Back Here At Home Chapter 5
Title: Back Here At Home
Author: noturbaby
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: none
Fandoms: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Supernatural
Summary: Buffy returns to Sunnydale after her summer as Anne in LA with the Winchesters, but being home isn't as easy as she hoped. Trouble still finds her. Sam and Dean help her the best they can. A second part to my story: How I Spent My Summer Vacation. The first three chapters based on bvts season three episode: Dead Man's Party. Portions of this chapter are based on the first few episodes of season 4 BtVS. Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4,
Note: I've been asked about their ages in this fic and I did some research. Buffy was a college freshman in the fall of 1999 and she was 18. Dean was 20 in 1999 and Sam, well, that's where it gets interesting. Seems I'm not the only one confused about Sam's age. According to the Supernatural wiki, even cannon has some questions. But, since he was born in 1983, he'd be 16. But for the purpose of this fic, let's age him up to 17. Thanks for playing along.
Spring 1999
"Come on, dammit, pick up!" Dean paced the tiny motel room, his worried eyes flashing from his brother's nervous face to the television and back again. When he heard the answering machine, he looked at Sam. "I got the machine…. Hey, it's Dean Winchester. Sam and I are just calling to make sure you're okay. Call me as soon as you get this, okay?" He hung up, met his brother's anxious gaze, and shrugged. "I'm sure she's fine, Sam. She'll call. It was probably her that did that anyway." He looked at the newscast covering the destruction of Sunnydale High. Words like devastation and death toll were making his stomach turn. Though he did his best to reassure Sam, deep down, Dean feared that Buffy may not have survived her high school graduation.
Exhausted beyond anything she felt before, Buffy slept for sixteen straight hours. When she awoke, it was to the smell of bacon frying and coffee brewing. She bolted down the stairs. "Mom!"
Joyce smiled and hugged her daughter. "How're you feeling, dear? You've must be starving."
Not letting go of her mother, Buffy nodded, "I am starving, but I am so glad you're home!"
Joyce kissed the top of Buffy's head. "Me too. Now, go have a seat at the table, I made us some breakfast."
As they ate, Joyce asked, "Did you listen to the messages? You got one from Dean Winchester. He wanted to know if you were okay. You know, what happened at the school made the national news. Well, anyway, he left a number." Joyce pointed to the pad by the phone.
Buffy's brows shot up. Dean called? She would have expected to hear from Sam, but Dean? She studied the number as she took the note up to her room. Going to her desk, she pulled out the folded paper from last summer with Sam's address written on it. There at the bottom was the same number. Dean had given her his number back in L.A. and she hadn't even realized it.
"This is Dean."
"Hi Dean, it's Buffy."
Buffy could hear his sigh of relief. "Thank god. Sam, it's Buffy," he said to his brother before returning to the phone, "You're okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. You know I know the value of a well placed explosive." She smiled hearing Dean's small laugh at that. "And, in spite of all the destruction, I got my diploma."
"Of course you did." Dean tried to smile at her casual attitude, but found he had a lump in his throat. "Glad you're okay." He could see his brother nearly jumping off the bed with anxiety and figured he should let the two friends talk. "Uh. Well, I guess you want to talk to Sammy. So - here, Sam."
Dean handed the phone to his brother and didn't hear Buffy's "Wait." He left the room to give his brother some privacy. Leaning against the exterior wall of the motel, Dean took a few deep breaths to settle his nerves. He hadn't realized he had been so anxious to hear from her.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
On the other end of the line, Buffy nervously toyed with Mr. Gordo. After she told Sam the tale of the Mayor trying to become a demon, Buffy knew that she had to tell Sam about Faith. "Sam, I have to tell you something, and you're not going to like it."
Sam could hear the tension in her voice and it raised the anxiety he was already feeling. "It's okay, Buffy, whatever you've got to say, just say it." He prayed none of the friends he had made in Sunnydale had been killed.
"It's about Faith," she began. Buffy barreled through the story of Faith killing the deputy mayor and the professor. Her voice got quieter as she told him how Faith had tried to kill Angel and her and that Buffy was forced to put Faith in a coma. The silence from Sam was deafening. "Sam? I am sorry. I had to."
Sam was quiet for another second. "Couldn't you have tried to help her?"
"I'm sorry, Sam, but Faith went dark side almost right after you left."
