Part Five

No sooner was Buffy in the house when she ran into her bedroom to call Willow. "Hello?" Willow answered.

"Will, you'll never guess what happened during patrol tonight."

The redhead giggled. "You killed the last demon on earth, thus ensuring the safety of humanity," she guessed.

"Not quite. I was fighting a vamp in an alley and dusted him. Angel saw me."

"As in cute History tutor Angel?"

"One in the same. At first I didn't know what to think. I had to think up an excuse for what was going on. But he knew. Turns out he's a Watcher."

Willow cleared her throat. "He's a Watcher? Aren't all Watchers old, wrinkly British guys? Well, except Giles, and Angel's pretty cute."

Buffy laughed. "You know, I said almost the exact same thing to him."

"You did?" Willow said incredulously.

"Yep. You missed seeing Buffy turn a bright shade of red."

"Are you okay with it?"

"Turning red and being utterly embarrassed? Is anybody ever okay with that?"

Her best friend sighed. "No. About Angel being a Watcher."

"It's not like I can change who he is. You are what you are. But yeah, I'm cool with it."

"That's good. Think you'll be training with him?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"If you do, he might get all hot and sweaty."

Buffy couldn't believe what her friend said. "Willow!"

"Sorry. Couldn't help the mental images."

And she couldn't either. She saw herself and Angel fighting, quarterstaffs in hand. Sweat trickled down his forehead, and his white t-shirt clung to his chiseled chest. Buffy shook off the image. "Stop it. I so can't be having these thoughts." She heard her mother walking up the stairs. "Mom's coming, I gotta go. I'll see you first thing in the morning. Bye." She hung up only ten seconds before her mother knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" Buffy asked.

Mrs. Summers opened the door, poking her head through. "Just me. How was school today?"

"Educational, as it always is. Nothing exciting."

"And patrol?"

Buffy wasn't ready to tell her mother about Angel. "The same. Dusted some vamps and came home."

"Well, that's good. I have some bad news, Buffy."

"What is it?"

"I have to go out of town for a few days, a week tops. There's an art buying seminar and collection being shown in Chicago. Some rare pieces are up for auction that would be great for the gallery," she explained.

Buffy smiled. "Sounds artsy. When do you leave?"

"First thing in the morning. My flight leaves at seven. Buffy, I am so sorry for having to leave like this, but I have to go."

"It's fine, Mom. You do your art thing and have fun. I can handle things by myself for a few days."

Mrs. Summers hugged her daughter. "You've gotten so mature. Who are you and what have you done to my baby girl?"

"It's called growing up."

********

The next morning at school, Buffy found Kevin standing in front of her locker. "Hey, you," she said with a grin.

"Good morning. You're awful cheerful today," he commented.

"I had a good night."

"You should have more nights like it."

If patrolling with Angel puts me in this good of a mood, I might make it an everyday occurrence. Not that I wouldn't mind anyway.  "I'll do my best."

"I hope I'm about to make it better. All the Prom preparations are done, finished, taken care of. We are good to go," Kevin told her.

"Does that mean I get to find out what my surprise is?"

Kevin shook his head. "Not until later. Tell you what, after your training session with Giles, I'll meet you out front. Then I will tell you."

She groaned. "I hate surprises, you know that."

"Yes, I do. But you'll love this one. I guarantee it."

"All right. I promised Willow I'd see her before homeroom. I'll see you later, Kevin." They kissed good-bye and Buffy headed in the direction of Willow's locker.

********

Giles sat behind his desk, with Angel sitting on the other side of his office. "Tell me again how it happened."

"I was out for a walk when I heard what I thought was a fight in an alley. I was all ready to stake the vampire when it got staked. Buffy stood up, obviously shocked to see me holding a stake. She started to make an excuse for what had happened when I told her I knew; told her that I am a Watcher."

"And how did she react?"

Angel shrugged. "I think it surprised her. Overall, though, she took it really well."

"That's good. She understands why you are here and why you didn't tell her right away?"

"I guess so. Buffy wasn't upset by it. If anything, she was relieved and happy about it. She even invited me to finish up patrolling with her, and we swept the cemetery together."

Giles thought for a few moments. "If it were agreed upon by Buffy, would you mind patrolling with her nightly?"

Angel didn't need to think about it. Patrol with her every night? Can I possibly keep my feelings a secret? "Of course. I want to learn as much as I can."

