TITLE: “One Thing Leads to Another”

AUTHOR: Alessandra “Pamela”

EMAIL: alessandra@...

RATING: NC17 overall

DISTRIBUTION:  My sites… anyone else, just ask.

FEEDBACK:  I would love it if you were so inclined. :)

SPOILERS:  This takes place after “The Gift” except Buffy didn’t die.

SUMMARY:  Buffy and Graham run into each other and find out they get along *really* well.  But will their loyalty to Riley keep them apart?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” characters or situations (I will even give my story ideas to Joss in exchange for a day on the set).  I am borrowing them, without permission, and I mean no harm to them.  They all belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, and Warner Brothers.  I wrote this purely for entertainment and not at all for profit.

NOTE: Moe is a goddess!  Best beta reader ever, I swear.  And Andra rocks too, for sitting and reading and helping me plot.  I’m super lucky to have them both!

***

“That was very good, Dawn,” Buffy complimented her little sister as she leaned back in her chair, her stomach pleasantly full.

“Yes, best spaghetti I have had in a long time,” Graham nodded his assent.

“Good, then you can sign here,” Dawn grinned, setting a piece of paper down in front of Buffy, who quickly signed on the line so that Dawn could get credit for completing the assignment.

“So how does the kitchen look?  Am I going to have a stroke?”

Rolling her eyes, the brunette replied, “It’s not bad at all!”

“Why don’t I trust you?  Oh yeah, I’ve seen your bedroom,” Buffy joked, then looked at Graham, “Want some coffee?”

“Sure, that would be great,” he replied.

Despite Buffy and Dawn’s protests, Graham insisted on helping them clear the table.  With the three of them cleaning the kitchen, all the work was done in no time and Buffy and Graham sat on the couch with their mugs of coffee while Dawn, after much nagging by Buffy, sat in the dining room doing the rest of her homework.

“I can’t wait until school lets out so I don’t have to go through the nightly homework mess,” Buffy sighed and shook her head, “I just pray she passes all her classes.”

“She’s not doing well in school?” Graham asked.

“Dawn has always loved school.  She’s, like, the opposite of me.  Grades were never an issue until now,” she explained, “With all the stuff with my mom… she started ditching.  I had *no* idea until I got called in for a meeting with her principal and they threatened to take her away.  Shows how great I am at this stuff, huh?”

“Yeah, because it’s really abnormal for a kid to ditch school and their parents to be oblivious,” he replied sarcastically, “Buffy, for one thing, you are new to this.  Plus, you’re going through the loss of your mother too.  Give yourself a break.  I think you’re doing a great job with Dawn, for what it’s worth.”

“You really think so?  She’s doing okay?”

“For a kid who just lost her mother?  She’s doing much better than okay.”

She gave him a small smile, “Thank you.”

He shrugged, “All I did is tell you what I see.”

“No, you didn’t,” Buffy shook her head, “You let me know that I am not totally screwing up my sister and that there is a chance she won’t spend her entire life in therapy and hating me.  I worry about that.”

“You know, as lonely as I have always been without a brother or sister, I feel lucky that I didn’t have to be in your position when my mom died.”

“As scary as this is, like I told you the other night, without Dawn I think I would lose it if I didn’t have her.  She keeps me grounded.  I can’t go into a deep depression, I have to go on living because Dawn needs me.”

Once again, Graham was impressed by how caring Buffy was.  It never ceased to amaze him how strong, yet gentle she could be.  Unlike Riley when he first came to Sunnydale, Graham knew there were shades of gray.  He wasn’t as naïve about everything being clearly defined as good or evil.  When he’d been with the Initiative, it had just been easier to let *them* make the decisions; to take orders and feel like he was fighting the good fight.

But Buffy was the one who decided what to fight against and what to fight for and she’d obviously done a better job of it than they did.  He could easily see why Riley had given it all up to stick around and help her.

“Buf-fy!” Dawn whined, “I need help with my math!”

Frowning at Graham, Buffy said, “Now on this I seriously suck.  I really should have paid attention when I was her age because I have the hardest time helping with homework.”

He smiled, “Well, math has always been my strong point.  I could help her if you’d like.”

Grinning, she nodded quickly, “Thank you, you’re wonderful!”

***

“Well, thanks again for dinner,” Graham said as he opened the front door.

“You’re welcome, and thank you too,” Buffy smiled.

Dawn nodded, “Yeah, I appreciate it.  If Buffy had been the one to help, I’d *still* be working on my homework.”

