A/N : Thanx for all the reviews! To BuffyandDracoLover - I think the next chapter goes exactly how you thought it should. To spuffy-fan1 - keep reading, I think you'll approve. To Lady Savage - thanx muchly, and I am loving your fic Crushed at the moment, if you hadn;t noticed ;-) To aphelant - I know it sucks that Buffy's a bitch, but I think that just means I've written her pretty much in-character! Hope you like where this story goes. To spikeswife1, sunnyhell, Mita427 - thanks for the encouraging words! Now all of that is done, onto the next chapter...

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 5 - Making A Change

Saturday couldn't come fast enough for William. His mother was going out in the afternoon so he planned to spend the morning shopping and the afternoon transforming himself into what Buffy truly wanted in a man. It was going to be drastic and his mother was going to go completely crazy but she was worth it, Buffy Summers was definitely worth it.

William didn't even try to repress the laughter that rose in his throat as he got up and dressed on Saturday morning. It was completely absurd, he knew it, but he really liked this girl, from the first moment he'd seen her he knew he had to be with her. They'd barely spoken to one another and when she deigned to look at him or share a few words she was never what could be described as friendly, in fact she was barely civil, but somehow that made it all so much more worthwhile. She was a challenge now, which only added to his list of reasons to want her.

"Morning William" his mother greeted as he made his way into the kitchen, "So, do you have anything interesting planned for your weekend?"

"I thought I might head out to the mall" he said casually as he sat down on a stool by the counter and poured milk onto the cereal his mother had left there for him.

"Are you meeting some friends there?" she asked him hopefully, she knew he had trouble making friends back in England and it was the only thing about their move to America that concerned her, that he'd find it even harder here.

"Er, possibly" he lied, knowing how his dear Mum worried about his lack of popularity amongst his class-mates, "I just thought I could use a few new things, clothes and stuff"

"Clothes?" Anne frowned, "How can you possibly need more clothes? I bought you so much when we moved here?"

"Yes, I know" he said quietly into his breakfast, thinking how unimpressed Buffy would be by the fact that his mother had chosen half of the contents of his wardrobe, all those sensible shoes and patterned sweaters, smart shirts and ties.

"I hope you'll not be influenced by some of the unsavoury young people in this neighbourhood" his mother continued as she sat down opposite him and poured a cup of coffee from the pot, "Only yesterday I saw some motley crew in all this black leather and ripped jeans" she made a face at the memory, "They looked like common criminals"

"Yes mother" William nodded, finishing off his cereal and drinking down his orange juice, "If you don't mind I'm going to go now, get what I want before the rush"

"Of course dear" Anne smiled, "Go and enjoy yourself"

William smiled a little himself as he stood and left the room, picking up his jacket on the way through the hall and letting himself out of the house. He sighed as he stepped off the porch and walked down the street. His mother was never going to accept the changes he had in mind for himself. If he went ahead with this he'd probably give her an aneurysm!

As he walked along, he took a piece of paper from his pocket that bore the image of what he wanted to be. Buffy's dream date, drawn by her own fair hand. A faceless, mystery man...

'A mystery man?' William smiled to himself, 'Now that idea has potential...'

- - - - - - -

"What are you doing?" Dawn asked her sister as she stood in the doorway of Buffy's bedroom and watched her throw her belongings around.

"Scaling Mount Everest" the blonde said sarcastically still obviously searching for some mystery item, "Oh for God sake where are they?" she sighed frustradely.

'More than one thing' Dawn noted as she dared to take a step over the threshold into that area of the house that she was hardly ever permitted to go.

'You are now entering the Crazy Blonde Zone' the younger girl smiled to herself as she watched Buffy search some more.

"What did you lose?" she asked.

"Like it's any of your business" Buffy snapped, turning slightly and seeing that Dawn was just past the doorway, "and did I say you could come in to my room?"

