Chapter 7: The Woman

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon has everything and I have zip. I just borrow the characters for my own fiction.

Rating: It's PG-13 so far b/c of the relationships this story has. it will be upped later when more adult issues come along.

Summary: As Elizabeth goes through life, she seeks out handsome guys that turn out to be failures. William lives above her, and yet she can't notice the perfect guy standing in front of her till it's too late. Based on a Korean TV program.

Spoilers: None, the story is completely A/U and everybody's human. It has nothing to do with the story line of the show.

Distribution: Don't mind it at all, just make sure to e-mail me before using it on a different site.

Author's Notes: Thoughts of the characters are expressed with '____'. Umm. not much else to say here except enjoy!

Feedback: Yes please! I crave it! Also be free to have CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, don't just cuss me out and tell me the story sucked. Write suggestions so I could make the story better. :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elizabeth walked through the dark surroundings of the Haunted. Her breath hitched as she looked to her left and right, seeing guys locking lips with girls and hands crawling everywhere over each other. She shuddered and forced herself to keep walking. The loud music pounded in her ears as she tried to seek out Jeff. The lights flying around the room allowed Elizabeth to see a little of the dance floor. She sat down in one of the couches and ordered a Budweiser, while her eyes searched out the area. She finally spotted him dancing with the woman Elizabeth saw earlier today. They danced sensually to the quick beat, causing a surge of jealousy flowing through Elizabeth's veins.

"Hey Elizabeth!" Xander yelled over the music as he took a seat on the couch next to her. He followed her stare to the couple dancing.

"Whoo! That's the guy? Uh oh, our little Elizabeth has got some competition!" Xander joked, "That girl comes here on all the hottest nights. Besides me, she's the only other high school student who can get here without an ID."

"High school student?!" Elizabeth exclaimed, not believing what she just heard.

"Yeah, she's the same age as you. Her name's Anya. She's a senior at Sunnydale High School, too. Although you could see she's a little more. umm. developed than you are", Xander hesitantly said, pointing to his sister's small but full breasts.

"Hey!" Elizabeth tugged her duster more tightly around her, even more self- conscious than she was a few minutes ago. She brought the bottle of Budweiser up to her lips as she saw Jeff and Anya dance even closer together with Jeff's hands tightly holding her tiny waist.

"Lizzie! Slow down on the beer there!" Xander reprimanded as he saw her take a full swig. He gently pulled the bottle away from her and saw her eyes widen. Xander's eyes carried his attention back to the couple. Anya had swung her leg around Jeff's neck, being the flexible dancer she is. Her head was tilted back as she laughed, entrancing Jeff. Jeff smiled as he thought how close together they were and brought his hand up to her thigh, stroking it gently as he balanced her while they danced.

Elizabeth took this all in horror, her eyes bugging out of their sockets. She forcefully took the bottle back from her brother and drank all of it in one gulp. Xander watched on, bewildered for he knew that his sister was not all that wonderful when she was drunk.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Dru! Your tea is ready!" William yelled down the hallway, clumsily spilling his own cup all over his hand.

"Bloody hell!" he roared as he rushed to the sink, running his already bright red hand under the cold water. Drusilla came running in for she had heard him and was anxious with worry to see if he was all right.

"Oh my gosh!" She quickly opened the freezer and pulled out an ice pack. Gently, she placed it on his hand and led him into the small living room. She sat him down and placed pillows around him and went back to the kitchen to bring a new cup of tea. When she was back, she was also holding a cup of hot chocolate with the mini marshmallows that William loved.

"Why the hell did you bring two cups in, Dru?" He rudely asked when truly, her caring touched him. Drusilla smiled, knowing that beneath that bad attitude lied a poet's heart, one that was so full of love and moved by the tiniest things.

"Thought you might like it, I made it just the way Mum used to", she answered. A few silent minutes past as the brother and sister sat there sipping their tea, both thinking about their mum whom had passed away ten years ago.

