Days turned into weeks and then to a month. Buffy and the others were no closer to finding the mysterious Italian slayer than they were when they got there. Dawn had looked all over her new school but saw nothing in any of the students there that might indicate a slayer.

Xander patrolled every night as did Buffy, and although they encountered many vampires, there wasn't a vampire slayer save for Buffy to be found. There were no articles in the newspaper that Methos could find that said anything about a girl, or freak bursts of strength. Buffy was getting frustrated.

She had put in several calls to Giles and the Council, but they had not been able to help much either. Willow and Kennedy were still in Brazil so she hadn't gotten a chance to talk to them yet, but she hoped they would have something for her when they got back because she was fast running out of options.

Dawn and Richie seemed to have fallen into a holding pattern, walking on eggshells around one another. Neither of them had brought up the date they were supposed to go on, although their friendship remained as strong as ever.

Richie wasn't sure why he had hesitated to remind Dawn of it when they first go there. He told himself it was because of the move. He would let her get settled in first, and not overwhelm her with too much. Let her get used to her new school and her new surroundings and then after a week or so, broach the subject.

But now every time he thought of doing so, he got cold feet. The longer he waited, the more ridiculous he felt about it. What would she think about it now if he brought it up? Would she think him a coward for waiting so long? Or had they ventured too far into 'friend' land for it to go back to the hopeful newness it had been only a short month ago? What if she had forgotten? Should he pretend he had forgotten as well? And if she hadn't forgotten, how would he finally explain what took him so long if she brought it up?

She had started to grasp the Italian language and every now and then somebody would call for her from school and Dawn would speak haltingly to them causing Richie to wonder if her new life was one that even included him. Soon she would have a group of friends that she saw everyday, that she shared inside jokes and experiences. He wondered if he would have any place in it. It was looking unlikely that if he didn't act soon that is exactly what would happen.

He hadn't realized it, but his hesitation had not gone unnoticed. Methos had been watching the dance they had been doing around one another with a kind of detached curiosity that an immortal such as himself had acquired over five thousand years of life. He didn't particularly care what happened either way, to him it was more like an odd 'real life' television show than anything else, and yet he still felt the need to say something.

Richie was getting ready to go pick her up from school when he did. He spoke with a mild indifference, but Richie knew he was more curious than he let on.

"Have you asked her out yet?" He smirked at the kid's surprise in regard to his bluntness. "Thought you two were doing the young lover thing. What happened?"

"Is it any of your business old man?" Richie knew his tone was harsh, but he wasn't used to discussing his problems with Methos. Duncan may be a know-it-all sometimes, but at least he was good at listening and fairly non judgmental. Methos on the other hand got his kicks out of humiliating Richie and his endeavors so he was less than inclined to open up to the older immortal.

"Hey I'm just trying to be helpful." Methos said, his face a picture of wide-eyed innocence that Richie didn't believe for a moment was genuine. "I mean, you were the one who asked for advice from a five thousand year old man. Maybe I've just been saving up for the right time."

"Yea, I'll believe that when I see it." Richie scoffed. "The only thing I've learned from you 'Adam' is that wisdom doesn't necessarily come with age."

"I'm hurt, truly truly hurt." He clutched his shirt and pretended to be mortally wounded at the kid's words. "It's up to you if you don't want to listen. I just think that you should ask her out before somebody else does."

"Yea, well thanks for the advice old man but I think I know what I'm doin'."

"Then why haven't you done it?" He blinked sweetly and Richie had the urge to punch him.

"I'm just waiting for the right time alright?"

"Fine, don't listen to me." He shrugged and headed off to the kitchen to grab a beer. After doing so, he turned back as Richie was about to head out the door. "Just so you know kid, there is no such thing as the right time. If you're not careful, you'll be stuck meeting her dates while she goes out and has a good time."

"Yea?" Richie turned and glared at Methos. "If you're so smart how come you and Buffy are still just friends? She turn you down?"

"At least I asked." Methos said mildly.

Richie scowled and left the house.

He debated it all the way to the school, trying desperately to ignore the nagging feeling that, annoying as he may be, Methos didn't usually lie. On the rare occasions that he did pop up with words of advice, they were usually delivered sarcastically, but no less truthfully in the process. He hated to admit it, but it might just be that there would never be a good time to bring it up, while retaining his sense of dignity. He had come all this way. It would be incredibly foolish of him to let it go past him.