Sam didn't agree with Buffy and he definitely didn't think Faith had been lying to him the entire time, but he didn't want to argue with Buffy. "Well, I'm glad you and Willow and Xander are okay. Maybe Dean and I can get to Sunnydale sometime this summer and hang out with you guys."
Buffy smiled. It sounded like Sam wasn't going to stay angry with her. "I'd like that Sam. You and Dean are always fun to have around."
August 1999
One early August day, at three in the morning, Dean's cell phone woke him. He whispered, "Hello?" and crept from his bed in the room he shared with Sam to the kitchen of the small house they had rented.
"Hi, Dean, it's Buffy. Did I wake you?"
"No. I mean, yeah, it's three a. m., but don't worry about it. What's going on?" he yawned.
Buffy looked at her clock which read just passed midnight. "Sorry. I didn't think it'd be so late where you are. It's only midnight here. I'll call some other-"
"- Wait, Buffy, it's okay. You don't have to hang up. What's up? Why'd you call? Do you need something?"
Buffy had been bored and a bit lonely. She didn't actually have a real reason for calling him. "Not really. I just hadn't heard from you guys in a while. I was hoping everything was okay. I thought maybe Sam was still mad at me."
"We're good. Sam couldn't stay mad at you even if you killed his puppy." Dean rubbed his eyes. "Did you want to talk to him?"
Buffy sighed softly. "No, Dean, I'm sorry I called so late. I'll let you get back to sleep."
"No, hey, it's cool. I'm awake now." He walked to the refrigerator and opened a can of Coke. "I was just thinking about you the other day."
"Really?" Buffy asked in surprise.
"Yeah. Sammy and I were at this little diner and we had this god-awful waitress. Sam said she was the worst ever, but then I reminded him about you."
"Dean! I was not that bad."
"Trust me, sweetheart, you were pretty bad in the beginning. You didn't even know which tables were yours, let alone how to keep an order straight."
"Fine. I admit I was a horrible waitress. What did this poor woman do to take my title as world's worst waitress?"
Dean chuckled. "She gave Sam the wrong order three times. And you know Sam, he's all 'Uh excuse me, this isn't what I ordered.'" Dean said in a high whiny voice to imitate Sam's. "The woman finally yells at him, 'If you wouldn't mumble like a little girl, maybe you'd get your order.' Sam just stared at her like an idiot. I was laughing so hard I was crying."
"Aww, poor Sam."
"It was his own fault. The rest of the place either ate what she gave them or exchanged it with other tables. The regulars knew what to expect. I think she's worked there since Roosevelt was president."
"At least I got better with time."
"Yeah, a little I guess," Dean admitted. "So, why don't you tell me the real reason why you called? I know it wasn't to hear me talk about waitresses. You couldn't really think Sam was angry with you, did you?"
"Mostly, I was bored. Xander's on his 'epic cross country road trip'. Willow and Oz are around, but I feel like a third wheel when I'm with them. The town's been pretty quiet only one or two vamps a week. It's just that..."
Dean waited for her to continue, "It's just what, Buffy?"
"A couple days ago the vamp I dusted was a girl I went to school with. It's not the first time a kid I went to school with turned into a vamp, but I know she was changed during graduation. I guess it kinda feels like it was my fault, you know? Because I couldn't protect her."
Dean pulled the tab off his soda can as he thought of what to say. "That girl isn't your fault, Buffy. Look at the big picture. If it wasn't for you, a lot of other things - worse things - would have happened."
Buffy decided she needed to change the subject."Where are you? What have you guys been up to?"
"Cutler, Maine. Just about as far from Sunnydale as you can get. Dad's working on a shape shifter case."
They talked for the next hour, until Dean heard her yawn. "Hey, you should probably get to bed. It's pretty late."
"It's later for you."
"Nah, now it's early."
Buffy gave a soft laugh and felt better than she had in a while. "Bye, Dean. Sorry for keeping you up so late."
"Hey, don't worry about it. Seriously, you can call anytime you want."
Fall 1999
With the start of college, Buffy was too busy to have time to call the Winchesters. Crazy demon room mate, Oz and Willow breaking up, and the dating disaster known as Parker Abrams took up most of her time; and that didn't include attending classes and Professor Walsh.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
One November morning, Buffy stood in a long line at the Espresso Pump. "Why is this line moving so slow?" the girl in front of her asked her friend.
