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. 

***

Dawn opened the refrigerator, looking for something she could eat fairly quickly.  Grabbing an individual size applesauce, she went in search of the perfect topping until she found the big bag of M&M’s Buffy had hidden in a cabinet behind a roll of paper towels.

As she mixed a handful into the applesauce, her older sister entered the kitchen.  Buffy froze when she saw her, obviously not expecting her.

“What are you doing here?”

“Gee, good morning to you too, Buffy.  Or actually afternoon, since it’s a quarter after twelve,” Dawn retorted.

“Sorry,” the blonde smiled apologetically.  “I just thought you and Melinda were going to the movies.”

“We are, but her mom said I didn’t need to come over until twelve-thirty.”

“Oh…” Buffy replied, looking uncomfortable.

Dawn noticed the discomfort and raised her eyebrows.  “Why’d you sleep so late, anyway?  And what’s up with your nightgown?  It looks like a man’s… shirt.”

All of a sudden, the teen realized that Buffy might have a man up in her room.  Back when she had been with Riley, there were days where they wouldn’t come downstairs until long after lunchtime.  Buffy hadn’t told her sister that Riley had left town, but Dawn had still thought there was no chance of her sister getting back together with him.  Now she wasn’t so sure.

“Yeah, um, it *is* a man’s shirt,” Buffy confessed, then laughed nervously, “I wanted to tell you in a nicer way than this, but I’m seeing someone.”

“Seeing someone?”

Buffy opened her mouth to respond, but before she had the chance, Graham came into the kitchen, “Buffy, do you have any coffee?  I need caffeine.”

Finding that they weren’t alone, Graham froze much like Buffy had.  “Dawn… hi.”

Dawn’s eyes widened in disbelief as she realized she had finally gotten her way.  When Buffy had broken things off with Riley, Dawn had kept her pleasure at the news to herself, instead being understanding and supportive.  And all of the time since then, she had made a point not to mention Graham to her sister, her conscience winning out since she didn’t want to push Buffy when she was vulnerable.

“You two are together?”

“Yeah,” Buffy admitted, sharing a smile with her beau.

“For how long?”

“About a month now,” Graham answered.  “We haven’t told anyone because we wanted to keep the pressure off.”

“But it’s not like a big secret,” Buffy told her.  “We’re dating and not ashamed of it.  It’s probably time for everyone to know anyway.”

They hadn’t exactly taken things slow, as their first date had ended with them in bed at Graham’s, but they didn’t sleep together *every* time they saw each other.  Without the pretense of just liking each other for sex, they’d been able to go for walks, see movies, have dinner… a lot of things they had never had the chance for before.  However, every time they *had* slept together had been at Graham’s, but they had decided the night before to spend the night at Buffy’s.

“This is so great!” Dawn squealed, running and hugging Buffy tightly before hugging Graham.  “I’m so happy for you two.”

“Thanks,” Buffy smiled.

Seeing the way they were looking at each other and anxious to go tell all her friends, since they’d heard all about the Riley/Buffy/Graham saga, Dawn decided to leave them alone.

“Well, I’ll just go over to Melinda’s,” she told them, grabbing her purse off the table.

“I thought you said you didn’t need to be there for fifteen minutes?” Buffy asked.

“I feel like going early,” she grinned, opening the door and waving at them before rushing off to her friend’s house.

“I think she wanted us to have some alone time,” Graham commented, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend’s waist.

Buffy looked up at him and grinned.  “I think so too.”

Graham dipped his head down and kissed her passionately as they both found their desire for one another stirring once again.

Breaking the kiss, Graham pulled back.  “Want to go back upstairs?”

“I thought you said you needed coffee?” she teased.

“I have a better idea of what can get my energy up.”

“What if it wasn’t your energy I was interested in having up?”

He grabbed her hand and placed it on his hardness.  “I’d say that’s not a problem.”

“Mmm,” Buffy moaned, “Not a problem at all.”

They kissed again, until their need for each other took over and they rushed up to Buffy’s bedroom, eager to take advantage of having the house to themselves.  Neither had ever been so happy.  Their lives weren’t perfect… but it was pretty close to it.

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. 

***

“Well, well, well… this is a surprise,” Spike smirked as Buffy entered his crypt.

Buffy sighed and shook her head, “I don’t know what I was thinking, coming here.”

She turned and went to leave, but Spike quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her around to face him.  “Sorry, Luv.  Forget about that.  What did you need?”

Biting her bottom lip, Buffy reminded herself of her reasons behind this visit.  As much as she hated to admit it, Spike was the only one she could come to for advice about Graham.  Riley was obviously out of the question, Dawn was fifteen and completely inexperienced in love and she was too scared to tell her friends, even Giles, the truth about her and Graham.  But Spike already knew and Buffy never felt like she had to live up to any expectations for him.

“I just needed to talk to you.”

Spike quirked his eyebrow, surprised to hear this.  Gesturing to a chair, he said, “Have a seat.”

“Thanks,” she mumbled, sitting down in the chair.

After a moment of silence, Spike began to wonder if she would speak.  “Buffy?”

“Sorry, um… Graham came to see me the other day.  He told me that he loves me and that he wants to be with me.”

He resisted the urge to smirk, knowing he had been right.  How could anyone find heaven between the Slayer’s luscious thighs and not love her?

“Well, that works out perfectly then, right?  You love him, he loves you… now you can get together and be sickeningly sweet.”

Buffy shook her head, “There’s the little issue of me being engaged to Riley.”

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!  You aren’t serious.  You are actually considering not being with the guy you love, who loves you back, because you don’t want to hurt little Riley’s feelings?  He’s supposed to be a man!  He can take it!”

“Spike, put yourself in Riley’s shoes,” she told him, figuring this was the best way to get Spike to feel something akin to sympathy.

Spike saw her reasoning and nodded, then smiled at her.  “I tell you what.  Forget both of them and stay with me.  We’ll have lots of fun.  There is something to be said for a vampire’s stamina.”

Buffy chuckled and took his teasing for what it was before sobering up again.  “What am I going to do?”

“Make yourself happy.  I know you care about Riley, even though he doesn’t deserve it, and I know you don’t want to hurt him, but you can’t *marry* him to spare your feelings.  I think you know as well as I how special it is to love someone and have them return the feelings.  You can’t ignore that.”

Buffy pondered his words and knew that he was right.

***

“Hi,” Riley said as Buffy opened her front door and found him on the other side of the threshold.

Buffy was somewhat surprised to see him, since they hadn’t made plans or anything, but just smiled, “Hi.”

After kissing her on the cheek, Riley walked into the living room.  “We need to talk.”

Buffy slowly followed, worry etched on her face.  “Is something wrong?”

“I’m not sure,” he replied.  “You have been acting really strangely for a while now.  At first I just gave you space and figured you would come to me when you were ready.  But you haven’t and you are acting more and more distracted.  When I first came back, we both agreed things would be different.  And they were, for a while.  But now you’re back to your old habit.  You aren’t letting me in.”

Buffy sat down on the couch and sighed; she had been putting off telling Riley, despite the fact that she had decided to do so nearly a week earlier.  She knew that now was the time, there was no good mood to spoil, no bad mood to make worse… Riley wanted answers and he wanted them now.

“I have been keeping something from you.  I had my reasons, but it’s not fair to you.”

Riley could tell by her expression that whatever she was about to tell him wasn’t good.  “What is it?”

“When Graham came back to Sunnydale, and you were still gone, we ran into each other and spent a lot of time together.  You already knew that, but what we didn’t tell you was that,” she paused, taking a deep breath, “we slept together.”

Riley felt all the color drain from his face, “What?”

“We acted like we were friends for everyone else, but when we were alone, we… we slept together.”

“More than once?”

She nodded, “For several months.  But it ended as soon as you came back.  We said that we didn’t love each other, that is was just sex, and it was over.”

“I can’t believe this.  Of all the guys you could have picked, you had to screw around with my best friend?”

“It was an accident,” she defended herself, her voice wavering with tears.

“An accident?  What, you tripped and fell on top of him?”

“We were drunk.”

Riley laughed humorlessly.  “For months, you were drunk?  That’s *if* I believe that you guys actually stopped.  That you two haven’t been sneaking behind my back for the past six months.”

“We didn’t, Riley, I swear!”  Buffy cried.

“Oh, because you’re so trustworthy?  Because you wouldn’t betray me?”

“We couldn’t seem to stop.  We tried, we really did, but we just needed each other so much.  And you and I were broken up.”

“Yeah, we were broken up, but Graham was my best friend, he’s off limits.  If you didn’t think it was wrong, why didn’t you tell me the truth as soon as I came back?”

“I knew it would hurt you.  I figured if I kept it from you, I was protecting you.”

“Yeah, well, instead you made me feel like the biggest fool in the world.  Here I am thinking I am the lucky guy because you want to be with me and meanwhile, you’re having sex with my friend behind my back.  I guess you guys got a good laugh at that.”

Buffy shook her head, “No, Riley.  We didn’t think it was funny.  It wasn’t about that.  And I swear, it ended as soon as you returned.”

“Come on!” he shouted, standing up angrily.  “You can’t tell me that you and Graham slept with each other for a few months just because you were *horny* and then I come back and you two suddenly develop willpower.  I’m not stupid, Buffy, there is more to it than that.”

“I told you, we didn’t consider it wrong when you were gone because you and I were not a couple.  But when you came back, we wanted to save you from being hurt, so we kept our secret and ended things because if we hadn’t, it *would* have been wrong.”

“So why are you telling me now?  You were fine for months until… until I tried to get Audrey and Graham back together,” he said as he realized there was more to it than she had let on.

She looked down, not wanting to look him in the eye.  She’d wanted to spare him the pain of learning she loved Graham too.

“Do you have feelings for him?”  Riley asked quietly.

Buffy looked up, tears spilling down her cheeks.  “I love him.  I don’t want to, I want to love you, but I can’t help it.”

“You love him,” he parroted in disbelief.  “I love you so much, I would give *anything* for you.  All I want is for you to love me back.  I’m just never going to be good enough for you, am I?”

“Riley, you are *too* good for me!  God, I have felt so blessed to have you and ungrateful because I wasn’t *in* *love* with you.  I tried so hard, but I couldn’t force myself to feel things.”

“But you feel it for him?”

She nodded, “The last thing in the world that I wanted was to hurt you.”

“Well too bad… you’ve done it,” Riley glared at her before storming out of the house, leaving a sobbing Buffy behind.

***

The last thing Graham had expected when he opened his door was to be punched with such force that it sent him staggering back.  He managed to get his bearings fairly quickly and looked up to find Riley standing at his door, a furious look on his face.  Graham immediately knew *exactly* what the punch was for.

“How could you?” Riley demanded.  “How could you sleep with *her*?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, everyone is sorry.  Everyone feels just terrible.  But it doesn’t change the fact that you moved in on *my* girl when I was gone.  You know how wrong that is.”

Graham nodded, “I know it was wrong and I hated myself for doing it.”

“Not enough, apparently.  Not enough to stop before I came back home and it was no longer just ‘technically’ betraying me.  That’s *if* I choose to believe Buffy.  Going by some of the stuff I have seen, I think I have the right to feel a little skeptical.”

“It’s true, Riley.  Once you came home, Buffy never slept with me again.”

“Forgive me if I don’t find you any more honest than her,” Riley muttered, then asked the question he was both dying and terrified to hear the answer to.  “Do you love her?”

Graham considered lying, but figured that if they were being truthful, Riley deserved to know the *whole* truth.  “Yes.”

Riley sighed and shook his head.  “Perfect.  Fucking perfect.”

***

Buffy slowly trudged down the hall to Graham’s apartment.  Perhaps she just should have called him…

Shaking her head, Buffy reminded herself that he deserved better than just a phone call.  This wasn’t going to be easy for her to say, and it certainly wouldn’t be easy for Graham to hear.

She knocked on the door and held her breath as she waited for Graham to answer.  A wisely more-cautious Graham looked through the peephole this time before slowly opening the door, bracing himself for Buffy’s response when she saw him.

“Graham!  What happened to your eye?”

He smiled sadly and admitted, “Riley.”

“Oh God,” she sighed, “I didn’t even think to let you know until a while after Riley left.  I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay.  In a way, it feels better not having the weight of it all on me,” he said, then grimaced, “Unfortunately, my eye doesn’t feel my relief as well.”

Buffy frowned and tenderly brushed the tips of her fingers over his black-and-blue flesh.  “Have you put ice on it?”

Graham nodded and held up the makeshift ice pack in his hand before gingerly touching it to his eye.  “Come on in.”

She followed him inside, shutting the door behind them, before sitting down beside Graham on the couch.  They sat for a moment in silence, Buffy trying to absorb all that had happened in the past two hours that left three lives irreparably changed and Graham wondering what exactly had happened for Riley to find out… and what Buffy wanted to happen next.

“So, you told Riley?” he finally asked, when he couldn’t wait any more for her to begin speaking.

She nodded, “He confronted me about how I was keeping secrets from him again and I had been wanting to tell him for a while now, so I just came out with it.  I guess I should have warned you first.  Are you mad?”

“No,” he shook his head quickly, “I told you, it feels better having the truth out there.  Keeping this a secret was killing both of us.  I just wish Riley didn’t have to get hurt.”

“I think Riley was destined to get hurt the first time we slept together.  Or at least, the first time we did when we were sober,” Buffy commented.

“In 20/20 hindsight, lying to ‘protect’ him probably made it worse.”

“He feels like we made a fool out of him,” she said guiltily, her voice breaking as she found herself crying again.

Graham’s heart sank at the sight; she still loved Riley.  “Don’t worry, Buffy.  He is angry now, but once he gets a chance to cool off, he will see that what happened wasn’t *that* bad.  Riley loves you, he’ll forgive you.”

“It’s not a matter of that; he doesn’t want to be with me if I don’t love him and I don’t want him to either.”

“You… you don’t love him?”

Buffy shook her head and looked him in the eye.  “I *do* love him.  But you are the one that I am actually *in* love with.”

He felt like he couldn’t breathe for a moment as he took in what she had just told me.  It was almost like getting another punch in the face – albeit a lot less painfully and much more pleasant.

“You’re in love with me?”

She gave him a small smile and nodded, “I do.  I have for so long, but I didn’t think you felt the same and I was scared.”

He laughed, “God, if we had just been honest with each other and Riley, things could have been so different.”

“I know,” she agreed.

“So, where does that put us?”

Buffy took a deep breath, “I’ve been thinking a lot about this.  I want to be with you.  But I also really want to do things right in my life.  I finally have things together.  I don’t want to go straight into a relationship with you after being engaged to someone else.  I have to be responsible and a good example for Dawn and *sure* before I start something with you.”

“You’re saying you *don’t* want to be with me?” he asked, his heart breaking once again.

