Chapter 9 Time is of the Essence. They dance, they kiss, they go home.

William picks up Cordelia and knocks at her door. The door opens and William sees Cordelia in a beautiful dress. He is speechless and stares at her with his mouth partially open.

"Hi William," says Cordelia. "Bye mom, dad." Cordelia steps outside and looks at William. "What?"

"You look lovely," says William with a smile. Cordelia blushes and moves in closer to him.

"I like your bow tie," says Cordelia as she adjusts it. She then walks down the steps and toward his car. William blushes and quickly runs over to his car to open the door for Cordelia. "Thank you." Cordelia gets into the car.

Meanwhile at Giles' Xander and Giles are waiting for Buffy to come downstairs.

"I'm ready," says Buffy as she comes down.

"It's about bloody time," mumbles Giles to Xander. Xander laughs and looks at Buffy in a very elegant dress.

"You like," ask Buffy twirling around.

"I like," says Xander with enthusiasm. Giles hits Xander on the back of the head. "What? She asked." Buffy laughs and heads to the door.

Cordelia and William arrive at the dance. William had given her a corsage and Cordelia kept admiring it.

"Oh, I need to stop in the little girl's room," says Cordelia. "You could go inside and wait for me."

"That's alright I'll wait," says William.

"You're so sweet," says Cordelia. "I'll be just a minute."

William starts to look around the hallway and begins to whistle. Then from behind him two big men take him away.

"Thought you could go to the dance with my Cordelia," says Angel walking up to him as Riley and Parker hold him. "You're in way over your head Willy. She'll only go out with real guys like me." The guys pull him out to the parking lot.

A couple minutes later Giles, Xander and Buffy arrive. They entered the dance room and they are all looking for someone. Giles is waiting for Jenny, his date, Xander for Cordelia and Buffy for William.

Giles finds Jenny as she enters the dance in a blue dress. He quickly goes over to her to say hello.

"You look beautiful," says Giles. Jenny blushes.

"Thank you," says Jenny. "I've never been to one these before. Have you?"

"Really," says Giles. "Neither have I."

"I'd rather read a book," says Jenny. Giles smiles at her.

"What book would you read?"

"Oh anything about science," says Jenny. "Even science fiction."

"Hi," says Cordelia walking over to Xander.

"Cordelia where's William?"

"I don't know," says Cordelia. "He said he'd wait for me when I was in the little girls room, but when I got out he was gone."

"That's strange," says Buffy. "I'll go look for him." Buffy walks out of the dance leaving Xander alone with his "mother".

"So, since William isn't here and neither is Buffy," says Cordelia turning to Xander. "Shall we dance?" Xander's eyes grew big and his eyebrows shot up.

"Um..."

"I'll take that as a yes," says Cordelia pulling him into the dance floor.

Outside Buffy looks around to see if William is out there. She then hears from the distance some guys and someone yelping in pain. Buffy follows the sound and hurries over to the fight.

"William," says Buffy running over to him who is on the ground bleeding. Riley and parker let William go and go grab Buffy. "Let me go." She struggles but they are too string for her.

"No! Leave her out of this," says William getting up with blood dripping from his lip.

"Willy you don't tell me what to do," says Angel as he walks over to Buffy and garbs her face.

"Right."

"You touch her and I'll..."

"You what William," says Angel turning to William. "Get your face pummeled into the pavement. Yeah William that could happen."

Back inside Giles sees Xander dancing with Cordelia. He goes over to them.

"What are you doing?" ask Giles.

"Dancing," replies Xander.
"Where's Buffy and your fath...I mean William?"

"Don't know."

"We better find them." They head to the exit. Cordelia follows them.

"I'm warning you Angel," says William wiping the blood from his nose. "You touch her and I'll..." Angel goes over to Buffy and pulls her by the hair. Buffy yells and that drew attention. Giles and Xander heard it and follow the sound.

William with a sinister look in his face walks over to Angel and without warning punches him in the face making him stumble to the ground. Parker and Riley see that and get scared of William whose facial features express anger toward them. They quickly run off letting Buffy go.

Giles, Xander, and Cordelia saw it all from a distance. Cordelia comes rushing to William.

"Oh William are you okay?" she ask him. She touches his face slightly so not to hurt him. Cordelia pulls out some tissue paper and starts to clean his wounds.

"I'm okay luv," says William. "I can't say the same for him." William looks at Angel who has a bloody nose.

"I can't believe you stood up to him," says Cordelia. Angel gets up.

"I suggest you run," says William. Buffy stands beside William and Giles and Xander behind him.

"Real fast," says Xander. Angel didn't think twice and follows the path of his fellow companions.

"How about that dance?" ask William looking at Cordelia. She smiles at him and takes his hand. They all walk back to the dance.

William takes Cordelia into the dance floor and they dance. Cordelia puts her head on his shoulder.

"I'm so proud of him," says Buffy.

"Me too," says Xander. "Wanna dance?" Buffy and Xander walk onto the dance floor.

When the song ends Cordelia looks deep into William's blue eyes and kiss. Buffy smiles and puts her head on Xander's side shoulder.

"It's like a watching a movie," says Buffy.

"I think we better get going," says Xander. "Where's Giles?" They look around and find him on the dance floor kissing Jenny.

"He's fast," says Buffy. "Maybe we can wait for him outside."

"Yep," says Xander as the two go outside.