"You only think it's slow 'cause you haven't had your caffeine, yet," her friend teased. "I don't mind the wait at all," she added with a nudge to her friend's side.
"Hmm? What?"
"Check out the eye candy," she inclined her head to her right. Her friend leaned forward to see who she was looking at.
"Wouldn't mind being the cream in his coffee," she said quietly.
Buffy stood on her tip toes to see, but wasn't able to look around the line. Settling back down on her heels she sighed. She'd sworn off men after the Parker fiasco, but that didn't mean she couldn't look.
"Oh my god, Susan, did you see him lick his lips?" The one asked as they took a step forward. "Just when I thought he couldn't get hotter."
Susan must have seen the lip licking, because she was nodding. "I'd a offered to lick that for him." Buffy leaned again, but still couldn't see anyone. Susan whispered, "I'm gonna see if they can wrap him up to go."
Finally, the line moved forward enough for Buffy to see who they were drooling over. After a slow blink to prove her eyes weren't deceiving her, her mouth fell open and her breath caught on a laugh. Stepping from the line, she approached the 'hot' guy's table. "Dean?"
The guy looked up from his paper, then his face broke into a near blinding smile. "Buffy!" He stood up from the table. "Hey, what are you doing here?"
"Me?" her voice suddenly sounded too high. "Getting coffee, but, I live here. What are you doing here?" she asked as they hugged hello.
Dean grinned, then held his hand out to invite her to sit with him, as he sat. "Having coffee," he said as if it were obvious. "But, hey, you look great. And, before you say anything, I called," he added with a teasing point at her. "Your mom said you were at school."
Buffy's face lit up, he called? She pulled out a chair. "Yeah, I go to UC - Sunnydale."
Dean's brow wrinkled, "I thought I remembered something about you going to Northwestern or was it Purdue?"
Buffy shook her head and waved away that idea. "Didn't pan out." She shrugged. "I have family, responsibilities, and good friends here. I just couldn't leave all that."
Dean drank her in for a minute. "I thought you said you were here for coffee. Where -"
"Well, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw you. I had to come over and say hi before you left."
"I rate higher than coffee? Gee, I'm flattered," he teased as he picked up his phone and texted for a second. "So, how are you liking the whole college thing?"
Buffy shrugged. "It has it's moments. There's more work, but the number of parties makes up for it."
"I bet you're breaking hearts at these parties." Dean grinned at her while he fished for an answer.
Buffy fought her blush shook her head. "Ah, no. I've kinda sworn off men."
"Oh," Dean cursed his timing but played it off with a teasing leer. "Does that mean you're into girls?" He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "I'm okay with it, if you are. I read in a magazine that college girls often experiment."
Buffy looked at him in shock, not sure if he was teasing her or not. "No, bad break up, sort of. Well, more like a bad date, I guess, since it was only one date. Actually, the date was okay. Just later, like the next day, Parker acted like I was - like we - " Buffy shrugged, Dean was looking at her with a raised brow as she spoke. Before she could babble any more, she was interrupted by a slightly familiar voice.
"Dean, since when do you like caramel machia - Oh my god, Buffy?" Sam set two coffee drinks on the table as Buffy looked up at him.
"Sam?" Buffy stood and pulled him into a hug. "Holy cow, have you gotten taller?"
Dean snickered as the two hugged their hellos. "Buffy, it's so good to see you. How'd you know we were here?" Sam asked not even trying to hide his joy at seeing her again.
"I didn't," she replied in just as much surprise as him. "I come here every morning for coffee. I had no idea you guys were even in town."
"You didn't? I thought -, Dean?"
"What? I can't give away all my secrets," Dean winked. "Sammy's here for a college visit. He's thinking of attending UC-Sunnydale next year."
"Really?" Buffy squealed. "That's great. I can totally show you around if you want."
"You would? Are you sure it wouldn't be a problem? I don't want to interfere with your classes or anything."
"It wouldn't be a problem at all. I'm sure Willow would show you around, too." Buffy was practically beaming. "In fact I have class with Willow in," she looked at her watch, "oh crap, so gonna be late, and of course Professor Walsh would have to be a hard ass about attendance."
The Winchesters laughed. "Come on. The car's parked right outside. We can give you a lift. Sam's got an appointment with the admission office anyway," Dean offered.
Buffy smiled as she stood up. "Coming to my rescue, just like old times."