The older Watcher stood. "There she is now," he said, pointing to the table where Buffy threw her backpack. "Perhaps now would be a good time to ask her."

It was quarter to three, and time for her second tutoring lesson of the day. Buffy was beginning to enjoy these lessons, if not for the knowledge then for the company. "Hi again," she said to Angel.

"Hi. Can Giles and I ask you something?"

Buffy glanced from one to the other. "Shoot."

"How would you feel if Angel were to patrol with you from now on? He needs to see how the Slayer operates on the battlefield," Giles said."

"Sure. I don't have a problem with it. Wanna meet me here at sunset? That's what time I usually start patrol."

"I'll be here," Angel agreed.

Giles clasped his hands behind his back. "Now that that's settled, I'll let you two get down to business."

Part Six

At four-thirty, Buffy left the library. Her training session with Giles ended and she was supposed to meet Kevin in front of the school. She felt worn and ragged from the grueling training she'd endured. Giles decided to show off her skill to Angel, who'd watched with interest. It was a bit disconcerting at first, having him watch her every move. But knowing that it was necessary for his own training, Buffy began to feel more at ease.

She trudged her way through the halls on her way to the front entrance. Kevin waiting just outside the doors, standing in the sunlight. Buffy tapped him on the shoulder, causing the boy to jump. He sighed with relief upon seeing his girlfriend. "Hi. How was training?"

Buffy frowned. "Tiring. I think I could sleep for a week."

"Why don't we sit at one of the benches. Rest for your weary bones."

"My bones thank you."

They moved to a stone bench in the shade. Kevin placed his hand on Buffy's knee.

"So, tell me about this surprise for Prom. I'm dying to know."

Kevin grinned. "Well, it begins when the limo picks us up at four o'clock for dinner at Giorgio's."

"Sounds nice so far. What else?"

"After dinner we go to the school for the Prom. We do the dancing and mingling thing for a few hours, the limo takes us to L.A. where I booked us a room at the Marriot."

Buffy wasn't sure if she was hearing right. "What?"

"I checked it out already. It's a beautiful room. Amazing view of the city, king-sized bed, Jacuzzi, everything you could possibly imagine."

"Kevin, I don't understand. Why did you do that?"

He stared into her eyes. "Because I think it's time. We've been pretty serious for over a year now, Buffy. I really care about you, and we need to take our relationship to the next level. And Prom is the perfect time; it'll only add to the most romantic night of our lives."

Buffy bit her lip. "You mean..."

Kevin nodded, never breaking eye contact. "Yes. I'm ready."

She sat there, taking several breaths. She knew in her mind that she wasn't ready to take things that far with Kevin. And in her heart, she knew that he wasn't the one she wanted her first time to be with. It wasn't that she didn't care about him, but she didn't love him. Buffy always imagined making love for the first time with the man she loved. Kevin Matthews certainly was not him.

"I'm not."

"Not?" he repeated. "Buffy, this is such an important step. I want it to be with you."

Her lower lip quivered. "I don't."

"What do you mean you don't? Is there someone else?" he demanded, his anger near the boiling point.

"No. I just -- just don't love you. Not enough to make love to you. And I'm not ready. Not for that or for a commitment I might not be able to fulfill."

He slammed his fist on the stone bench. "That is such bullshit. You have to live for the moment and look toward the future. You're so stuck in the now that you can't see the future lying in front of you."

"Future!?" she cried. "I'm sorry that all I can see of my future is a foot-long stake and demons and vampires! And I'm really sorry if you cannot accept it." Buffy felt the tears stinging her eyes.

"I care about you so much, Buffy. And I want to be with you in every way possible."

"Do you love me?" Kevin didn't answer. "I didn't think so. Kevin, I care about you, too, but I don't love you. When I'm ready to make love to someone, I'm going to know it without having to think twice about it. It's gong to be with someone I love totally and completely, and who loves me the same way. You're not him."

He stared at her in rage. "You are a dreamer, Buffy. You think you're going to accomplish all that? Most people never do. But I wish you the best of luck in your hunt for your true love." Kevin got to his feet and began to walk of the school grounds. Twenty feet from where Buffy remained sitting, he turned to her. "If you die a virgin, like you probably will, the way you think, just remember that I wanted to, but you said no. And don't come crying to me when you change your mind. I won't be there. Good-bye, Buffy."

