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Buffy propped her head up on her desk, trying to keep from falling asleep.

"Well, looks like that's all for today, class," Mister Horton said with a wry smile. The Slayer smiled as her fellow students started to pack up and make a break for it. "Study this - it's going to be on the test next week." Buffy's smiled faded for a second as she realized that she didn't have any idea what Mister Horton had been talking about. Still, she shrugged it aside, packed up her books, and followed the rest of the students leaving geography class.

Once in the corridor, Buffy turned to head towards her locker, and crashed right into a senior. A senior that she knew - Billy Ford.

"Whoops." He smiled his trademark Ford smile. "Hey, Summers, sorry about that. My fault - I should have been looking where I was going."

"Well, no harm, no foul," Buffy shot back, smiling slightly. She checked to make sure that she hadn't dropped anything in the collision. "I think. Actually, I'm glad that I ran into you, only it didn't have to be so literal."

Ford raised his eyebrows at that a little. "Well, here I am. What's the deal?" He turned around to take a position beside her, and they started walking down the hall.

"Well, first off," Buffy started, "I want to apologize again for bailing on you, your first night in town. You know that I'd like to go out to the Bronze with you, celebrate your arrival and all that, but," she sighed, "this date with Xander has been in the works for a week, and I can't reschedule now."

"Oh, hey Summers," Ford assured her, "it's cool. I'll be okay with your friend Willow showing me around." He shot a sidelong look at his old friend. "But this date thing - well, are you really into it? 'Cause you don't sound like it. You sound like it's just something you're going to have to suffer through."

Buffy stopped, stock still, in the middle of the hallway. and Ford had to turn around and head back to her. A few students complained as they made course corrections to avoid the two individuals who has suddenly decided to remain at rest and block the way.

"You know," Buffy said thoughtfully, "you're right. Somewhere along the way I stopped looking forward to this date. I was excited when we were first planning it..." She looked up into Ford's eyes. "I really do like Xander. It's just... well, things are complicated. Me and Angel... me and Xander... and now you come along, which frankly hasn't helped sort anything out."

Ford had jumped a little when Buffy mentioned him in connection with this issue. "Well... okay, first off - who's Angel?" Buffy flinched at the mention of the name, and that was enough to bring Ford to at least part of the truth. "An ex-boyfriend?" Buffy nodded, and Ford looked at her with care and concern. "Well, you don't have to worry about him right now. My advice is: throw yourself into this thing with Xander, because you never get a second chance to have a first date. Go shopping beforehand - get yourself a hot new outfit." Ford grinned an 'I know that's a patronizing cliche' grin. "Listen to some love songs - good ones, not sad ones. And don't worry about me, okay?"

Buffy was smiling herself by now. "Okay. Have fun with Willow. And..." She took a light hold on Ford's arm. "I kinda feel funny asking this, Ford, but, well..." She trailed awkwardly off, and Ford nodded encouragingly at her. "It's just... I've kinda made a new start here in Sunnydale, in a couple of ways. A lot of the things that I don't like about my past, nobody here knows. Except you."

Ford suddenly realized what Buffy was awkwardly getting at. "Don't worry, Summers. I won't spoil any of your dark secrets." He smiled, and they headed off in different directions.

- - - - - - - -

Later that evening, Buffy was lounging on her bed, wearing the 'hot new outfit' that Ford had urged her to get - tight midnight blue stretch pants, a black miniskirt, blue scoop-neck crop top, and some gold jewelry. The platform heels were sitting and waiting for her next to the bedroom door. For right now, she was listening to CD's.

"Honey?" Joyce Summers called from the hallway. "Your date is here!"

Buffy got up, turned the CD player off, slipped into her shoes, and opened the door. Her mother was still standing right there with a slightly smug smile on her face, as if remembering that it had been she who had first put her daughter together with Xander Harris. Buffy's mouth quirked in annoyance for a second, but she shook her head. "Throw yourself in," the Slayer muttered softly.

Now Mrs. Summers was confused. "What was that, honey?"

Buffy blushed. "Never mind." Brushing past her mother, who was looking at Buffy's outfit with surprise but not saying anything, she called down the stairs. "Alright, I'm ready!!"

Xander was standing just inside the front door of the Summers house, shifting his weight from one foot to another. He was wearing a nice white shirt, and black jeans, and holding a single flower in both his hands. When he caught sight of Buffy, he spluttered and his eyes grew wide.

"W-wow, Buff. You... you look..." he stuttered. Buffy smiled, and Xander let out an audible sigh. His sentence never got completed. Instead, Xander remembered the offering that he had brought, and held it out for Buffy to take. "For you."