“I didn’t say that, don’t get ahead of me,” she smiled.  “I need time and space.  I want to be able to clear up this whole thing with Riley and feel like that is completely over and have some time on my own to be with *me*.  And then, if you still want to, we can try a relationship.”

Graham sighed in relief.  As much as he wanted to take Buffy in his arms right this moment and kiss her senseless, if she wanted some time, he would happily give that to her.

“It’s not fair of me to ask you to wait for me, I understand that.  If we are meant to be, it will happen.  So if you meet someone before I feel ready…”

“Buffy, as far as I am concerned, you’re the only woman in the world.  I have watched you be with another man for months.  I can sit by and give you time while you are single, believe me.”

She smiled, “Thank you.  I don’t know how I managed to luck out and meet two such amazing men.”

“You were you,” he answered simply.

***

“Buffy!”

Buffy turned around and was surprised to see Riley jogging up the sidewalk to catch up to her.

Tentatively, she smiled at him, “Hi Riley.”

“Hey,” he replied, feeling awkward.

“How are you doing?”

“Fine,” Riley shrugged, despite the fact that it wasn’t exactly true.  His heart was broken and he was hurt beyond words, both by Buffy and Graham, but at least he didn’t feel like he was going lose it like he had a few weeks earlier when he had first found out.

“Good, that’s good,” Buffy told him, also feeling awkward.

“Look, I just wanted to tell you I’m leaving.  I requested a transfer and I have a flight out tomorrow morning.  I just can’t be here anymore.”

“I know it probably doesn’t help, and I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I am sorry.  So very very sorry.”

Riley nodded slowly.  “I know you are.  I didn’t mean to come here and guilt you.  I just didn’t want to leave without a proper goodbye again.”

Buffy slowly smiled, a genuine smile that was so bright, Riley’s heart ached.  Despite all the pain she had caused him, he would always have a place in his heart for her.

“You deserve a lot better than me, Riley.  And I have no doubt that someday you will get it,” she told him as she gingerly, afraid he might push her away, reached up and hugged him.

Riley returned the hug, closing his eyes and inhaling the scent of her hair, trying to commit it to memory.  Eventually, he pulled back and looked her in the eye.  “Just promise me one thing.  Whether is be Graham or whoever, don’t just settle for anyone.  That’s the one comfort I have; that if you had married me, it would have been a mistake, so this is a good thing.”

Buffy felt tears stinging her eyes, as she was touched by his words.  “This would be a lot easier if you called me names and were a big jerk.”

Riley laughed, “I’m sorry.”

“You take care.  And maybe, if you feel okay about it, you could write or call?”

“I think I would like that,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek before backing away.  “Goodbye, Buffy.”

“Bye,” she called after him.

***

Graham had just finished putting his dinner dishes away and was looking forward to popping open a beer and lounging on the couch for a few hours when there was a knock on his door.  He groaned; it was probably one of the guys coming over to drag him out to play pool or something, and went to answer the door.

Finding Buffy standing on the other side, Graham was pleasantly surprised, to say the least.

“Buffy,” he smiled, “Come on in.”

“Thanks,” she said, returning the smile.

As she walked past him, Graham couldn’t help but look her up and down.  Maybe it was the fact that he hadn’t seen her in over a month, but she seemed more beautiful than ever.

“Would you like something to drink?” he offered.

“That’s okay, I can’t stay long.  I have to drive Dawn and her friends to a school dance in half an hour.”

“Oh, okay.  Well, do you want to sit down?”

“Sure,” Buffy replied and sat down on the couch.

Graham sat down beside her and, trying to appear calm, cool and collected, asked, “So, to what do I owe the honor of this visit?”

She laughed nervously, “I kind of feel like a jerk coming here and saying this but you will never know if I don’t.  Um, I’ve had some time on my own.  I got to say goodbye to Riley and focus on my job and Dawn and, most of all, *me*.  And it’s been good for me.  But I miss you and I want to be with you.  I always did, but I really want to be with you, now.  I want to go on dates and kiss and hold hands and do all of it.  If you still want me, of course.”

“If I still want you?” he asked incredulously.  “Buffy, you could make me wait years and I would still want you.  You’re the one for me.”

She grinned as he blushed at his own declaration and leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips,  “You’re the one for me too.”

Graham couldn’t remember ever feeling so happy in his life.  Even all these past weeks, knowing Buffy loved him and would very possibly come to him just like this, he’d never allowed himself to believe it would truly happen.  He’d been too scared of being disappointed.

“There is one thing, though,” Buffy added.  “I want to take it slow.  I want a real relationship, so we should do things the way they normally happen.  I want to date, not start spending every night together immediately.”

Graham nodded in agreement; as appealing as spending every night with Buffy sounded, he too wanted to do all the things they’d never been able to do before.

Unable to resist each other any longer, they soon found themselves kissing passionately.  They had been apart far too long, and their hormones took over.  After a moment, though, they both found the resolve to break apart.  Leaning their foreheads against each other, they looked one another in the eye and caught their breath.

“We have to take it slow,” Graham said quietly.

“Yeah,” Buffy breathlessly replied.  “Besides… Dawn.  I have to pick her up soon.”

“Okay,” he sighed and slowly stood up, pulling Buffy to her feet.  “No offense, but you need to leave.”

Buffy laughed as he tugged her to the door.  “Gee, I feel so wanted.”

“Trust me, you *are* wanted.  That’s why you must go,” he smiled.  “Do you think you might want to go out tomorrow night?  You know, on a date?”

“Hmm,” she replied, pretending to mull it over.  “If I change that and reschedule that… I guess I could fit you in.”

“Great.  Would it be okay if I pick you up at six?  We could do dinner and a movie.”

“It’s a date,” she told him, starting to walk out the door.

Graham loved the sound of that.  A date with Buffy… life couldn’t get much better.

“Oh,” she turned around and smirked at him.  “Just so you know?  I’m planning on being easy.”

And with that tantalizing statement, Buffy walked away, leaving Graham standing in the doorway with a stunned look on his face – which quickly spread into a grin.

Yes, life definitely didn’t get much better than this.

TBC in the epilogue...

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. 

***

As Riley drove them both home, Buffy stared out the passenger side window, wondering what Graham and Audrey were doing, then admonishing herself.  It was none of her business.  Graham was free to do whatever he wanted with whomever he wanted and he had made it clear that he didn’t want to be with her. 

Besides, she had Riley… and she was very lucky.

They came to a red light and Buffy turned to look at her fiancé.  How could she be with someone as wonderful as Riley and not be happy with him?  Graham was an equally great, but he didn’t want her.  Riley did.  And if she didn’t appreciate what she had, she would end up a fool with nothing.

Feeling her eyes on him, Riley turned his head towards her and smiled.  “What?”

Buffy returned the smile and leaned over, placing her hand on his cheek as her lips met his.  After a second, she pulled back.  “You don’t have to be at work tomorrow, do you?”

Riley shook his head.  “No, I’m off until Monday afternoon.”

“Good,” she grinned.  “Spend the night with me?”

“I’d love to,” he replied, before they kissed once again.

Hearing a honking, they realized that the light had changed and laughed before Riley hit the gas.  He held her hand in his own, gently stroking his thumb over the back of her hand as they exchanged promising glances for the rest of the ride.

***

“You look blissful,” Dawn said sarcastically as she entered the kitchen to find Buffy sitting at the kitchen table, staring off into space with a mug of coffee sitting in front of her.  “I guess this is what the rest of your life will be like, marrying someone you don’t love.”

“Dawn,” Buffy sighed, rubbing her forehead with her hands, “not today, okay?  Just don’t start.”

She was tempted to tell Dawn that Graham’s beautiful ex-girlfriend was currently in town and, that she had last seen her by Graham’s side, so maybe Dawn would get it that Buffy’s engagement to Riley wasn’t what was stopping her from being with Graham.  But she was pretty sure that if she had to say it out loud, she would end up in tears.

“Fine,” Dawn shook her head and fixed herself some cereal.

Buffy went back to staring into space, as she tormented herself with images of Graham and Audrey, together again.  With her luck, they’d all have a double wedding.  She was starting to have serious doubts that she would ever be happy if she married Riley.  The night before, they’d made love numerous times as she had tried to rid herself of the jealousy and pain she felt over Graham.  But it never worked.  Riley was a generous lover; she’d felt pleasure.  But in her heart, all she felt was sadness.

It was also very frustrating.  She kept reminding herself that Riley was going to marry her.  Riley, who had a good job and would never be some loser who would sit around and watch daytime TV all day while she worked.  Riley, who knew all her faults and loved her anyway.  Riley, who treated her like *he* was the lucky one.  Most women would kill to have a guy like him.  And what did she do?  Wish that she could be with his best friend who didn’t love her.  But despite all that, despite her fears that if she weren’t with Riley she would spend her life alone, she couldn’t be happy.  She just couldn’t be glad to have what she did.

“Good morning,” Riley smiled as he came into the kitchen.

Buffy smiled at him, “Morning.”

“Hi Dawn,” he said as he got a mug and poured himself some coffee.

Dawn wasn’t in the mood to even pretend to be civil, so she simply grunted in response.  Riley rolled his eyes, quickly growing tired of the teen’s attitude problem, but at a loss for what they could do to make her change her mind.  He could only hope that Dawn would get over it.  At the very least, once he and Buffy got married and their lives settled down, Riley figured Dawn would accept her new life.  Otherwise, with any luck, she would go to college out of state.

Sitting down beside his fiancée, he set his mug down on the table and reached over to squeeze her thigh.  Buffy jumped, obviously completely oblivious to his presence, before giving him an embarrassed smile.

“Sorry, I was daydreaming.”

“I can tell.  What about?”

“Oh, nothing,” Buffy lied, then stood up.  “I just realized that the paper is still outside.  I’ll go get it.  Then maybe I can make us all breakfast?”

“I am already eating,” Dawn spoke up, gesturing to her cereal.  She looked at her sister with concern, realizing that something big was definitely going on in Buffy’s head.

Her older sister smiled, “Sorry, I’ve been in my own world.”

As she left them alone, Riley and Dawn – who forgot to be sullen and angry for a moment – exchanged looks as they both wondered what was going on.

***

“Thanks for dinner, it was delicious,” Buffy smiled, kissing Riley on the cheek as they settled into his car after their meal in a restaurant.

“You’re very welcome.  I’m glad you liked it,” Riley replied, starting the car.  “You know, I was thinking that maybe we could invite Audrey and Graham here, try another double date.”

“Oh?  They’re dating again?” she asked, trying to ignore how fast her heart was suddenly beating and appear casual.

“Well, not that I know of, but it’s only been a week.  Why?”

“Just wondering.  I think a second double date sounds good, though,” she lied.  In truth, spending the evening with Graham and Audrey while pretending to be perfectly happy with Riley was about as enjoyable as a root canal without any anesthesia.

Riley noticed as his fiancé became lost in thought again.  Over the past week he had noticed that she was doing that more and more.  He’d be talking and realize that she hadn’t heard a word she said; her mind was elsewhere.  And he had his suspicions as to what exactly she was thinking about – Graham.

At first he had thought he was just paranoid.  He was just letting the fact that he thought Graham wanted Buffy bother him too much and worrying that she wanted him back.  Buffy was engaged to *him*, she made love to *him*.  She told him she loved *him*.  But whenever the topic of Audrey and Graham came up, Buffy would grow quiet and get a far-off look on her face.  The few times they had been around Graham, she would give him looks that made Riley feel uneasy.  He wanted to believe he was just jealous and insecure, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going on.  His mind kept going back to that night in the hospital and Buffy kissing Graham’s hand.  He had dismissed it at the time, but now he kept wondering if there was more to it.

Desperate to prove to himself that he *was* only paranoid, Riley decided to give Buffy a little ‘test’… and perhaps something to remind her of what they had together.  “You know, Buffy, we really need to start making plans for the wedding.  We don’t even have a rough date.  You know, this summer or winter or next spring?”

Buffy quickly drew her attention back to him.  “Uh, yeah.  We need to sit down and really talk about this.”

“Okay.  When?”

“I don’t know, Riley.  What’s with the sudden rush?”

“There is no sudden rush.  We’ve been engaged for over two months and we haven’t even discussed a single thing about the wedding.  What are we waiting for?”

“Why are you getting so upset?”

“I’m not upset!” he insisted and then sighed, “I’m sorry, it’s just… do you want to get married?”

“Of course I do!  Why wouldn’t I?”

“It seems like you don’t want to think about the wedding.  Most brides are so excited, it’s all they think about.”

“I’m not like most women, Riley.”

“I know,” he smiled despite himself.  She was one of a kind, which was a big reason why he loved her so much.

“Things are just so busy.  Between work, Dawn, you, slaying and the house, I don’t seem to have time for much else.”

“Well, none of that is going to change,” Riley pointed out.  “You’re always going to have all this stuff going on.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Buffy nodded, the looked over at him and gave him her most endearing smile.  “I tell you what.  You and I will find a time when we are both free to sit down and not get up until we have made some definite plans, at least figure out around when we want to get married.”

He wanted to believe her so much, and she seemed to really want this.  Ignoring the doubts in his head, Riley leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips.  “Sounds wonderful to me.”

***

“Thanks for the ride,” Buffy told Giles as he pulled up in front of her house after a particularly tiring night of slaying vampires at good old Restfield Cemetery.

“You’re quite welcome,” he smiled.  “Now go get some rest, I will talk to you soon.”

“Okay.  You’re coming to my party Saturday night, right?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.  Even if I must endure loud, throbbing music that just might cause my ears to bleed,” Giles joked.

Buffy grinned, “I’m turning twenty-one, I have to go to the Bronze so I can legally buy alcohol.”

“Yes, a rite of passage, I understand.  I will be there.”

“Good.”

“Perhaps we could go out for dinner Friday evening?  A little more quiet, intimate.”

“That would be great, but I already promised Riley we would sit down and talk wedding plans over dinner.  I doubt you would enjoy it.”

Giles raised his eyebrow and decided now was a good time to broach the subject he had avoided since her engagement announcement.  “It doesn’t sound like you’re looking forward to it.  Isn’t it custom for the bride-to-be to be enthused?”

Buffy shrugged and looked down.  “I’m enthused.  I’m just tired now.”

He nodded, “All right.  Buffy, please forgive me for intruding, but I just want you to know that no matter how great Riley is, you don’t have to be in love with him.  He can be the smartest, nicest, most handsome man in the world but it doesn’t mean you *have* to love him.  You love who you love and you can’t help it.”

She was quiet for a moment, pondering what he said, trying to decide if she should keep up the act or just tell him the truth.  In the end, she found she was too afraid to be completely honest.  “I know all that.  But it doesn’t matter, because I do love Riley.”

Giles sighed, but knew better than to push.  Buffy was stubborn and it would likely end badly.  “Good.  I wouldn’t want you marrying him otherwise.”

Buffy forced herself to look up at him again and smile.  “I’ll see you Saturday, okay?”

