Sunnydale Middle School, Unknown Earth, 1700 hours.
It was a day of marking his student's homeworks and then updating the rolls that Barry finally got off his seat in the teachers room. He logged off the computer, picked up his bag, and the left into the hallway with various doors along the walls leading to classrooms. Barry walked through the silent hallways given that a majority of the students had already returned home. There were a few students still in the school judging from the stifled laughter and talking in the distance from one of the Homeroom classes. Barry peeked in through the square glass pane on the door and saw a class of five students who were placed into detention, and chuckled as he walked off. He shifted the strap that lay on his shoulder as he continued walking while wondering what if he should bring anything for his 'date' with Buffy.
'Maybe a flower?' thought Barry to himself as he walked onwards through the hallway. He then sighed and shook his head while continuing to think to himself, 'maybe not a flower. A flower says that I want to have something romantic and... and do I want something romantic? Or do I just want to take it slow and see where it goes? Is Buffy expecting something more or...? No, we agreed to just talk and get our baggage into the open.'
Sighing once again, Barry continued to walk towards the exit. And once he did, Barry look around and seeing a nearly empty parking lot, he walked towards his bicycle. The young man still needed the bicycle as a cover or else he would be continuously asked questions from his curious colleagues about how he was able to make it to the school on foot. He also couldn't tell them hat he was getting a ride from Joyce, even though she offered, since it would appear he was being favouring Dawn. Plus, it would look inappropriate.
Once Barry unlocked the bicycle, he rode it to a secluded area before speeding off to his apartment.
Buffy's Room, Stevenson Hall, U.C. Sunnydale, thirty minutes earlier.
Buffy was in her dorm room standing in front of her closet mirror while a pile of clothes lay on her bed. Behind her, Willow and Tara were sitting on the formers bed while giving a thumbs up or thumb down at the clothes that the blonde Slayer was trying on in front of them.
"I thought you said this was just coffee?" asked Willow with a smirk on her face as she remembered Buffy telling her and Tara last night, after returning to their room in Stevenson Hall, that she was going out for coffee with Barry. Buffy frowned when Willow and Tara high fived each other before saying that they were glad she was finally going out on a date; especially after the whole situation with Riley.
"It's not a date," Buffy had said last night. However, what Tara and Willow were staring at now with smirks on their faces showed something wildly different. Buffy had already tried multiple combinations of clothes with a look of worry on her face as she changed her clothes after wearing one combination after another.
"I thought you said it's not a date," chuckled Willow as she sat cross legged on the bed while Tara hopped off and then rummaged through Buffy's clothes. In the meantime, Buffy whined while looking at Willow's reflection on the mirror, and then at the reflection of the purple blouse and cream coloured slacks she was wearing Buffy spun around and asked her friends what they thought. However, the stares that she got from the two young women were enough to take off her blouse and slacks leaving her in her underwear while she stood with her hands in her hips in frustration.
"You could wear just that," said Willow while she was motioning towards Buffy's half naked form. Tara covered her mouth and stifled a laugh while Buffy's mouth was hanging open. Willow fell on her side giggling while Tara playfully mocked Buffy by saying that Barry probably wouldn't mind.
"Tara!" cried Buffy as she sat on her bed and lay down on her clothes while Tara was giggling at the redness on Buffy's face. The Slayer then turned her head towards Tara who was struggling to stifle her laughter while she continued rummaging the clothes on the bed.
"Maybe I should cancel," whispered Buffy as she sat up and frowned. The two witches suddenly stopped laughing, with Willow rushing to sit next to Buffy and then placing an arm around her shoulders. She leaned sideways and whispered that she needed to slowly move on from Riley.
"And if you think about it," said Tara as the two young women looked at her while she walked to Buffy's closet and opened the door to look through the remaining clothes. Tara was pushing aside one dress after another while saying, "I think... and Willow agrees with me, that you and Barry are the perfect match."
Buffy then arched an eye-brow at her suddenly nervous red-headed best friend who squeaked, "we were discussing it."
"And what was your discussion, pray-yell?" asked Buffy narrowing her eyebrows.
"Well," said Willow as Tara picked out a dress, looked at it, and then put it back into the closet, "if you think about it, the both of you have powers. The both of you are super-heroes, the both of you have you own responsibilities so... so let's say that you have to go fight vamps and demons out of the blue, then you'd understand."
"And if he has to go fight crime.. let's say its something big, then you'd understand," added Tara as she grabbed four hangers, and placed them next to Buffy.
