3.) Unaware
"Spike!" Buffy called after seeing the vamp’s peroxide locks from the far side of the graveyard. She had been on patrol all evening, and was now on her way home. There hadn't been much action tonight, in fact there hadn't been any. All the baddies had become accustom to her frequent trips through the exact same cemetery every night. Unconscionably, the same cemetery that Spike called home.
Spike turned eagerly, quickly reminding himself to tone it down, after hearing Buffy call his name. He had picked up her scent and was well aware of her location, and made a point to slowly move into her range of site.
"Summers, I thought I picked up your scent, on your way home?" He said smoothly.
"Yeah, slow night" she explained, quickening her pace to where he stood, waiting for her.
"Anya's wedding is in two days, are you still..." She asked curious.
"Yeah, poor girl stopped by the other night, something about confirming that I was bringing a guest, and seating arrangements. Also she tried to warn me about Xander's family, not quite sure what that was about. Bird's got her knickers in more of a twist then that boy’s worth." Spike confidently stated.
"Well, she loves him." Buffy explained.
"Isn't love grand," Spike stated sarcastically. "Maybe it will turn out better for her." Spike whispered to himself, meaning for Buffy to hear.
"Spike I..." Buffy began, no doubt trying to say something nice for her own benefit of relieving the guilt that was still thick in her heart.
"Not the time luv, I'm going to see my girl... remember."
"You were serious?" Buffy shook her head in disbelief, almost laughing. "I thought you just made her up to make me jealous."
*If only she knew* Spike thought, not even attempting to conceal the smile on his face.
"Buffy, she’s real enough, and why would I bother trying to make you jealous? After all, you've said it yourself, you were just using me." Spike coldly put the self-absorbed woman in her place. On that note he turned and left without another word. Leaving the ice princess with a dumbfounded look on her face, and the new found weight of regret.
*God I love that woman* The more he had to act like he didn't want her. The more he did.
***
***
Spike had only one thing in his mind at that point. This was going to work. Everything reconfirmed the master plan he and Katie had concocted was absolutely going to work.
The look on Buffy's face, the slight change in her heartbeat, even the microscopic amount of hurt in her eyes when he didn't besot on her one of his pet names. She believed him now, She had to. There was no doubt that she understood Spike had a new mate in his life, and it wasn't her, but that wasn't his goal. Making his slayer realize herself that she cared for him would take more then just a quick show off of Katie at Anya's wedding.
No, there had to be more to it then just that.
Spike quickly changed his route and planed to go and talk to Katie after a quick stop at his best friend Clem's to reorganize his thoughts, and most importantly release some stress from the mildly intense conversation.
Clem lived in an apartment complex, and the shortest way to get there was through a graveyard. Killing a couple baddies always made him feel better after dealing with Buffy.
Two vamps, and a demon later he arrived at Clem's and made a quick phone call.
~
"Katie?"
"Hi, William, I can't really talk long, I'm kind of busy, working and all," she explained politely.
"No problem luv, just wanted to check in and see if you were up for me picking you up after work tonight?"
Katie blushed and had to put her cell phone down for a second to exhale a sigh of excitement.
"Of course, I get off in an hour." Her voice was high and she was unable to conceal her excitement.
"Perfect pet, see you in an hour." Spike quickly hung up and made his way into the kitchen to be greeted by a very curious friend.
"What was that all about Spike?" Clem questioned.
"Sit down, you've missed a lot the past few days."
Spike began to reveal his plan.
***
***
Buffy however was still reeling from his words, and the bleached annoyance never left her like that. She had always been the one in control.
Deep down, she even kind of liked the idea of him being unattainable. It now made him even hotter.
She needed a drink, a nonalcoholic drink of course. *Buffy and alcohol are unmixy things... but a dark, quiet environment might be good for me.*
So she headed to the demon bar a few blocks over, Unconsidentatly, Spike's favorite bar. She could often find him there, and she was still curious about his new attitude. Hoping for the off-chance she might meet him there.