“Yes.  You take care.”

“I will,” she replied climbing out of the car.  “Night Giles.”

“Goodnight Buffy.”

Giles sat and watched until Buffy was safely inside her home before he pulled away from the curb and continued on his way home.  As he drove, he prayed that she would come to her senses.  There was little doubt in his mind that if Buffy married Riley, she would always regret it.

***

“Spike, what are you doing here?”  Buffy asked, surprised to see the blonde vampire at the Bronze the following Saturday.

“It’s a public place, Slayer.”

“Sorry,” she smiled apologetically.  “I didn’t mean it like that.  I’m just surprised to see you.  You haven’t been around lately.”

“Well, I’ve been busy,” Spike lied.

They both knew that Spike ardently disagreed with her decision to marry Riley.  He didn’t even think she should be *dating* him, so marrying him was absolutely insane.  However, he also knew that Buffy wouldn’t listen if he tried to talk her out of it and since he couldn’t sit around and *not* say something, he’d made himself scarce for the past few months.

“Anyway, I couldn’t miss your big day.  It would have disappointed Niblet,” he smiled.

Buffy had no doubts that he wasn’t just there for Dawn, but smiled anyway.  “Thank you.”

“Spike!  Come dance with me?” Dawn asked excitedly as she rushed over to them.

“Sure, Luv,” he nodded, handing Buffy her present.

They left the birthday girl standing alone and moved to the dance floor.  It had been a strategic move on Dawn’s part, not to Spike’s surprise.  They were free to talk out there and had a better chance of not being interrupted.

“I’m so glad you came.  All my co-conspirators to break Buffy and Riley up have abandoned me,” she told him, “I wish you had been around more lately.”

“I’m sorry but I just can’t watch, Dawn.”

She frowned, feeling sympathetic for the vampire.  He truly did love her sister.  She might not even mind if Buffy got together with Spike instead of Graham.  However, *Graham* was the one Buffy loved and belonged with.

“Well, if it helps, I think things might be unraveling.”

“Really?” he asked, surprised.  “What did you do?”

“Nothing.  I don’t know what happened, but Buffy’s always in la-la-land and I think Riley knows *something* about what happened with Graham.  He doesn’t like them being near each other unless he is their human barrier.”

“Well, this is all very interesting.”

“Yup.  He’s also getting impatient because Buffy really doesn’t seem inclined to do the actual getting married thing.  They finally started talking wedding date last night and, fortunately, it wasn’t the smooch fest I dreaded.  Buffy was just telling Riley to set it whenever he wanted and he seemed mad that she didn’t act like she cared.”

“Trouble in paradise,” Spike muttered.

With a grin, Dawn nodded, “Like I said, it’s all unraveling.”

***

Graham took a deep breath and tried to summon up the courage to knock on the door in front of him.  He’d been standing there for ten minutes already and if he didn’t get it together soon, one of Buffy’s neighbors was bound to call the police.

He had barely gotten any sleep the previous night.  It had been two weeks since Audrey had first confronted him about his feelings for Buffy.  She had definitely given him something to think about, as he recalled certain things Buffy had said and done during the time they had been sleeping together and since Riley had returned.  He had to admit, they weren’t quite normal for a woman in love with another man.  He had also studied her with a new perspective the few times they had been around one another since.  Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but he thought he had noticed her giving him looks that gave him hope that she just might feel the same way.

The night before, it had taken all his resolve not to walk up to her at her birthday party and kiss her with all the love and passion he felt.  It had definitely been neither the time nor place.  For one thing, nobody else would have taken it very well if he had kissed his best friend’s fiancée – especially said best friend and possibly fiancée.  Furthermore, it just wasn’t appropriate for him to tell a woman who was engaged to someone else that he loved her when she was supposed to be celebrating her birthday, surrounded by friends.  A private setting seemed much better.

Which is how he ended up on her front porch the next day, intending to tell her that he loved her and despite how much he didn’t want to hurt Riley, he wanted to be with her.  He knew that Riley was at work and Dawn had told him she’d made plans with a friend of hers, so Buffy should be alone.

“Come on man.  Do you want her or not?” he whispered to himself before finally knocking firmly on the door.

A few seconds later, the door opened and revealed a surprised Buffy.  “Graham.”

“Hi Buffy,” he smiled nervously.  “Can I come in?”

“Of course,” she said, stepping aside so he could enter.

He walked inside the home and into the living room, wringing his hands as he tried to recall the carefully planned speech he had come up with.

“Is everything okay?” Buffy followed, looking concerned.

“Yeah, it’s fine.  I mean, I hope so.  I mean,” he rambled.  “It’s fine.  Nothing is wrong.  I just needed to tell you something.”

“Okay…”

“Why don’t we sit down?”

Buffy nodded and sat down on the couch beside Graham.  She looked at him expectantly; extremely curious as to watch this was all about.  She’d never seen him so twitchy before.

“Buffy, I lied to you,” he began.  “When I told you that I thought of what we had before as just physical, it was completely untrue.  I… I am completely in love with you.”

Buffy’s jaw dropped, “What?”

“I love you.  I love the way you laugh and fight and put other people first.  I love your eyes and the way they sparkle when you’re happy.  I love your smile and how it can never fail to make me feel better, no matter how upset I am.  I love talking to you and kissing you and making love to you and just being with you.”

“What are you saying?” she asked, unable to believe this was happening.

“I love you, Buffy.  And if you’ll have me, I want to be with you.  I want to take you to dinner and go see movies and hold hands and dance and do it all in front of everyone.  I want everyone to know that I love you.”

“I’m engaged.  To *Riley*,” she pointed out.

Graham sighed, “I know.  I feel like the worst friend in the world.  I don’t want to hurt Riley.  That’s why I lied to you before.  It’s why I kept my feelings a secret until now.”

“And why are you telling me this now?  Why didn’t you say anything when we were sleeping together or when Riley came back or when I came to you and basically asked you to tell me not to accept his proposal?  Why did you wait until *months* after I get engaged to tell me this?”

“Because I was scared that I am not good enough for you.  I can’t compare to Riley.  I just couldn’t believe it would be possible that you would ever want me when you have him,” he explained, “And I didn’t want to hurt Riley.  He’s my best friend.”

Buffy softened at his admission.  How could he ever not think he was good enough for her?  He was such an amazing person.

“So what changed?” she asked quietly.

“Audrey talked to me.  She could tell that I had feelings for you and… she thinks you have feelings for me too.  I told her it was impossible, but she insisted.  And then I thought about it, really thought about it and maybe I’m just being overly optimistic or an idiot, but maybe there is a chance you feel the same way,” Graham said, “And this *will* hurt Riley and I would give anything if I could spare him pain, but as Audrey pointed out, if you marry him I will be miserable for the rest of my life.  And if you feel the same way, so are you.  And then Riley will be too, because he can’t be happy if you’re not.”

Buffy put her face in her hands.  “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me now.”

“I know and I’m sorry for being such a coward,” he apologized.  Graham truly did feel bad for putting her in this situation, but at the same time, if she didn’t feel anything for him, this wouldn’t bother her so much.  That was encouraging.

“I need time.  You have to let me think about this.”

“Of course.  This is a big deal and I know that.  I’m just grateful that you are willing to even think about it,” he said, giving her a small smile.

Buffy returned the smile.  “Stop being sweet.  I want to kill you right now.”

“Right,” Graham replied, breaking into a full-blown smile.  “I’ll go away, then.  Let you think.”

She nodded, “I’ll call you.  When I know… something.”

He resisted the urge to kiss her and went to the door, giving her one more look before leaving the home and his heart in her hands.

TBC...

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. 

***

“What’s going on?” Riley asked, standing in the doorway of the room, shocked at the sight of his best friend and fiancée in what appeared to be a passionate embrace

Buffy’s head darted to the doorway to find her fiancé staring at her in a very compromising position with his best friend.

“Um… Graham’s had a little too much to drink.  He’s not thinking clearly.”

Graham looked down, sobering up a bit and feeling incredibly embarrassed and ashamed of his behavior.

Riley was a bit skeptical, but since he had walked in to see Buffy forcefully stop the kiss, obviously not into it, he believed her.  Still, he couldn’t believe his friend, drunk or not, would kiss *his* fiancée.

“Graham?”

“I’m sorry, man.  I don’t know what I was thinking.  I was… joking and then… took it too far.”

“Okay,” Riley accepted.  After all, Graham had never given him any reason not to trust him.  “Buffy, are you ready to go?”

“Yeah,” she replied, giving him a small smile and holding up their coats and then walking over to him.

Riley put his own coat on and helped Buffy into hers before looking at his friend again.  “You shouldn’t be driving, Graham.  Would you like to give us a ride?”

Graham felt his guilt multiply at his friend’s concern for his well being after what he had just done, or at least tried to do.  What he would have done had Buffy not stopped him.  However, there was no way he could stand being around the couple right then.

“That’s okay, Daniel said he would be my designated driver.”

“All right, I’ll see you Monday at work then, okay?”

“Sure,” Graham nodded.  As they turned to leave, he spoke up, “Guys?  I really am sorry.”

Buffy granted him a small smile while Riley just nodded before putting his hand on her back and leading her out of the room.

Alone, Graham sat on the side of the bed and put his face in his hands.  What had he done?

***

“Riley, can I speak to you in here for a minute?” Graham asked, poking his head out of his office the following Monday.

The day before had lasted forever, as Graham had spent the entire time running the events of the night before through his head over and over.  He was embarrassed, ashamed and felt absolutely horrible.  Especially since a part of him felt very *not* horrible about kissing Buffy again.  He knew that nothing would ever be “right” again between he and Riley, since he was in love with Riley’s wife-to-be, but Graham hoped he still stood a chance to make things right in Riley’s eyes.  Which meant he needed to make it clear to his friend that he truly was sorry.  As hard as it was seeing Riley with Buffy, Graham didn’t want to lose him as friend.

“What did you need?” Riley asked, not appearing angry, but he wasn’t as affable as he usually was either.

“To apologize again.  I was a complete ass.  I really owe Buffy an apology too, because what I did was completely out of line, but as your friend, for me to do something like that with your girl… it was *so* wrong.”

Riley sighed, “It was wrong, but you were drunk and not thinking clearly.  I keep reminding myself that, but this whole thing does bother me.  I mean it was the last thing I would have expected you to do.  I *know* you aren’t the kind of guy who is into hitting on ‘unavailable’ women and I really wish I could forget this whole thing.  But I do forgive you, Graham.  Just give me time and the weirdness between us will pass, okay?”

Graham nodded, feeling yet another twinge of guilt.  He didn’t deserve a great friend like Riley.  “I still want to apologize to Buffy again.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” his friend nodded, “I’m fine with you calling her or going by her house to do it in person.  Or, if you want, you can just tell her when you come over for dinner Christmas.”

“I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea,” Graham said.  “You know, under the circumstances.”

After the incident, Riley hadn’t been sure that he had still wanted his friend to come over for the gathering as they had been planning for weeks.  He and Buffy had talked it over and she had said she would be fine with whatever he decided, but that she truly believed what happened with Graham was a one-time mishap that they should all try to forget.  He wanted to just agree with her, but he couldn’t shake this feeling of uneasiness.  Things still weren’t perfect, but he knew now that as a good friend, he couldn’t let Graham spend the holiday alone.

“Come.  We want you there.”

***

“So have you two put any thought into where you might like to go on your honeymoon?” Hank Summers asked before taking a bite of the turkey his daughters had prepared for Christmas Eve dinner.

Buffy shook her head.  “We haven’t had a chance to discuss any wedding plans at all for the most part.”

“It’s pathetic, honey.  We should at least start looking at dates,” Riley smiled at his fiancé, affectionately rubbing her back.

Dawn rolled her eyes as her sister smiled at him, playing the part of the blissful fiancée perfectly.  The teen seemed to be the only one who saw right through it.

“I’ve always heard February 30^th is nice.”

Buffy and Riley shot her looks, knowing exactly what she was trying to say, but her little jab went right over Hank’s head.

“Sweetheart, there are only twenty-eight days in February, twenty-nine in a leap year.”

“Silly me,” Dawn faked a smile.

“Anyway, the reason I asked was that wherever you two decide to go, I want to take care of it.  Plane tickets, the hotel, everything,” Hank informed them.

“Oh Daddy, that’s too much,” Buffy protested.

Riley shook his head, “We couldn’t let you do that.”

“Nonsense!  Believe me, I can afford it.  And it would make me so happy to pay for something that my little girl deserves so much.  You too, Riley, for making her happy.”

Buffy and Riley exchanged looks before she smiled at her father.  “Thank you.”

“What about me?  Are you guys going to let me have free reign of the house while you’re gone?”

“Actually, Pumpkin, I was thinking that you and I could go on a little trip of our own.  Or just spend time together here or in LA.  Whatever you wanted, just you and me.”

Dawn felt a pang; that sounded really nice.  She couldn’t count all the times over the past few years she wished she could spend some bonding time with her father.  But even something as great as that wasn’t enough to make her be happy about Buffy and Riley getting married.  It was best that she didn’t get too excited, anyway, because if she had her way Buffy would never go through with it and there would be no honeymoon!

***

Against his better judgment, Graham went into the kitchen when he knew Buffy was alone in there.  After what had happened, especially so soon after, it seemed like a bad idea to purposely be in a room alone with her, but apologizing to her in front of Dawn or one of her friends would require him to explain what he had done, and this was best left between Buffy, Riley and himself.

“Buffy.”

Buffy turned around from the open refrigerator door, surprised to find Graham in the room.  Smiling, she asked, “Did you need something?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess.  I needed to apologize.  I am *so* sorry about what happened.”

“It’s okay,” she assured him.

“No, it’s not.  I was such an ass and I put you in a horrible position.  I can’t express how much I regret it.”

“I know you do.  I know that if you were sober, you never would have done it.  And I think you know that I understand how out of character a person can behave when they have too much to drink.”

“Yeah.  I still feel bad, though.”

Buffy nodded, “Maybe after some time passes, you’ll feel better?”

“Maybe,” he nodded, doubting he could *ever* feel better.  Not unless Buffy suddenly decided Riley was completely wrong for her and *he* was the one she wanted.  And what were the odds of that?

“Oops, am I interrupting?” Dawn asked as she came in the room with an empty glass that she had intended to refill with Mountain Dew for herself.

“Uh, no, we were just hanging out,” Graham covered.

“Oh, okay.  I just thought maybe you two were in the middle of a heavy make-out session,” Dawn smirked, retrieving the two-liter of Mountain Dew from the refrigerator and pouring it in her glass.

“Dawn…” Buffy warned.

“What?” her little sister asked innocently, then sighed.  “Look, I told you I would keep your secret.  It’s not like Graham doesn’t know already.”

Buffy frowned, but Dawn ignored her, practically skipping out of the room with a smug look on her face.