"You'll never guess who I saw at the coffee shop this morning," Buffy whispered as she took her seat next to Willow in the lecture hall. Without waiting for Willow's reply, Buffy answered, "Sam and Dean. Sam's here on a campus visit. Want to help me give him the tour?" Buffy hoped the visit would take Willow's mind off of her break up with Oz.
The return of the Winchesters didn't excite Willow as much as it did Buffy. Since breaking up with Oz, nothing excited Willow. However, she agreed to help Buffy 'play hostess' to the brothers; that didn't mean she had to stop being depressed. Willow didn't understand why Buffy was so happy to see them, hadn't she sworn off men after Parker? As they left class, Willow's thoughts were interrupted when Buffy nudged her gently and whispered, "There they are."
Willow looked to see the Winchesters smiling at her and her previous train of thought derailed. She was now completely on board with Buffy. She found herself wondering if they had always been so tall and, seriously, did they always look like that? How had she not noticed Sam's dimples before now? And were Dean's eyes always that color? And when did it get so warm in this hall? Willow suddenly wished she had worn something nicer that morning.
Dean clapped his brother on the shoulder. "Well, I'll let you kids get to the higher learning, catch ya later."
"You're not going to tag along?" Buffy asked, disappointed that Dean was leaving.
Sam huffed a small laugh. "You'll have to excuse my brother. His idea of college is based solely on Animal House. He won't be happy until he sees sorority girls having a pillow fight."
Dean threw his brother a mock glare. "That's not true, Sammy. It is also based on Revenge of the Nerds and Back to School." He grinned at the giggling Willow and Buffy.
Buffy linked an arm through his. "I'm sure there's a house party happening somewhere tonight. If you're really good, I bet you can score an invite."
Dean smirked at his brother. "See, Sammy, Buffy and Willow can handle college and parties. Maybe if you choose Sunnydale, you won't spend four years alone in a library."
Dean and Sam spent the day following Buffy and Willow to their various classes and exploring the campus. Sam thought Willow's course schedule seemed unusually demanding, and finally he asked, "What exactly is your major, Willow?"
"Oh, I kinda designed my own course of study. But I'm leaning to majoring in psychology and minoring in micro biology or econ or anthropology."
"They let you design your own curriculum here?" Sam asked.
"Well, sort of. I'm kind of a special case."
"Willow had super awesome test scores. She could have gone anywhere, so Sunnydale's lucky to have her," Buffy said with obvious pride in her best friend's accomplishments.
As Sam and Willow led the way to Stevenson Hall, Dean turned to Buffy and asked, "What's your major?"
"Undeclared, with a minor in 'can I sleep in this class because I was out slaying all night'." Buffy answered quietly, though secretly pleased that Dean laughed.
When they arrived at the dorm, Sam didn't want the day to be over. Rocking on the balls of his feet, he smiled nervously at Willow and Buffy. "Hey, you guys have been so cool to me today I should do something for you. You should let me, us, take you out for dinner," Sam suggested so quickly it took the others a minute to catch up.
Buffy and Willow looked surprised, but Dean covered for his brother. "Sam's right. College kids always need a decent meal. What d'ya say?"
Buffy didn't want to give Willow a chance to decline so she spoke up. "Okay, sounds great."
Buffy insisted they eat at the College Pub because it was both cheap and tasty. The only rule was NO local micro brews. "Why's that?" Sam asked.
"Uh, let's just say that me and the local beer don't get on so well."
"What happened? Overindulge one night?" Dean asked knowing there had to be a story behind her demand.
"No, well, yeah, I mean..."
"Let's just say the beer brings out Buffy's neanderthal side," Willow explained.
The brothers exchanged looks before turning to Buffy. "You will tell us what happened, right?" Sam begged. The girls refused until Dean bumped Sam's arm and the younger Winchester broke out his puppy eyes.
"Not fair. You know I can't refuse that look." Buffy gave them her most chastising look. "Well, it all started with me drinking to get over Parker."
"The evil man-slut," Willow added. "The less said about him the better."
By the time the girls were done with the story about Buffy, the Black Forrest beer, and her caveman adventures the Winchesters were nearly crying they were laughing so hard. Feigning insult, Buffy pouted. "I should have let the two of you drink some of that beer. See how you like turning into a caveman."
"You probably wouldn't notice a difference in Dean," Sam joked.