"But then," said Buffy as she looked at Willow, and then at Tara, and back at Willow, "let's say.. and this is all hypothetical, lets say that we star dating. He's still hung up on Iris, and.."
"YOU still have feelings for Angel," said Willow as she realized that maybe Buffy was trying to find an excuse to get out of coffee with Barry. There was no way that she and Tara were going to let the ensouled vampire be a distraction. The both of them, Xander, Joyce, and Dawn wanted Buffy to be happy in her normal, non-Slayer, life... and they felt that Angel was an easy fall back who she had no future with, "and don't get us wrong, Buffy. All of us like him, but are you really going to be happy just waiting for Angel?"
"You opened yourself to Riley," said Tara as she sat next to Buffy, "and yes he hid secrets from you, but you already know Barry's major secret. That he's the Flash."
"You know he's from another Earth," smiled Willow, "and I think that's a bigger deal than him being a superhero."
"And you know those big secrets, Buffy," Tara said rubbing her back before nodding at the clothes behind her, "now, come on, put on the stuff I got out for you."
It would be several minutes later that Buffy walked down the stairs to the sidewalk in front of Stevenson Hall. Tara picked out a pair of jeans while Willow selected a buttoned up sleeveless shirt, both of which were not flammable, before sending Buffy on her way. Buffy was literally pushed out of the dorm room, with Tara and Willow reassuring her that they would take care of putting away the clothes. Willow then said that they wanted Buffy to enjoy herself, and added that she needed to take her time to get to know Barry, and then closed the door. Buffy chuckled as she heard Willow and Tara moving about before she walked down the stairs, and now found herself outside her dorm.
Sighing, Buffy turned around and started walking towards the end of the sidewalk where she would take a left and head for a nearby bus stop. She was walking with her hands in her pockets when she saw a bus heading her way. Buffy ran as fast as humanly possible, being a mystically powered warrior that is, and headed for the bus that would take her downtown to main street. Once she got on the bus, and then sat down, Buffy leaned back on her seat and told herself to take it slow.
'What if he brings flowers for me?' thought Buffy to herself as she looked out the window, 'what does that mean? Does that mean that he wants to go out some more after today, or… you know, I wish I had a phone to call mom and Dawn for advice and… oh! I do have a phone.'
Buffy took out the phone that Barry had given her, and was about to dial her home number when she suddenly stopped, winced, and then placed the phone back into her pocket while thinking to herself, 'stop acting like a twelve-year-old girl. You've dated before, so just stay calm and see what happens. Take it easy, Buffy. Just take it easy.'
"Why do I wish I had a demon to fight?" Buffy whispered as the bus continued on its way while she looked out the window.
The Espresso Pump, 1720 hours.
Barry was already waiting outside the coffee place where he had once worked waiting for Buffy. The young man was still wondering what this was, "a date? Not a date date? Or just not a date?"
He was whispering to himself as he paced near the stairs that led up to the main floor where there were various tables and chairs that were empty. But Barry knew it wouldn't be empty for long since the after-work crowd was going to be swamping the place in under thirty minutes. Barry sighed while running his hand through his hair, and then he straightened out the hair he had already messed up before mentally kicking himself.
'What are you so worried about, Barry?' he asked himself while looking down the road, "its been more than a year. Come on, Cisco found you while you were in the Speed Force…. So if he can't find you now when a year has gone past? Then dude? It's probably time to continue with your life.'
Barry sighed. He knew that his mental self was right, that it was best to continue on with his life. Oddly enough, it was the same argument he had been having even before Buffy asked him out for coffee.
"Or was it me who asked Buffy for coffee?" he whispered as he tried to remember while his hands started to get clammy.
'Oh come on!' Barry mentally screamed before wiping his hands and then looking down the street for the bus that Buffy said she'd be on, 'you offered to run Buffy over. But she said that she'd rather have taken the bus, that she was afraid her clothes would burn off. So… lets place this is context; Buffy didn't want you to pick her up. Basically, it's not a date.'