"Dru?" William asked in a soft voice, "you have all this energy and yet waste it on caring for me and dad. You're already 27, why don't you get married?" "To tell you the truth, I can't leave you two behind. It breaks my heart to think of you not being properly cared for. What about you, haven't seen you that interested in girls lately", She joked, trying to lighten the mood. William drew a sharp intake of breath, knowing his sister changed the subject onto him purposely.

"Just haven't seen one that has caught my eye recently", William answered as he nursed his injured arm.

"That reminds me. I have the perfect girl for you. Her name is Elizabeth Summers, or Lizzie as some of us like to call her", Drusilla said excitedly, hoping to play matchmaker with her brother and her neighbor.

"Is she pretty?" came William's immediate question.

Drusilla laughed, "She's cuter than other girls and extremely sweet and generous. She has a huge capacity for love in her heart. You two would be perfect together."

"Ugh. I don't know about this. Girls who are thought cute by other girls tend to be ugly", William responded, scrunching his face up in disgust.

"Awwww. didn't know our little William is interested in girls", Dru teased.

"Hey! I do notice girls, just haven't met the one yet", William defended himself.

"Sure", Dru rolled her eyes, only to burst out in laughter when William tickled her side with his uninjured hand.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Elizabeth moaned in anguish, partly from seeing Jeff with that Anya and also from the beer she had drunk. The bumpy ride on the bus back home didn't help her unsettling stomach. Willow rubbed her back soothingly, hoping to calm Elizabeth's nerves down.

"How could that happen?" Elizabeth asked, desperate for anything to pull her out of her confusion. "How could he lead me on and then go off to find some other girl?"

"Well, I think I have an answer", Willow said, pretty confident that her thoughts were pretty close to the truth.

"Please tell, Wills! It would help me so much!" Elizabeth pleaded, looking at her best friend with doleful eyes.

"Okay, here's what I think. When Jeff was at college for those first few weeks, he came home to an empty dorm. With no womanly warmth, he was alone. This makes him crave women who are interested in him. You have to tell him you like him! That Anya girl expressed her crush through flirting, that's how she got him! Now you should tell him, too!" Willow ended her analysis with a dramatic flair of her hands.

"I'll never tell him, never in a million years", Elizabeth firmly decided.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Jeff, I like you", Elizabeth said quickly before turning around to face Jeff. They were sitting on a bench outside the church after services were over. Elizabeth had thought over what Willow had said and debated with herself over whether to tell him or not. Jeff, of course, already knew about the crush from Elizabeth's behavior around him. He tried his best to look surprised. 'Hmmm. I think this is the best time to break it off with her, now that I have Anya. Now let's see, a reason for the rejection.'

"Y-you what?" Jeff stuttered.

"Like you! I'm crazy about you! I promise that when you're with me, you'll always come home to a place full of warmth. I won't let you be lonely! Please, Jeff!" Elizabeth cried out desperately, throwing out all she had.

"Uh. I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I had no idea how you felt about me. If you were a few years older, maybe then I would consider it. You're still in high school now, still a child who hasn't matured into a woman. It's your time for exploration of life, I shouldn't lock you in a relationship yet", Jeff calmly stated. He silently congratulated himself on the speech, knowing a sweet innocent girl like Elizabeth would back off once she heard it.

"I. I.", Elizabeth blubbered, her eyes clouding over with tears.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I have to go. Maybe we could remain friends? I'll talk to you later", Jeff stood up and walked briskly out of Elizabeth's sight, quickly turning it into a run for shelter when rain started to pelt down upon him. He never turned around to take notice of Elizabeth, who had collapsed from the bench to the ground behind him. She didn't care about the rain that was splashing about her. She sobbed uncontrollably on the pavement, her tears mingling with the rain. Her clothes instantly became soaked and clung to her skin. The wind howled around her, chilling her to the bone. Elizabeth didn't care; the heartache she was experiencing making her oblivious to everything else. Her eyes became heavy and she saw a sea of black. She faintly heard someone scream, "Lizzie!" before she passed out.

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A/N: This chapter is a little longer, but not as long as I've hoped it to be. There's more coming up! How will this Anya girl come into Elizabeth's life?