“She knows about the other night?” Graham asked.

Buffy shook her head.  She already knew where Dawn stood as far as she and Graham were concerned and didn’t want to give her any more ammunition.  Besides, it wasn’t like she was exactly proud of being the girl guys went after when they were too drunk to know better.

“She knows what happened before Riley came back.  Between you and I.”

Graham’s eyes widened in surprise, “How?  Did you tell her?”

“No way, are you crazy?  Dawn and secrets are dangerous.  She, um… she saw us.  On the couch in the living room.”

“Oh man,” he lamented, “This is not good.”

“I know, but she promised not to tell Riley.”

“Buffy, you just said that she’s bad at keeping secrets.”

“I know, but she’s kept this one so far.  She makes pointed comments to Riley and I, and lets us know every chance she gets that she doesn’t like this, but she never even hints at what happened in front of him.”

Graham shook his head.  Despite the fact that a part of him almost wanted everyone to know the truth, just so he wouldn’t have to live with the burden of the secret anymore, he didn’t want Riley to find out through Buffy’s little sister.  He deserved better than that.

“Look, I know that getting a third party involved makes this a lot more risky, but what choice do we have?  I didn’t tell her.  She *saw* the two of us making out with your hands up my shirt with her own two eyes.  I couldn’t deny it.  What else can we do besides hope she keeps her word?”

“Nothing,” Graham agreed.  Buffy was right; they couldn’t do a damn thing except cross their fingers and hope nobody ever found out.  Instead of getting better, it seemed like things just got messier.

***

“Riley?”

Riley turned around to find a familiar face from his past standing a few feet away in the busy bookstore.

“Audrey?”

“Hey,” Audrey Simmons grinned, walking over to him.  “I can’t believe I ran into you here, of all places.  Do you live in Sunnydale?”

“Yeah, how about you?” Riley replied, still shocked to see Graham’s ex-girlfriend.

“No, I just moved to L.A. a few months ago.  I’m here on business.”

“Wow, what a small world,” he grinned.  “Graham lives here too.”

“No way!”

“Yup, we’re still working together.”

“You’ve got to give me his number.  It’s been years since I have talked to him,” Audrey grinned.

“Sure, I bet he would love to hear from you.”

“Thanks.  So, what’s new with you?”

“Well, a lot of the same.  But I’m engaged now.”

“Really?  That’s great.  Hey, I would love to meet the lucky girl.”

“Buffy’s amazing,” Riley smiled as he got an idea.  “How about we all get together?  I can call Graham and see if he is free tonight.  If he is, the four of us can have dinner together.  Buffy and I were planning on going out, anyway, so I know she is free.”

“That sounds wonderful!”

Audrey and Riley talked for a few more moments before exchanging numbers and saying their goodbyes.  With an extra bounce in his step, Riley found the book he had been looking for and took it to the front of the store to make his purchase.

It had been several weeks since the incident at the Christmas party and despite his best efforts, Riley had been unable to forget what had happened.  He had tried to assure himself that Graham had just been drunk, but he was starting to notice that his friend tended to behave a bit strangely when it came to Buffy.  He was quiet when Riley spoke about something they did together or the wedding plans, even by Graham’s standards of quietness.  But what really got to Riley was the way Graham looked at Buffy.

Like he longed for her.

He didn’t want to be the over-jealous, possessive type, but Riley couldn’t shake the feeling that Graham had a thing for Buffy.  So this reappearance by Audrey couldn’t have come at a better time.  Despite the fact that she and Graham had broken up, it had been completely amicable.  She’d been transferred to England, and the couple had decided that they would rather see other people that try to deal with a long-distance relationship.  Now that she lived so close, perhaps they could give it another shot.

And then Graham could have his *own* girlfriend and stop making eyes at Buffy.

***

“So how long ago did she and Graham break up?” Buffy asked from the passenger seat as Riley drove them to the restaurant.

“About four years ago,” Riley answered.  “But like I said, they were both totally cool with it, so we won’t get stuck in the middle of any huge argument or anything.”

Buffy grinned, “Good.  That would be uncomfortable.”

“I think it will be fun.  She’s really nice.  I don’t know her *that* well – I only spent time with her when Graham brought her along for some function – but she seems really cool.”

“I’m sure she is.  This will be nice – a double date,” she smiled at him, all the while feeling an ache in her stomach.  It was ridiculous, really.  Here she was, engaged to Riley, sleeping with him and pretending to be in love.  What right did she have to worry about Graham having a girlfriend?  She was a hypocrite!

***

“So Audrey, what do you do?” Buffy asked the pretty redhead sitting across from her.

“I’m an art director for an advertising company.  I create designs that are used in commercials and magazine ads and all that,” Audrey replied.

“Wow, that’s really cool.”

“I love it.  I get to be creative and work with other people.  It’s really fun.”

“That’s great.  I still have no clue what I want to do with my life, but I hope I end up with a career I love,” Buffy told her.

“Don’t worry baby, you will,” Riley assured her with a smile before leaning over and kissing her forehead.

The uncomfortable look on her face did not go unnoticed by Audrey, nor did the pained expression on Graham’s.  As soon as Audrey had met Buffy and seen the way her ex-boyfriend had acted around the petite blonde, she had known that something was going on.  In the half hour since, she’d realized that the river ran both ways.  Buffy certainly tried to be Riley’s adoring fiancée, but Audrey saw right through it.  She prided herself on being a good judge of character, very intuitive and observant.  Something was going on between Buffy and Graham.

***

Once Buffy and Riley had said their goodbyes, everyone agreeing they would have to do this again sometime, despite the fact that half their little group had been uncomfortable for the entire meal, Audrey persuaded Graham into joining her for a drink in the restaurant’s bar.  She knew it was really none of her business, but she *had* to know what the deal was with him and Buffy.  If she didn’t know Graham like she did, she would think that he and Buffy were sleeping together, maybe even in love with each other, but certainly not acting like the best friend and fiancée of Riley.  And that didn’t add up.  Graham was loyal, he would never dream of stealing another man’s girlfriend, especially not Riley’s.  And while she barely knew Buffy, she didn’t seem like she was the type to do that either.

But what else could it be?

“Sometimes I wonder if we ever should have dated,” Audrey commented lightly, knowing that if she wanted to extract information from her ex-boyfriend, she had to catch him off-guard.  “We’re great at being friends.”

“We’ve always been friends.  When we were a couple, even when we broke up.”

She smiled, “That’s true.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Nah… the sex was good.”

Graham shook his head and chuckled.  “You’re bad.”

“I know,” Audrey sighed.  “But you know, that’s pretty much all we ever were – friends that slept together.  When I look back, I see that.”

“We were a *little* more than that,” he disagreed before realizing she was right.  “But not much.  I don’t think I could ever get along with you like this if we’d had this big, great love.”

“Buffy and Riley, they have a big, great love?”

He frowned at her.  “Sure, I guess.  I mean, they’re getting married.”

“I know.  And he loves her very much, I can tell.  She seems to love him too, but I don’t know her very well.”

“She loves him,” Graham sighed.

“And you love her?”

He turned his head towards her sharply.  “What?”

“Graham, I know you.  It may have been four years, but I can still read you like a book.  I saw the way you were looking at her all night.  I saw how miserable you looked whenever she and Riley kissed or cuddled.  I saw the envy, the pain, the look that screamed that you wished it were you and not him.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes I do.  Don’t insult me by lying,” she warned.  “Face it.  You want Buffy and you know it.  *I* know it.  Just admit it and save us some time.”

“Fine,” he sighed, “I have a thing for Buffy, who is engaged to Riley.  It doesn’t even matter.”

“Yes it does, it matters very much.  Especially since I think she has a thing for you.  She may really try to be Riley’s happy fiancée, but when she doesn’t think anyone is paying attention, she looks at you like she wishes you had put that diamond on her finger.”

“You just said it yourself; you don’t know her.  I don’t know how you come up with this stuff.”

“Oh, I was just being modest before.  I know people and I am positive that she doesn’t just see you as Riley’s best friend,” Audrey insisted, leaning closer to him.  “Did you and she have an affair?  This is more than the two of you having a crush on each other.”

Graham sighed and decided to just tell her. She would just harass him until he confessed, anyway, and he knew that this would remain between the two of them.  “We had a sexual relationship for several months.”

“Really?” she asked, her eyes wide.  “I mean… well, in a way I can absolutely believe it but… she’s Riley’s fiancée, I never would have thought that you would do that.”

“She wasn’t Riley’s fiancée at the time.  She wasn’t even his girlfriend,” he explained.  “They were together for about a year and then Riley left, because they had problems.  That was last December.  He came back in August.  It happened while he was gone.  I came back to Sunnydale and ran into Buffy in May.  We got drunk and slept together and then we kept sleeping together, despite the fact that we were just friends.  It was just sex.  But as soon as Riley came back, our sexual relationship ended.”

“But it *wasn’t* just sex, was it?”

“For her, it was.”

“For you?”

“I love her,” he admitted.

Audrey smiled, “It wasn’t just sex for her, trust me.  I see how she looks at you, Graham.  I don’t know why she is engaged to Riley she when wants you, but then I also don’t understand why you aren’t fighting for her if you love her.”

“Riley’s my best friend.  How is he going to feel if I tell him that I want Buffy?”

“Ah, so that’s it.  You two are ignoring what *you* want for Riley’s sake.  So neither of you are happy, but he is?”

Graham shook his head.  “That’s not true.  *I* love Buffy, but she loves Riley.  When he proposed to her, she ran to me to first make sure I wouldn’t tell him.”

“She actually said that?”

“Well, no… I don’t remember exactly what she said, but basically, she came to me and asked what she should do.”

“Don’t tell me you told her to marry him!”

“Of course I did.  What am I supposed to do?  Say ‘no, marry my instead’?”

“Yes!  God, you are clueless.  She went to you because she wanted you to tell her that you wanted her, but instead, you pushed her to Riley.”

“Where do you get that?”

“I’m a woman.  Our minds work differently.”

“You’re wrong about this.  Trust me.”

“I’m not, Graham.  Look, if you don’t want to believe me, at least agree to keep an open mind.  Entertain the idea that she loves you.  Look at things with a different perspective, especially when it comes to her behavior.  When you see her, instead of seeing the person you love who loves someone else, see her as someone who could love *you*.  You might be surprised,” Audrey said.  “Promise me.”

Graham sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue… and kind of wishing she was right.  “Fine, I will consider it a possibility.  But even if she did love me, it wouldn’t change the fact that if Buffy and I become a couple, it will break Riley’s heart.”

“Right… so in order to protect Riley’s heart, Buffy is supposed to marry the man she isn’t in love with and you are supposed to just sit by and watch?  Graham, get real.  You are miserable.  Buffy is miserable.  And if Riley is married to a woman who wishes she were with someone else he won’t be happy in the end.  So, in my opinion, your choice is to either hurt Riley now before he gets even more invested… or drag this out, mess things up.  Ooh, maybe Buffy can have his kid and screw their life up when she gets divorced – and, regardless of your presence, she will.”

Graham took a swig of his beer, taking in her advice.  He had to admit… she had a point.

TBC...

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. 

***

As soon as Riley had called, Graham had known.

His friend had been very good about not giving any details, just saying that he thought it would be fun if a big group of them all went out to dinner.  If Buffy hadn’t come to Graham’s the night before, he would have no idea of what was to come.  That bit of knowledge made the hours until he was to meet them at the restaurant torturous as he dreaded having to pretend to be happy that the girl he loved was marrying his best friend.  Yet at the same time, he was grateful that at least he could prepare.  If he had been caught off guard, he wasn’t sure he would have been able to convincingly feign happiness.

He forced himself to get out of his car and walk to the doors of the restaurant.  With a deep breath, he entered and looked around to see if he was the first to arrive.  He quickly spotted Buffy and Riley sitting at a table with Dawn, Giles and a few of the guys he and Riley worked with.

Giving himself a quick pep talk that he *could* pull off the performance of his life, Graham walked up to the table and plastered a smile on his face.

“Hey Graham,” Riley greeted his friend, a bright smile on his face.

“Hi,” Graham replied, noting that Riley had never looked happier.  Beside his friend, Buffy sat with a small smile on her face.  “Hi Buffy.”

“Hi,” she replied, feeling nervous, embarrassed and uncomfortable at the same time as she faced the man that had unwittingly rejected her the night before.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Graham remembered all the other people around who would undoubtedly find their behavior odd.  He quickly said hello to everyone else and took his seat at the table.

Luckily, he was soon drawn into a conversation about a football game with Jack and Victor, two of the guys he worked with.  Graham managed to stay distracted through the rest of the party’s arrivals.  He was even able to get relaxed until Riley stood up after they had ordered their meals and told them all he had an announcement.

Graham watched on as Riley held out his hand for Buffy, who slowly stood and took the proffered hand, smiling shyly at the rest of them.

“There was a reason that we invited all of you here tonight,” Riley began, beaming at Buffy before looking at the rest of the table.  “Buffy and I wanted you all to know that last night I proposed and Buffy accepted.  We’re engaged.”

It was far from easy, but Graham managed to smile and appear to be happy for his friend as everyone around the table smiled as well and started offering the couple congratulations.  Graham joined them, lying through his teeth, and felt he managed to give an Oscar worthy performance.  Nobody noticed that in actuality, he wanted to declare to the world that *he* loved Buffy and grab her and take her far away so she could spend the rest of his life with *him*.

***

Graham didn’t realize it, but not everyone was unaware of his true feelings.  Dawn was quite aware that his happy appearance was just that – an appearance.  He did a good job of it; if she didn’t know for a fact that he was in love with her sister, she probably would have believed that Graham truly was simply glad for his friend.

While Graham had spent the evening trying not to think about the impending engagement announcement, Dawn had been silently observing him from her position in the chair next to Buffy’s, her arms crossed over her chest.  Buffy had practically had to beg her to agree to come, as Dawn certainly wasn’t in the mood to celebrate, but a little guilt and the hope that she could do a little manipulating had changed her mind.

And judging by Graham’s thinly veiled distress at the latest turn of events, she definitely had a good chance at getting her way.

***

“Ah Buffy, come sit with me a moment?” Giles smiled up at his slayer as she approached the table after visiting the ladies room.

“Sure,” she agreed and sat down in the empty chair between Giles and Anya.  “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, wonderful.  Absolutely fine,” he assured her.  “I just wanted to personally offer my congratulations.  I’m so happy for you.”

Buffy smiled widely, even as a voice screamed in her head to give up this lie.  “Thank you.”

“I must say, this came as quite a surprise.  It seems so sudden.”

“You know, it does!” Anya leaned over and agreed, then an idea came into her head and she gasped.  “Buffy, are you pregnant?!”

Unfortunately, she asked her question quite loudly, so several other people at the table heard and looked over in shock – especially Dawn.  Buffy marrying Riley was bad enough but if she was popping out his kid, there was no chance for Graham… plus, that would really muck up *her* life.