"What can I get you darling?" The lady behind the bar asked.
The lady behind the bar was none other than the lovely Katie herself.
"Anything with the word diet in it and no alcohol would be great." Buffy replied, making herself comfortable on the barstool.
"Light drinker?" She nodded, understanding. "I'll see what I can do."
*She looks familiar* Katie thought as she walked away. *She kinda resembles the slayer a bit,..... na, couldn't be*
The slayer had been in the bar a few times that Katie was aware of, but she never really got a full picture of her face. The bar was dark and the slayer had never came directly up to the bar, except to talk to Willy. Besides the slayer didn't interest her much. So she pushed the thought aside.
A few seconds later she came back with a glass of diet coke, and a smaller glass of water.
"Thanks." Buffy replied, pulling both closer to her.
It was a slow night, and Buffy hadn't bothered to make her grand entry like normal. Instead she went unnoticed, and sat quietly at the almost empty bar.
Katie, as always, seen it as her job to lend advice and make conversation with the customers. Her smile often made people feel better, mixed with strong drinks and fumes from nearby cigarettes.
"What's wrong sweetheart, you look like you've just been dumped?"
The waitresses voice was very soft, making Buffy feel comfortable enough to say things she couldn't to her friends. After all, the barmaid didn't know her, so how could she judge her has harsh as her friends usually did.
Buffy was suddenly struck by the thought that being able to actually say what she was thinking might help her work things out.
"No, no, I'm the one that did the dumping, I'm just not so sure it was a good idea." Buffy never glanced up at the woman, as if she was talking more to her self.
"That's a toughie, sounds like you loved him."
"No, no, no!" Buffy gained eye contact, reading her name tag. "Katie, if you knew him you wouldn't say that, he's... he's so... wrong."
"Well it's not my place, but...you know what's best for you."
"So... wrong...." Buffy took a drink from her diet coke glass. "This isn't working.. I need the real stuff.".
"That bad...oh goodness, poor girl." Katie quickly took the glass and poured it out and brought her a fresh glass of real coke, not diet.
"Thanks." Buffy quickly gulped half of the caffeine fix.
"He's just so, bad, and evil... I could never love him," Buffy finished.
"Well we can't always choose who you fall in love with," Katie gave her something to consider.
"I just can't.."
Katie got the impression this girl was trying to convince herself, more then her.
"Does he love you?"
"He did, but now, I think it's over, he has this new girlfriend, and he acts like he doesn't want anything to do with me."
*It has to be!* Katie realized. Everything was coming together now. This was Buffy, this was the slayer, the girl who Spike was in love with. *But she doesn't have any idea who I am!* Katie decided she could use this to her advantage.
Katie's heart went out to this poor girl that was trying to keep from breaking down and pouring her heart out. It was still a sad site.
"Do you want him back?" Katie asked seriously.
"I.... I don' know...I shouldn't have been with him in the first place. My friends all hate him, even want him dead, if they ever knew..."
"Well, either he is that bad or he’s so good that you would risk your friends finding out," Katie said taking the empty Coke glass and refilling it giving the girl time to think.
"I'm just so confused." Buffy said slouching her head into her hands.
"Do you want him back?" Katie asked again. She wanted to know out of her own selfish curiosity.
"Well he’s with someone...."
Katie stopped her before she could finish. "If he’s with someone else, and you realize that it bothers you, then I would say yes, you do want him back. You finally realized you have feelings for this guy, and you need to just go tell him, girl,” Katie said sassily. “If he really cares about you he will leave her, if not... then at least you tried and that' really all you can do."
Katie had to at least help the girl. Spike would do what he wanted no matter what, but right now this was Katie's game, and she was going to play it smart. The wheels in her head were already turning on a plan to keep Spike.
Buffy thought for a second. Everything was making her head spin, if what Katie said was true then... NO! she couldn't let herself believe it.
