should've gone ten minutes ago," she snapped, "I'm off to save what's left of my relationship, thank you very much."