"Alright," said Barry smiling while rubbing his hands together, "so it's not a date. I'm not obliged to bring flowers to a non-date date. Maybe I pay for coffee or… oh come on, Allen. You dated Linda and Pattie. Buffy's just another girl and… except she's not JUST another girl. What if she expects flowers? Ok.. ok.. ummm.. I'll call Xander and…'
Barry rolled his eyes upwards when he realized that Xander would not only tell Buffy that he didn't think flowers were appropriate, but that he's also make fun of him, 'and I'll get that from Cisco too if I asked him that same question. But then again, he was a great navigator for me during my date with Pattie when I was blind and…'
Barry's mind went silent when he saw the bus approaching the bus stand on the other side of the street a block down from where he was standing. But even from this distance, he could make out Buffy getting up from her seat and walking towards the exit door. He saw her blonde hair cascading down to her shoulders and her sleeveless shirt. She gave him a small wave, which he returned, before he started going down the two stairs out of the bus.
It was during that second when Buffy took a step down that Barry made a decision. He sped off to the closest florist, picked out a flower, dropped a few dollars, and then ran off behind the buss and to the side of the exit. All done within the two seconds it took for Buffy to exit the bus.
"Hey," smiled Buffy as the bus drove off. The air it kicked up from is wake making her hair move slightly, "I thought you were… I mean… it's good to see you, Barry."
"Good to see you too," Barry replied before giving the Slayer the rose he was hiding behind his back. Buffy was slightly surprised, but a smile nevertheless appeared in her lips before she took the flower, smelled it's scent, and then gave the young man a wider smile. Buffy's mind was racing as she looked at Barry, and wondered if he wanted this 'date' to be a real date because of the flower he had given her. She looked at the flower, and then back at Barry before wondering if she should actually take a chance again.
"Thanks for the rose," Buffy said as she took a step forward while deciding to come clean, "I have to admit that I didn't know if this was going to be a.. you know… date-date. I mean…"
"I didn't know either, to tell you the truth," admitted Barry as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. The both of them stared at each other before chuckling at the ridiculousness of it all. The both of them were adults, and had the right to see where this drink of coffee would take them. Barry told her that he wasn't sure how she'd take the flower, and admitted that he got the flower a few seconds ago when he saw her in the bus.
"How about we talk… just talk, over coffee," said Buffy. Barry smiled and held out his hand. Buffy grabbed it and then the both of them headed to the Espresso Pump where they spent the next four hours drinking coffee and having some cakes. They talked about everything there was to talk about, with Buffy talking about Angel; including who he really was and the relationship the both of them had. Barry was stunned to learn that she had fallen in love with a vampire who lost his soul the first time they were intimate.
"And no puns about me bringing out the beast in men," said Buffy as she narrowed her eyes at Barry who leaned back on his seat with his hands up and chuckling.
"I wouldn't dare, not if I want to keep on living," grinned Barry as Buffy laughed while shaking her head. She then continued to her life after Angel, to College, to Parker – who Barry offered to send to Greenland, and finally to her relationship with Riley and the problems with the Key. Then it was Barry's turn to talk about everything that happened with his life from the death of his mother, to living with Joe, to his crush on Iris, to the day that he met Oliver, to getting hit by the lightning. He spoke about the Reverse-flash and Zoom, and then told Buffy that the rest was history as the Slayer listened intently to a condensed version of important parts of Barry's past. Buffy took one last sip before leaning back and stared at the table for a little bit.
"Our lives are kinda interesting, huh?" said Buffy as she looked up at Barry who nodded his head.
"Yeah," he replied while the cup of coffee he had been drinking was being held on between his hands. He then looked around and noticed the time before turning to Buffy who was looking at the clock over the counter. Barry leaned forward and decided to take a risk; a very big risk since there was a voice in the back of his mind saying that Cisco could find him tomorrow. Barry took in a deep breath before saying, "you know, it's getting late and… well, I don't know if you have any plans but do you want to have some dinner?"
Buffy turned her head back at Barry, her mouth hanging slightly open while she tried to make sure of what he just asked her. It was something that she thought she was mentally prepared for, but discovered that there was a part of her that wasn't prepared. Buffy leaned forward and was about to say that maybe it would be better to take it even slower, but what escaped her lips was the exact opposite.
"Sure," smiled Buffy while she mentally kicked herself before asking if she was doing the right thing. The both of them then got up off their chairs and, arm in arm, headed towards the stairs out of the Espresso Pump. They walked down the stairs and onto the sidewalk before the both of them walked to a nearby restaurant.
It would be another two hours later, where each one of them found out in their own way that they really did fit with each other, when Barry walked Buffy up the stairs to the front lobby of Stevenson Hall. They entered the nearly empty lobby, which had only three people talking on the set of couches in the middle near the mailboxes, and the walked up the stairs to Buffy's floor. They walked arm in arm until reaching Buffy's door where they stopped, and Buffy turned to look him in his eyes.