Mrs. Summers had come up behind Buffy while this exchange had been going on. "Ooh, an orchid," she cooed, calling the play-by-play. "How romantic, Xander."

Buffy was toying with the flower in her hands as if uncertain what to do with it. "Yeah, thanks Xander. Really sweet." She turned to her mom. "Can you - put this in water for us? Or whatever you're supposed to do with it??"

Joyce was a little surprised at Buffy's reaction, but as always, she recovered gracefully. "Of course." She took the orchid and headed off towards the kitchen.

"So," Xander said, smiling over at Buffy. "Ready for crooked 40's cops and jauntiness??"

Buffy put her 'throwing herself into it' smile back on her face as she looked at Xander. "As ready as I'll ever be!"

- - - - - - - -

On a Sunnydale street sidewalk, Willow and Billy Fordham were walking along side by side. Willow was happily working away at a strawberry swirl ice cream cone. Ford had a small plastic bowl of chocolate frozen yogurt, but he seemed to be more interested in playing with it than eating it.

"So," Willow narrated, "that was the Ice Cream Bar, one of the prime attractions of Sunnydale." She bounced along excitedly as she walked. "And coming up on your left, the scene to many of our..." She caught herself just in time and put on a completely sober and somber demeanor. "Well, that's just the cemetary. Nothing interesting about that." She shook her head with exaggerated definitiveness. "Nope, nothing at all."

Ford looked at Willow as if he was supressing a wide grin. "And... does anybody you know hang out at the cemetary a lot, Willow?"

"No!!" Willow calmed down after that loud exclamation. "No - why, why would they?"

"Buffy used to." Ford was smiling secretively, and it occurred to Willow that he was baiting her. "The last few months she was in L.A. at least. I was kinda wondering if she still did." Willow was looking intently at Ford, but not saying anything, so Ford tried another tack. "Do weird guys tend to hand out at the cemetary?"

Willow was feeling completely baffled at this point. "Weird? Weird how??"

"You know," Ford prompted her. "Scary. Nasty!"

Willow jumped a little in surprise, and then jumped on an opportunity to change the subject. "And, on your right, we should be able to see the Bronze soon! The Bronze is the place to be in Sunnydale."

- - - - - - - -

Inside the Bronze, Angel was wandering through the crowds, not certain what he was looking for. Normally, he'd be looking for Buffy, but since she'd broken up with him, that didn't seem appropriate. Was he looking for vampires to kill? Or something else??

Cordelia was wandering too - looking for new hot guys to flirt with. They caught sight of each other at the same time.

"Cordelia," Angel groaned.

"Angel," Cordelia purred, grinning. She stepped up towards him. "The scuttlebutt has it that Buffy Summers was brain-dead enough to cut you loose." She smiled up at him, teasingly. "Is it true, handsome? Are ya a free agent now?"

Angel frowned. "Yeah, I guess that it is."

"Well then," Cordy decided, "let's dance, and have a drink afterwards. I'll show you that some girls are capable of appreciating a studly older guy like you." She struck an enticing pose, arms at her sides, shapely figure displayed to its best advantage in her purple party dress.

"Older?" Angel muttered to himself. He laughed shortly and harshly.

"Well, yeah," Cordelia said obliviously. "I mean, what, you've gotta be in college by now. Or is it work?" She smiled flirtaciously up at him again. "Do you work, Angel??"

Angel couldn't stifle his wry chuckle. "Yes, I guess you could say that."

Cordelia took Angel's arm in hers and led him through the throng as if they were already a couple. "You know, Buffy tried to tell me that you were a vampire. As if!! I mean, I know vampires. They're yucky and scary and just plain gross. You, mister Angel, are no vampire."

This was a surprise. "B-but..." Angel spluttered. "But Cordelia, I *am*..."

"Yeah!" Cordy nodded in agreement. "That's just how she would say it! Did she tell you about that? 'Looky what joke I played on the rich bitch,' huh?" She smiled widely. "Well, I guess that the joke's on Buffy now." She stopped still, and looked over at Angel expectantly.

After a second, Angel realized that they were standing at the edge of the dance floor, and that Cordelia was expecting him to step on of his own choice. Angel's feelings were chaotic. There was something appealing about this girl's forthright approach, and the way that she simply refused to believe Angel's dark secret, not to mention her beauty. But the threshold of that dance floor loomed up like a house he hadn't been invited into, and Angel couldn't step across it with a non-Buffy girl yet.

"Cordelia, look," he managed to choke out. "I can't dance with you." Cordelia pouted sexily, and suddenly Angel heard himself saying, "But if you'd like to get a drink and maybe talk a little, I guess we could do that."

Cordelia beamed as she sauntered off to get them a table.