Dean let the ribbing roll off his back. "And Sammy, with your long hair you're practically a caveman already."
When dinner was over, Willow seemed to be enjoying their evening enough that Buffy risked retrieving a flier she had been given earlier. "Since you've been so generous taking us out to dinner and all, I think we should return the favor and take you to a house party." Nervously, she headed to the door. No one could refuse if she didn't give them the opportunity.
The house was crowded and the music was loud, but the cover charge was nominal and came with a large red Solo cup and a Sharpie to claim it. Willow was uncomfortable. These kind of parties weren't her thing but she didn't want to disappoint Buffy or the Winchesters. Sam was uncomfortable. He felt he stuck out like the high school kid he was. Dean was slightly impressed with the number and the quality of girls, but was only interested in the one that had sworn off men.
"So, Sam, did you like seeing the campus today?" Willow asked once they found a quieter place to talk.
"Yeah, it was impressive."
"What made you think about attending UC-Sunnydale?"
"It was Dean's idea. I'm applying to Stanford, too."
"Ooh," Willow gushed. "Stanford's a really good school."
Sam shifted in his seat, suddenly bashful under Willow's attention and approval. "Yeah, and it has all the programs I want. But if I don't get in, I need a fall back. Not that Sunnydale's not a good school," Sam stammered.
"It's okay, Sam, we know what you mean." Buffy watched Dean fade as Sam spoke and she remembered their conversation in L.A. "Dean, what are you going to do when Sam goes to college?"
With a forced smile Dean grabbed their cups. "I don't know about then, but now, I'm going to get us more beer."
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
The area around the keg was crowded with other guys getting refills. As he stood there, Dean overheard a guy say, "Crap, is that Buffy Summers?"
"Yeah, that's her."
The guy groaned. "Just when I was looking forward to enjoying myself."
"I thought you said you did enjoy her."
The guy chuckled. "Oh, I enjoyed her. But, well you know the difference between a toilet seat and a freshman girl? A toilet seat doesn't follow you around after you use it."
They laughed and Dean felt his blood boil. He leaned forward into their conversation. "Excuse me, are you Parker?"
Parker looked confused but answered, "Yeah, I'm Parker. Do I know - " Parker was unable to finish as Dean's fist connected with his eye, knocking Parker to the ground. Parker's friend immediately went after Dean, who easily sidestepped him and shoved him to the ground, as well.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
"What are you planning on Studying, Sam?" Buffy asked hoping to keep the conversation flowing so Willow would keep enjoying herself.
Sam laughed at himself. "Well, since I've been speaking Latin for years now, I thought I'd put it to use and study law."
"Ooh," Willow instantly perked up. "You speak Latin? Did you learn it for doing spells?" She whispered.
"Yeah. That and exorcisms, and for something to do. We travel so much I picked it up as a hobby, almost." Sam blushed slightly and quietly added., "I'm kind of a nerd, I guess."
Willow tried to laugh, but Sam's confession hit home. "Yeah, right. I'm a much bigger nerd. As a kid, I made summer reading lists for myself."
Sam stared at her in mild shock and for a second, Willow was embarrassed for admitting to that secret. But an astonished Sam laughed, "Oh my god, so did I!" He laughed more.
Buffy couldn't hide her grin, grateful Sam brought out the smile in Willow that had been missing since Oz left. Hearing the commotion from the other room, Buffy excused herself.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Buffy arrived just as two very large guys grabbed Dean by the arms and began to drag him towards the door. She looked from Dean to Parker's bloodied face and back and realized what had happened. Dean shrugged apologetically when he saw her and Buffy shook her head, amused.
While he got back on his feet, Parker witnessed the exchange. "Figures you two would know each other. You're both nuts."
Riley put a hand on the shoulder of one of the guys holding Dean. "Todd, hold up. Buffy, do you know this guy?"
"Yeah, he's a friend of mine."
"Oh, I see." Riley turned to Dean's 'captors', "Guys, you can let him go. Abrams, you're out of here. Forrest, give him his money back."
"What? Why? You can't do that! That guy started it," Parker complained.
"I can and I just did. Do you want Todd to help you find your way?" Riley smirked as Todd stepped closer to Parker. Parker shot them a dirty look as he and his friend stormed out. Riley turned to Dean and held out his hand. "Sorry, about that man. Let me get you guys more cups."
