TITLE: “One Thing Leads to Another”

AUTHOR: Alessandra “Pamela”

EMAIL: destructo-girl@...

RATING: NC17 overall

DISTRIBUTION:  My sites… anyone else, just ask.

PREVIOUS PARTS: Can be found at my site - http://destructo-girl.com

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: This has not been beta read, so please excuse any mistakes. 

***

By the time she reached the mall, Buffy was seething with anger.  She couldn’t believe her sister would do something like this!  Not only was she stealing, but also it was only her second week back at school.  She had no business being anywhere besides Sunnydale High, as Buffy had given her explicit instructions that morning that she was to go straight to school and straight home.  This was even worse than the previous spring when she had been ditching.  Now she was ditching *and* stealing.

After finding a parking space in the garage, Buffy climbed out and nervously walked over to the mall entrance.  She was nervous as hell.  There were a million fears and questions going through her head… and this was pretty embarrassing.

So lost in her thoughts, Buffy completely didn’t see Graham until she smacked into him and almost fell on her butt.

“Buffy, oh God, I’m sorry!” he exclaimed, grabbing her waist to help steady her.

“No, it was my fault,” she replied, “*I’m* sorry.”

Noticing that she was still in her uniform from the diner, Graham frowned, “What’s up?”

She flung her hands up in the air, “I got a call when I was at work from the security at Dillard’s.  You won’t believe what Dawn has done now.”

Cringing, Graham replied, “Store security?  I could guess.”

“She’s stealing now.  She’s also ditching school and disobeying orders.  And now I have to go and face these people and just pray that they won’t press charges because that is the *last* thing we need right now.”

“Oh man, Buffy, I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head, “It’s not your fault.  I’m screwing up.”

“What?  No you aren’t.  You’re the best you can, which really isn’t all that bad.  You’ve got a stable home for Dawn, you make sure she doesn’t want for anything, you’ve got a job-“

“Not anymore.”

“What?”

“I was fired… quit... whatever.  The gist is that I am unemployed,” she smiled sadly.  “Larry wasn’t going to let me leave and I *had* to go.”

“Jeez, Buffy, when you have a bad day, you really have a bad day.”

She couldn’t help but laugh, as she nodded, “I don’t do anything halfway.”

“Well, I’m still sorry.  You know that if there is anything I can do, you just have to tell me, right?”

“Yeah, thank you.  Unfortunately, I don’t know what anybody can do right now.  I’d better get going and meet our fate,” Buffy said.

“Okay,” Graham nodded, “Hey, how about I come over later?  You can call me when you get home.  Something tells me that you will probably need to have someone to talk to over a cup of coffee.”

She gave him a small smile, “That would be nice.”

“Good.  Call me, okay?”

“I will,” she promised.

“All right.  Good luck.”

“Thanks, I need it,” Buffy replied, before reluctantly continuing to make her way to Dillard’s.

***

“We have decided not to press any charges,” Dean Mathis told the two sisters seated on the other side of the desk from him after talking to them both for a few moments, “None of the girls have any previous offences and in your case, Dawn, we know that you have had a lot of disruption in your life as of late.  We understand how hard that can be.  In the interest of fairness, we are willing to let this slide this time.  However, we ask that you not return to our store.  Do you understand?”

Buffy nodded her head quickly, greatly relieved, “Thank you so much, Sir.  I apologize for this whole situation.  Dawn does too, don’t you?”

At her sister’s stern look, the younger girl nodded, “I’m really sorry.”

“Just please stay out of trouble from now on.  You have a very concerned sister here who really cares what happens to you,” the man told her.

She forced herself to give him a small smile and nodded, “I will, I promise.”

The two girls exited the office and found themselves confronted be one Christine Walters, mother of Melanie, one of Dawn’s accomplices.

“I hope you’re happy!”

“Excuse me?” Buffy asked.

“You’re hardly more than a child yourself, raising a teenager!  And obviously doing a bad job of it.  Clearly Dawn was the one who dragged Kansas and my Melanie into this!  They never would have been *truant*, much less thieves!”