"Whatever!" the brunette snapped back, "Just thought you might want some help is all" she said grumpily, folding her arms over her chest and turning to stomp away.

"Dawn!" Buffy called behind her, making the younger girl turn back sharply. Buffy sighed walking over to the girl and pulling her into the room by her arm before closing the door, "If I tell you something you have to swear not to breathe a word to anyone, okay?" she said seriously.

"It's drugs isn't it?" Dawn gasped, "Or is it....eew, is it something battery-operated that you bought after you dumped Angel...?" she asked, all kinds of explanations for Buffy's secrecy running through her mind.

"Dawn!" Buffy snapped, angry and frustatred at her sister and the disturbing way her mind worked, "It's nothing to do with drugs or sex or anything, and like I'd tell you about it if I had any of that stuff anyway!"

"So what is it?" the younger girl asked in a low voice. Buffy sighed.

"I can't find some pages from my sketch book" she admitted and Dawn couldn't help but giggle.

"You're this wound up over drawings?" she frowned, "What have you been drawing? Or shouldn't I ask?" she raised an eyebrow and Buffy gave her a disgusted look in return.

"How did a sister of mine end up with such a one-track mind?" she asked rhetorically, shaking her head, "The point is not what the sketches are of, which by the way is nothing like porn, it's the fact that I drew them in the first place. If the guys found out I was into art and stuff..."

"What is it with you and their opinion Buffy?" Dawn asked her, continuing before she had a chance to reply, "I mean, I know you like to be popular and you know I'd love to be the same, but you really think you wouldn't be if they find out you like to draw?"

"Do you know what Cordy and Faith say about Cassie Newton? And all the other girls who take Art class and write poetry and stuff. They think they're weirdos and freaks" she explained. Now it was Dawns turn to sigh, as she stood up to leave the room.

"You have to work out what you want Buffy" she said, sounding far too wise for her age, "You can't have everything"

Buffy laid back on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Maybe Dawn was right, although at fourteen years old, what did the girl really know about the world or anything at all? All Buffy was certain of was that she wasn't ready for her friends to dismiss her yet. She might have cut her ties with Angel in most ways, but the gang were still her friends and she belonged in their group. She wasn't prepared for that to change yet.

'There's only one thing I want to change' she thought to herself as she closed her eyes and daydreamed of the man in those drawings she really should look for again later. She smiled at the images that rolled lazily around in her head. He would change her life forever, and that kind of change she could handle, she only wished it would really happen, in somewhere other than her dreams.

- - - - - - -

William barely knew where to begin at the mall. It didn't help that he'd only been there twice before and both times had been with is mother. He'd followed her around several older women's clothes stores and then when she'd finally declared it to be his turn they had frequented only what mother described as 'sensible' clothes stores. He had not been permitted to choose items from the same stores as other young men of his own age but it really hadn't bothered him all that much before. Now it mattered, but he didn't know where to begin.

Two hours after arriving at the mall and William had not gone into one shop. He decided that either the other shoppers or the assistants were just too intimidating in each and every one and he knew if they asked him if he needed any help he just wouldn't know what to say. So here he sat in the food court, a cup of coffee and a half eaten sandwich on the table in front of him, wondering how, if he was so intimidated by sales assistants, he was ever going to get Buffy to take him seriously.

"William?" a voice said to his left and he turned in his seat to see a younger brunette version of the very girl he was thinking of.

"Dawn" he smiled, "How are you?"

"Fine" she nodded, sliding into the seat opposite him without invitation, "You?"

"Fine" he replied in kind before asking, "Are you here with you sister?" his eyes wandering all around the area to see if Buffy was there.

"Yeah, right" Dawn rolled her eyes sarcastically, "Like she's ever seen with me in public by choice"

"Oh, yes, of course" William nodded, feeling almost as bad for Dawn as he felt for himself. He watched her staring into his coffee and mentally hit himself, "I'm sorry, did you want anything to drink or eat?" he offered and she smiled as his politeness but declined the offer. It was only as he declared he was no longer hungry and pushed the plate away from him that he realised one of Buffy's drawings that he'd take with him was still on the table. It had been half covered by the plate before but now it was in full view of Buffy's sister.