"Do what you gotta do, girl," Katie finished. "So... do you want him back?"
Buffy looked down at the finger where she used to wear the ring Angel had given her many years ago. She loved him more than anything, but she never fought to keep him. She wasn't going to make that mistake again.
She could always talk things through with her friends, some of them wouldn't like the idea, but she deserved a chance to be happy.
"Yeah, I think I do." Buffy said it and it felt strange that she didn't want to take the words back.
"Sometimes, you have to let people go to see how much you really love them," Katie concluded. *Or realize that you didn't love them at all*
"Thanks, Katie." Buffy smiled, as she paid and thanked the woman for her helpful advice.
*Well I played that one smoothly, now she will try to go rushing back to him.* And that was exactly what she wanted at the moment. The ex assassin knew how to hold her cards, and now wasn't the time to show her hand.
She had been given a chance to be with Spike, a vampire that she had harbored a crush for. She wasn't going to miss this opportunity.
Buffy walked out the door and around the corner with a small lift in her step, just as Spike turned the opposite corner of the building and entered the bar.
"There’s my girl," Spike acknowledged Katie from across the bar. It was enough to make the simple girl blush, and feel like she was worth a million bucks. Drawing lots of attention from those still in the bar, Katie hung up her apron as she grabbed her keys and purse and walked out with Spike, who insisted on locking her arm and escorting her out of the building.
She couldn't let Spike know what had just happened, and pushed it from her mind giving Spike all of her attention.
"What's gotten into you?" she asked enjoying the new treatment he was giving her.
"You’re my girl now, and I should start treating you like you are," he said clearly giving the impression she could not talk him out of it even if she wanted to.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked.
"You'll see." His blue eyes twinkled as he winked at her.
"I'm not sleeping with you," she smiled with all seriousness.
"Of course not pet, not what I had in mind."
"When I agreed to this, you understood that was never part of the plan...right just so we're clear?"
"You’re lovely, and I'm sure you’re amazing in bed ...but I have something else planned..."
Katie trusted Spike, she knew he had a chip in his head, and technically, couldn't hurt her, but she still had a stake handy just in case.
Besides she knew she could kick his ass easily without it.
*****
*****
"This is where you live?" Katie said in disgust.
"What, you don't like it?" Spike asked, sounding like a small infant that had expected to be praised.
"No... no honey, I don't like it. This is not good, you live in a crypt...a dark, dank crypt."
"Honey? I thought I was the only one who used pet names..." Spike said, starting to understand there was more to it.
"No, I call everyone sweetie names." Which was almost entierly true.
"Well, since you absolutely hate the place, I guess you moving in here is out of the question."
"I'm not living here William. I can't." She shook her head as she looked around the top floor of his ill-lit home.
Katie added quickly, "Look, I know you’re trying to make her see you’re really over her... well over her-ish... but there is no way she is going to believe that a girl, any girl, would move in a place like this, even for a babe like you."
*Babe, did she just call me a babe?* Spike thought. *Does she like me or is she just getting into character or something?*
Katie grabbed his hand, to let him know she was serious about her decision. "Why don't you just stay with me, I have an extra bed room. It's not like you have to worry about the rent on this place, so you won't loose it. Besides, you want Buffy to see you moving up, it makes you seem more attractive."
"So, you do think moving in together is a good idea?"
*Seeing you everyday, defiantly a good idea.* Katie thought more selfishly then thinking about him getting back with his ex.
"Yes, definitely a good idea, just not me living here. Besides, she will come here looking for you, and you won't be here. Then at the wedding, you can announce you moved in with your girlfriend. It will make her bonkers."
Spike smiled in delight.
Previews
4.) Reality strikes
Spike moves in and meets Katie's roommate. During the wedding Buffy and Katie re-meet face to face. Katie surprises everyone by saving the wedding from impending doom. Buffy's jealousy begins to become noticeable. Tears are shed.
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