“No,” Buffy replied, quickly shaking her head.  “Not pregnant at all.”

Some of Riley’s friends, unused to the twisted way Anya’s mind worked, still seemed a bit skeptical, but they accepted Buffy’s denial.  If she was pregnant and didn’t want them to know, so be it.

“Anya, perhaps you should tell Xander about that gentleman you forced to buy that Indian talisman the other day,” Giles suggested, attempting to have some privacy with Buffy.

“The one who almost cried?” she grinned.  “Okay!”

With the other girl safely preoccupied with her fiancé, Buffy felt safe to resume her conversation with her watcher.

“I know that it’s sort of fast.  If I had only been dating Riley since he came back a few months ago, then I agree it would be too soon.  But we do have all that history and I know him well.  I know that I want to spend my life with him.”

Giles nodded and smiled, “I believe you.  And I *do* approve.  The only reason I asked was that you seem a little… I don’t know, not quite as happy as I might have expected.  That’s not to say you don’t look happy, you just appear to be somewhat apprehensive.”

Leave it to Giles to read her like a book.  Buffy almost smiled at how well he knew her.  But in this case, she wanted to fool everyone.  “Well, to be honest, I am a little apprehensive.  It’s Dawn… you have probably noticed that she isn’t very happy.”

“Yes, I did notice that she doesn’t seem very enthused.”

“She’s not.  But I think she just needs time.  Riley is sure that after she has a chance to adjust to the idea, she will be happier.”

“I am sure that Riley is right,” he assured her.

“He usually is,” Buffy smiled.  “And then everything will be perfect.”

Neither of them believed that for a second, despite the fact that they both appeared to.  Buffy doubted her life would ever be perfect unless she was with Graham, and that would never happen.  And Giles didn’t quite believe that Dawn’s disapproval was the only thing bothering Buffy.  However, if she didn’t want him to know the real problem, he would let her be… for now.

***

“Did he say what he wanted?” Riley asked as she and Buffy approached Giles’s apartment.

Buffy shook her head.  “Just that it was imperative we have a Scooby meeting as soon as possible.”

“Well, that’s sort of odd.  We haven’t all had to get together for anything since I have been back.”

“I know.  I don’t think we’ve had one since we got rid of Glory,” she replied.  “It must be big.”

“Whatever it is, we can handle it,” Riley smiled and put his arm around Buffy.  “Maybe I should have called Graham and had him join us.  We may find the extra manpower and weapons helpful and if we use them, we have to go through Graham anyway.”

“Oh… we shouldn’t drag Graham into this until we know that it’s a big deal,” Buffy quickly told him.  It had been over a month since they had gotten engaged and she and Graham had done their best to avoid each other the entire time.  “Besides, Giles can be a total drama queen.  The grocery store could have run out of his favorite kind of tea.”

She and Riley chuckled as they entered Giles’ apartment and found the rest of the Scoobies hanging out while Giles paced back and forth with his nose in a book.

“Great, Buffy’s here.  Can we get this over with?  Xander and I had plans for tonight,” Anya complained.

Everyone in the room had little doubt as to what their plans were so in an effort not to hear any details about said plans, Giles quickly interrupted.

“Yes, very well, everyone take a seat!  I have come across a prophecy that will come to pass tomorrow night.  We haven’t much time to prepare!”

***

“There they are!” Riley hissed at the rest of their group as they trekked through the cemetery.

Looking in the direction where he was pointing, Buffy saw a small group of Zaffate demons gathered around in a circle, preparing to begin their ritual to bring forth their leader – in the form of a twenty-foot-long serpent.  In her years on the Hellmouth, Buffy had learned to *hate* snakes.

As planned, they moved closer to the demons before Buffy attacked, effectively distracting them from their task temporarily.  Her friends took advantage and joined in the fight.  Both Buffy and Riley were able to kill several demons each on their own fairly quickly as the rest of the group worked in teams.

When only four demons were left, Buffy and Riley both took one on alone while Giles and Willow fought another and left the fourth to Xander, Anya and Tara.  The slayer and her fiancé killed their respective foes a moment before the team of three defeated theirs.  With triumphant grins on their faces, they turned to help Giles and Willow dispose of the last demon when Giles, going for the kill with a sharp knife pointed at the demon’s heart, was grabbed at the wrist by the demon.

A loud crunch was heard by all as the bone snapped.  Despite the sudden pain, Giles didn’t back down and used the last of his strength to shove the weapon into the demon’s chest before clutching his injured wrist against his body.

“Giles, are you okay?” Willow asked worriedly as everyone gathered around.

Giles nodded and grimaced, “I’ll be fine.  But would someone mind driving me to the hospital?”

***

Despite his protests that it wasn’t necessary, they all went with Giles to the hospital, even though they had to do so in two separate cars.  Two hours, several x-rays, four pain pills and a bone setting later, Giles was released from the hospital with a broken wrist. 

Their group was walking towards the exit, trying to decide who would take who home, when Riley spotted one of the men he worked with hurried over to see him.

“Cal, what’s going on?”

The other man, just a bit younger than Riley, was surprised to find his senior officer in the hospital emergency room, but knew that now was not the time to ask questions.  “Miller was hurt during patrol.  He hit his head pretty hard and we were worried and didn’t want to chance it.  We brought him in.”

“Is he okay?” Buffy asked, standing beside Riley with a concerned look on her face.

Cal looked at her, wondering who she was.  “Yeah… I think so.”

“Uh, Cal, this is Buffy Summers, my fiancée,” Riley introduced the two of them.  “He’s really okay?”

“Well, we aren’t sure yet.  The doctor is waiting on some test results, but he seems optimistic,” Cal answered.

“Hey Riley, how about I take everyone home?  You and Buffy can stay here and make sure Graham is okay,” Xander offered.

Riley gave him a grateful smile, “Thanks, I would appreciate that.”

Still worried about Graham, Buffy gently squeezed Giles’ good hand.  “You take care.  I’ll come see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Alright,” he agreed, “Give Graham my best wishes.”

“I will,” she nodded.

Once they were gone, Cal led the two of them to the room where Graham was in bed, a large bump on his head.  However, he was conscious and appeared to be doing okay, all things considered.

“Man, the things you will do to get out of a patrol,” Riley teased his friend as the three approached Graham’s bed.

Graham smiled up at him, then immediately noticed Buffy and felt his heart skip a beat.  “I was just feeling lazy, I guess.”

They made conversation for a few moments until Riley walked Cal out so that the other man could return to headquarters, leaving Buffy alone with Graham.

She stood next to her former lover’s bed and took his hand in hers.  “You’re really okay?”

“I’ll be fine.  I’m sure at the worst it’s a concussion,” he assured her, then added with a wry grin, “And probably the worst headache of my life.”

Buffy smiled down at him, “You scared the Hell out of me.”

“I did?” Graham asked, taken aback.

She nodded, “When I found out you were hurt patrolling, so many horrible scenarios ran through my mind.”

He couldn’t help but feel a thrill at hearing that.  Buffy cared about him.  Granted, she was engaged to another man, but it felt nice, knowing she cared.

“Don’t do that to me again, okay?”

He nodded, “I’ll do my best.”

Buffy smiled a bit brighter this time and brought his hand to her mouth, kissing the back of it.  As soon as she realized what she had done, she awkwardly moved both their hands back down to the bed.  She felt like a fool, fawning all over him when he just saw her as a friend.

“Good news, Graham.  The doctor says it’s just a mild concussion.  He’ll be releasing you soon,” Riley informed his friend as he came into the room.  Though he didn’t comment on it, he did notice Buffy’s little slip a moment earlier.  It had at first seemed a little odd to him, but he knew Buffy and Graham were friends, so it was only natural for Buffy to worry about him and show affection.

“Great, I can’t wait to get out of here,” Graham replied, pasting a smile on his face as Buffy moved to Riley’s side and wrapped her arms around him.

“Just be patient,” Riley told him, “Buffy and I will wait with you and take you home.  That’s okay with you, right honey?  You didn’t need to be home soon?”

“It’s fine,” she said as she forced herself to smile as well.

As Graham and Riley started talking about work, Buffy settled into a chair and wondered how she was ever going to get through the rest of her life being married to the best friend of the man she was truly in love with.

***

“Buffy and Riley, look where you guys are standing!” Denise, one of Riley’s co-workers exclaimed.

“What?” Buffy asked, trying to figure out what she meant.

“You’re under the mistletoe.”

They both looked up and found that they were indeed standing beneath the mistletoe that was hanging from the ceiling.  The couple grinned and gave each other a kiss, earning a round of applause from several other partygoers.

As soon as Graham entered the crowded home, he spotted Buffy and Riley kissing.  Immediately, he regretted coming to the Christmas party… or at least coming without a date.  Unfortunately, he didn’t really have a choice.  He just wasn’t very good company for any females that could be potential dates when he was already in love with someone else.

He was already trying to figure out how long he would have to stay before he could make his excuses and go home when Jack approached him.

“Hey Graham!”

“Oh, hi Jack,” he smiled politely at his friend.  “How’s it going?”

“Great; having a good time.  You just get here?”

“Yeah… It seems very couple-friendly,” Graham commented.

“Hi Graham,” Riley greeted as he joined them, tugging Buffy along by the hand.

“Hello,” she smiled at him.

“Hi,” he replied, almost forgetting that Riley was even there.  She looked so beautiful in her sleeveless red velvet dress that hugged every curve, her hair curled into ringlets and framing her face perfectly.

“What’s going on?” Riley asked his friends.

“Oh, I was just telling Graham that it’s cool we’re here stag.  We don’t need dates.  We’re in the love ‘em and leave ‘em gang, right Graham?” Jack grinned.

“Sure,” Graham replied, despite the fact that he was a complete lie.

Buffy felt an ache deep in her chest.  Graham certainly did love her and leave her and she couldn’t even be mad about it. She’d known how it was the whole time.

“Hey, do you guys want to get a beer?” Jack asked.

“That’s okay, I’m fine,” Buffy told him.

Riley held up a bottle of Michelob, “I’m set.”

“I could go for one,” Graham replied, deciding that would be the best way to get through this party.  Hopefully he could get drunk enough not to care that Buffy was there with Riley.

***

“Hey Buffy, did I tell you how pretty you look tonight?” Graham grinned as he found the blonde in the bedroom that was being used to hold all the party guests’ coats.

Buffy smiled, “I don’t think you did.  Been drinking much, Graham?”

He laughed, “Maybe a little.”

“Well, as long as you’re having fun,” she said, finding both Riley’s coat and her own.

Graham sighed, “Not as much fun as the last time I was this drunk.  Remember that?”

“Graham…” she blushed, recalling all too well what had happened the last time he had been in this condition.

“I know – never happened.  Or at least, as far as anyone else knows, it never happened,” he said, slowly moving closer to her until they were face to face.  Gently, Graham moved his hand to the side of Buffy’s face and stroked her cheek.  “But nobody else is here right now, Buffy.”

“Graham,” she said again, sighing.  “What are you doing?”

“I’m pretty sure I’m about to kiss you,” he smiled, then leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

Buffy just took a second to get herself together and pushing Graham away.  As much as she missed kissing Graham – and doing all the other stuff they did before Riley’s return – this was wrong.  She had made a commitment to Riley and, unlike before, this *would* be cheating.

Besides, it wasn’t a big ego boost that it took Graham getting completely drunk to make a move on her.

“What’s going on?” Riley asked, standing in the doorway of the room, shocked at the sight of his best friend and fiancée in what appeared to be a passionate embrace.

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. 

***

Buffy barely made it to her car before the tears came.  Too tired to fight them, she allowed herself to sob in the driver’s seat, parked in front of Graham’s building.  She should be walking on air right now; a wonderful man who adored her had just proposed marriage.  Yet she was miserable because his best friend had told him to go ahead and marry him.

Slowly, she calmed down and started the car, intent on driving home and climbing into bed.  However, halfway to the house, she changed her mind.  The thought of her big bed in her empty home all alone sounded incredibly lonely.

Turning her car around, Buffy headed to her new destination.

***

Using the key he had given her, Buffy was able to quietly let herself into Riley’s apartment where she found all of the lights out.  She assumed he was already in bed, and upon inspection of his bedroom, found that she was correct.

Lacking the energy to do anything else, Buffy set her purse down on the dresser and kicked off her shoes before climbing into bed with Riley.

He must have just fallen asleep a few minutes earlier, as he was normally a deep sleeper, but this woke him up.  Groggily, he opened his eyes and was surprised to find his girlfriend snuggling under the covers beside him.

“Buffy?”

She smiled shyly and replied, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“No, it’s okay,” Riley assured her, wondering what she was doing there.  “Is everything okay?”

Buffy nodded, “It’s fine.  I just that I couldn’t stand the thought of being without you tonight.”

He frowned, “What happened?”

“Nothing,” she sighed, “I was thinking all night.  About your proposal.”

“Yeah?” he replied slowly, trepidation building as he waited to hear what she said.

“Yes,” she smiled.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“I’m saying that I am honored that you are willing to put up with me for the rest of your life.  I’m saying I would be a fool not to take you up on your offer.  I am saying I would love to marry you,” she grinned, finding it easier to pretend to really be happy about this upon seeing his excitement.

Riley returned the grin, pulling her into his arms and kissing her.  “God, I love you!”

Buffy laughed, “I love you too.”

“You’ve just made me happier than I thought possible.”

“Good,” she replied quietly gently running her hand over his cheek and jaw.  “I plan on trying my hardest to do that every day for the rest of our lives.”

“Just be you.  That’s all it takes,” he responded before lowering his lips to hers again, this time kissing her slowly, lovingly.

Buffy melted into the kiss, forgetting about her desire to just go to sleep.  Lovemaking sounded so much more appealing now.  Riley could make her forget all her feelings for Graham, albeit temporarily.

Breaking the kiss, Riley smiled down at her.  “I almost forgot.”

“Forgot what?” she asked as he climbed out of bed and moved to his dresser.

“I didn’t give you this before because I thought it might make you feel pressured,” he replied, pulling a small jewelry box out of the top drawer.  Riley pulled her to her feet and got down on one knee before her.  “I’ve got to do this right.”

Buffy stood in shock as he opened the jewelry box to reveal an exquisite diamond ring with an emerald cut and platinum band.

“Buffy Summers, will you marry me?”

She smiled and nodded, as tears welled in her eyes.  She wasn’t sure what she was crying for – being touched at the sweetness of the whole thing, her frustration at not being able to love Riley as much as she wanted… or the fact that she wished it was Graham with her at this moment.  But Riley wasn’t bothered by it, slowly slipping the ring on her finger, pleased that it was a perfect fit.

Standing up, Riley slid his hands around her waist and dipped his head down, to begin another sensuous kiss.  Buffy returned the kiss eagerly, her hands moving over his well-muscled arms as their passion grew.