Shooting her sister a dirty look, Buffy said, “Don’t you need to get to bed?”

“In a minute,” she replied.  “So Graham, you know how you said that ‘Shrek’ looked good?  Maybe we could go see it soon?”

“We?” he asked.

“Yeah, you know, you, Buffy and I,” Dawn explained, then laughed.  “Don’t worry, I’m not asking you out on a date!”

Buffy shook her head, “Isn’t she a sweetheart?”

Graham smiled, “I’m in if Buffy is.”

“Sure, sounds fun,” she replied casually, while her heart fluttered.  Despite the fact that she *knew* she shouldn’t be feeling this way - she never had when she made plans with Xander - she couldn’t help it. 

As much as she hated herself for it, Buffy knew that in her heart, Graham was not just Riley’s best friend anymore.

***

Buffy sighed as she walked through the deserted cemetery.  Why did it seem like whenever she was itching for a kill, there were no vampires around?  Soon after Graham had left, Willow and Tara had arrived for Dawn Duty while Buffy patrolled.  She’d spent the past two hours ready to stake anything with fangs, but instead had just had a lot of time to try and sort through her thoughts about Graham

And all she’d come up with was that it was very wrong.  He was Riley’s best friend and even if she and Riley were over for good, wasn’t it wrong for her to hook up with his best friend?  Besides, she was just asking to let Graham hurt her like Parker did and this time she wouldn’t have the excuse that he tricked her.  Graham had expressed no romantic interest; it had just been sex to him.  It was supposed to have just been sex to her, but no.  Apparently the fates hadn’t had enough fun screwing with her yet.

Maybe she didn’t really like Graham as anything more than a friend either.  It could just be an attraction she felt towards him.  He was pretty easy on the eyes after all.  Still, she’d thought he was cute the first time she had met him, but had never acted on it.  When Riley had been there, it had never even occurred to her that she might want to have a relationship with Graham.

Perhaps that was it.  Riley was gone.  Buffy was lonely and needy.  Then there was Graham, handsome and sensitive and able to relate to what she was going through.  Hell, it was good enough to even excuse her inappropriate twinges whenever she saw him.  She was in mourning and grief made people do funny things, like get crushes on their ex-boyfriend’s best friend.  She’d get over it - maybe after she and Graham spent more time together, they’d get to be better friends and the way she felt about him would change.

Feeling optimistic, Buffy decided to call it a night.  After all, summertime in Sunnydale was notably less active as far as baddies were concerned.  They tended to go on vacation.  Why waste her time when she could get a good night’s sleep?

***

Graham lifted the telephone from the cradle for the umpteenth time that day before quickly hanging it up, as he’d done every time previously.  Shaking his head, he couldn’t believe how ridiculous he was being.

It had been nearly three days since he’d seen Buffy, that fabulous night when Dawn had invited him over for dinner.  He had wanted to take full advantage of the teen’s suggestion that they see a movie right away, but had managed to suppress the urge to call Friday night.  That would have been beyond pathetic.  Calling Saturday wouldn’t have been much better.  Besides, Saturday night was date night, so had he and Buffy gone to the movies then, even with Dawn tagging along, being surrounded by couples would have made for a very uncomfortable situation.

But now it was Sunday and after much consideration - since he’d had all Friday and Saturday night to analyze things - Graham had decided that if the three of them were to see a matinee, it wouldn’t be at all awkward.

If he could just get the nerve to *call*, maybe they could actually *go*.

He asked himself why he was so nervous.  It wasn’t a date.  He and Buffy had agreed that they would be friends and only friends.  She was off-limits to him; he couldn’t get with his best friend’s girl.  Whenever he’d wanted to catch a movie with any other female friend, it had been no big deal.

Taking a deep breath, Graham picked up the receiver and dialed Buffy’s number before he had the chance to chicken out.

***

Buffy was in the midst of vacuuming the living room, wondering if they should get a new couch as she did nearly every day since her mother had died on it, when the telephone rang.  She’d only had time to turn the vacuum cleaner off before she heard Dawn thundering down the stairs.

“I got it!”

Buffy reluctantly returned to her cleaning, admonishing herself inwardly for hoping it was Graham, as she had done every time the phone rang or there was a knock at the door for the past few days.  She was no better than those pitiful women on the soaps that she pretended not to watch.  Sitting around, hoping a man would call her.