"Hey, it's no problem, we're good," Dean replied shaking Riley's hand.
As Buffy filled her cup, Riley leaned closer to Dean and said quietly, "I heard what Parker said. The guy had it coming, what an creep."
Dean shrugged. "Yeah, but I probably shouldn't have done that."
"If you hadn't, I would have. Buffy's a nice girl, a little peculiar, but nice. She doesn't deserve someone talking about her like that."
Buffy handed Dean his beer. "Thanks for letting us stay, Riley."
"My pleasure, Buffy. You guys have a good time."
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Sam watched Willow watch Buffy walk away and sighed inwardly. "You don't have to babysit me, Willow. You can go hang out with Buffy or your other friends."
Willow was stunned. "I didn't think I was babysitting, Sam. I like talking with you."
"It's okay. I know I'm not the Winchester girls swoon over, I'm the one that spends his free time in a library."
Willow wanted to giggle at how adorable she found Sam, but she could relate. "Sam, I love a good library. These parties aren't really my thing." She recognized the skeptical look on his face. "I know the first two times we met it was at parties, but I'm really not party girl. In fact, I had planned on watching the Leonids meteor shower tonight from our school's observatory"
Sam was clearly astonished. "You were? That's so cool. When I was a kid, Dean and I were camping in Montana during the Perseids meteor shower and it was amazing."
Willow perked up. "Do you want to go to the observatory and watch it with me?"
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
As Buffy and Dean made their way back to where Willow and Sam were, Dean nudged Buffy's arm. "I think that Riley guy has a thing for you."
Buffy laughed. "Riley? I don't think so."
Dean rolled his eyes dramatically. "Oh, I think so. He was all about trying to impress you back there."
Buffy leaned close to Dean. "It wasn't me he was trying to impress."
Dean's eyes bugged out of his head when he comprehended her meaning. He risked a glance back at Riley only to see the guy quickly look away. "Well, I'll be damned."
They handed Willow and Sam their beers, but the two were deep in a discussion about astronomy so Buffy led Dean around the corner.
Leaning against the wall, Buffy took a sip of her beer for courage. "So, why'd you punch Parker?"
"'Cause he's a douche bag," Dean smirked, who made you swear off men. Buffy fixed him with an expectant raise of an eyebrow and he continued, "He cut in front of a whole bunch of people in the beer line."
Buffy shook her head knowing Dean was lying but she let him off the hook. "Okay. So tell me what your plans are when Sam goes off to college? Will you still hunt with your dad?" Dean shrugged and looked into his beer. "What does your dad say about Sam going to college?"
"Nothing. He doesn't know anything about it." Buffy looked shocked but Dean kept his head down. "I thought that if Sam went to Sunnydale, my dad would be, well not on board with the idea, but, more -"
"Receptive?"
"Yeah. You know, because he'd know someone had Sam's back." He looked up at her.
Buffy offered him a soft smile. "It kind of sounded like Sam has his heart set on Stanford."
"Yeah," Dean sighed. "But, that's okay." He moved closer so only a few inches separated them. "Stanford's a good school."
As Dean's eyes roamed from her eyes to her lips and back, Buffy reminded herself to breathe and struggled to keep her voice even. "Stanford's not far from here. When you visit Sam, maybe you can stop by here, too."
Dean's eyes settled on Buffy's parted lips and he involuntarily wet his in response. "Yeah, who knows, maybe." The way Dean was looking at her made Buffy's insides celebrate; she was sure he was about to kiss her. He tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. Dean opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again having changed his mind. Instead, he stepped back, tilting his head to indicate where he had left his brother, he said, "Speaking of Sam." Dean left Buffy alone in the hall.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
"Really? You sure?" Sam asked not masking his disbelief.
"I'm sure," Willow answered. "It's supposed to be one of the best places to see it."
"Well, then the observatory sounds perfect."
Willow stood up, smiling enthusiastically. "Great, I'll be right back. Wait here."
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Dean found his brother alone on the couch. "Hey, where's Willow going?"
"To get her coat," Sam answered moving over so Buffy could sit by him. "Would you guys mind if we got out of here? You guys can stay, but, Willow and I are going to head over to the observatory. There's a meteor shower tonight."