“Hey!  Don’t you dare talk to her like that,” Dawn argued, surprising both Buffy and the older woman.  “This is *so* not Buffy’s fault.  I did something really stupid today; I admit it.  But I am in no way responsible for Kansas and Melanie’s actions.  Get with it, Mrs. Walker.  Your little angel’s already been caught stealing at how many stores?  Do you really think it’s a coincidence that she keeps getting ‘falsely accused’?  And we all know she ditches as much as she can.  Even in eighth grade, she would go off with the junior and senior guys in the high school!  Plus, let’s not forget the little plagiarism incident last year in Mr. Rodham’s class.”

“You’re a little liar!”

“No I’m not.  You know I’m not, but you like to live in denial where Melanie isn’t a little rotten brat that does whatever she wants whenever she wants.  Well she does and while I am not perfect, I’m not going to let you blame me for this one and I’m *definitely* not going to let you blame my sister!”

As Mrs. Walters and Melanie stood there with stunned looks on their faces – and Kansas smirked – Dawn grabbed Buffy’s hand and tugged her out of the store.

Once they were alone, Buffy grinned, “I’m proud of you.”

“She pisses me off!  Melanie’s the one who came up with this stupid idea.  I know she didn’t force me, but I absolutely didn’t force her and I’m not putting up with Mrs. Walters being mean to you,” Dawn ranted, then paused and looked up at her sister hopefully.  “Does this mean I’m not grounded?”

“Oh, you’re still in a world of trouble, but I *am* proud of you for standing up for us.”

Dawn groaned as they walked out into the parking garage.  At least Buffy didn’t hate her.

***

“I have to punish her,” Buffy said quietly, before giving Graham a questioning look.  “Right?”

He nodded quickly, “You definitely have to punish her.”

“I know,” she sighed, “It’s just hard.  I feel like a hypocrite.  How can I honestly tell her that stealing and ditching school is wrong when I have done them myself?  Granted, I just stole lipstick and not two hundred dollars worth of clothes, and most of the time when I ditched school, it was apocalypse stuff, but still… do you know what I mean?”

“I do; I see where you are coming from.  But the fact of the matter is, you know that stealing and ditching is wrong, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Well, that’s your job.  You’re supposed to help guide Dawn – teach her morals and the difference between right and wrong and all that.  Obviously, she had a clue before now that when you send her to school, she is supposed to go, and when you go to the store, paying for merchandise isn’t optional, but we all do things that we know are wrong and when we do them we are punished to teach us a lesson.”

“I know, I feel like a jerk, though.  Nobody ever found out about the lipstick and I was hardly punished for the ditching.  My mom grounded me a couple times, but compared to how many times I *did* it…”

“Buffy, do you think your mother was perfect?  Do you think she *never* did anything wrong?    You can’t sit there and try to be ‘fair’ by only punishing Dawn for things if you were punished for them or never did.  This is for her own good – remember that.  I know it’s a lot easier for me to sit here and tell you what you should do, but I know I am right about this.”

“Yeah, you are,” she admitted.  “But this really isn’t easy.”

“I wish that there was something I could do to make things easier,” he told her honestly.

“Go upstairs and lecture Dawn?” she asked jokingly.

“Face the emotional teenage girl?  Sounds like a job for the Slayer.”

She grinned, “I see how it is.”

“But seriously, I want to help.  Promise to let me know if there is anything I can do for you?”

Buffy bit her lip, “I like to do things on my own, but it has come to my attention that I do try to do everything on my own and it’s not always a good thing, so I promise.”

“Everyone needs help once in a while, it’s okay,” he smiled, reaching across over and squeezing her shoulder without thinking about it.

She placed her hand over his and returned the smile, “Thank you for being here for me.  I don’t know how I could have gotten through the past few months without you.”

“I like being here for you,” Graham said honestly.  He tried to remain cool, but on the inside he felt a bit thrilled at the though that *he* was the one there for Buffy instead of Riley.  Granted, Riley was at work, but Buffy hadn’t even mentioned her boyfriend.  He was probably grasping, but it still made him feel really good.