He was still weighing the pros and cons of it in his head when she got into the car. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts he barely even heard what she was saying to him until she waved her hand in front of his face trying to get his attention.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was telling you about my new lab partner in science." She replied, sounding more amused than irritated with him. "He's American too."

Warning bells went off in Richie's head as she spoke, reminding him of Methos' words. At this rate, he wouldn't have to wait till she was fluent in Italian before he had to worry about other guys asking her out. He tried to sound casual as he answered her.

"Oh yea? Why's he in Rome?"

"Dunno," Dawn replied with a shrug. She glanced at him curiously, wondering why he was acting so oddly. "I didn't really get much of a chance to talk to him. He came in at the end of class. He's been assigned to me in almost every class I have. I think it's because of the progress I'm making in learning the language. He's really far behind."

"So you'll be tutoring him?" He tried to keep the knot in his stomach from turning over any further. It was ridiculous to be so jealous and yet he couldn't help it. He didn't want Dawn spending any time with this guy. He couldn't explain it.

"I guess," she replied. "If he stays that is. I get the impression he's not the most scholarly you know?"

"Yea," Richie murmured more to himself than anybody else. "I know the type." He thought briefly of what he had been like at that age. He'd been on the streets for the most part, stealing and ripping off whoever he could. He had gone from foster home to foster home after the death of his adopted mother, but none of them had ever felt like a family. After all he had gone through, school had never really seemed very important by contrast. He had always known he would never be a millionaire, and that the most prominent of jobs he would ever hold would be that of a cashier at McDonald's, so what was the point? His teachers became very frustrated with his attitude, always insisting that he was a smart kid, but lazy. Until he met Duncan MacLeod, he had never really believed that, thinking those sayings were something teachers threw out to every student in order to get them to do their homework.

He knew differently now. MacLeod had showed him that. He had showed him that he was worth teaching and that he could be something, regardless of his level of education or background. He was grateful in many ways to Mac for that chance. Although he still didn't technically have a high school diploma, he knew that he was just as smart, if not more so than his peers and that if he wanted to, he could do whatever he wanted. Being a motorcycle racer was just one of the many dreams he had chased and achieved, however briefly. It taught him that nothing was beyond his grasp and that he had all the time in the world (providing nobody took his head) to do as many other things as he wanted to.

He liked who he was now, liked the knowledge and maturity he possessed. He knew he still looked nineteen, but he no longer felt it. He wondered if this kid that was in Dawn's class was anything like him, smart-alecky, cocky, and scared. He suddenly realized that he didn't much like the kid he had once been and he didn't want Dawn to like him either. That's why he was so jealous.

Dawn was still talking, completely oblivious to the direction his thoughts had taken.

"So I think I'll invite him over one of these nights and try to catch him up on some of the work we're doing. Maybe tomorrow or the day after or something."

"You can't invite him over!" Richie blurted out.

"Why not?" Dawn eyed him curiously and Richie found himself blushing without meaning to. God, why did he always feel like such a child around her?

"Because you're sister is kind of on a mission, right? What if he saw something?" It seemed reasonable, but he kicked himself nonetheless for not telling her what was really on his mind.

"Well no, not when there's something apocalypt-y to be done, but lately there hasn't been anything you know? Until we find this slayer there won't be, so I figured…"

"Weweregonnagooutremember?" He spoke the words in a rush, so fast he wasn't sure she caught them all. Taking a deep breath, he looked at her directly and smiled softly. "On a date?"

Dawn felt her heart melt at the look on his face. They hadn't even started driving yet. The car had been sitting there for the last ten minutes obviously because he had been trying to broach the subject of their date and had been nervous about doing so. She had wondered over the course of the past few weeks if he had indeed forgotten, or if he had just been waiting for the right time to ask. It had never occurred to her that he would be nervous about it. She thought it was adorable.

"I thought…I mean, you didn't seem like you remembered." She shrugged and felt herself blush as well. "You never said anything…"

"Yea, well here's a little dating lesson for you…guys are idiots." He grinned in a way that was totally Richie and smiled. "And I'm their King OK? So what do you say? Tomorrow?"

"Where do you want to go?" She asked, slightly breathless now. His eyes were intent on hers. She didn't think she could break his gaze, even if she wanted to.

"I have no idea." He replied happily. "Just as long as it's me and you OK?"

"OK," she replied. Without thinking, she leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek. "Now let's get him before Buffy thinks I was eaten by vampires."

Richie nodded, unable to keep from grinning like a moron and started the car.