Buffy managed to tell Willow what had happened before the class started, and Willow had inquired about it throughout the class by passing notes to Buffy. By the time class was over, Buffy didn't seem any less disheartened by what had happened. In fact, I think discussing it made her feel even worse.

"They seemed pretty friendly." Buffy said, after both Willow and I raised the question (again) of the mysterious lady possibly being a vampire.

"Who's friendly?" Xander piped up. He hadn't been seated close enough to us to hear about it. He'd been seated next to Cordelia. Bless him.

"No one." Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Angel and a girl." Willow answered. She said the word like she would if she were talking about a very gross-looking snake.

Buffy glared at the red-head fiercely.

"Willow, do we have to be in total share-mode?" she demanded. Willow blushed and I put my arm around her defensively. It was an impulse. Heavens but I really was becoming a nanny.

"Buffy, let her alone." I reprimanded.

Buffy rolled her eyes again and shrugged.

"Hey, it's me," Xander reminded her, "if Angel's doing something wrong I want to know."

'So you can be the knight in shining armor.' I thought wryly.

"Cause it gives me a happy." Xander grinned.

Or that.

Now it was Xander's turn to be glared at, and I gave him a warning nudge in his side that might have been a little harder than I'd intended, since he gave a little yelp and stepped away from me with a shocked look of indignation.

"Well I'm glad someone has a happy." Buffy moaned.

"Oh you just need cheering up," Xander said, rubbing where I'd nudged him, "and I know just the thing!"

He suddenly started doing…something. It involved a lot of arm-waving and strange contortions of his upper-body. So I assumed he was trying to dance.

"Crazy dance party at the Bronze!" he announced proudly.

Buffy looked about as enthusiastic about it as I did. Which is quite a feat, believe me.

"I don't know." She murmured, her face settling back into a mournful pout.

Xander calmed down his bizarre thrashing.

"Very calm dance party at the Bronze?" he tried instead.

She just looked at him.

"Moping at the Bronze." He frowned. He took a seat beside Willow while I crossed to sit on the arm of the sofa they were sitting on, putting myself closer to Willow. Not that I had anything against Xander, but…his dancing had attracted a little attention and I still have my small degree of pride.

I looked over Buffy's shoulder and saw a smiling young man approaching. He was handsome: dark hair, an admirable jawline, and he looked very, very pleased to see Buffy.

Most young men did, though, so I didn't really think to consider he wanted something until he walked up behind her.

"I'd suggest a box of Oreos dunked in apple-juice, but maybe she's over that phase?"

Buffy turned and even with her back to me I could read her body language: Her shoulders stiffened in surprise, then relaxed and her head tilted just a bit more upwards, getting a closer look at him. She recognized him.

"Ford?" she said, grinning around the name.

"Hey, Summers." He returned, wrapping her in a hug that she enthusiastically returned. "How you been?" he asked, rubbing her back in a very 'old friend' kind of way.

"What're you doing here?" Buffy asked, finally pulling away but still smiling up at him and gripping both of his hands.

"Uh, well, matriculating." He smiled.

"Huh?"

"Graduating." I supplied. He glanced at me with a smirk. He started to look back at Buffy but he looked me again, a strange look of…what? Recognition? I didn't know the lad. His scent wasn't familiar and I'd remember that face.

Had I met him as a child? No, I didn't associate with children. Perhaps he'd seen me in town?

Whatever it was, he frowned ever so slightly at me, then forced the smirk back into place and looked at Buffy.

Curious.

"I'm finishing up my senior year at Sunnydale." He told her. "Dad got transferred."

"This is great!" Buffy laughed.

Xander didn't look as though he thought it was.

"Glad you think so," Ford said, "Didn't think you'd remember me."

"Remember you," Buffy repeated, "Duh! We only went to school together for seven years." She grinned brightly at him. "You were my giant fifth grade crush."

"SO!" Xander all but bellowed, making me nearly fall off my perch.