They moved back onto the bed and Riley slowly undressed her.  As they found pleasure in one another, Buffy was able to forget all her problems… for just a little while.

***

Dawn sighed impatiently and crossed her arms, standing in front of Xander and effectively blocking his view of the television.

“It’s noon, do you think Buffy and Riley have had enough time for their boink-fest so that I can go home?”

“Dawn, I’ve told you, they didn’t have a boink-fest, just a romantic dinner,” Xander told her.  “And if you really want, I will take you home now.”

“Good.  I really want to go home.”

“Alright,” he replied, getting up and grabbing his keys.  “Anya, I’m going to run Dawn home now.  I’ll be back in a little bit!”

“Okay!  I’ll wear a little outfit for when you return,” she called back from inside the bathroom, where she had locked herself in so she could soak in the tub for the past half hour.

Xander looked properly embarrassed while hiding his excitement at the anticipation of the fun they’d be having in just a bit.  Not that it mattered, as Dawn had picked up her back and was walking out in the hallway.  He trailed behind her, trying not to pay attention as she impatiently tapped her foot, waiting for the elevator and then on the ride down to the parking lot.

After they had climbed in his car, Xander joked, “You know, you’re going to make me think that ‘Xander and Anya’s House of Fun’ isn’t the most entertaining attraction in Sunnydale anymore.”

Dawn just looked at him, waiting for him to start the car.

Xander obeyed, then continued in a more somber tone, “You know, Dawn, just because Buffy loves Riley doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you too.  Are you hurt that you had to spend the night at my place to give them time alone?  I promise that this was a special occasion.”

He was getting worried about how angry Dawn seemed to be about giving Buffy and Riley alone time.  She had been fine with it back when Joyce had been sick, but it definitely bothered her now.  Buffy’s life was finally getting in order; she had a good job and Riley was back and things were great between them – they were possibly even engaged!  The last thing she needed was the guilt of Dawn being unhappy about their relationship.

Dawn simply crossed her arms over her chest again and shook her head, not willing to open up to Xander about how wrong Riley was for Buffy.  He’d never listen to her.

When they finally got to the house, they saw that Buffy’s car was nowhere to be found.  Dawn unbuckled her seatbelt and got out, staring at the spot where the car was supposed to be.

Xander slowly got out as well, “If Buffy’s not home, maybe we should just wait at my place.”

“I have keys,” Dawn told him, pulling them out of her bag and unlocking the door.

Xander stood in the foyer as Dawn ran up the stairs, dropping her bag in her room.  She was growing more and more angry by the minute, and she wasn’t exactly sure why.  She just knew that she was so mad at Xander and Buffy and Riley for this whole situation.  If she’d spent the night at Xander’s to give Buffy and *Graham* alone time, she would have been more than happy to do so.  But to be pushed aside so Buffy could be with Riley… he wasn’t worthy of her sister and it just wasn’t fair!

***

Xander had taken a seat on the couch when Dawn slowly came back down the stairs.  She stood in the doorway to the living room, leaning against the frame, and calmly informed him, “I’m fine on my own.  You can go back and do… stuff… with Anya.”

“That’s okay, I like hanging with the Dawnster!” he grinned enthusiastically.  “Maybe we could watch a movie.”

“Buffy lets me stay home alone all the time now.  She won’t care.”

“It’s not a matter of trusting you, Dawn.  I just want to keep you company.”

“It’s all right,” the teen insisted.  “I don’t need company.  I’ll just work on my homework, which will make Buffy extremely happy.”

Xander slowly stood up.  “You’re absolutely positive that you don’t want me to stay?  Because I really don’t need to rush home to Anya, it’s fine.”

Despite her anger, she had to smile at his concern.  “I’m positive.”

“Okay then,” he nodded, walking over to the door.  “Give me a call if you need anything.”

“I will,” Dawn promised, following him to the door.

“Lock up behind me,” he ordered, before walking out onto the porch.

She nodded, “Will do.”

As Xander walked off the porch, Dawn did as he said, latching all the locks on the door.  Deciding she might as well go ahead and do her homework, she trudged back up the stairs, all the while wondering where her sister was.  Not that she minded not having to endure Buffy and Riley, half dressed and making out at the kitchen table, but not knowing if Buffy was dead in a ditch somewhere was making her nervous.

***

“I want to stay right here, all day.”

“That sounds nice,” Buffy smiled, snuggling into Riley’s embrace.  “Unfortunately, we have reality.  Eventually, I need to get home to Dawn.  Did you and Xander agree on a time for her to come home?”

Riley shook his head.  “We were just going to play it by ear.”

“Well, I can’t leave her all alone there for too long.  Anya could be a bad influence,” she laughed.

He joined in her laughter.  “Good point.  As much as I hate to say it, I need to get some stuff done today.  I need a haircut.”

“Oh, because it’s getting so long,” Buffy retorted, ruffling said hair.

“It has to be up to military standards,” he smiled.  “But let’s go out tonight.  Dinner and a movie or something.”

“I would love to, but I’ll feel bad if I leave Dawn on her own again tonight.”

“She can come with us.  I just don’t want to be apart from you tonight,” Riley replied.  “Besides, we should get used to doing things all together.  We’re going to be a family now.”

Buffy grinned, then leaned over and kissed him.  All her doubts, while still there, seemed less important.  Graham may not love her, but Riley did and he would make her happy.  He was going to give her a family again and that was exactly what she and Dawn needed.

***

Buffy walked in her home at half past noon, figuring she could take a nap for an hour or so before going to pick up Dawn.  Her sister always had fun at Xander’s, watching cartoons, playing board games and experimenting with bizarre food combinations.  She hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before and just a little bit of rest sounded so appealing.

However, halfway up the stairs she was confronted by her sister, and all hopes of rest soon disappeared.

“Where were you?” Dawn demanded.

“Riley’s.  I thought you were with Xander.”

“I was, but I made him bring me home.  Sorry if I wasn’t out of your hair long enough.”

“Dawn, that’s not fair.  You aren’t in my hair, I was just surprised to see you.”

“And last night?  Xander told me that he had me over because Riley asked him to.”

“That’s true, but it wasn’t about getting rid of you.  Riley just wanted us to have some time as a couple.  It was a special occasion and we needed privacy because, well… look,” Buffy explained, holding out her hand to show the younger girl her engagement ring.  “Riley proposed, and I said yes.”

Dawn’s jaw dropped as she stared at the diamond ring on her sister’s finger in disbelief.  Looking back up at Buffy’s smiling face, the brunette shook her head.  “Have you completely lost your mind?!”

Buffy’s smile quickly fell, “What?”

“You’re *engaged* to Riley?!  You don’t even love him!”

“What?” she repeated.  “Yes I do!  How can you even say-”

“Don’t lie to me.  Please, not anymore.  I know who you love and it’s not Riley.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the fact that you are in love with Graham.  I know all about how you two were sleeping together until Riley came back.”

All the color drained from Buffy’s face.  “What?”

Dawn laughed sardonically.  “At least you aren’t denying it.  Not that it would do any good.  I saw you two with my own eyes.”

“You saw us…”

“Not having sex, fortunately.  But I saw you two on the couch a few months ago.  And unless you were giving him some new kind of mouth-to-mouth and he was looking for the remote or something *under your shirt*, you guys weren’t acting like people who are just friends act.”

Buffy sighed and trudged the rest of the way up the stairs, sitting down on the top step.  “I slept with Graham, I admit it.  However, Dawn, that’s all it was.  I’m not proud, it’s something I hope you never do, but we weren’t in love or in a relationship.  Not a relationship outside of being friends, anyway.  We just… we had a mutual need and so we came to an understanding.”

“I don’t believe you.  I see how you two look at each other.  You’re both just stubborn!”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.  You’re fifteen years old and just learning about love.”

“I don’t care!  I know *you*, Buffy.  You can tell me all you want that you don’t love Graham, but I know that it’s true.  You can go and marry Riley, but it won’t change your heart,” Dawn told her.

“I know you like Graham.  I like him too.  He’s a great guy and easy to talk to – and I am happy to call him my friend.  But that is *all* he is.  Despite what happened, we are just friends.  And we stopped sleeping together when Riley came back, so we are truly *just* friends now.”

Dawn sat down beside Buffy and looked at her sadly.  “Why are you doing this?  I don’t understand.  It’s not just that I like Graham.  I like Riley too.  But Graham can make you happier than Riley could ever dream of, no matter how hard he tries, because Graham is the one for you. I know it.  And I think you know it too.  But for some reason, you want to marry someone else.”

Buffy fought hard not to cry.  This was hard enough without having to humiliate herself further and explain to her baby sister that she was in love with Graham… he just wasn’t in love with her.

“Dawnie, you know I love you.  You’re the most important person in the world to me.  I want you to be happy for me.  I want you to approve of this, because it’s going to change your life too.”

“I can’t do that, Buffy,” the younger girl said quietly.

Buffy nodded her head in acceptance.  “I understand that.  But still, this is my life.  I’m twenty years old and perfectly capable of making a decision like this.  So, while you don’t have to like it, can you at least respect it?”

Dawn was silent for a moment before nodding softly.  “I still believe you are making a huge mistake, and I hope you come to your senses.  But I will go along with it.”

The blonde reached over and gave her sister’s hand a gentle squeeze, giving her a small smile.  “Thank you.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, until another thought occurred to Buffy.  Before today, she’d had no idea that Dawn had a clue about her affair with Graham.  She hadn’t known to fear Riley hearing about it from anyone besides she and Graham.  And now, Dawn had this damaging piece of information coupled with a desire to stop Buffy from marrying Riley.

“Are you going to tell Riley?”

“How can you even ask me that?” Dawn replied defensively.

Buffy shrugged, “If you told him, he would almost for sure break up with me.  You have you know that.”

“I do.  And to be honest, the thought has crossed my mind,” she admitted.  “But I knew that it would hurt you.  I tried to reason that in the end, it would be for your own good.  But I don’t want you to be hurt again.”

“Thank you,” her older sister said again, this time in a sad voice.

“Besides, it would probably hurt Graham too, and I figured that with those circumstances, you two probably wouldn’t get it together,” Dawn smirked, leaving out the fact that Lisa was the one who had pointed that out.  If Buffy found out that Dawn’s friend knew all about her secret, she would freak.  “But just so you know, even though I won’t tell anyone about you and Graham, I will not pretend to be happy about this engagement.  Nobody has to know that I think you should be with Riley’s best friend, I can just give my other reason why I don’t like this – I don’t trust Riley after he broke your heart and left you.  I’m scared he will do it again.  I think that is enough of an excuse.”

Buffy reluctantly nodded, knowing it would be too much to ask her sister to put on an act.  Besides, she didn’t want to push it after Dawn agreed to keep her secret.

Dawn slowly stood up, “I’m going to go finish my homework.”

“Okay,” Buffy replied, getting up as well.  “I’m going to go take a nap.”

Once she was alone in her bedroom, Dawn quickly forgot her homework, knowing there was no way she could concentrate now, and picked up the phone.

Quickly dialing it, she waited impatiently until Lisa answered the phone.

“Lisa?  We have a huge problem.”

***

“Wake up, Buffy.  Buffy!”  Dawn said as she shook her sleeping sister’s shoulder several hours later.

Buffy opened her eyes and groggily looked up at the brunette.  “Huh?”

“Telephone for you,” the younger girl informed her, frowning.  “It’s *him*.”

Although she was still not fully awake, Buffy immediately knew who ‘him’ was.  As Dawn left her alone in the room, she picked up the phone on her nightstand and moved it to her ear.

“Hi Riley.”

“Hey Baby, were you sleeping?”

She smiled, “Yes.  You wore me out last night.”

Riley chuckled.  “I’d say I was sorry, but that’s not completely true.”

“That’s okay, I’m feeling no regrets.”

“Good.  Well, I *am* sorry that I woke you, so I won’t keep you on long.  I just had this idea.  How about if instead of just the three of us going out to dinner tonight, we have all our friends join us?  Then we can announce to them all at once that we’re engaged.”

Buffy wasn’t sure that was such a great idea; her confrontation with Dawn had left her with even more doubts about this and spending an evening pretending everything was perfect for her friends sounded exhausting.  Still, a normal engaged woman would be dying to tell everyone about her upcoming nuptials, and wasn’t that what she wanted to be?

“That sounds great.”

“Good.  How about we tell everyone we’ll have dinner at that Italian restaurant on Somerset at seven?”

“All right, I’ll call all my friends as soon as we get off the phone,” she agreed.

“Me too,” he smiled.  “I can’t wait for everyone to know that we’re engaged.”

“Oh… about that.  Um, Dawn sort of already knows.  I’m sorry, I was just so excited when I came home that I had to tell her.”

“That’s okay.  I think she deserves to know before everyone else.  I am a little surprised that she knows, though.  She didn’t say anything to me about it.”

“She’s not exactly thrilled,” Buffy admitted, knowing he would find out anyway.  “It’s just hard for her.  With my mom dying and me taking over the household, Dawn hasn’t had much stability.  This is going to be a big change and that scares her.”

“I completely understand that,” Riley replied.  “It’s perfectly natural for her to feel apprehension about this.  We just need to give her time to adjust.”

Buffy smiled as she was once again reminded of how amazing Riley was.  “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he grinned.  “I’ll let you go so you can call everyone and get some rest again.  I’ll pick you two up at six-thirty?”

“That will work.  I’ll see you then.”

“All right.  Bye Buffy.”

“Bye,” she responded before hanging up the phone.  Between announcing her impending marriage and pretending to be the blissful bride-to-be, facing her fiancé’s best friend who she happened to be in love with and dealing with her kid sister that hated the whole thing, tonight was bound to be interesting.

TBC...

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. 

***

“Ahem.”

Buffy looked up from the magazine she was reading and saw her sister standing in the doorway to her bedroom, her arms crossed over her chest and an irritated look on her face.

“What?”

“I think we need to finish our conversation from earlier,” Dawn replied.

“What conversation?” Buffy played dumb.  She knew exactly what the younger girl was talking about; Dawn had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout breakfast before escaping to her room as Riley and Buffy spent the morning together.  He had left half an hour earlier, leaving Buffy alone to face her sister’s wrath.

“About how I think you are making a mistake sleeping with Riley.”

Buffy blushed, feeling embarrassed to be having such a discussion with her baby sister, “Dawn, I’m twenty years old.  You don’t need to be giving me some speech about waiting for marriage.”

Dawn rolled her eyes, “I’m not talking about that!  I think you’re rushing things with him.”

It was her older sister’s turn to get exasperated.  “Again, I am twenty.  You’re fifteen.  I’m old enough to make my own decisions and it’s really not your business.”

“Not my business?  You’re my sister and I care about what happens to you.  Don’t forget that Riley left you.  I know that I don’t have all the details but I know that you were taking care of Mom and I, and you couldn’t give him a ton of attention so he ran away.  I’m sorry, but I can’t just trust him again.  I don’t want to see you get hurt again!”