Dean studied his brother. "Hey, cool. You guys go get your geek on." Upon seeing Buffy's scowl, he added. "You know in a good 'go out and see rocks fall from space' kind of way." He addressed Buffy, "You want me to take you back to your dorm or do you want -"
"We'll go with you," Buffy decided cheerfully oblivious to the brother's quickly exchanged looks. She decided hanging out with Dean by the observatory had romantic possibilities.
"Or we could stay here or go to a bar or something," Dean suggested shooting Sam a small 'don't worry I got this' look.
Willow returned with her coat. "Hey, Sam and I are going to check out the meteor shower. You guys want to come with us?"
"Yeah, Wills. Lead the way," Buffy answered.
At the observatory, Dean took some blankets out of the trunk. He tossed one to Sam then spread his on the car's trunk. He picked up Buffy and set her on the car's trunk before climbing up himself. Sam and Willow sat on the hood.
It was quite chilly and the girls were grateful to cuddle against a Winchester. As nonchalantly as he could, Sam slipped his arm around Willow. As she settled in the crook of his shoulder, Sam thought he could stay like that all night. His only concern was that Willow didn't hear how his heart was pounding.
On the trunk of the Impala, Buffy and Dean were nearly mirroring Sam and Willow. Though Buffy was thoroughly enjoying being in Dean's arms, Dean wasn't as content. He had been thrown off his game.
He had started this little trip to Sunnydale with a script like this as its goal. Put any other girl in this scenario with him, and Dean could guarantee the outcome. Now, he had to ignore his desire to be with Buffy and show her he wasn't like Parker.
Looking up at the night sky Buffy whispered, "This is beautiful. It's so peaceful."
"Yes it is," Dean agreed, looking up quickly to make sure she wouldn't catch him watching her. "Too bad you still need to patrol tonight."
Buffy groaned inwardly. She was perfectly happy laying next to Dean. Why did she have to be the slayer tonight? She pushed herself up onto her side and faced him. "I could do it later."
The intense look in Dean's eyes made her breath hitch. Buffy was sure he was about to pull her into a kiss. She found herself staring at his lips as he said, "I could go with you if you wanted to go now and get it over with."
Disappointed, Buffy dropped her head and sighed. I'd much rather stay here, she thought, returning to her previous position nestled against his side. "Let's stay here. We can hunt bad guys after the meteor shower."
Dean ignored the inclination to pull her closer and tried to focus on the stars shooting across the sky instead of how good it felt to hold her.
Dean's inaction made Buffy twitchy. Her mind wrestled with the obligation to patrol and the desire to stay curled next to Dean. Above all, she wondered why he wasn't acting interested in her. After a few minutes, she sat up. "I need to go back to my dorm."
"Why?"
"Because you're right. I should patrol and I didn't bring anything."
"Babe, you're sitting on an arsenal," Dean smirked. Buffy followed his lead as he slid off the trunk. Dean opened the trunk and grinned, "Help yourself."
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Dean walked over to the front of the car. "Sam, we're going to patrol. Keep an eye out for zombies."
"Not funny, Dean."
"Not joking, Sam. How many times have we been to Sunnydale?"
"Twice." Sam rolled his eyes knowing where this conversation was headed.
"How many times have you had to face the undead while we were here?"
"That's not -"
"How many?"
Sam sighed, "Twice."
"Let's not make it a third." Dean held out the keys for Sam. "Meet us back at the dorm."
Other than one vampire, patrol had been quiet. Buffy realized that all of Sunnydale had seemed quiet lately.
They were nearly back to her dorm, but Dean didn't want the night to be over. In a desperate attempt to delay saying good night, Dean asked, "So , Willow, uh, I thought she had a boyfriend? Ozzy or something? What happened?"
"Oz. They broke up. He cheated on her. Even though she forgave him, he quit school and left."
Dean thought for a second. "He cheated on her but she forgave him. You have one bad date with an asshole and you swear off men. That's harsh." His smile let her know he was teasing.
Surprised, by his taunt, Buffy rounded on him to explain, but when she saw his smile, she smiled, too. "Oh, you think I was too quick to judge?"
"Maybe." He shrugged and stopped to slouch against a wall. "Not all guys are like Parker."
"I know, but most guys are only after one thing. I'm starting to feel like there is a pattern here. - Open your heart to someone, and he bails on you. Maybe it's easier to just not let anyone in."
"What can I say? You're a very pretty girl. That makes it difficult to think about anything else."
Buffy rolled her eyes, not believing his sincerity.