"Xander!" I hissed, and point at my ear. Sensitive hearing. He blanched a little, but was obviously too distracted and annoyed by the new boy to really feel very bad about nearly deafening me. Young people. Honestly.

"You two know each other?" he continued. Subtle, Xander, subtle.

"Oh!" Buffy blushed, "I'm sorry, uh, this is Ford. Billy Fordham." She guided the boy closer to us, "This is Xander, Willow, and Margery."

"Hi." He said, grinning awkwardly at us. Again, he let his gaze linger on me just a fraction of a second too long for my liking. It wasn't so much that it bothered me, but…it was noticeable. To me, at least. And I wasn't sure how to take it.

Buffy set him down on the opposite sofa and finally let go of his hands.

"Ford and I went to elementary together in L.A." Buffy explained, she turned to him, "And now you're here. For real?" it was as if it was too exciting a prospect for her to believe. And I suppose I could understand that.

But the last time I had an 'old friend' show up…

Well…

Color me jaded but I'd been pretty much put off the reunion of past friends.

"Well, dad got the transfer, so, yeah, I'm here." Ford chuckled. He looked at me again.

Stop that

I frowned and looked away.

'What?'

Prying where he shouldn't. Stop it.

Well that wasn't ominous at all.

"So you two were sweeties in fifth grade?" Willow asked. She was enjoying this. Her eyes were sparkling. It was rather adorable, really.

"Not even." Buffy snorted. "Ford wouldn't give me the time of day."

Ford blushed.

"We-e-ll I was a manly sixth grader," he drawled, "couldn't bother with someone that young."

"He was terrible." Buffy moaned, "I moped over him for months. Sitting in my room listening to that Divinyls song 'I Touch Myself'."

I felt my jaw drop. And I also felt rather nauseated.

"Right." I said. She blinked at us, and turned scarlet.

"Of course I had no idea what it was about!" she clarified.

"Right." I repeated, still feeling horrified.

"Hey!" Buffy suddenly said, trying to get us off of that train of thought, thank God, "Are you busy tonight?" she asked Ford, "We're going to the Bronze, the local club, tonight and you have to come."

"I'd love to!" Ford said, and then looked at us, looked at me, again with that small frown, "But," he continued, "if you guys already had plans…would I be imposing?"

Xander shrugged in a rather exaggerated manner.

"Only in the literal sense," he said. He was going to get another nudge for that one.

"Okay then!" Ford said, "I gotta find the Admissions office, get my papers in order." He rose, and Buffy rose with him.

"Well, I'll take you there," she offered, "and I'll see you guys in French!" she grinned at us, grinned at Ford, then took his hand and led him away.

"Good to meet you." He waved at us, but he looked at me again.

STOP. IT. Little worm. Little pretender.

The Essence was really not liking that young man. And that worried me. Granted, it didn't like anyone. God knows how many times I've listened to it complain about Ms. Calendar, or Giles, or even Willow, but…it seemed to legitimately hate that boy.

Not a good sign.

"This is Ford!" Xander said in a falsetto, "My bestest friend of all my friends!"

Empty night. Here we go.

Petty weakling. Mewling, always mewling and whining and whimpering. Stupid.

I rolled my eyes at the Essence. Even with its angry streaks, lately it had been sounding more and more like a grumpy old man.

It was a change for the better, I suppose. But still very annoying.

"Geeze," Xander moaned, "doesn't she know any fat guys?"

Willow suddenly gasped and I looked at her in alarm.

"Oh!" she said, her face wrinkling in dismay and disgust, "That's what that song is about?!"

"That's it, I'm leaving." I announced, and got off the sofa.

"French class isn't starting yet." Willow said.

"No but the library is always open." I said. "And I've learned quite enough about Buffy for one day. I'll see you later. Or at the Bronze. Or both." I shook my head, trying to clear very much unwanted thoughts from it.

I turned to Willow and gently poked her forehead.

"Mind bleach." I told her. Emphasizing each word with another poke.

Then I hurried away.

Call me a prude if you want.

You'd be right.