 Dawn had spent the last few hours planning what she would say to her sister, and had decided that bringing Graham up would do no good, so hopefully she could appeal to Buffy’s sense of reason.

Buffy softened, getting up off her bed and walking over to her sister to embrace her.  “Sweetheart, you don’t need to worry about me.  I know Riley and I don’t have the best history, but we *are* taking our time.  We’ve been working really hard these past few months to rebuild a better relationship, and we’re doing it.  We aren’t completely there yet, but we will be.  We’ll be more solid than before, and you’ll see that everything will be fine.  Please, just trust me.”

Dawn sighed as she looked at Buffy’s face, with her pleading eyes.  Buffy seemed to want this relationship with Riley so badly that even though Dawn knew it was wrong, she didn’t have the heart to force the issue.

“Okay.  I still don’t trust him, but if this is what you want…”

“It is,” Buffy beamed.

The brunette half-heartedly returned the smile, and then took a step back.  “I’m going to go call Lisa.  She needed some help with her algebra homework.”

“Okay,” her sister replied, content that everything was fine with her charge.

Dawn headed back to her own room, feeling disappointed.  Still, she wasn’t giving up.  She’d let Buffy be for now, but her mission to get her sister back with Graham was far from over.

***

“This feels kind of weird,” Buffy smiled up at her watcher.  “How long has it been since we’ve done this together?”

“Quite a while,” Giles nodded, “Although, I still imagine you would rather be with Riley right now.”

“That’s not true.  I’m enjoying some watcher/slayer bonding,” she grinned.

“It is nice; as of late, our meetings have been brief to say the least.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, thinking of how she’d been so busy with work, patrolling, Dawn and Riley that she only checked in with Giles to let him know what happened on her patrols and make sure he hadn’t uncovered any prophecies about anything evil.  She felt more than a little guilty, not wanting to strain their relationship as she had during her first year in college.

“Don’t worry, Buffy, that was not a pointed comment about you ignoring me.  You’re not and I know it,” he assured her, as though he had her mind.  “Your plate is quite full.”

“I know,” she sighed, stopping to lean against a tombstone as they waited for the fledgling vampire to make his way of out his grave.  “I just feel like I suck at juggling.”

“You don’t, I swear,” Giles smiled.  “In fact, I am very proud of you.”

“Really?”

“Really.  When I was your age… well, I was in sorry shape.  And look at you, taking such good care of Dawn and running your house.”

“Dawn ditched school and tried her hand at shoplifting.”

“Many children do that.  I’m not saying it is acceptable behavior by any means, just that it is normal for teenagers to use poor judgment, regardless of their upbringing.”

“I still feel like a failure,” she frowned.

“Well, I do understand how you feel that way, but believe me when I tell you that you are incorrect that you are in any way responsible.  Sometimes it doesn’t matter what you do, a person you are in charge of will make a mistake and you will feel like you somehow failed them.”

“I guess I’ve made you feel that way a few times?” she asked, a guilty look on her face.

“A few times, you made a few decisions that didn’t turn out so well, and I did feel like I didn’t do my job as your watcher.  You’re human, as am I, and to err is human.”

“Man, I bet you are loving this!” she joked, “I’m getting a taste of my own medicine.”

“Not so,” he disagreed, smiling.  “And you know, the flip side is that you have done many wonderful things that have made me feel quite proud.”

Her heart swelled with pleasure, but before she could reply the grass began to shift a few yards away as Robert Henderson officially joined the ranks of the undead.  Her mind immediately switched back to her duty as Buffy made short work of him, dusting the fledgling before he knew what had happened.

“Well, that makes three for the evening.  It is getting rather late – perhaps we should call it a night?”

“Sounds good to me,” Buffy smiled, linking her arm with his as they made their way out of the cemetery.  “Hey, maybe you can come over for dinner sometime?”

“I would love to,” he agreed.  “As long as I don’t have to listen to any of Dawn’s horrid boy bands.”

Buffy laughed out loud in response.  “I’ll see what I can do.”

***

“Dawn?” Buffy called as she entered her home in the early evening of the following Friday.  “Sorry I’m late, I got stuck at work.”

She sighed as she kicked off her shoes and entered the living room, expecting to find her sister watching the television.  Instead, the room was empty, the television off and only a lamp providing a small amount of light.

Frowning, Buffy looked around for a note or something to indicate the whereabouts of her sister.  Walking to the kitchen, she was surprised to find the dining room table elaborately set for two, with several candles lit atop it and a vase with red roses in the center of the table.

Smiling, she turned towards the kitchen and was not surprised to see Riley exit, dressed to the nines in a flawless black tuxedo.

“Good evening,” he grinned, gliding towards her and kissing her lovingly.

“Mmm… evening,” she replied, “What’s all this?”

“I am making you supper.  I hope you don’t mind… I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Mind?  Are you crazy?  This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me!” Buffy exclaimed.

“Great,” Riley grinned, then held out a chair for her.  “In that case, would you like to have a seat while I bring out the food?  You’ve arrived just in time.”

She smiled and obeyed, before a small detail occurred to her.  “Where’s Dawn?”

“She is spending the evening at Xander and Anya’s.”

“So that is what the big secret between you and Xander was all about!” she concluded, happy to finally know as it had been in the back of her mind for almost a week now.

“That’s right,” he nodded, leaving her alone in the room for a moment before returning with two plates with salad on them.

They soon began their meal, eating at a leisurely pace and enjoying a comfortable conversation.  Once they were done with the salads, Riley went back to the kitchen and this time came out with spaghetti and french bread. 

When Buffy finished her pasta, she didn’t think she could eat another bite.  However, when Riley brought her dish of chocolate mousse, she somehow rediscovered her appetite.

Swallowing the first spoonful, Buffy moaned.  “This is delicious.  I can’t believe you never let me know you could cook like this, Riley.  I mean, you were good at sandwiches and stuff when we went on picnics but this is amazing!”

He chuckled, “I figured if you knew my secret, you would only exploit it.”

Buffy grinned and leaned over to kiss him.  “I plan on doing exactly that.”

Riley just smiled and stared at her, thanking God for the umpteenth time for this second chance with the most incredible woman he had ever met.  All night, he had been trying to decide the perfect time for his real surprise and he knew now was it.

“Buffy,” he spoke quietly, suddenly serious as he took her hand in both of his.  “You know that I love you more than anything.  If not, you should.  And I can’t imagine my life without you.  I don’t want to ever have to even consider that being a possibility.  Every day that I don’t get to see you feels empty and pointless.  I don’t want to let more days pass without being with you.  For the rest of my life, I want no days without Buffy.”

Buffy’s heart pounded in her chest as she listened to his heartfelt words.  She wondered if he was going where she thought he was going.

“I know I’m kind of rambling.  My point is that I want to spend the rest of my life waking up and going to sleep with you next to me, having meals with you, making love to you… just doing everything with *you*,” Riley continued, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.  And you would make me the happiest man in the world if you would marry me.”

Despite the fact that she had expected to hear those words, Buffy was in complete shock.  After a moment of silence, all she was able to utter was a quiet, “Wow.”

Riley grinned, “I caught you off-guard.”

“To say the least.”

“I expected as much.  It’s pretty sudden, I know.  Which is why I didn’t bring you the ring right now.  I have it, but it’s at home, because I don’t want to put it on your finger just yet.  I am just asking you to think about my proposal; take your time.  I don’t want an answer tonight.  It doesn’t have to be tomorrow or even this week.  Just… would you consider being my wife?”

Despite the voice in her head that was screaming at her because she was in love with Riley’s best friend, Buffy nodded and gave him a small smile.  How could she now when he was looking at her with such adoration and being so considerate and understanding, not trying to push her into taking a step she wasn’t ready for?  Besides… agreeing to consider getting engaged was a far cry from *actually* getting engaged.

A wide smile spread on Riley’s face as he felt relief that she didn’t immediately shoot him down.  He felt confident in Buffy’s love for him, but it was only natural to feel a bit of apprehension when asking such an important question.

“Wonderful.  You just take your time and consider everything.  And when you’re ready… you give me your answer,” he told her, kissing her tenderly on the lips.

Still a bit shell-shocked, Buffy barely ate any more of her mousse, the dessert suddenly becoming bland and tasteless as thoughts raced inside her head.

Once they were done, they compromised on washing the dishes together as both had wanted to be the one to clean up.  After every last dish was washed, dried and put back in it’s place, Riley had wrapped his arms around Buffy and given her a passionate kiss before he announced that he was on his way home, not wanting to make Buffy have an even harder time making her decision by complicating things with sex.

Buffy had agreed and seen him to the door before retiring to the living room where she sat in the dark.  How could she marry Riley?  Graham was the one she loved.  Yet, Graham would not be proposing anytime soon.  As far as she knew, he just thought she was a good lover and nothing more.  Why should she blow the great thing she had going with Riley for a guy who didn’t even love her?

But how could she marry a man she wasn’t in love with?

***

Graham had just gotten out of the shower and tugged on some sweat pants and a baggy t-shirt after a tiring patrol when he heard someone knocking on his door.  He frowned, wondering whom it could be at this hour.  He knew that if there were some sort of demon activity that required his attention, he would have just been paged.

When he opened the door, he found the last person he expected to see standing in the dim hallway of his apartment building.

“Buffy,” Graham said, his voice revealing his surprise.

“Hi,” she greeted shyly, biting her bottom lip.  “Um, is this a bad time?”

“No,” he answered quickly, shaking his head before getting his bearings again and stepping aside.  “Come in.”

“Thanks,” Buffy replied, walking inside the apartment.  “Sorry I came over so late.  I was hoping you weren’t asleep yet.”

“Nope, still awake,” he smiled.  “Have a seat, please.  Can I get you a drink or anything?”

Buffy was tempted to ask him for a nice strong alcoholic beverage to sooth her tattered nerves, but opted not to, since Graham and booze tended to have disastrous results in her opinion.  Instead, she shook her head and sat down on the couch.  “No thank you.  I actually came to talk.”

“To talk,” he repeated, sitting down in a chair.  A knot began to form inside his stomach as he tried to imagine what she might want to talk about.

“God, I don’t even know what to say,” Buffy sighed.

“Is something wrong?”

She shook her head and laughed sardonically.  “You could probably say things couldn’t be more *right*.  I’m totally not used to things going well.  Maybe that’s the problem.”

Graham was totally confused.  “Buffy…”

“Riley asked me to marry him,” Buffy blurted out.

He paled as he tried to absorb the shocking bit of news.  He knew his friend was head over heels in love with Buffy, but he had no idea Riley was considering marriage.  “Wow, that’s…”

“Big, I know,” Buffy finished, saving Graham from having to lie and tell her how great he thought it was.

“What did you tell him?” he asked, taking note of the fact that her ring finger remained bare.

“Nothing.  He told me to take my time and think it over before giving him an answer.”

“Well, that’s a good idea.  This is definitely not something you want to step into lightly,” he offered judiciously.

Buffy nodded, “I know.  And I have been thinking about it ever since, for about four hours now.  I can’t even focus on anything else.  Can’t sleep, can’t read a book… the question keeps repeating in my mind.  I had to talk to someone.”

“So you wanted to talk to me?” he asked, surprised.  Granted, when Riley had been gone they had been able to talk to each other quite easily, Buffy had even been able to confide in him a few times since Riley’s return.  But this seemed like something she ought to be discussing with her girlfriends.

Or anyone but him.  God, why did she have to come to him to discuss something that would break his heart?

“Yeah,” she nodded and frowned.  “I hope you don’t mind.  It’s just that… you’re the only one who knows.  About what happened with you and me.  And one of the big questions in my mind tonight has been how can I say yes to Riley after what I did with you?”

Graham nodded slowly; this was all starting to make more sense to him.  He hadn’t been able to fathom why Buffy would come to him, but now he saw it.  Despite all the good reasons both had cited to keep their secret, and how they had agreed that neither had technically been unfaithful to Riley, she still felt guilt.  Buffy came to him so that he could assure her that she was worthy of being Riley’s wife.

Buffy closed her eyes, inwardly scolding herself for being a coward.  It had taken ten minutes of summoning her courage to knock on Graham’s door.  Now she couldn’t ask the question she *really* wanted an answer to: could Graham possibly want her to tell Riley no because he wanted a relationship?  That was the only reason she could see to turn down Riley’s proposal.  Her initial guilt at not loving Riley as a girlfriend should ought to have gone away as she reminded herself how happy she had made Riley these past few months, even if she wasn’t truly in love with him.  The fact was that she was terrified of being alone.  Being with Graham was what she wanted most, but if that wasn’t possible, she wasn’t going to break up with Riley.

Graham looked into Buffy’s hazel eyes, wanting so much to beg her to tell Riley no and to be with him, to let him be the one to love her every day for the rest of their lives.  But he knew that because he did love her, he had to put her first.  He might be able to make her happy, but how could he possibly make her as happy as Riley could?  Riley was Mr. All-American; he had the family and Christian values, he was goal oriented and would end up with some amazing career making a lot of money to give Buffy a very comfortable and *perfect* life.

And what could he give her?  He had gone over this a million times in his head.  He had no family, outside of Aunt Lillie.  He was sure that Buffy would love her, but he had been to Riley’s home in Iowa.  How could his one relative compare to countless aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings and Riley’s wonderful parents?  Like Buffy, he had just a few relatives and he knew how appealing a big family sounded.  And yeah, he was a hard worker, with a good education, but Riley was still superior.  Graham only outranked him now because of Riley’s betrayal and time outside of the military.  He doubted he would go as far in life as Riley.

As much as he wanted to plead his case and try and convince her to give him a chance, he knew that he could do something to assure Buffy’s happiness.  He could make sure she picked the right guy.  He could give her a few lines, say a few things he didn’t mean but she needed to hear… and let her marry Riley.

“Buffy, I know that you feel guilty about what happened between you and I.  I feel the same way.  But all the stuff we said before about forgetting it happened is true,” Graham spoke quietly.  “When Riley left, you two were broken up.  You were free to be with anyone you wanted.  It wasn’t until he came back that you owed him fidelity.  And when he did come back, nothing ever happened between us.”

Buffy nodded, tears welling in her eyes.  She had so hoped for a different response.  Looking down in her lap so that he couldn’t see how close she was to crying, she replied, “I just feel bad for lying to him.”

“I know you do.  If you want, we’ll tell him the truth.  But I also still believe that we aren’t doing anything wrong by keeping our secret.  It would only hurt Riley to know the truth.  And not knowing doesn’t hurt him,” he replied.  “But if you feel like you can’t take this next step without Riley knowing everything, I accept that.”

Her heart still breaking, Buffy looked up again and smiled sadly at Graham.  “No, you’re right.  If Riley knew the truth it would hurt him so much.  Even though we had broken up he would feel betrayed by both you and I.”