As if she hadn’t made enough mistakes in her love life, now she was jonesing for attention from a guy it would be *so* wrong to date.  If that weren’t enough, she was begging to get hurt; Graham just saw their sex as sex.  She wasn’t foolish enough to say it was making love - she wasn’t in love with him - but she definitely felt more than friendship.

It was just as well that Graham wasn’t making any contact with her.  He was by far the worst person for her to get involved with.  Perhaps she’d take Dawn’s advice and go out and socialize.  She didn’t need a boyfriend - was probably better off without one at this point in her life - but if she could get her mind off of Graham, maybe Buffy could get back on the right track.

“Hey Buffy, what are you doing this afternoon?” Dawn called from the kitchen.

Figuring it was one of her friends and she wanted a ride to their house, Buffy replied, “Just cleaning.  Nothing important.”

She didn’t hear a reply for several moments until Dawn came into the living room, a bright smile on her face.

“That was Graham.  He’s going to be here in an hour so that we can catch the three o’clock show.  We’re going to see ‘Shrek.’”

“But, you didn’t even ask me!” Buffy protested, torn between being upset with her sister for making plans without her and for forcing her to spend time with Graham, and being excited about spending time with Graham.

“Yes I did, I asked if you had plans.”

“Dawn, asking if I have plans and asking if I want to go to the movies are two different things.”

“True… but I only thought it was important that you didn’t have plans.  I don’t care if you feel like seeing a movie… you *need* to.  Come on, get out, have fun, make me happy?”

Buffy sighed and cocked her head to the side.  Why even bother arguing?

***

“This is okay with you, right?” Graham asked as he, Buffy and Dawn exited the Summers’ home.

“Of course, why wouldn’t it be?”  Buffy questioned him.

He shrugged, “It’s just that I never actually talked to you, just Dawn.”

“Oh, and I am not trustworthy?” Dawn exclaimed, her hands on her hips.

“No, you’re not,” her sister retorted, then smiled at Graham, “But don’t worry, because I’m very fine with this.”

Graham opened the passenger door of his car and pushed the front seat forward to allow Dawn to get in the back.

“Wow, old car,” she idly commented.

“It’s not old, it’s *classic*,” he disagreed, “This is a 1965 Fastback Mustang.  It’s not *old*.”

Dawn shot a questioning look at her sister, who simply shrugged and smiled at Graham, “All we know about cars is you put gas in them and they go.”

Once the brunette got in the back, Buffy climbed in the passenger seat as Graham walked around to the driver’s side.  They had soon backed out of the driveway and started down the street as Graham flipped on the air conditioner.

Dawn sighed happily, “Graham I’m *so* sorry I called this car old.  It has air conditioning!  It’s the best car in the world!”

At Graham’s confused look, Buffy explained, “The air isn’t working in my mom’s… uh… my jeep.”

“Any idea why?”

“Probably because it sucks,” she smiled, “I really need to take it in to the shop, it’s just a hassle and I hate to be stuck without a car for a few days.  My mom used to just rent one, but I’m sure it’s a big pain.”

“I told her she should just get a new car and dump the jeep at the dealer, but does she listen to me?  Nope.” Dawn added from the backseat.

“Dawn, I told you, I want to talk to Mr. Boyd first,” Buffy said, then told Graham, “He’s my mother’s attorney.  Since she died, he’s been really great about handling the gallery and financial stuff.”

“Oh please, the gallery is doing great and Mom had savings, not to mention her life insurance!  We can afford a car.”

“Dawn,” Buffy warned, effectively shutting her sister up.

As they continued on their way, Graham tried to figure out if he’d have time to do mechanical work.

***

“That was so funny!  Wasn’t it?” Dawn chattered as the three of them walked out of Sun Cinema at nearly five that evening.

“Yeah, it was very funny,” Graham agreed in that quiet way of his, smiling down at the bubbly girl.

“I bet you one thing, though, she may have laughed, but Buffy thought it was gross,” she winked at him before looking at her sister, “You did, didn’t you?”

Buffy saw both Dawn and Graham giving her amused looks and calmly replied, “No, I don’t seem to appreciate bathroom humor as much as you two, but the movie *was* funny…. sometimes.”

“It wasn’t too disgusting, was it?”  Graham asked her.

Buffy shrugged, “I suppose not.”

Dawn’s stomach grumbled, demanding to be fed, which Buffy found surprising considering all the candy and popcorn she had consumed.

“Can we have dinner now?” the girl asked.

Buffy nodded, “Want me to make some of that stir fry stuff?  Graham if you want, you’re free to join us.”