Which in turn made him feel really guilty.  What kind of best friend was he, happy that Buffy had him around instead of Riley?

***

“Oh, come on Buffy!  I didn’t complain about no TV for a week, I didn’t complain about being grounded for *three* weeks, but I really don’t want to do this!”  Dawn whined, following her older sister around the house.

Buffy stopped and gave her a firm look, “You *can’t* complain, because it’s your punishment.  You ditched, you stole, it was wrong and you deserve to lose TV privileges and be grounded.  And you have to write the letter.”

“But it’s embarrassing!”

“Oh, you mean it’s not a fun punishment?  Well, I must have gone wrong somewhere,” Buffy retorted sarcastically.

Dawn cocked her head to the side and frowned.  “Make me clean the bathrooms.  Make me wash your car for a year.  Anything but this!  I’ll even make you breakfast in bed every day for a month!”

“Oh, that’s a great idea.  I can just imagine the mess *I* will have to clean up every day.”

The doorbell rang and the blonde smiled and rushed to open it, her sister at her heels.

“Hi,” Buffy grinned, finding her boyfriend standing on the porch.

“Hey,” Riley returned the smile, stepping inside the house and planting a kiss on her lips, missing Dawn rolling her eyes.  “Hi Dawn.”

“Hi,” she replied, before she turned her attention back to her sister.  “This is cruel and unusual punishment, you know!”

Buffy and Riley exchanged smiles as the teen stomped up the stairs.  Buffy shut the front door and grabbed Riley’s hand, tugging him to the couch in the living room.

“What was that all about?” he questioned.

“Oh, she’s just upset because I am making her write a letter of apology to the manager of the store she stole from.”

“Wow, I am impressed.  Very good punishment!”

“Thank you,” she smiled, leaning over and giving him a deeper kiss.  “So, the popcorn’s in the microwave, what movie did you bring?”

***

“Mmm, this is very nice,” commented Buffy as she and Riley relaxed on the couch, cuddling together.

“Good.  I must admit I have ulterior motives,” Riley replied.

“Yeah?” she asked, growing a little nervous that he might be implying that he wanted to take their relationship to the next level – sex.  It was probably silly, considering all the times they had made love before, but it was something she was very worried about.  Just kissing him wasn’t the same as before.  She always thought about Graham.  So how could she sleep with Riley if she really wanted his best friend?

‘Yeah.  I actually wanted to give you a pleasant, relaxing evening.  I know that things aren’t very easy for you right now and I guess I worry about you.”

A bit relieved, she smiled, “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“I know I don’t *have* to, but I’m your boyfriend and I care about you,” Riley told her, purposely not mentioning the l-word.  He’d decided to give them some time before he said that again, especially considering what a problem it had been the last time.  Riley didn’t want Buffy to feel pressured to reply in kind and he was afraid to be the one to say it and *not* get the same in response again.

She reached up and caressed the side of his face.  “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said before kissing the palm of her hand.

“Um, about Graham talking to me this afternoon… are you mad?”

“Mad?  Of course not, why would I be mad?” Riley questioned.

She shrugged, “I know that one of our big problems before was my difficulties accepting support and not letting you be there for me.  I just don’t want you to think I am doing it again.  You were-”

“At work,” he said, “Don’t worry, I understand.  I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t wish I could have been the one here with you, but it would be completely selfish and immature of me to be mad that Graham was.  You needed someone and I am happy you had him.  I know that the way I was before.  I might not have been able to accept it.  But that was my problem and I recognized that and have tried to change that about myself.”

Buffy felt a pang of guilt; she had this wonderful boyfriend and all she could do was yearn for another man.  There was something seriously wrong with her.  Resolving to just try harder, she kissed him again.

“You’re wonderful.”

Riley grinned, “So are you.”

“Oh gross,” Dawn complained from the doorway.

Sharing an amused look with her boyfriend, Buffy looked at her sister, “Did you need something?”