Graham nodded, “That’s true.”

“And as time goes by, my guilt will go away.”

“It will.  Buffy, believe me, Riley is my best friend.  If I didn’t think you deserved him, I would say so.”

“Thank you,” she said, taking a deep breath.  “Just tell me… is there any reason you can give me to tell Riley no?”

She prayed he would do just that, as Graham fought the urge to do so.

Slowly, Graham shook his head and lied, “Not a one.”

Buffy released a breath that she hadn’t realized she had been holding and forced herself to smile.  “Great.  Thanks for this.  You’ve really cleared things up for me.”

“Anytime,” he replied, trying not to look like his heart was being ripped out.

“I guess I had better get going, it’s pretty late.”

“Alright, drive careful,” Graham told her, following as Buffy got up and went to the door.

“I will,” she smiled.  “Goodnight, Graham.”

“Goodnight, Buffy.”

He watched as Buffy walked down the hall to the elevator, closing his door when she was out of sight.  Closing his eyes, he leaned back against it and sighed.  The woman he loved was marrying his best friend.

He must have been a horrible person in a past life.

TBC...

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. 

NOTE 2: "Break Me" doesn't belong to me, it's Jewel's song.  She seems like a gentle soul, so hopefully she won't sue me!

***

“I wish I could stay with you tonight.”

“Me too,” Buffy smiled up at her boyfriend, standing on the tips of her toes to kiss him.  “Unfortunately, my dad might not be cool with that.”

“Yeah,” Riley nodded, “And since I don’t have a fervent desire to get chased around by your father with a shotgun… I’ll have to make do in my own bed, all alone.”

“Just until he goes back to LA,” Buffy vowed, giving him one more kiss before he went out the front door.

Once he was gone, she turned around and found her sister standing in the doorway to the living room with her arms crossed over her chest, a frown on her face.  Dawn had noticed that since she and her father had come back, Buffy and Riley had been acting strangely.  They were definitely behaving different than before.  And she had strong suspicions about what might have happened when they were gone.

“What?” Buffy asked self-consciously.

Dawn considered just asking her sister outright, but she doubted Buffy would tell her.  She’d either lie or say it was none of her business.

The younger girl shrugged, then headed for the stairs.  “I’m going to bed.”

“Good night,” Buffy called after her, before going into the kitchen to make sure everything was put away.  As she walked in the room, she encountered her father putting their ice cream bowls in the dishwasher.

“You don’t have to do that.”

Hank looked up and smiled at his daughter.  “I want to.  Besides, it was only a few things.”

She looked on as he closed the dishwasher door.  “I really am glad you came.”

He sighed and shook his head.  “I’m ashamed of myself.  I can’t believe I let you two go through all of this by yourselves.”

“You didn’t know.”

“That’s no excuse, Buffy.  It makes it worse, in a way.  I didn’t know because I didn’t have any contact with you for *seven* months.  I didn’t even *call*.”

She looked down, knowing that he was right, and she would have complained about the same thing just the day before.  “You screwed up, plain and simple.  But you are here now and Dawn and I are both so happy to have you back around and we still love you.”

He hugged her and sighed, “I don’t deserve either of you.”

“Too bad; you’re stuck with us,” Buffy grinned.

“I think I got the good end of the deal,” he replied, then pulled back to look down at her.  “I think it’s time for me to hit the sack.  It’s been a long day for me.”

“The room is all ready for you,” she told him.  “I should be going to bed too.  I have to work tomorrow.  You’ll be okay here all day by yourself?”

“I’ll manage,” Hank grinned, stepping back and wrapping his arm around her as they proceeded up the stairs.

Buffy made sure he was settled in Joyce’s old room before heading to her own bedroom.  Quietly, she changed clothes and – for the first time in over three years – climbed out her window.  She was far too wired to go to sleep now.

She was on the hunt.

***

Graham was fixing himself a cup of coffee when Riley entered their headquarters with a big grin on his face.  He was almost afraid to ask what had happened when Jack did it for him.

“Hey Finn, what’s up with you?”

“Just in a good mood,” Riley replied, grabbing a mug and pouring some coffee in it.  “Hey Graham.”

“Hi,” Graham replied quietly, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Well, I’ll be,” Jack chuckled.  “Riley got laid!”

Graham’s heart began to ache as he quickly realized from the expression on Riley’s face that Jack was correct.  Riley had slept with someone last night, and the odds of it being anyone besides Buffy were extremely slim.

“Don’t be crude,” Riley said, avoiding his friend’s eyes as he was torn between being embarrassed and wanting to share his joy with his friends.  He was a gentleman, though, and it would be extremely disrespectful of him to tell a roomful of soldiers about his and Buffy’s sex life.

“I’m not being crude, just stating a fact.”  Jack replied.  “Congratulations!”

Fortunately for him, the phone in Graham’s office began ringing, providing him with the perfect escape.  After handling a call about some supplies he had ordered a few weeks earlier, he sat down behind his desk and tried to get control of himself.

He should have expected this.  Of course they would have sex.  They had done it before Riley had left, plenty of times.  Why would things be different now?

Graham put his face in his hands and took several deep breaths, willing away the images of Buffy in bed with Riley.  Why, oh why did this have to happen?  He never should have touched her in the first place.  He could have just gone on seeing her as his friend’s girlfriend that he respected and happened to find more than a little attractive.

Sitting upright, Graham reminded himself that this was best for Buffy.  She loved Riley and she deserved him.  Riley could give her so much more.  If there were any way he could deal with this, it would be if he focused on her.  He had to just be happy for Buffy.

***

“I like the new look,” Riley comment, looking the Bronze over.  “You said a robot did all this?”

“Yes,” Buffy replied quickly, hoping he wouldn’t ask for too many details which could possibly lead to her having to explain the Buffybot to him in order not to be holding back.  He had been so good about Spike, but if Riley knew he’d had Warren create a sexbot that looked exactly like her, it would be really hard for her to expect him not to pummel the platinum vampire.

“Only in Sunnydale,” Riley grinned, shaking his head, then looked across the table at his best friend.  “Graham, you’re awfully quiet tonight, even for you.  What’s up?”

“Nothing… I’m just kind of tired,” he lied.  In reality, he felt extremely uncomfortable.  Ever since he had first found out that Buffy and Riley were sleeping together again a week and a half earlier, he had been avoiding spending any time around the two of them in fear that he would have to endure excessive amounts of kissing and other things that would slowly break his heart.  Unfortunately, Riley had cornered him and talked him into hanging out with them at the popular hangout that night.  His friend was concerned about how anti-social he’d become which pretty much guilted him into accepting the invitation.  If only it were possible for him to just meet another girl and forget about Buffy…

Realizing his mind had wandered off, Graham forced himself to listen as Riley told them about some dance he had gone to in a high school gym when he was sixteen.

How was he going to make it through the night?

Buffy was wondering much the same thing.  It was hard enough spending time with Riley and not feeling guilty.  She’d just begun to relax and enjoy herself.  How was she supposed to do that when the man she really loved was right there?

“Hey guys!”  Xander exclaimed, approaching their table.  He gave Buffy a hug.  “Buffster, I haven’t seen you in ages.”

She smiled as she hugged her longtime friend’s embrace.  “I know, I’m sorry.  Between work, Dawn and my dad, I’ve been so busy.”

“I know, but you look good,” Xander replied, then smiled at the two males at the table.  “Hey Graham, Riley.”

Graham nodded in greeting as Riley smiled.  “Hi Xander, what’s up?”

“Actually… I had to talk to you about something,” Xander answered, giving Riley a pointed look.

Getting the hint, Riley nodded, “Right.  Say, Graham and Buffy, why don’t you two go have a dance?  I’m sure that we will just bore you.”

Graham shot his friend a strange look, wondering why he was trying to get rid of them.  Besides, dancing with Buffy was definitely not a part of his ‘avoiding physical contact with Buffy’ plan.

“Why, what are you guys talking about?” Buffy questioned, equally reluctant to dance with her former lover.

“Nothing that would interest you, Buff.  Riley’s right, you two should go dance.”

Riley kept giving Graham looks that clearly told him to just go along with this and he knew if he continued to protest, his friend would wonder why he was so unwilling to dance with Buffy, which might make him suspicious.

“All right.”

Uneasily, Buffy and Graham stood and made their way onto the dance floor.  It was just their luck that a slow song had just started playing.  They reluctantly put their arms around each other and began swaying to the music.

I will meet you in some place
Where the light lends itself to soft repose
I will let you undress me
But I warn you, I have thorns like any rose
And you could hurt me with your bare hands
You could hurt me using the sharp end of what you say
But I am lost to you now
There's no amount of reason to save me

As the soft lyrics floated through the air, Buffy tried not to think about them, or the way it felt to have Graham’s hands on the small of her back, or how sexy his cologne smelled… or how much she wanted to kiss him.  This was sweet torture, being so close to him, touching him, but not being able to *be* with him.  It was like having your heart’s desire an arm length away, reaching out and brushing against it with your fingers and having it taken away.

So break me
Take me
Just let me fill your arms again
Break me
I'll let you make me
Just let me feel your love again

If she had asked him to leave with her right then, his friendship with Riley be damned, he would have done it without a second’s hesitation.  It wasn’t to say that he wasn’t loyal to his friend.  He would die for Riley.  But God help him, he loved this girl.  It was just too much for him to hold her, to have all those wonderful memories from their time together and not to want to have that time back again.

Feels like being underwater
Now that I've let go and lost control
Water kisses fill my mouth
Water fills my soul

Graham and Buffy’s eyes met, both wanting to proclaim their love for one another, momentarily forgetting the pain it would cause Riley.  How could anything that felt so pure and true be wrong?

The feeling soon passed, though, as their own fears of rejection hit them.  The only thing that could be worse than this would be telling the other of their love, only to find out the feeling wasn’t mutual.

So break me
Take me
Just let me fill your arms again
Break me
I'll let you make me
Just let me feel your love again

“May I cut in?”

Surprised, they turned to find Riley standing beside them, a smile on his face.  He was completely oblivious to the true feelings between the two.

“Sure,” Graham replied, giving his friend a small smile before heading back to the table where Xander now sat with Anya.

Buffy sadly watched him go, looking so lonely and forlorn.  Why did it seem like all she did was feel guilty these when it came to the men in her life?

Kiss me once
Well, maybe twice
Oh, it never felt so nice

“So… everything cool with Xander?” Buffy asked, attempting to distract herself.

Riley nodded, “Everything’s fine.”

“You’re not going to tell me what you were talking about, are you?”

“Of course not,” he grinned.  “How about I divert your attention with a kiss?”

Knowing that Riley really wouldn’t understand that she felt uncomfortable making out in front of his friend, Buffy allowed him to gently press his lips against her own.

She really needed a drink.

So break me
Take me
Just let me fill your arms again
Break me
I'll let you make me
Just let me feel your love again

***

“Here you go,” Riley smiled, handing Buffy a beer before taking a sip of his own.

She smiled up at him gratefully, “Thanks.”

He sat back down in his chair beside her to find Anya exuberantly telling them all about a movie she had seen involving a monkey that drove a car.  Apparently, she had quite a fascination with monkeys that disturbed pretty much everyone besides Xander, who was just bored.

“It’s really quite amusing because he is weaving all over the road and driving quite erratically.  After all, I don’t imagine a monkey can get a driver’s license,” Anya grinned.

“I don’t know, they gave me one,” Xander joked.

“What?” Anya asked, confused, before realizing it was just her fiancé’s attempt at comedy.  “Ah, yes, humor.  Very funny, Xander.”

“So does anyone else have anything interesting to talk about?  Anything at all?” Xander asked, desperate for a change of subject.  As much as he loved Anya, he could only hear her go on and on about that stupid movie for so long.

“The other night, I was patrolling when this demon attacked me.  I cut his head off, like, four times and it kept growing back immediately.  He wouldn’t die until I cut his heart out, which was pretty gross,” Buffy offered.

Xander paled.  “Anything else?”

***

Buffy awoke the next morning to find a strange weight on her chest.  Her mind still muddled with sleep, she turned her head and found Riley in bed with her.  The events of the night before came back to her quickly, dancing with Graham, feeling guilty for being with Riley, then later going home and making love to him in her bed.  She also recalled that she had been able to reach her orgasm.  Riley had bought her a few beers and while they hadn’t made her drunk, she’d felt a lot more relaxed and allowed her to just enjoy the sex.  Besides, when they had been in the middle of foreplay, he had told her how happy she made him.  Despite the fact that she didn’t love him like he deserved, at least she could say she brought him happiness.

As she came more awake, she noticed the distinct smell of burning food.  Why couldn’t her sister just stick with cereal?

Buffy tried to be as gentle as possible as she squirmed out from under Riley’s arm and slid out of bed.  After extricating a t-shirt and baggy pants out of her dresser, she quickly dressed and was headed for the door when Riley called after her.

“Hey, where are you going?”

Turning back around, she saw him smiling at her from the bed, obviously having just awakened.  Buffy couldn’t help but return the smile as she walked back over to the bed to lean over and give him a kiss.  “Sorry, I just wanted to go downstairs.  Dawn’s cooking and that’s never a good thing.”

“Uh oh, sounds dangerous,” Riley chuckled.

“Well, they don’t call me the Slayer for nothing.”

“I’m sure if anyone can handle it, you can.”

She grinned, “I’m going to go down there and see what the damage is… and probably make something that is actually edible.  You want to come down in a few minutes and I’ll feed you?”

“There’s an offer I can’t refuse,” Riley smiled.  “Go on, before I drag you back into bed.”

She laughed and obeyed, walking out of the bedroom and down the stairs, bracing herself for what she might find.

“I think I may have overcooked the bacon!” Dawn lamented as her older sister came into the kitchen.

“Ya think?” Buffy retorted, turning off the stove.

“Well, I like it well done,” the younger girl pouted.

Buffy examined the frying pan; hopefully she wouldn’t spend the next week scrubbing it.  She wasn’t going to even bother making Dawn do it; she never got all the grime off of it.

“But the pancakes are turning out well!” Dawn pointed out.

Buffy walked over to the grill and saw that there were indeed several unburned pancakes cooking on it.  Pancakes with big chunks of something unidentifiable in them, but pancakes nonetheless.

“What did you put in them?”

“Grapes,” Dawn answered proudly.  “I figured that pancakes with blueberries were really yummy, why not try grapes?”

Buffy forced herself not to make a disgusted face and smiled at her sister.  “Sounds good.”

“Even though the bacon is ruined, I figured we could have a fun girls breakfast.”

“Um, actually…” Buffy began, finding it awkward to explain to her little sister that her boyfriend had stayed the night.

She was saved from trying to find the proper phrasing when Riley came in the room, yawning.  He had put some clothes on, but his hair was still tousled, making it obvious that he had just gotten out of bed.