A/N : Thanx to BuffyandDracoLover, wicked-angel3, Ladt Savage, BtVS-and-PoTC-fan, sunnyhell, spuffyfan-1, SweetSlayer810, velja, Spuffy-Spike-91, you're all very nice people for taking the time to leave a review! Hope you like the new chapter...

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 4 - What A Girl Wants

It was only now, as Buffy pulled away from William, that she realised it was in fact him. Initially she'd just gone for the first male that didn't look like a complete reject, and he did look better now than he had at school, but she hated the fact she might have encouraged him or whatever with that kiss. It had just been some stupid dare type thing, nothing more.

Taking a deep breath, she strutted over to the bar and picked up her purse.

"I think it's time to call it a night" she said, smiling sweetly at the enraged Angel. He'd called her bluff but she'd come out the winner by taking the dare and making him furious - she liked that.

The girls all followed Buffy out of the club, and if looks could kill Faith would have been up for Angel's murder tonight. She hated that she'd let him use her to get at Buffy. She used guys all the time but not the gang, they were better than that, they didn't mess with each other. There was going to be a confrontation about this, but it would wait til tomorrow, right now she was making a stand with her 'sisters'.

William gaped at the four girls as they strutted passed him in a line and out of the door of the Bronze, leaving him facing four young men, none of which looked particularly thrilled by the turn of events. Their girls had all just left because of this incident, and lack of female company did not make for a good night.

"Hi, er, is it too late to play?" William asked innocently, head tilting towards the pool table. Angel's grip tightened around the cue, before he threw it to the ground in front of the new-comer, resisting the urge to pummel him with the wooden implement.

"Let's get out of here" he said in a low voice and his gang obediently followed him out of the door, William's eyes following them all the way as internally he told himself what an idiot he'd been, at the same time congratulating himself on what had happened with Buffy, even if he didn't understand why it had occurred.

"Hey" a voice brought his attention back to the here and now "Where'd they go?" a young brunette girl asked as she pulled herself up onto a stool by the bar.

"Oh, um, are you speaking to me?" William asked as he moved to take the stool beside the girl he'd seen before - the girl he had guessed to be Buffy's little sister.

"I guess" she shrugged at his question "doesn't seem to be anyone else listening to me" she complained, stirring her sisters abandoned Coke around the glass with the straw.

"You're Buffy's sister, yes?" William checked, feeling bad for the girl that seemed to be as outcast from this 'gang' as he was.

"Yeah, Dawn Summers" Dawn introduced herself, holding out a hand for him to shake. She couldn't be more than fifteen he realised, as he took the offered hand, and yet she knew more about the world that she ought to, he could see it in her eyes "And you are?" she asked him, jolting him from his thoughts.

"William Spencer" he told her and she nodded.

"Cool" she said as she looked him over, deciding he wasn't so bad, if not a little geek-ish "Well, I guess I should head home, seeing as the gang have already split" she sighed as she hopped off the stool, popping her gum loudly.

"It's dark out" William pointed out, standing up beside her "perhaps I should walk with you"

"I'm fifteen years old" she snapped angrily "I do not need a babysitter"

"Well" William smiled "why not consider it as a date?" he suggested and Dawn seemed to like that idea a whole lot more. She smiled and nodded her head in agreement. In truth, William had to admit to himself he was walking with her for her safety not her company, but also it might be nice to have someone on his side, someone who understood what is what like to be on the outside of the world people like Buffy and Angel inhabited. He shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed.

"Your sister and her friends don't seem to appreciate my company" he commented as they walked away from the Bronze, Dawn sighed and shook her head.

"It's not just you" she assured him, hooking her arm through his, causing him to smile "Anyone who's not in their little in-crowd gang just isn't worth talking to" she complained with a further sigh.

"Yes, I'm beginning to see that" he nodded as they crossed the street and neared Revello Drive where the Summers lived.

"I won't give up though" Dawn told him "cos when I'm a senior, I'm gonna have a gang that's way better than theirs..." she said firmly and William chuckled at her words. It did sound a little childish but he could see why she felt the way she did.

"You think I'm totally lame, right?" she said as she unhooked her arm from his and stopped walking, hiding her face behind her long hair.

"Not at all" William assured her, smiling as she looked up at him "I think you're very pretty and absolutely charming"

"Thanks" Dawn replied uncharacteristically quietly as she ducked her head again to hide the fact she was blushing "Well, this is my house" she told him a moment later, gesturing to the building they stood outside of.

"It was very nice meeting you Dawn" William said truthfully and she nodded in agreement.

"You too. Maybe I'll see you around" she said as he turned to walk away.

"You can count on it" he smiled as he looked up at the house before walking across the road and into the night.

"Yeah, I'll bet I can" Dawn rolled her eyes but smiled as she watched him walk away. Buffy could do a lot worse, and she had no doubt at all that her sister was the reason this semi-geek wanted so badly to be accepted and cool. She sighed as she went into the house. It was a shame that he didn't stand a chance.

William watched from across the street as Dawn went into the house. She was a sweet girl and he liked her, but not like he liked Buffy. She didn't seem to like him too much yet, though she had kissed him - he would have to find out why tomorrow. For now he contented himself with the fact that at least he'd made one friend tonight, even if it wasn't the one he'd intended to make.

- - - - - - -

The alarm made Buffy wake with a start and she groaned as she knocked the clock clean off of the night-stand. She really did not feel like going to school today. Okay so the victory over Angel had been glorious last night, but now it was the next day and anything could happen, plus she had to face William.

