Title: One More Day
Author: Tara22
Summary: It’s the usual gang but in an alternate universe!
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They belong to Joss Whedon, etc etc.
Chapter 1
“Bleh,” Willow Rosenberg exclaimed, scrunching her nose at the container of beetles in front of her. “And we have to do what to find out their gender?”
“The professor said we’re supposed to poke them in the tummy with a toothpick and their, er, privates are supposed to pop out,” her lab partner explained patiently.
“But, but, they’re so small! They’re the size of…of…well, really small beetles!” she argued, “wouldn’t that squish them?”
“I suppose so,” her partner responded with a sigh. “Look. Willow, right?”
The redhead nodded.
“I imagine the professor wouldn’t have set this assignment if it weren’t physically possible. Why don’t you go ask him for help?” the other girl finished.
Willow stood there dumbly as her partner sauntered off to work alone, leaving her behind both physically and intellectually.
“Some partner,” she mumbled to herself.
Willow had been studying science at university for about two weeks and it was definitely nothing like school. All her classmates were either far smarter than her or just really good at pretending they knew what they were doing.
Being the brainy type, the redhead has graduated high school with gusto. She had been a good student and had felt confident that university would be a breeze.
“They never taught us this in Biology,” she grumbled to herself.
The lectures she could handle. Heck, the notes were handed to them on a silver platter. It was the practices that really got to her.
She studied her prac manual:
Split your beetles into groups of Tr. Confusum and Tr. Castaneum
Check for their sex patches to determine their gender and follow the steps set out for you by the instructors
Draw a map diagram of the data and based on your findings, form a hypotheses about which beetle type is likely to have more offspring.
“Oh, bugger,” she thought, glancing around the room at all the other students already well into their assignments. She looked at the front of the room where the professor stood and sighed deeply, resigned to the fact that today would be another one of those put-aside-her-pride-and-make-a-fool-of-herself days.
***
The floor creaked as Willow entered the kitchen.
“How was school, Will?” the blonde-haired woman asked.
The redhead collapsed on a stool and sighed loudly.
“That good, huh?”
“Oh, Buffy,” Willow cried mournfully, “I don’t know that I’m cut out for this.”
Buffy made her way over to her housemate and sat down next to her. “Cocoa?” she offered.
“Do we have any of those little marshmallows?” Willow asked wearily, taking the cup from her best friend.
“Oh yes, it isn’t a hot chocolate without marshmallows!” Buffy quipped, standing and retrieving the small puffs of sugar. “Now talk to me. What’s up in that mind of yours?”
Willow brought the mug to her mouth, enjoying the heat of it, as the steam rose and left perspiration on her upper lip. She took a large sip and felt some of the chill from the cold day leave her.
Her best friend was studying her expectantly. The two girls had been housemates for a couple months now and it was working out really well.
Willow was the student while Buffy worked full time at an office materials production line. She was in charge of the rulers.
In the evenings, whoever was home first cooked. This was usually Willow and they usually ended up eating microwave meals.
Tonight however, Buffy had gotten home first and the redhead could smell some sort of casserole in the oven. It made her mouth water.
“I think I might be dumb, Buff,” Willow squeaked, “I’m just not following! It’s all so hard and everyone else seems to know what they’re doing. They go off with their friends and work in groups and finish so fast! Most of them leave early and they have these looks on their faces like ‘ha! I’m smart! You’re not! Dummy!’ and I just feel so dumb”
The blonde studied her friend thoughtfully. “Look Will, you topped our class. I would imagine that should count for something, no? You’re not dumb. This is just all new to you. I bet if you asked some of your classmates how they feel about it all they would be just as scared and freaked as you. I think you need to stick it out. It’ll get better. I’m sure of it. ”
Willow played with her cocoa before answering, popping a few marshmallows on top, and stirring it to make a white swirl. “But what if you’re wrong, Buff? I’m just scared”
Buffy reached out and grabbed her friend’s hand, giving it a little squeeze. “You’ll be great, sweetie. I just know it. But I was thinking, maybe you should try and make some friends or something. You’ll feel like less of an outsider if you do.”
Willow thought back to earlier that day and shuddered as she remembered the scorn on the faces of her classmates as the professor made a public example of her:
“Ms. Rosenberg would like to know how question 4 is supposed to be done. If anyone else needs help with this, please come over to her table”
And, of course, no one had.
“I’m not so sure that I have anything in common with any of the people in my class, Buff.”
The blonde thought this over. “Well, you could always join a club. Why do the friends have to be from the science faculty?”
“I guess they don’t. I dunno, Buff,” the redhead bit her lip nervously, “I just don’t know…”
All of a sudden the smell of burning chicken filled Willow’s nostrils. “Um, Buff, when is the casserole ready to come out?”
Panic crossed Buffy’s face as she stood abruptly and ran towards the oven. “Shit!” she exclaimed, waving her oven mitt up and down to abate the smoke. She grabbed the pan and placed it down on a heat pad.
“Think it’s still edible?” Willow asked tentatively.
“There’s only one way to find out,” the blonde responded, lifting the foil gingerly.
“It, er, looks great, Buff”
Both women looked down into the pan where a once beautiful and fragrant casserole was now burnt and smelly.
“Looks like we’re having microwave dinners tonight,” Willow said, trying to be chirpy for Buffy’s sake.
Buffy sighed. “It took so long to make, too!”
Just then the phone rang, the shrill tones of the Mexican hat dance filling the air.
“We have got to change that ring, Will!” Buffy squawked, diving for the phone.
“Yello, Buffy Summers speaking!”
Willow began to tidy up the foil and with one last distasteful look at the casserole, she poured the whole thing into the trash. She could hear Buffy in the other room. The blonde was talking animatedly into the phone.