To be honest with himself, Dean knew he wasn't in love with Buffy. But of all the girls he had been with, he had only been honest with her. There was just something about her that made him want to be better than what he was. He didn't want her to think he was 'after one thing', but, if he was being honest, he hadn't been looking for much more.
"I didn't set up a college visit for my little brother and stake out coffee shops because I wanted to be your friend," he admitted truthfully.
Caught off guard by his confession, Buffy's head swam. "What did you want?"
"I thought that would be obvious." His eyes searched her face and he felt he urge to pull her into his arms and show her exactly how much he wanted her. Instead, he took a breath so he wouldn't act on those feelings.
Buffy saw the yearning in Dean's eye before he looked away. Summoning her courage, she asked, "What about what I want?"
"What do you-"
He couldn't finish his question. Buffy pressed her lips to his and her fist full of his shirt brought him closer. As the kiss deepened, Dean slowly backed her against the wall and surrendered to the attraction he felt.
Buffy was grateful she didn't actually squeal with delight. However a chorus of ohmygod-ohmygod-ohmygod sang through her head. Dean had one hand cupping the back of her head while the other was at the small of her back hugging her to him. Just as Buffy was sure her knees were actually going to buckle, a breathless Dean broke the kiss. He rested his forehead against hers and panted, "God, I want, um, I gotta stop. Uh, Sam."
Buffy looked up at him completely confused. "Sam?"
"I've got to meet Sam at your dorm. I can't just dump him on Willow and I can't ditch him for the night."
"Oh, right." Buffy gently caressed his face. "I guess we should go," she murmured then she tilted her head to kiss him gently.
Dean made a soft, near whimper before allowing himself to give in again. Several heart pounding, mind numbing minutes later, he groaned as he pulled back. "Buffy," his voice a breathless whisper, "you're making me into is the guy I'm trying really hard not to be."
Buffy backed away. "What do you mean?"
"I want to be with you Buffy, that's why I'm here, that's why I did all this. But, I don't want you to think I'm like that Parker asshole."
Stunned, Buffy argued, "You're nothing like Parker."
Dean shook his head. "I'm exactly like Parker." He began to lead her towards her dorm so she won't scrutinize him with those looks that always make him admit more than he intended. "I've lied to girls to get them to sleep with me. And, I rarely look for a second date."
"You've never lied to me."
"Well, no, but..."
"And if you count all the time we hung out in L.A. and the time we went out for ice cream and my birthday and tonight - we've had more than one date."
"Buffy, those weren't dates, and this isn't a -"
"Shut up, Dean, I'm trying to help us out here."
Dean looked at her amused. "Sorry, please continue."
Buffy gave him a half smile as she took his arms and put them around her. Then, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I wish we didn't have to settle for making out in the hallway, but there's always next time," she murmured against his lips.
"'Next time'?" he asked, confident in the answer as they kissed.
After several long minutes, they separated, each feeling the twinge of disappointment. Buffy kept her arm around him as they walked to her dorm.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Once there, Dean knocked on the wall and door. "What are you doing?" Buffy laughed, her hand going to the doorknob. "It's my room."
He took her hand off the knob. "Just announcing our arrival, in case."
"In case? In case of what?"
"You know," Dean whispered inclining his head toward the door.
"Willow and Sam?" Buffy giggled loudly. "You don't know Willow if you think something's happening in there."
Dean kept his hand on hers. "Hey," Dean whispered, "maybe nothing is going on, but I'm not interested in surprising them if that's not the case."
Buffy noisily fumbled with her keys before opening the door to find Sam and Willow innocently lounging on Willow's bed watching TV.
"Hey, you're back. Did everything go okay?" Willow asked.
"Yep, dusted the only vamp we saw. How about you guys? Any 'undead', Sam?"
Sam smirked. "No, no zombies. We watched the meteor shower and came back here." He climbed off the bed, pulling Willow with him. He wrapped her in a bear hug. "Thanks for everything, Willow, you've been great."
"It was fun hanging out with you, Sam. Remember, Stanford's not far from here, you can visit anytime."
Then Sam grabbed Buffy in a hug. "Thanks for showing me around, Buffy, and for putting up with Dean."
"Hey," Dean complained, slapping Sam upside his head. "I'm not that bad." Taking Buffy in his arms for a quick hug, he whispered, "Looking forward to next time."
*Parker's line describing Buffy is from the episode.