"It just had to be him, didn't it?" she sighed as she rolled out of bed and set about getting herself ready for school. Of all the guys she could've laid her lips on last night, so many in the Bronze she'd never seen before and never would again, 'but oh no' Buffy sighed to herself as she took her shower 'I have class and beautiful timing' she rolled her eyes, sarcasm dripping from her thoughts as she dried herself off and decided which outfit to wear.

Soon she was in front of her full length mirror, adjusting her dark top and darker jeans, she eyed the selection of makeup on the table and decided if she went for the darker shades she'd only end up looking more like Faith than she already did right now. Nope, no matter how 'dark' she felt she refused to add fuel to Angel's fire about liking her friend. With a determined sigh she whipped off her clothes and started again, pulling on a lighter skirt and a pale top, before brushing her hair and adding a thin layer of make-up.

"Buffy, your ride is here!" Joyce called up the stairs to her older daughter, who yelled back that she'd be just a couple of seconds. True to her word she ambled down the stairs just a moment later, book bag on one shoulder, jacket slung over her arm.

"Y'know if you moved a little more swiftly in the mornings you might even have time for breakfast" Hank commented as she passed by him with a half-smile. She might have laughed or commented if he didn't say it most days.

"Hey Cor" Buffy smiled as she came out of the front door and climbed into the open-top car beside her friend. Willow was already in the back with Faith on the other side and they both nodded a greeting to the final member of their gang.

"Hey Buff! Wait up!" Dawn called as she scrambled out of the front door, hair in disarray, books falling out of her bag and badly applied lipstick across her face.

"Sorry Short-stuff" Faith called as Cordy revved the engine, "No room for a fifth"

With that the car pulled away with Buffy barely acknowledging that her sister was there at all. Dawn sighed with annoyance as she pulled her bag onto her shoulder and straightened her jacket, aiming for a sexy strut as she walked to school. In the back of her mind she wondered what William might think of her attempts to look good today. She smiled at the very thought of him, he was such a nice guy. She shook her head as she wandered towards the high school. He had no idea how futile his attempts were, he stood less chance than she did of being one of the 'cool' people, but hey, it could be entertaining to watch him try.

- - - - - - -

Buffy grimaced as she felt William's eyes on her again. It was her third class of the day, the third hour of William sitting somewhere across the room, eyes on her every few moments. It was slowly driving her crazy! Thankfully she'd managed to get out of the room fast enough and into her next class at just the right time so that he wouldn't get a chance to talk to her. She feared he might ask her about the kiss, she knew she'd have to explain it and it seemed so horrible just to tell him it was a joke.

The bell rang and she was still lost in her thoughts, meaning she didn't get the head start she needed to run again, though truly why she was running she didn't really know. Buffy Summers never ran from anyone, she stood up to them and told what she thought, but everything was different lately and no-one understood...

"Buffy..." she heard his distinct English tone to her left and she sighed as gathered up her papers and books.

"What do you want?" she asked as if she didn't know.

"I was just wondering, perhaps..." he stumbled over his question before finally asking, "Would you like to maybe go out with me tonight?"

"A world of no" she said without looking at him, pulling her books to her chest and hurrying from the room.

"Well, how about tomorrow?" he called desperately behind her.

"No!" she called over her shoulder, hoping he'd give in. There were people in the halls that she would rather not have this conversation in front of.

Buffy headed for her locker to get the books she needed for her next class. This was her first mistake. Her locker was right by the lockers of her best friends and with her friends were their boyfriends. The whole gang bore witness to William practically running after Buffy to ask her for a third time if she wanted to go out sometime.

The girls and the guys all surpressed a laugh and a couple of comments that rose in their throats as Buffy told William to just leave her alone. Even Faith and Angel who'd been locked in a heated and pretty nasty discussion stopped to watch the scene. Buffy slammed her locker door and the gang could no longer hold in the laughter as the blondes personal little lost puppy chased after her again.

"Buffy, last night, when you kissed me..." William said at what Buffy considered to be an unreasonable volume.

"It meant nothing!" she yelled back, "It was a joke, just like you!" she snapped.

So caught up in storming away, Buffy didn't see the people coming the other way until she'd already bumped into them and spilt her books all over the floor. In their hurry to get to class they didn't stop to help her and the halls soon cleared of everyone except Buffy and William, scrambling to pick up the fallen volumes. He knew she only insulted him because people were listening and she had a reputation to uphold. It didn't change the fact that he wanted to be with her anyway he could.

As he handed her the final book, she sighed a slight thankyou and turned to walk away. He was still on his knees behind her when he called;

"Buffy, please, I just..."

"Look, when are you gonna get it!" she almost screamed in sheer frustration down the empty hall "You're not my type, okay?"

"So what is your type?" he asked, getting to his feet "Angel?"

"No, not Angel" she cried frustradely "not anyone in this hellhole!" she gestured around herself "Someone better than that..." her voice grew quieter as she knew she could never explain herself properly "you wouldn't understand...just leave me alone"

She walked away less strong than she'd started out and William climbed to his feet with a defeated sigh. He should really get to class himself, but all he felt like doing was knocking down the nearest wall out of pure frustration. He wasn't a violent person but this girl was driving him crazy. He wished she could just give him some idea of what it was she wanted, because whatever it was he'd become it, anything just so she'd pay attention. It was as he moved to walk away, he noticed something on the ground that she'd left behind, a couple of sheets of paper they hadn't noticed as they'd gathered her books from the floor.

Bending down he picked up the fallen sheets and found them to be covered in pencil drawings, pretty good ones too and all on the same theme. Now he knew what she wanted, and without a thought for the consequences he promised himself he would be that person.

To Be Continued...

A/N2 : Thoughts? Opinions? Review please! :-)