********

Angel waited for forty-five minutes in front of the school, and still Buffy hadn't shown up. He'd only known her for three days, but she seemed very punctual, not someone to flake out on a promise or a responsibility. Especially one as important as this one. I'll give it ten minutes, then I'm going to go look for her. God, I hope nothing happened.

The ten minutes passed slowly for him. He kept thinking of things that might have held Buffy up, but his thoughts kept wandering to the thought of her being hurt. It frightened him to think about it. I better go look for her. I'm sure she just forgot.

He took off, heading to the nearest cemetery. By the time he'd searched his third, Buffy was nowhere to be found. Giving up, Angel walked to his apartment.

On his way home, Angel passed Restfield Cemetery and saw two figures in the distance. Out of curiosity, he hopped the fence and checked to see what was going on. Seeing that it was Buffy, he stayed away, not wanting to catch her attention.

Buffy pounded mercilessly on the vampire, venting all of her anger and frustration onto it. She thought she had the upper hand until the vampire wielded a roundhouse kick that caught her off-guard.

"You're going to die tonight, Slayer," the vampire hissed.

**Die a virgin...**

No, she thought. I am not going to die tonight. The vampire kicked her again, this time successfully knocking her to the ground.

He laughed wickedly as he pounced down on her. Buffy started crying. Not from the fear of her death, but from Kevin's harsh words, and the fact that they might become a reality. The vampire laughed again. "Poor little Slayer's in tears. Any last wishes or requests?"

Buffy never saw Angel move behind her attacker. She fell unconscious when the vampire punched her. "Leave Buffy alone." Angel plunged the stake he carried into the vampire's back, piercing its heart. When the dust settled, he checked to see if Buffy was okay. She was still breathing, and her pulse was normal. Angel wrapped his duster around her and swept her up into his arms, carrying her the four blocks to his apartment.

********

Buffy groaned and began to stir twenty minutes after they arrived at his apartment. When she opened her eyes and surveyed her surroundings, she tensed up. Nothing looked familiar. What happened? Where am I? She saw chairs, a television set and a desk but no people. Oh god...

Angel walked out of the kitchen and found Buffy looking around nervously. "How are you feeling?"

She sighed in relief, knowing that she was safe if Angel was with her. "I've been better. Where are we?"

He placed a steaming cup of tea on the table in front of her. "My apartment. You were knocked unconscious by a vampire and I brought you here."

"You saved my life. He was going to kill me."

"He's dust now, don't worry about it. Buffy, you're safe here."

For seemingly no reason at all, Buffy burst into tears. Angel let her cry and handed her a napkin from the pile he'd brought into the room with him. She wiped her eyes with it. "I'm sorry. I'm having the worst day of my life."

He sat next to her on the couch. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Do you think I am so horrible and ugly that nobody can ever love me?" she asked.

"Of course not. You're absolutely beautiful and I guarantee that someone loves you very much." It was the closest he could come to admitting his true feelings for her. "What would make you think that?"

Buffy sniffled. "Kevin. He...we...he broke up with me."

"Why would he do that? Doesn't he know how lucky he is?"

"It's personal."

"Oh." Angel didn't want to pry into her personal life. "I am really sorry. I wish I knew what to say."

Buffy wiped her eyes again. "Do you want to know what he did?" She didn't wait for a reply. "He rented a hotel room for us after the Prom. Kevin just expected me to sleep with him." She didn't know what it was about him, but Buffy felt like she could tell Angel anything.

"And you didn't want to?"

"I'm not ready; I don't love him. And I want to be in love when I make love to a man. It has to be right, it has to be with someone who loves me as much as I love him. Kevin isn't the one, and I told him that. Then he broke up with me."

Angel forced her to look into his eyes. "That's his loss then."

"He called me a dreamer and said I'd never find my true love; said I'd die a virgin."

Angel fought back the overwhelming urge to find Kevin Matthews and commit justifiable homicide. "He doesn't understand, apparently."

Buffy began crying, a fresh stream of tears falling out of her eyes. "He doesn't understand. He doesn't understand that I could die tomorrow. Kevin has his whole future planned out for the next fifty years. I don't know if I'm going to be alive in two weeks."

"You're the Slayer. Kevin obviously has no clue what it's like for you."

She buried her face in Angel's chest. "He doesn't understand. Nobody does."

Through her sobs, Buffy could have sworn she heard Angel whisper "I would understand."