“I wrote the letter,” she answered, walking over and handing it to Buffy.

“Oh, good, I’ll read it later.”

“Hey Dawn, maybe since you can’t go out, we could rent movies that all three of us can watch a few times a week,” Riley offered.

“You *told* him?” Dawn exclaimed.

Buffy sighed, “Yes, I did, Dawn.  I didn’t know it was supposed to be a secret.  Besides, Riley was bound to be curious why I am no longer employed.”

“Oh, it’s *all* my fault, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t say that!”

“Whatever!  I know that you blame me because now you can’t go to school and hang out with your friends and your *boyfriend* because you have to take care of me and now you lost your stupid job *because* *of* *me*!”  The teen shouted before running up the stairs.

“I’m sorry,” Buffy apologized to Riley, “Don’t take it personal, she’s just in a bad mood.”

“I understand,” he said, gently stroking a hand up and down her back.

“I should probably go talk to her.”

Riley nodded, “Yeah, I need to get going anyway.”

The two stood up and walked to the door before hugging and kissing again.

Riley opened the door.  “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Buffy smiled.  “Okay… drive careful.”

“I will,” Riley promised, stepping outside.  “Bye.”

“Goodbye,” Buffy called, watching him walk to his car before shutting the door and leaning against it.  With a deep breath, she walked up the stairs and knocked softly on her sister’s door.

“What do you want?” Dawn crossly asked inside.

“To talk to you.”

“Fine.”

Accepting the mediocre invitation, Buffy opened the door and stepped inside, finding her sister lying on her stomach on the bed.  Gingerly, she sat down on the edge of the bed and ran her fingers through Dawn’s silky long hair.

“I’m sorry I embarrassed you by telling Riley.  I honestly didn’t mean to divulge any secrets.  You knew I told Graham.”

Dawn nodded, knowing she couldn’t tell her sister that she didn’t mind Graham knowing because he was almost a brother to her but didn’t feel that way about Riley.  “I was embarrassed, but it’s not your fault.  I’m the one who did something so stupid.”

“Do you really think I blame you because I take care of you?”

The younger girl paused for a moment, trying to figure out how she felt before explaining it to her sister.  “I don’t know if you blame me, but it is because of me that you can’t have fun.”

“I have fun.”

“Yeah, but not as much as other people your age.  Not as much as Willow.”

“So,” Buffy shrugged.  “Willow doesn’t get to have a sister.”

Dawn laughed, “Oh please!  I have heard you complain a million times about what a burden I am.  And that was before Mom died and you had to take care of me all the time.”

“I know.  You are, on occasion, a huge pain in the ass and you know it.  But then there are times like when I was fourteen and had the flu and had to miss my first high school dance, so you sat with me in my room that night and watched ‘Pump Up the Volume’ and brought me Sprite.  Or the time when you were three and you fell down and hurt your knee and wouldn’t stop crying until *I* kissed it.  Or when I couldn’t find Mr. Gordo and you gave me your favorite doll to sleep with.  Willow will never get to have times like that and she’s really missing out.”

“Those things didn’t really happen,” Dawn pointed out, tears welling in her eyes.

Buffy put her hand over her heart.  “Yes they do.  They are real here and that’s what matters.”

Dawn sat up and hugged her sister.  “I’m sorry I yelled at you and I’m sorry you got fired because of me.”

“Hey, I didn’t get fired, I quit.”

“Because of me.”

Buffy shrugged, “It was a stupid job.  I can do better and now I have extra incentive to go find something else.”

“I’m also sorry I was rude to Riley.”

The older girl nodded, “I think you owe him an apology the next time you see him.”

“I guess,” Dawn reluctantly agreed.

“We have some popcorn left over.  Want some?”

“Sure!”  She grinned, jumping off the bed and heading out of the room before pausing and turning to look at her sister.  “Buffy?”

“Yeah?”

“Am I still grounded?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Buffy chuckled.

“It was worth a shot,” Dawn replied, leaving her sister alone as she went downstairs.

