Confusing Competitions..
by phantom
I could not ask for more.
[reviews]
Disclaimer: Not mine! Buffy stuff is all Joss and music is Edwin McCain.
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Chapter 10
At the dance...
Xander pulled the car to a stop outside the Bronze and helped Anya out of the car.
Buffy beamed at Willow and held out her hand to her redhead after opening the other door for her.
The two were dressed in old Shakespearean costumes that Joyce had kept clean in her closet. (Apparently she had theatre aspirations when she was younger. Although that didn't explain why she had the male costume as well, no one asked...)
Buffy bowed low as soon as Willow stepped out of the car and Willow curtsied before the two walked into the Bronze together.
Xander and Anya were still watching the two and smiled at each other before following suit.
Faith and Dawn were meant to be arriving on the stallion... but it seemed that the two had taken a detour somewhere first.
The Bronze was decked out in full Valentines fashion with everything still covered in pink. Fortunately though, just for tonight, the pink had been upgraded thanks to balloons, fresh flowers and well planned lighting.
The stage was lined with three rows of red roses and the band was crooning slow love songs.
In the midst of it all stood Buffy and Willow moving together on the dance floor.
They were soon joined by the no less cute couple Xander and Anya and then a little later on by Dawn and Faith who both looked a little disheveled.
At Buffy's raised eyebrow her sister mouthed 'it was the horse ride'.
There was no fooling anyone once they saw how huge Faith's smile was.
Snyder was casing the place from a seat that he thought would give him the best opportunity to spot anyone being too "touchy-feely".
After about the third song Buffy caught Dawn's eye and the younger Summer's motioned for everyone to take a seat at the table while she followed her sister to the bathroom.
That is of course after Buffy had whispered a soft "excuse me for a minute" to Willow coupled with a chaste kiss on the lips which gave the redhead a healthy pink glow.
"Look Xander Willow's face colour matches the decoration! Quick kiss me and see if I do the same thing!"
"Of all the things she could have said..." Faith marveled at Anya's incredible talent to say weird stuff at inappropriate moments.
Xander just shrugged and humored his date.
Faith shook her head and let out a satisfied laugh before catching Willows eye and sharing a meaningful look with her.
--
In the bathroom...
Buffy looked up as she heard the door opening and in walked her sister.
They surveyed each other for a moment before breaking out into huge smiles and hugging each other.
"What's up Buffy? We go to all this trouble to get those dates and then we leave them out there while we go on a bathroom break?"
Buffy smiled at Dawn's comment. Though said in jest they both knew that this evening and anything that came out of it was the culmination of a very stressful couple of weeks for the Summer's girls.
"Well, this evening turned out differently to the way I thought it would last night... thank God." Answered Buffy.
Dawn let out a small laugh and waited for her sister to continue.
"But I thought I may as well go on with what I had planned..."
Dawn's eyebrows automatically raised and she moved closer to her sister.
"Ooh do tell!" she said.
Buffy shook her head at her sister's eagerness.
"You really are a born trouble maker aren't you?"
"Come on Buffy! Just tell me!"
Buffy made to pull something out of her pocket. (She was happy to have the boy's costume, not like Willow's dress had room enough for pockets.)
Dawn saw the little movement and gasped.
"Oh my God you're gonna propose!"
Buffy's head shot up.
"What?!" she said completely taken aback by the comment.
"Ok. You're not..." said Dawn backpedaling.
Buffy's look softened.
"Well I'm not yet..." she said with a wink and then showed Dawn what she really pulled out of her pocket.
"A tape?"
Buffy nodded.
"You have no idea how hard it would have been to fit a C.d in this thing. I mean.."
"Buffy why do you have a tape?"
"Oh right... well, since I thought Willow was going with Faith... I was gonna show up anyway and tell her how I feel..."
"Aww Buffy!" said Dawn nearly tearing up.
"Dawn! Look, just get whoever is in charge of the music to play this tape ok? And I'll get myself ready so I don't chicken out..."
"Why me? I mean... what if they don't listen to me?"
"Dawn, it's Valentines Day... and this is a very Valentiney thing to do! ... and also I know they'll do it because the majority of our school are scared of you because of the Spike incident. Besides, you're my best girl Dawnie... I couldn't do anything potentially stupid and humiliating without you at my back right?"
"Damn right!" Dawn said before taking the tape and walking out of the bathroom.
--
Back at the table
Faith was getting a little impatient as all she wanted right now was to be dancing with her girl in her arms.