Part Seven

The blankets covered Buffy up to her chin and when she woke up the next morning she felt safe and warm. But it wasn't her bed. Buffy sat up quickly, the blankets falling to her waist. Within seconds she remembered what had happened the night before. Angel had saved her from being killed, brought her to his apartment and listened to her cry about Kevin breaking up with her. How did I end up in his bed?

She climbed out of bed and stood in front of the mirror. At least I still have my clothes on. Opening the bedroom door, Buffy padded her way to the kitchen, following the smell of cooking bacon. Once she found the kitchen, she saw Angel standing in front of the stove. Smiling, she said, "Smells good."

Angel turned around. "Morning. How did you sleep?"

Buffy noticed for the first time that the man standing before her wore only a pair of black jeans. She smiled appreciatively, thinking about how accurate her dream the other night had been. He really does have a nice body. My dreams are getting wicked accurate.  His perfectly coifed hair adorned his head in wet spikes. Droplets of water trickled from them. She needed to swallow. It wasn't until right then that Buffy realized just how handsome Angel truly was.

"I slept alright, considering. How did I get into your bed? Did we...?" Buffy was suddenly fearful, afraid that something happened and she had been too out of it to remember.

He shook his head. "No, I would never have let something like that happen with you being so upset like you were. I'm not one to take advantage of someone else's pain. Buffy, you fell asleep and I carried you to my room. I slept on the couch all night."

"Oh boy. Don't I feel embarrassed now," she admitted.

"Don't be. You jumped to an honest conclusion. Anyone could have done it. Would you like some breakfast?"

"Actually, would you mind if I took a shower first? I feel kind of gross in these clothes."

Angel saw the dried mud on her blouse from her fight with the vampire. "Feel free. You take a shower and I'll leave some clean clothes and towels in the bathroom for you. I can wash your dirty ones."

"Thank you. Now, which way is the bathroom?"

"Down the hall on the right."

Buffy left the room and closed the bathroom door behind her. Angel turned off the stove, went into his bedroom and proceeded to find suitable clothing for Buffy to wear for a few hours. He pulled out a white t-shirt and a pair of black boxer shorts. They might be a little big on her, but at least she'd be warm. On his way to the bathroom he grabbed two large towels. He waited in the hallway until he heard the shower run. Knocking on the door, he called, "Buffy?"

"Yeah?" she shouted.

"Can I come in? I have the towels and clothes for you."

"Sure, it's safe."

He slowly opened the door and stepped inside. Steam from the shower attacked him, and he coughed from the lack of oxygen.

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked from the shower.

"Sure. It's really hot in here."

"Sorry."

"I'll leave the stuff on the towel rack." Angel put the clean clothes down and picked up Buffy's dirty ones. "Buffy, I am leaving now."

"Okay." She heard the door shut. "What a gentleman," she said softly. "Why can't there be more men like him out there?"

Buffy washed herself, trying her best to forget everything Kevin said to her. His words were too harsh, though. I will find my true love. He's out there somewhere, I know it.

Five minutes later, she stepped out of the shower. She grabbed one of the fluffy white towels Angel left and wrapped her blonde hair in it. She dried herself off with the other one, then put on the t-shirt and boxers Angel chose for her. The t-shirt was long, falling mid-thigh and she had to hold the boxers to prevent them from falling down. Buffy towel-dried her hair and brushed it out with a comb that lay on the counter.

"Is your offer of breakfast still available?" she wanted to know when she returned to the kitchen. Angel sat at the table sipping a cup of coffee. Buffy was disappointed to see that he had put a shirt on.

"What would you like? I made pancakes, bacon and eggs. If you don't like any of it, I can make something else."

"No, it's fine."

Angel got up and fixed her a plate. "Um, maybe you should call your mother and let her know where you are."

Buffy put a forkful of food in her mouth. "She's in Chicago. I don't know when she'll be back."

He didn't want to bring up Kevin again, not wanting to hurt Buffy. "Did you have any plans for today?"

"I was supposed to go Prom dress shopping with Willow. Don't think that's going to happen."

"Why do you say that?"

Buffy frowned. "I'm probably not going to Prom anymore. Without a date, I can't."

"Of course you can. And besides, I am sure there are plenty of guys who'd love to escort you." Including me.

"Yeah right. I won't be able to get a date in time. Prom is less than three weeks away. Everyone will have a date already."

"You're a bright, beautiful girl, Buffy. You'll find a date. If not, go alone."