“Doesn’t leave too many people it could be,” the redhead thought with a grin.
Just as Willow was about to pop a microwavable chicken stroganoff into the toaster oven Buffy came charging into the room.
“Drop that chicken stroganoff!” the blonde hollered.
“Wha, why?” the redhead asked with confusion.
“Guess what today is, Will,” Buffy exclaimed. “I don’t know how we could have forgotten!”
“Uh…hmmm…something to do with Xander?” Willow asked.
The blonde gaped at her. “How did you know?”
“Who else calls us?” the redhead replied with a laugh. “Anyway, what? What did we forget?”
“Tonight is Xander’s recital! We’re supposed to be there in 20 minutes and then we were gonna go out with his friends to a German bar.”
Willow gasped, shoving the dinners back into the freezer. “Oh my gosh, how could we forget something so important to him. Quick! Quick! Go dress!”
The two girls ran to their respective rooms and began to dress.
Xander was having his first recital. After graduating high school he had become very depressed. Having no reason to leave his house anymore he was forced to spend more time with his parents, to him a fate worse than death. Buffy and Willow had been so concerned about him that they decided to do something about it. They signed him up for numerous activities; sailing, painting, origami, cooking and ballet. Most of them made him feel foolish or bored, but he’d taken to ballet like a fish in water.
Xander was their best friend. The three of them spent most of their high school lives together. It was all for one and one for all. Buffy and Willow didn’t see him as often as they would have liked because of work and uni but they still tried to make time at least once a week to see each other.
“You ready to go, Will?” Buffy called from the hallway as she pulled her hair into a ponytail.
“Coming!” Willow said, grabbing her handbag as she ran out the door.
***
The auditorium was surprisingly crowded as the two girls shuffled in. Someone shoved a brochure at them and Willow accepted it graciously.
“Since when is there a ballet of Miss Congeniality?” Buffy asked, her eyebrow raised, “I’m not seeing the danceyness in that film.”
Willow shrugged, “I dunno, Buffy. What part does Xander play?”
“I think he’s the gay guy that teaches Sandra Bullock to be a girl,” the blonde responded.
“Oh, that’s a major part! How cool!” the redhead said excitedly, dragging Buffy along the aisle to their seats.
Ten minutes later the show had started and the audience was laughing.
Buffy wiped tears from her eyes, “I have to admit it, this is funny as hell!”
Just then Xander appeared on stage. He was dressed in tights and a suit jacket and he was wearing a great deal of makeup.
“Dude!” Buffy exclaimed.
All Willow could do was gape.
Their best friend was pirouetting across the stage like he’d been doing it his entire life.
“He’s really good,” the redhead said in awe.
“Uh huh,” Buffy agreed. “Whoever made up that thing about guys doing ballet not being manly is full of it. Man, he actually looks hot!”
Willow eyed her friend warily.
“Wha?” Buffy asked, “I’m a girl and he’s hot. So sue me!”
***
By the time Xander got out of the dressing room most of the crowd had gone. Willow ran over and threw her arms around him.
“You were amazing, Xand! I’m so proud of you!” she squealed.
“Oh, yes, so very amazing,” Buffy added, noticing that he was still in costume. “Have I ever told you that you look good in tights?”
Xander grinned sheepishly. “Thanks, guys. I’m glad you could make it. Are you still coming to the bar with us?”
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Willow assured him.
“Great! I’m just gonna go get dressed,” he responded, turning and walking back through the door to the dressing rooms.
“No rush!” Buffy called after him, her eyes glued to his butt as he walked.
The two girls watched as various cast members exited through the door.
“Ohh,” Willow exclaimed, “There’s Sandra Bullock!”
After ten minutes, Xander strode boldly through the door. He was dressed in normal Xander clothes again, khaki shorts and a t-shirt from Joe’s Crab Shack. Behind him stood three other cast members.
“Hey guys, this is Jim, Fred, and Dave,” he introduced.
“Willow,” the redhead said with a nod and a smile.
“And I’m Buffy,” the blonde purred, having taken obvious interest in Jim, a lanky redhead. She looped her arm through his and led the way.
It was a short walk to the bar and they filled the time with idle chitchat.
“What does Frau zu Mann mean?” Willow asked curiously as they entered.
“I’m not sure,” Fred responded, taking in the colourful walls and bright lamps.
The group sat down at a table and a waiter approached them.
“Guten Abend,” she said cheerfully.
Willow bit her lip and tried not to laugh.
The waiter was not actually a waiter. She was a waitress.
Willow looked around the room and noticed that it was a common theme amongst the staff there. “I think I know what Frau zu Mann means now,” she said quietly.
The waitress was dressed in lederhosen and a very masculine blouse. Her hair was slicked back into a tight and low ponytail.
“Welcome to the Frau ze Mann. If you need anything, feel free to flag me over,” she continued. “My name is Anya and I’ll be your waiter for the night.”
When Anya had gone Buffy looked up from her place on Jim’s lap and sighed. “Ok, I give up, what does Frau zu Mann mean?”
“I think we’re in a German Drag King bar,” the redhead responded with amusement.
“Oh! Good choice, guys!” Buffy said with a laugh.
Jim, Fred and Dave turned to look at Xander.
“What!? Why are you all looking at me?” he whined defensively.
TBC
And thus begins my new fic! I hope you guys like it!
“And what flavor Amber fan are YOU?”
~*@.......We are the weirdest person in the world.......@*~
"Love who you love, just do it with your whole heart." - Urn of Osiris
Very cool start... More soon?? 
Love your German Drag King Bar. I wonder if we have something like this here. 