They shared a smile before Graham nodded, “I’d love to have dinner with you two again… but you shouldn’t go to the trouble of cooking.  Let’s go to a restaurant.”

“Yeah!” Dawn cheered, “Coco’s!”

Buffy nodded, “Alright, that sounds good.  Where should we go?”

“Coco’s!” Dawn repeated loudly.

Grinning, he replied, “I heard Coco’s is good.”

***

“Mmm… these are the best,” Dawn raved, taking a bite out of one of her crispy chicken fingers doused in honey mustard.

“Really?  You give us the impression that you hate them the way you’re shoveling them in your mouth like they may run away,” her sister quipped.

Graham smiled and took a bite out of one of his own chicken fingers, “They are pretty good.”

“Buffy’s just cranky because she’s having a boring old salad,” Dawn informed him.

Buffy stuck her tongue out at the girl before stabbing a piece of lettuce and bringing it to her mouth.  It was true that her salad was less than exciting, but watching Dawn devour her dinner wasn’t exactly appetizing.

“Hi Dawn!”

The three of them looked up and saw Dawn’s friend, Lisa standing beside their table.  Dawn sat up straighter and smiled.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Oh, I’m just here with my family and saw you, so I thought I’d come over,” Lisa explained, “Hi Buffy.”

“Hi,” Buffy smiled.  She liked Lisa, she’d been a good friend to Dawn, and had been really supportive through the whole thing with their mom.  “Oh, Lisa, this is Graham, Graham this is Lisa.  She’s Dawn’s best friend.”

“Nice to meet you Lisa,” Graham said politely.

“You too,” she said as the smile on her face grew wider, looking at this very handsome man.  She and Dawn were going to have to dish before school the next day!

***

 “Thanks for today, it was really nice,” Buffy said shyly as she walked Graham to the door.  He’d come in and hung out for a bit when he’d returned them to their home.

“Yeah, I had a great time.”

She nodded, “I’m glad we decided to be friends.”

“Buffy, I’ve been thinking about your car.  You know, when I bought my Mustang, it was a piece of crap.  Not just in need of a paint job, but the engine too.  I completely rebuilt it… so I know my way around a car.  Want to let me try to get your air conditioning working again?”

“Oh no, I could never ask you to do that.  I’ll take it in soon.”

“Come on, I want to.”

“Graham it’s too much,” she argued.

“Buffy, you have risked your life to save mine.  Granted, it was a lot of people you were saving at the time, but I was one of them.  Besides, I doubt you wouldn’t do the same if it had just been me.”

“That was my job.”

“Well, I’m your friend.  It’s my job to help you out.”

“Graham-“

“Buffy.”

She sighed and smiled, “You’re sure you want to do this?”

“Positive.  I can work on it tomorrow night, probably do it all in a few hours,” he answered, “I’ll just have to go home, change and have dinner after work and then I’ll be here.”

“Let me make you dinner.  It’s the least I can do.”

“Alright,” Graham smiled, unable to resist an invitation to share a meal with her.

“Great!  What’s your favorite meal?”

“I’m sure I’ll love anything you make for me.”

***

“So… who is Graham?” Lisa asked almost immediately after she and Dawn had greeted each other in front of Sunnydale Junior High School.

“Uh… the guy who was sitting with Buffy and I last night,” Dawn replied, unsure of what Lisa was asking.

Her friend rolled her eyes, “I *know* that… but is he Buffy’s boyfriend?”

“No, he’s just a friend.  Actually, he’s, like, best friends with Riley.”

“So Riley and Buffy got back together?”

“No, Riley’s not back in Sunnydale.  Graham and Buffy are friends too now.”

“Really?  That kind of sucks… Graham’s really hot… we could live vicariously through your sister.  Plus, Buffy really needs a man.”

“Yeah… that’s true,” Dawn agreed, “But who knows… they’re just friends right *now*.”

Lisa smiled, “But you see potential for more?”

“Maybe… Graham looks at Buffy… well, not like how he looks at me.  But he’s pretty quiet, so he’s hard to read.  And Buffy is still so weird trying to take care of me and be strong and all that, so I can’t figure her out half the time.  Oh!  But the other night I invited Graham over when I had to make dinner for my assignment, and Buffy spent a long time in her room getting ready.”

“Well, that’s something!” Lisa grinned, “You know, we’re getting out of school in a few days and we’re going to have a lot of free time.”

“Ooh… we can play matchmaker!” Dawn giggled, walking arm-in-arm through the doors with her friend.

This was bound to be one interesting summer.

TBC...