"Did you go to your Prom alone?" she asked. Probably not. He had girls lining up to be his date, I bet.

Angel took a sip of coffee. "I didn't go to my Prom."

"Why not?"

He shrugged. "I didn't understand the whole concept of it. Getting dressed up to go to a dance with the same people I'd seen every day for the past four years just didn't appeal to me."

"Do you ever regret not going?"

"Sometimes. But you can't miss out on this opportunity. Don't let what Kevin said and did to you stop you from having a good time."

The two of them sat in silence for several minutes. Neither could think of anything to say. Buffy polished off her breakfast while Angel slowly drank his coffee. He stared into his cup, seeing her image in his dark liquid.

"Do you think I'll find my true love before I die?" Buffy wanted Angel's opinion.

"If it's meant to be, it will happen," he answered truthfully. "You might already know him."

"I don't know. I always imagined knowing right away. Like I'd see him and it would be love at first sight. Do you believe in that?"

"Whole-heartedly. I know from experience."

Buffy doubted if it would ever happen to her. "Is that what happened when you saw that girl?"

"Yes. I took one look at her and know she was the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. Love is the most amazing feeling in the world, even when it's unrequited. She's my entire universe and she doesn't even know it."

"She's very lucky to have you love her like that. Are you going to tell her?"

"When the time is right. It would only hurt her now. She's going through a difficult time right now and I want to be there for her as a friend. I don't think she'd understand the depth of my feelings." He wondered if Buffy had any clue that it was she he spoke of.

She laughed. "I swear, you are like the perfect man."

"I'm hardly perfect," he told her.

"Nobody is. God knows I'm not. But you come pretty close. At least you didn't almost get yourself killed last night."

Angel put his cup and Buffy's plate in the dishwasher. "You were upset. It could have happened to anyone."

"It's not supposed to happen to the Slayer. Look, I want to apologize for being a complete basket case."

"You don't need to apologize. You had every reason in the world to cry. What he said to you was mean and totally unjustified. I'm not one to begrudge you from shedding a few tears over him."

"Thank you." She paused and took a deep breath. "Um...I feel kind of weird asking you this, and I know it's forward of me, so feel free to say no."

"You can ask me anything, Buffy."

"Do you think I can stay here this weekend? I don't think I can handle being alone right now, and Willow wouldn't understand."

He smiled softly. "Of course you can. For as long as you want. Now may I ask you a question with the same stipulations?"

"Go ahead."

"Unless you have other plans, would you like to go out for dinner? Just to get your mind off of things."

Buffy grinned. "I'd love to." Dinner with Angel was exactly what she needed to get her mind off Kevin.

Part Eight

Willow gaped at Buffy when she heard what Kevin did. "I cannot believe he did that. What a jerk."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"He always seemed so nice and normal. That's really scary."

"I know. Kevin never, not in the year we dated, pushed farther than I was ready to go. Then out of the blue he goes and does this. It's like he did a total one-eighty from the guy I knew."

Willow groaned. "I'm gonna kill him when I pass him in the hall on Monday. He's going to wish he never did that."

Buffy shook her head in response. "Don't, Will. I've decided it's not worth it."

"But, Buffy, that's a best friend's job. I want to do my job. Let me do my job."

"Don't bother. Really. Truth is, I'm not even that upset about the breakup itself. I think it had been coming for a while. What really bothers me is what he said. About me dying before I find my true love. I will find him, Will," swore Buffy.

"I know you will. How come you didn't tell me about this last night?" the redhead wanted to know.

Buffy bit her lip. "After it happened, I needed to vent. So I patrolled. What a big mistake that was. The patrolling, not what happened afterward."

Willow's eyes widened. "What happened after?"

"Do you promise not to tell? I don't want Giles finding out unless I tell him." Willow nodded, promising to keep her silence. "I had a run-in with a vampire and I almost died."

"Buffy! Were you hurt badly?"

"No. I was knocked unconscious. When I woke up, though, I thought I had been kidnapped. I didn't know where I was, nothing looked familiar."

"Where were you?"

"After I was knocked out, I guess Angel staked the vamp. He must have seen the fight. So he killed the vampire and took me back to his apartment. I woke up on the couch. I cried on his shoulder for hours probably and he let me sleep there."

"With him?"

Buffy sighed. "Not like that. I slept in his bedroom and he slept on the couch."

"Wow. What a gentleman," commented Willow.