"It was a good night," said Buffy who was unconsciously still holding onto Barry's hand.
"Yea," replied Barry when a smile suddenly appeared, leading Buffy to smile as well before asking what he was thinking about.. Barry said that he was wondering if dinner counted as a second date.
"But was the coffee a date-date?" asked Buffy.
"I thought it wasn't at first," said Barry, "then I saw you in the bus and thought it should be, and thus the flower."
"Then I accept this dinner as a second date," whispered Buffy as she stepped forward when the young woman suddenly flinched upon hearing soft footsteps on the other side of the room. Specifically, two sets of footsteps. Buffy mentally chuckled while imagining Willow and Tara pressing their ears against the wooden door trying to listen in to what the two of them were saying, "you know, I think Willow and Tara are listening in."
Barry chuckled as he glanced at the door and then back at Buffy. It was then he noticed that the both of them were holding each others hands, and then he looked up into her brown eyes. His eyes went down to her lips while he leaned forward.
"Coffee, Tomorrow?" asked Buffy as she looked up and tilted her head as Barry got closer, their lips nearly touching, "or lunch at the middle school once I'm done with my class at twelve?"
"It's a date," whispered Barry before Buffy got up on her toes, wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, and kissed him. The kiss lasted for a few seconds as Barry returned the kiss and ran his hand through her hair before they parted/ realizing what just happened as they gave in to the situation, Barry and Buffy stared at each other with Barry tasting Buffy's lip gloss on his own lips. He then shook his head and pushed all doubt aside before confirming their date for tomorrow. It was something that made Buffy smile as he let go of her hands before saying that he was going to be patrolling for a little bit.
"Me too," nodded Buffy.
"Call me if.. if you need any help," said Barry who stepped back and was about to turn when Buffy said that his phone was always with her. Barry nodded his head and turned when he suddenly stopped moving. Turning around again to face Buffy again, he took a few steps forward and kissed her again. Buffy returned the kiss as her heart raced. Buffy broke the kiss and looked into Barry's eyes as he said that they'll be meeting tomorrow.
"Goodnight, Barry," said Buffy.
"Goodnight, Buffy," Barry replied before knocking on the door and saying, "goodnight Willow, Tara."
"Night, Barry," the two girls shouted from behind the door before breaking out in giggles. Barry turned to Buffy again, smiled, and then dashed off at super-speed. Sighing, Buffy opened her door and stared at an innocent looking Willow and Tara who asked how their date went.
"It was good," said Buffy as she showed them the rose Barry got her earlier that day, "I'll tell you guys everything during our patrol."
And she did. While Buffy was wiping out a nest of vampires with Xander, Anya, Willow, and Tara by her side… she told them about their date. Once she dusted the last vampire that made the crypt their home, Buffy said that they were going on another date the next day. As they were heading back to the Summers home for some after-slaying merriment, Barry was in Los Angeles stopping a robbery and various other crimes. He even stopped a demon that was attacking a few humans before he left the scene. What he didn't see was a man in a black overcoat who had been tracking the demon for the past few hours. It was responsible for the deaths of twelve people, and was about to add two more when the yellow lightning encircled him before firing a bolt into the demon.
"Get out of here," said the man as the potential victims ran past him while he took out an axe. He approached the unconscious demon and looked down at it while raising the axe over his head, and then bringing it down hard. He severed the demon's head, picking it up while saying that it needed to be incinerated. The man slipped into a manhole cover with the head and walked towards his base of operations, Angel Investigations.
'The Streak's been operating here, Santa Barbara and Sunnydale,' thought the man to himself, 'maybe Buffy knows him? If he operates in Sunnydale, then she has to know him. But then again, she may not know who he is or… oh forget it, Angel. If this Streak was a bad guy, then Buffy would have told you to keep an eye out. And so far, he's been stopping crime throughout the city. So what the hell, he's helping us out without knowing it… helps us a bit; although Cordy's been complaining about potential loss of business. But the way I see it, this is only the third demon he's taken care of, and we are a business that targets the Paranormal mostly. I'll convince her we still have a viable business.'
Angel continued walking through the severs while trying to imagine the look on Cordelia's face when she hears about the Streak defeating another demon.
"What fun," said Angel sarcastically before chuckling, "at least Buffy has some help, at least if she knows the Streak."
TBC.