Chapter 2

The second year started quietly enough. Xander still seemed in a state of shock that he'd managed to pass all his exams at the end of the previous year and had thrown himself into his studies this year with renewed vigour and enthusiasm, though Buffy still had a hard time understanding how he could find engineering interesting. Both she and Willow had learned that this was a question best not asked or Xander would try and explain the answer to them which generally meant trying to look vaguely interested whilst he babbled on for a few hours about structural design.

Oz had sailed his way into his final year with about as much effort as he'd put into the rest of his course. He'd become one of the group early on in the previous year when Willow and he had dated for a while. A very short while - their 'relationship' had never really got off the ground, as Willow had found Tara and Oz had found The Band.

Everyone had decided that, whilst 'Dingoes Ate My Baby' was a great name for a band, it was simply too long to have to refer to and so very quickly Oz's new obsession had been shortened to simply 'The Band' which suited everyone. Luckily, Oz was too involved with this to mind too much when Willow broke it to him that she preferred the company of Tara and in return Willow was relieved that Oz had been about to tell her that he didn't have time for a girlfriend because of the intensive rehearsal schedule the Band had come up with. So everything sorted itself out and Willow and Oz decided that friends was good and had stayed that way ever since.

As for Buffy and Willow, after meeting that day at the airport they had arrived at University of Manchester Halls of Residence to find out that no only were they to be sharing a kitchen but that their rooms were next to each other. The two had clung to each other for support during the first few days of term and quickly developed into a close friendship confiding in each other about the ups and downs of their respective relationships and generally becoming inseparable by the end of the first term. After Christmas, however, they started to spend less and less time together as Buffy's relationship with Riley developed and Willow started to spend more time with Tara. Hopefully, the living arrangements this year would mean that that situation did not reoccur – everyone was living off campus this year – Riley in the flat upstairs and Tara in a flat based in a similar house next door.

Buffy's arm shot out and grabbed the offending alarm clock as it rang the next morning to signal the start of term. Not fully conscious she picked it up and threw it towards the opposite wall. As the heavy radio alarm clock reached the end of its short wire and landed on her head she was reminded that she had left her old freestanding alarm clock in California and made a mental note never to try that one again.

She got out of bed rubbing her head and made her way to the bathroom for her morning shower, praying that none of the others had got there first. Her prayers were answered and she quickly showered and dressed before leaving to make her way to the campus to register.

----------------------------------

"Okay, I've finally found the downside of living off campus!" Buffy fumed to Andrew, the first person off her course she saw when she made it into the English building. "Do you know how long I had to wait for a bus this morning?"

"Didn't you have to bus it in everyday living in halls last year?" Andrew looked at her, puzzled, as most of the halls at the university were at least a mile or two from the city centre campus.

"Yeah but from Fallowfield and there are sooo many more buses from there! Today I just missed the 8:12, then the 8:30 didn't turn up and so now I have to forego my morning coffee just so I can stand in line for hours to register! What a way to start a new year – this is not a good sign!"

"Well, I don't mind standing at the bus stop. Unless it's raining of course then the water runs down my neck. But on a day like today when the sun is shining and the birds are singing and you can look out over fields of grass gently waving in the wind," he sighed as he stared off into space.

"Andrew? Where exactly are you living this year?"

"Rusholme."

"Oh. The same Rusholme that's about 15 miles from the nearest open space that's not been aggressively hacked by a lawn mower?"

"Er, yeah."

"Andrew?"

"Yeah?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, you know..."

"No. I don't"

"Hi guys," a shy voice said from behind them. Buffy whirled round and smiled gratefully as she saw the girl who had just arrived.

"Tara, hi! Great to see you! Lets go over here and talk about, er, girl things!" She dragged the slightly confused Tara away from Andrew. "Thank God! What was I thinking! I think the summer break must have fried my brain – I'd forgotten how weird that guy could be! Anyway – how are you? Did you have a good summer?"

"It wasn't too bad. Pretty boring really – spent the whole summer back in Cornwall with my family. Missed you all."

"Well, we have to catch up as quickly as possible. I know – Oz has band rehearsal tonight – now there's a big surprise, huh – and Xander's out somewhere so how's about we have a girly night? Oh, unless you'd prefer to spend it alone with Willow?"

"No – girl's night sounds just fine to me."

"Great, I'll get the word to Anya and Cordy. About 8-ish?"

"Okay. Look – I'll see you then. I have to run or I'll miss my registration spot."

-----------------------------------

That night found the girls lying on the floor in the flat stuffing themselves full of pizza and in stitches over Anya's tales of her summer when she'd gone backpacking round Sweden and met this guy called Olaf. From her description of him they'd made a very unlikely couple and Anya had had to agree.

"He was so possessive," she complained, taking another bite of her pizza, "and he insisted on calling me Aud! I have no idea why – Anya is a perfectly normal reasonable name! But he was quite sweet at times. Oh, did I tell you about the time when he and I..." Her tale was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"I'll go," Willow sighed, dragging herself up from the sofa where she had been curled in Tara's arms.

Willow re-entered the room some minutes later, closely followed by Riley.

"Hi Buffy. I thought that we could spend our first night back together since, well, we haven't seen each other all summer." Riley looked hopeful.

Buffy looked round the room at her friends and at Riley, "we had lunch together today and then you said that you were fine with me having a night with the girls. You said you had other things to do."

"Yeah but that fell through and I thought that I could come round."

Buffy looked round the now silent room wondering what to do, "Well... this is meant to be a girl's night."

"But she's here," Riley said pointing at Tara.

"And she would be a girl."

"Yes, but also going out with Willow. So I can qualify under the going out with Buffy category"

"Erm." Buffy looked round the room again wondering what the hell to do now. She wanted to spend time with Riley but she was enjoying the evening with her friends as well.

"I don't mind if Riley's here," Tara spoke up nervously trying to break the awkward silence in the room.

"That's settled then!" Riley threw himself onto the floor behind Buffy, put his arms round her and scooted her back into him. Buffy cuddled up to her boyfriend and handed him some pizza.

"So, Anya, what about this guy in Sweden?" Cordy tried to steer the conversation back on track.

"Oh – you go to Sweden this summer?" Riley interrupted before Anya could resume her tale, "I went to Italy – it was just great! Travelled round a lot. Went to Rome and did the whole Vatican City stuff and then went up to Naples and Venice." He turned to Buffy, "Have to take you there some time Buffy – city of love and all that."

"That would be great!"

"I have some great pictures. How about we go back to my room and I'll show them to you?"

"What, now?"

"No time like the present!"

"But what about my night with my friends?"

"Oh, I'm sure they won't mind – eh, girls? You can see your friends anytime. Come on." With that he pulled her up off the floor and off to his flat.

"Riley – how could you do that?" Buffy fumed as they reached his bedroom.

"What do you mean?"

"I was having a really good time down there and you just waltz in and drag me off!"

"Buff, I haven't seen you for months! I just wanted to spend some time alone with my girlfriend. I thought you'd be happy!"

"Riley, of course I want to spend time with you but you knew that I had this planned – I ran it by you and everything! You said you had other things to do!"

"I did but then I realised how much I wanted to see you so I cancelled them. I thought you'd feel the same way. I missed you." He sat down on the bed

Buffy sighed as he looked up at her and relented, "missed you too."

"Come here."