"I know. Willow, he's so much more mature than any of the guys we go to school with. Angel actually listened to me cry about Kevin for I don't know how long. He made me feel so much better about this whole situation. I feel like his words have given me some confidence again. Hell, he even convinced me to go to Prom, if only by myself."

"You should go. Prove to Kevin that he didn't break your spirit. You'll have a great time. I know, ask Angel to be your date."

Buffy laughed. "Why would he want to go to the Prom with me? He told me this morning he doesn't understand why it's such a big deal, seeing the same people you see every day."

"But he doesn't see them every day. You do."

"I couldn't do that. Besides, he's probably sick of seeing me by now."

"Doubtful. I bet he'd look way cute in a tux."

"Stop giving me these mental pictures. I have to go out with him tonight, I cannot be imagining him in a tux," Buffy said.

Willow's jaw dropped. "You're going out with him tonight? This is getting serious."

"He's just taking pathetic little Buffy out for dinner. He feels bad. It's nothing to get all worked up about."

"I'm sure he doesn't think of you as pathetic. Maybe he likes you."

"Yeah right. Angel is intelligent and good-looking. What would he see in me?"

Willow saw Buffy's cheeks turn a pinkish-red. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Buffy had no idea what her best friend was talking about.

"You have a crush on him, don't you? That's why you weren't upset about breaking up with Kevin. Because you've got a crush on Angel."

"That is so absurd. He's my Watcher."

"No, he's a Watcher, not yours. Come on, admit it."

Buffy shook her head, smiling. "Okay, so maybe I do. Not like it makes a difference. He's still a Watcher, and besides, he's kind of attached."

"Kind of?" Willow repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Not really attached, but he does like someone. More than like, actually. Said it was love at first sight, but she doesn't know it."

"Like that's gonna last. If Angel's so in love with her, how can this girl be so oblivious?"

"I don't know. She's lucky, whoever she is. He's a great guy and I know he'll make some girl happy," mused Buffy.

"And you wish it were you," added Willow.

"Isn't it a hope that every girl has at one point in her life? To have a man love you at first sight?" The Slayer had a faraway look on her face. "Maybe I do wish it were me. It's not, but I can wish, can't I?"

"Yeah, I guess. Come on, let's go Prom dress shopping." Willow and Buffy got up from the table in the middle of the food court and went off in the direction of the dress stores.

********

"You should get this dress for your date tonight," Cordelia said to Buffy, holding up a midnight blue sundress.

The two girls ran into Cordelia at one of the dress shops. The three of them then decided to look for their dresses together.

"It's not a date, Cordy. He's just taking me to dinner," Buffy told the brunette.

"Hot date tonight, Buffy? You certainly don't waste any time," someone said from behind them.

They all turned around, seeing Kevin standing a few feet away. "What business is it of yours? You dumped me, remember?" Buffy spat, bitterly.

"What are you doing here, Kevin? Shopping for dresses for your blow-up doll?" joked Cordelia, with a straight face.

"Who is he? Does he know ahead of time what's he's getting himself into?"

"Kevin, go away," warned Willow.

Buffy stood there, trying to keep her cool. Cordelia on the other hand, knowing exactly what he had done and being pissed off about it, didn't hold back. "None of your business. But I will say that he's higher up on the food chain than you. Rats are pretty close to the bottom."

"Like you're one to talk, Miss I'm-Dating-Xander-Harris." Kevin turned his attention back to his ex-girlfriend. "I figured you'd be at home whittling stakes or something. Not dress shopping."

"I'm not crying over you, Kevin. You're not worth it."

Cordelia couldn't resist one more jab at him. "Will your blow-up doll be accompanying you to Prom, Kevin? Or do you need to hire someone?"

"At least I can get a date. Buffy here is going alone I bet. If she goes at all," he laughed.

"What makes you think I'm going alone?" Now Buffy was getting mad.

"Without a date, why would you go?"

"She has a date!" Willow shouted.

Kevin looked at her. "Yeah right."

"I do," said Buffy.

"Who is it? Oh, and relatives don't count."

"I guess you'll just have to wait a couple of weeks and find out."

"This ought to be interesting," Kevin said before leaving.

They watched as he left. "Way to go, Buffy. You really stood up for yourself," Cordelia complimented.

"Yeah. But I have a bigger problem."

"What's that?" asked Willow.

"Finding a Prom date."

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