"Hey, what's that?" she asked, before he had a chance to stuff it back in his pocket.

"It's nothing, just a drawing" he shrugged.

Dawn sighed.

"What is it with people and drawings today?" she asked the table as she drummed her fingers on it.

"Whatever do you mean?" he asked and she explained how Buffy was 'totally spazzing' over her lost art work.

"I mean, anyone would think it was this majorly big deal" she rolled her eyes, "Buffy seems to think her friends will freak if they find out she's all Art-Girl and stuff. She's weird that way"

William smiled, despite the fact the girl of his dreams was being insulted. Dawn was a riddle. She could be such an adult when the mood struck her, and other times she was just a childish little girl.

"So, you here for a reason?" she asked him when silence fell again.

"Er, well..." he stumbled on what he meant to say and Dawn interrupted.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me" she assured him, somewhat sadly, "It's not like it's any of my business. I just thought if you wanted someone to keep you company or whatever..." her voice trailed away and William felt so bad for her. She just wanted to be popular, wanted, needed for any reason. She didn't want to be Buffy's little sister, she just wanted to be Dawn Summers. She wanted as purpose in her life. Well, she was about to get one.

"Dawn, do you think you could help me with something?" he asked with a smile. The girl looked at him strangely before she answered;

"Sure, what d'ya need?" she asked.

"Well, first" he said in a half whisper leaning across the table toward her and encouraging her to do the same, "you have to promise me that you can keep a secret..."

Several hours later...

"I still can't believe my sister drew this" Dawn repeated for the fifth time as she sat outside the changing cubicle of a men's clothing store, staring at the piece of paper William had given her, "And I can't believe that you want to become this"

"Why is it so hard to believe?" said William's voice from behind the curtain as he changed into the twenty-seventh outfit he and Dawn had picked out.

"Well, no offence" she began, "but this is supposed to be like the coolest guy ever and you're kind of..."

"Not?" he guessed what she meant but was too nice to say, and he was right of course, but she didn't get a chance to tell him that...

"It's not your fault, you're just..." at this point in her sentence the curtain opened to reveal William looking nothing like the man who went into that cubicle at all.

"You're just..." Dawn repeated, completely in awe at the transformation, "...incredibly hot in that outfit" she finished, before suddenly realising what she'd said and clamping her hand over mouth. Both she and William were going bright red with embarrassment by now but she had to admit he did look good and he had to admit he liked the fact she thought so. He turned to look at himself in the full length mirror to his right and was somewhat shocked by the difference these clothes made. Sensible shoes were replaced with black Doc Marten boots, smart trousers by tight black jeans and smart shirt by tight black T-shirt with a red-shirt over the top, all topped off with Dawn's personal favourite item, the leather duster.

"You promise I don't look like an idiot" he looked nervously at Dawn who smiled back at him and shook her head.

"You really don't look like an idiot" she told him, "You look incredible"

"This stuff will cost a fortune" he realised with a sigh, "but Buffy's worth it"

"I guess" Dawn shrugged non-comitally, "but y'know none of this is going to do any good"

"But you said it could work" he protested, recalling what she'd said when he first imparted his plan to her.

"I said I could help you be Buffy's dream guy like this picture" she reminded him, waving the piece of paper in his face, "The clothes are only a part of that. The main thing is gonna cost a lot more cash and take a hell of a lot of work"

William winced as she held up the drawing and pointed at what she meant.

"You're right. I'm gonna have to start saving" he sighed, "Cos it's looks like I need a motorcycle"

To Be Continued...

A/N2 : Please let me know what you think by reviewing! :-)
For anyone that's interested I am also updating 'Our Little Secret' tonight.