Feeling better knowing that at least she had resolved one of her many problems, Buffy trailed behind.  For the first time in a while, she felt like she could handle this.  She may be unemployed and have an incredibly screwed up romantic life, but she was going to make it.

***

“Hey Matt, do you have any connections to get someone a job?” Riley asked his friend and co-worker.

The other man smirked at him.  “Why, you need some extra cash?”

“Taco Bell is hiring,” another man piped in, causing several people to laugh.

Riley rolled his eyes,  “Buffy – my girlfriend – needs a job.”

“I can think of one job she’s be really great at.  Zane and I patronize a very fine establishment every Saturday night, we could ask if they are hiring next time we go,” Tom joked.

“*Not* funny,” Riley glared at him.

“Seriously, though, I don’t know anybody.  I’ll ask around, though,” Matt promised.

“Thanks man,” Riley said, going back to his paperwork until Graham came in and sat down at the desk opposite him.  “Morning.”

“Good morning,” Graham replied as he sat down, “What’s up?”

“Not much,” his friend responded, then added, “Oh, Buffy told me about how you talked with her yesterday after the whole incident with Dawn.”

Graham froze, suddenly afraid of what Riley might say.  After all, he wasn’t sure he would have liked his friend performing what could be boyfriend duties with *his* girlfriend.

“I just wanted to say thanks.  It’s nice to know that you’re there to look out for my girl when I can’t.”

Pasting a smile on his face, Graham nodded.  “Anytime.  Buffy’s my friend too.”

“I know, and I’m very glad for it.  Buffy’s life isn’t easy and she needs all the friends she can get.  It’s good that she can count you as one of them.”

Feeling even guiltier, not only for sleeping with Buffy, but for the jealous thoughts he had been having ever since Riley’s return, Graham sat down at his desk and attempted to immerse himself with work.

***

“Buffy?”

Buffy looked up and was surprised to find a familiar face peering down at her.  She quickly placed him as Brian, the man her mother had gone on a date with the night before she had died.  He’d come to Joyce’s funeral, just to offer his condolences, and Buffy had found him to be very nice.  She would have liked it if her mother had continued to date him.

“Hi Brian,” she smiled, standing up from her seat at the table in the restaurant.

“Hi there.  How are you doing?”

“Oh, I’m good.  How about you?”

“I’m doing just fine,” he replied.  “How’s Dawn?”

“She’s great.  She just started high school a few weeks ago so now she feels she is very old and mature.”

“That must be fun for you,” he smiled.

She nodded and sarcastically replied, “It’s a blast.”

Gesturing to the paper on the table, Brian asked, “Are you applying for a job here?”

“Yeah, I’m the breadwinner now and I didn’t get to finish school so… I’m good at waitressing.”

He nodded, “Oh, that’s good.  Uh, you know, I work at a publishing house.”

“Yeah, I think my mother mentioned it.”

“Well, we have job openings pretty regularly and I know a colleague of mine is looking for a new secretary.  I’m not sure how much more money you would make than here, after tips, but you would have paid vacation, sick days, medical benefits and 401K, the whole deal.  And you wouldn’t have to spend your days running around and carrying trays of food around.  Do you think you might be interested?”

“Yeah,” Buffy replied, “But I’ve never been a secretary.  I have no experience besides waitressing.”

“Do you have any experience with computers?”

“Sure, but not extensively or anything.  I had to take some computer classes in school so I can type and do some other basic things.”

“That’s all you need,” he grinned, “Of course, you will have to have a professional appearance and be clean cut but I can already tell you have that covered.  You’ll have to come in for an interview, but I am sure Alicia will hire you.  I’ll talk to her, set up a time, and give you a call, okay?”

“Sure, that would be great,” Buffy grinned.  “Thank you very much.”

“It’s nothing,” he assured her.  It felt good to be able to help out Joyce’s girls.  They may have only had one date, but he had known she was special.

After making a few more arrangements, the two said goodbye and Buffy finished filling out the application and submitted it – just in case.  With an extra bounce in her step, she headed home.

TBC...