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Different Point of View

By Rach

"Well, I must say this is all rather odd to me." Wesley leant towards the dip, watching as the gym began to fill up with students.

"Oh yes. At an all-male preparatory they didn't go in for this sort of thing."

"No, of course not. Unless you count the nights you made the lower classmen get up as girls and watched them ..." He looked up and noticed Giles staring at him. "Dip is tasty, isn't it?"

Wesley turned around towards the door, catching sight of Fred entering as he did so. She looked beautiful, her curly brown hair straightened for the occasion, and wearing a long plum coloured dress. Some of the dip caught in his throat and he began to cough, causing Giles to stare again.

"Sauce is hot." He croaked out, as he glanced back towards the door. "Very hot."

Giles turned and followed his gaze, rolling his eyes as he spotted Fred. "Go on then, go and say hello," he hissed. Realising how obvious he was being, Wesley took a deep breath, nodded, and headed towards Fred.

"May I say," he smiled as he approached her. "You look smashing."

Fred blushed. "Thank you." He nervously held out his arm, not sure if she would take it. She smiled back at him and slipped her own through it. She looked around the room and spotted Xander and Anya heading towards them. Xander's eyes lit up as he saw them.

"So then this one time, this girl wished her ex would cannibalise himself. Even I had a hard time watching that, let me tell you." Fred stifled a giggle as she heard Anya's voice.

"Fred! Wesley! My god in heaven, it's good to see you. How are you both? And details, please," Xander pleaded.

Wesley glanced at Fred, and smiled. "Very well, thank you."

"Yeah. Great dance."

"Did you say you wanted some punch, Fred?" She nodded and she looked up at Xander cheekily. "See you guys later." Before Xander could stop them, they were gone.



*****

Jonathan approached the microphone as the crowd quietened down. They'd thought all the awards had been given out.

"We have one more award to give out. Is Buffy Summers here tonight? Did she, um..."

Buffy froze as her name was read out, and turned towards the stage, looking nervous. Jonathan smiled at her.

"This is actually a new category. First time ever. I guess there were a lot of write-in ballots, and, um, the prom committee asked me to read this. 'We're not good friends. Most of us never found the time to get to know you, but that doesn't mean we haven't noticed you. We don't talk about it much, but it's no secret that Sunnydale High isn't really like other high schools. A lot of weird stuff happens here.'" He paused, and students began to yell out examples.

"Zombies!"

"Hyena people!"

"Snyder!" Everybody laughed for a moment, and then turned back to Jonathan, eager to hear what he had to say next.

"'But, whenever there was a problem or something creepy happened, you seemed to show up and stop it. Most of the people here have been saved by you, or helped by you at one time or another. We're proud to say that the Class of '99 has the lowest mortality rate of any graduating class in Sunnydale history.'" He paused again and the crowd clapped and cheered. "'And we know at least part of that is because of you. So the senior class, offers its thanks, and gives you, uh, this.'"

He leant over as somebody handed him the final award, a glittering miniature umbrella. "It's from all of us, and it has written here, 'Buffy Summers, Class Protector.'" Jonathan held out the umbrella, and Buffy blushed she walked up to collect it.

Jonathan leant back towards the microphone. "Alright, that's the last award! Everybody enjoy what's left of the night!" As the spotlight on stage switched off and the music started up again, students took themselves back to the dance floor.

Watching Fred dancing and laughing with Xander, Wesley sidled towards Giles and cleared his throat.

"Mr. Giles. I'd like your opinion. While the last thing I want to do is model bad behaviour in front of impressionable youth, I wonder if asking Miss Burkle to dance would..." he trailed off, slightly embarrassed.

Giles rolled his eyes again. "For God's sake, man, she's eighteen. And you have the emotional maturity of a blueberry scone. Just have at it, would you, and stop fluttering about." Dumping his punch down on the table, he walked off. Wesley played nervously with his tie as he watched Xander dip Fred and she burst into delighted giggles.

"Right, then. Thanks for that." He muttered.

As the song changed, Wesley summoned up his courage and walked out onto the floor, tapping Xander gently on the shoulder. He held out his hand towards Fred. "May I...?"

Xander smiled and dropped Fred's hands. "Sure."

Wesley took Fred's left hand in his right, and slipped the other around her waist. Relaxing the second she felt him touch her, she dropped her spare hand onto his back and laid her head on his shoulder. Fred hummed along to the song, forgetting her worries about his age, her mind pleasantly numb. For the first time in a good while, there was nothing else on her mind, nothing else she was supposed to be doing, and right now it would please her if she never moved.

