AN: Sorry it's taken so long, please, stop trying to shoot me! I tried and tried to write the actual date, but it would NOT come to me, and I've been trying since Thanksgiving! So, I decided to put in bits from their date, while Buffy tells Willow about it.

Chapter 13

Buffy lay on her back, her fingers twirling around the phone cord as she laughed into the purple phone she had for her room. Her long blonde hair was spread all around her, and her feet were bouncing back and forth to the soft music she played on her stereo. Willow was on the phone, demanding details from her, while Buffy tried to paint the nails on her toes, before finally giving up, because she was too giddy.

"So, you guys ate, and? Do I really have to keep begging for the 'sip here, Buff?"

"We just… talked, that's all, Wills. It was nice, though, relaxing and easy going. Oh, he is so nice, though, Willow. I think I could fall in love with him so easily! He held out the chair, too, did I tell you that already? He was just so chivalrous. He held the door open when we left the apartment, and opened the cab door for me."

"So… major sparkage? Come on, dish, girl. Was there smoochies?"

Buffy blushed and looked over towards the stairs, out of habit. She didn't see anyone, though, so she let go of the breath she had been holding, and a huge grin lit up her face. "Oh yeah, total sparks, and some very nice smoochies at the end of the night. And maybe one or two while we were in the theater."

"You slut! Oh, my god! Buffy, that's awesome!" Willow said loudly, before she squealed with laughter. "So, what's going to happen? You did NOT sleep with him… did you?"

"Willow! No! I did NOT sleep with him… he was a perfect… well, almost perfect, gentleman. We talked for a while on the couch, and he told me quiet honestly, that he wasn't sure we should take it any farther just yet. He said he wanted it to be perfect for both of us. God Wills I can't believe what all we talked about last night. I felt so comfortable with him. I even told him about Parker."

Parker had been a mistake Buffy had made in high school, one that she refused to make again. It was part of why she almost never dated anymore. Willow and Xander had both been on her case about the dating part, though neither ever mentioned Parker outright anymore. It just made Buffy more adamant against dating, and more upset with them, in the mean time.

"Oh?" Willow's voice was bordering on disinterested, but Buffy knew she was dying to ask the gory details. "Um… so, what else did you talk about?"

"Oh, just ask it, I know you want to." Buffy said smugly into the receiver.

"What exactly did you tell him about Parker? I mean, come on, it's not exactly date material."

"I told him the truth, all of it. From the first time he said he loved me, until the moment he ditched me at Prom." Buffy took in a deep breath, and forced the rage boiling in her stomach to die down. She could barely even think of the events of prom night without going a bit loopy. Parker had been her crush from the first time she had seen him, in the 10th grade, up until he had asked her out, in the 12th grade. Buffy had been on cloud 9 for a full week, drifting happily from class to class, not worrying about anything.

Prom came only a few weeks after their first date, and though Parker had just broken up with his long time girlfriend, he was eager to take Buffy in Jessica's place. Jessica was a very popular girl, and not to happy about the turn face Parker had done. She had dumped him, but in an ironic twist of fate, she herself ended up dateless for Prom, and had thought Parker would just come back, and take her anyway.

Buffy had been ecstatic when Parker turned Jessica down, but she couldn't understand some of the smug looks Jessica and friends were giving her on prom night. After dancing and some mild drinking, Parker had taken Buffy upstairs, and proceeded to deflower his date. He wasn't rough about it, but neither was he gentle or loving. Afterwards, Buffy had been confused, and just felt that she should be held. Parker just laughed at her, put his tux back on, and took the key off the dresser.

His parting comment had been, "It was fun. We should get together again when I'm back for Christmas break." The final blow, however, had been when she ventured down the stairs quickly, her dress back in place, though her hair was mussed. As she came down the grand staircase, Buffy had seen Parker and Jessica against a wall, Parker's mouth all over Jessica's neck. She had run from the hotel in tears that night, and had walked the long distance back to her home. By the time she had made it home, her tears were dried up, and all she felt was anger.

It had been weeks later, in the middle of planning her freshmen year of collage, when she found out she was pregnant. Fortunately for her, she had miscarried the child. At the time, she saw it as a relief, but every now and again, when she started thinking of it, Buffy wondered what the child would have been like, had she had the child.

"Even…?" Willow's voice probed, breaking into her thoughts.

"Ok, so not everything. I stopped after the prom incident. No need to tell him the rest of it, I figure." Buffy said softly, shaking thoughts of the unborn child away. She let her mind drift back to Will, and her serious expression turned back into a slow smile. "Anyway, tomorrow we work together, and he asked if we could go to dinner together afterwards. I like him, Wills, I really do."

"Well, it's about time! You've moped around long enough. Oh, hey, do you mind if I stop by to see you at the shop tomorrow? I have to pick some things up at home, and while I was in town, I thought I would do some shopping. I wanted to pick up some candles, and figured that's a good place to look." Willow was a collector of odd candles, and had been collecting them for almost a year now. Just about every surface in her dorm was covered with them, not to mention the many boxes stored back at home, in her parents place.

"Oh, you're going to be in town? For how long? Why didn't you say something sooner?" Buffy rapidly asked her friend.

"Question much? Mom called, and said she has some paperwork that I need to fill out for insurance, or something, and wanted me to do it as soon as I could. I have a free day tomorrow, so figured I'd come see you guys. So, I can stop by the shop?"

"Yeah, no biggie. I'll be there after 5 ok? I should let you go, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ok, night Buffy."

"Night Willow."