"This is one long bathroom break our girls are taking Wills." The brunette thought aloud.
Willow merely nodded. She still had a dreamy look on her face. After all, she was here with Buffy tonight. She was Buffy's girl. The thought made her giddy.
Faith didn't know whether to make fun of her friend in her usual Faith fashion or not, tonight she was feeling the warm and fuzzies herself. Thanks to a certain other brunette... who was at the corner of the stage handing something to a band member...
'What is my girl up to?' thought Faith.
Xander followed her line of sight and at Faith's raised eyebrow he cocked his head in the direction of Buffy heading up the backstage entrance.
The two shared a grin.
Dawn walked back to the table and settled into Faith's arms as Anya was doing with Xander.
Willow was about to ask after Buffy when she saw a very familiar blonde sitting up on stage.
By now all eyes were glued on the blonde. Although she was in a 'male' costume she still managed to look as stunning as she usually does. There was no one in the room who shone as much as the blonde did in that moment.
A band member set up a mic and stand in front of her and after meeting the redhead's eyes she spoke softly...
"Iv'e always thought that I lead a good life. I have my family, I have my friends, I have my beliefs, my philosophies. I lived for myself. That is... until the day I met you."
She smiled at Willow and a few people followed her line of sight to the redhead and smiled at her too before looking back at their own partners.
"Each moment I'm with you, is better than the last and I just wanted to tell you... I just wanted to let you know... that from that day, before I went to bed, and right after I woke up, I thought of you. And that from now on, I live... only for you."
Buffy gave a nod to another band member by the stereo control and he pressed the 'play' button for her tape. The introduction for Edwin McCains 'I could not ask for more' starts playing through the speakers...
Taking a deep breath, the blonde waited for her cue to start singing.
Lying here with you,
Listening to the rain.
Smiling just to see,
The smile upon your face.
And these are the moments,
I thank God that I'm alive.
And these are the moments,
I'll remember all my life.
I've found all I've Waited for,
And I could not ask for more.
Willow bit her lip in an attempt to stop herself from crying but she, like some other's in the room couldn't help herself...
Looking in your eyes,
Seeing all I need.
Everything you are,
Is everything to me.
And these are the moments,
I know heaven must exist.
And these are the moments,
I know all I need is this,
I have all I've waited for,
And I could not ask for more.
Faith wrapped her arms tighter around Dawn who smiled proudly up at her sister.
The band picked up the beat and the chords and started playing along with Buffy while someone turned off the tape... The lead singer gave Buffy a nod as he sung the next part on his own mic.
I could not ask for more than this time together,
I could ask for more than this time with you.
Every prayer has been answered,
Every dream I've had's come true.
Right here in this moment,
Is right where that I meant to be.
Ohh here with you, here with me.
Buffy made her way to Willow and bowed again in front of her before leading the teary redhead onto the dancefloor that their classmates had cleared for them.
Although the band had taken over the music, Buffy still sung softly in the redheads ear...
Ohh hoo.
Yeah
Oh Yeah
And these are the moments,
I thank God that I'm alive.
And these are the moments,
I'll remember all my life.
I've got all I've Waited for,
And I could not ask for more.
Faith and Xander now took the opportunity to lead their girls onto the dance floor. As did others around them.
I could not ask for more than this time together,
I could ask for more than this time with you.
Every prayer has been answered,
Every dream I've had's come true.
Right here in this moment,
Is right where that I meant to be.
Here with you, here with me.
I could not ask for more than the love you give me,
Cause it's all I've waited for.
And I could not ask for more.
More.
Uh huh uh.
And I could not ask for more...
Xander nodded his head towards Spike and Scott dancing closeby...
"No way!" Faith whispered and motioned for Dawn to take a look.
The younger brunette smiled and rolled her eyes.
"Crazy days..."
Buffy caught on to what they were looking at and raised an eyebrow at her friends.
"Didn't you know Scott was gay? He asked for my help with the whole Valentines thing!"
Faith, Willow and Xander all looked at her disbelievingly before Anya and Dawn pulled two back to look at them and Willow returned her head back to Buffy's shoulder of her own accord.
Snyder looked around at all the couples on the dance floor before shaking his head and mumbling..
"Eat and mate... that's all they ever do..."
A/N - hope you guys like it... remember to review :) Btw... if anyone is planning any romantic interludes Edwin McCain is your man. I swear by him ;)