Wesley was the complete opposite. His mind was darting from place to place, trying to make sure he wasn't making a fool of himself, that he didn't do anything wrong, anything too forward. He resented Giles' comment about his emotional maturity. He hadn't been fluttering about, not intentionally, anyway. He just didn't want her to think he was taking advantage. But Giles was right - she was eighteen. Not a child any more, she could think for herself.

Fred could feel that Wesley's body was still tense. "It's okay," she whispered into his ear. "You can relax." Wesley looked at her. "I want to be here, Wesley. You don't have to think so much, just go with it. You aren't going to do anything wrong, I promise you."

Wesley smiled. "I'll try. But - actions have consequences. I've had that drilled into me for years."

"Let the man inside the Watcher have some fun tonight."

"I think he'd enjoy that."

Fred smiled and snuggled her head back onto Wesley's shoulder, his grip around her loosening slightly, and Fred felt something change. As they swayed to the music, Wesley absently rubbed his finger up and down her back, making her shiver. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes, just enjoying the feeling again.

Buffy smiled as she watched them dance, not noticing Giles approaching behind her.

"You did good work tonight, Buffy." She turned at the sound of his voice, and laughed a little, nodding.

"And I got a little toy surprise."

"I had no idea that children en masse could be gracious."

"Every now and then, people surprise you."

"Not dancing?"

"Not right now."

"You should, Buffy. You deserve it, and it's your special night. Your perfect high school moment, remember?"

She smiled, placing her umbrella on the table. "You're right. Giles, would you like to dance?"

He looked taken aback by her request, and began to stammer - something she hadn't heard him do in a long time. She laughed. "Come on, Giles. You're Mr High School to me. Years from now, I'm gonna look back and you'll be the first thing that springs to mind - because you never changed. Every day, whatever I wanted, I could walk into the library and I knew you'd be there, ready to help me. So who else would I ask?"

Giles smiled, looking down at his feet. "In that case, I'd be delighted." He held out his hand, and led her onto the dance floor.

Angel walked into the gym. Something had made him come here tonight. Perhaps it was the look on Buffy's face when he'd told her he was leaving. Whatever it was, it had gotten him into a tux. He stood beside the door for a second, searching the crowd for her. He finally spotted her, dancing with Giles, having the time of her life. Her smile wavered for a second as she spotted him, but then her smile widened again and he knew it was okay. Or at least as okay as it could be.

Buffy watched as Cordelia stepped towards Angel, obviously asking him to dance.

"She never gives up, does she?" she mumbled.

"Mmm?" Giles turned slightly and spotted Angel and Cordy, understanding. He turned back to Buffy and nodded his head towards them. "He's here for you - go and dance with him."

Buffy shook her head. "No. It's over between us. Why prolong the agony?" She noticed Angel looking at her, and she forced a smile, nodding. She turned back to Giles. "We'd just be two friends dancing, which is what I have right now anyway." She watched as Cordelia led Angel onto the dance floor. "Besides, I think Cordelia might actually kill me if she doesn't get this dance before Angel leaves town."



*****

Buffy flung herself down onto her bed, exhausted. Fred kicked off her shoes, and sat beside Buffy, a bowl of popcorn in her lap. Willow appeared in the doorway carrying three glasses of lemonade, and set them down on the table. Settling herself on the floor, she stretched out and turned to Fred.

"So," she grinned. "You and Wesley - happening or not?"

"I'm not sure," Fred sighed, setting the popcorn on the floor before she either spilled it or ate it all. "I'm pretty sure he likes me, and that dance ... it was ... magical," Fred laughed as Buffy snorted at the corny description, "but I just don't know if it can work."

Buffy sat up. "Fred, you're talking to the Queen of unworkable relationships. I say go for it."

"But-"

"You'll never know unless you try," Willow interrupted her.

"I guess." Fred sighed. "He has the most gorgeous eyes." She snapped herself out of her reverie and turned to Buffy. "Anyway, how about you? I saw you letting Angel dance with Cordy, of all people."

"I didn't let him do anything. It was all his own free will. Besides," she retorted, "I'm surprised you could see anything, that glazed look you had when you were with Wesley."

Willow laughed. "So, what's Giles like to dance with?"

"Well ... he's ... Giles-like. It's like when you're little, and you're at a wedding - everyone is paired up and you feel left out, so your dad dances with you."

"But was he good?" Willow persisted.

Buffy let out a breath and grinned. "Hell, yeah. I've got a feeling teen-Giles got up to something other than frolicking with the black arts."

Fred took a gulp of her lemonade. "Well, you did it, Buffy."

"Did what?"

"Gave us all a normal prom, an evening to remember."

Willow grinned. "And you didn't even have to kill anyone to do it."

Chapter Six



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