Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon.

Author's Note: I know that Lindsey's time at Wolfram and Hart may seem a little off, but we're never told what his age is so I took the liberty of making him a little younger than he might be so that the age difference between he and Buffy isn't so drastic.

More Than I Deserve: Chapter Two

The first time they met they were both at the beach.

Lindsey had gone straight from work. He'd had a long day and coming to the beach always helped him clear his head. He had been with Wolfram and Hart for five years and he was well accustomed to their clients and the work they did, but sometimes the cases he was given really got to him and had him second guessing the choices he had made.

He hadn't been walking long when he spotted a blonde woman a little ways up the beach. She was standing close enough to the water that the waves lapped at her feet and her arms were wrapped around her middle, almost as though she were holding herself together. Everything about her radiated sadness and Lindsey found himself drawn to her.

Before he could talk himself out of it he made his way over to her and tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to look up at him, her green eyes wide with an emotion he couldn't identify. It was more than just sadness and in Lindsey's opinion she looked far too young to have experienced whatever put that look in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

Surprise overtook every other emotion Buffy was feeling at the moment. In the two weeks that she'd been in Los Angeles no one had taken the time to ask if she was okay. That was why she had left Sunnydale in the first place, so that she could finally be alone but at the same time, she missed having someone care about her. And this guy, this stranger that she had known for all of thirty seconds, was showing actual concern for her. "Not so much. It's been a really long, weird year and I think it's finally catching up with me."

"I know we just met, but if you want to talk about it then I'm willing to listen."

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm not ready to share yet."

"I understand. So, what do you say we start over? I'm Lindsey McDonald."

Somehow, Buffy managed to smile. The light, easy conversation between them was exactly what she needed right now. "Anne Spencer."

"Nice to meet you, Anne. What brings you to LA?"

Tears brimmed in her green eyes and she bit her lip to keep them from spilling over. It wasn't the first impression she wanted to make, but when she'd told him that the events of the last few months were finally starting to take their toll she hadn't been lying. "I'm sorry. I don't usually do this."

"It's okay. I won't make any judgments."

"Thank you."

"No problem. What do you say we get out of here and go get some coffee or something?"

And he made her smile again even though her eyes still glistened with unshed tears. "I'd like that."