Chapter 13

“Buffy, are you ok?” Spike heard a worried voice ask.

He held his breath, drawing himself nearer to Buffy’s now trembling form as the sound of footsteps let him know that Mrs. Summers was coming into the room.

Buffy froze, her stomach seemed intent on doing those distracting flip-flops as she felt his body cling to her form.

“I-I’m fine!” she managed to say in a nervous stutter.

“I heard a noise. What happened?” Mrs. Summers enquired taking a seat on the mattress next to her daughter.

The teen swallowed hard, her mind a haze as her heart raced in her chest and her hands became sweaty.

“N-Nothing happened. Must have been from outside.” She answered tilting her head towards the window.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of red on her table. ‘Oh my God! The cigarettes!’ Her mind screamed at her as she watched her mom get up and walk over to the opened window.

“Mom!” She instinctively shouted.

Mrs. Summers stopped in her tracks and turned to face her child.

“What, honey?”

“Leave the window open, I’m kinda hot.” She made up the excuse in a moments notice.

In the meantime, Spike remained frozen under the covers. His bare chest glued to Buffy’s right thigh, his legs twisted around the rest of her leg, positioning her foot in a very, very awkward place. His arms wound around her waist while his head rested on her partially bare stomach.

“You’re not coming down with something, are you?” A concerned Mrs. Summers asked walking back over to the bed and placing her hand on Buffy’s forehead. “You do feel kind of warm…”

“I’m fine!” She piped up nervously. “I-I’m fine.” She repeated with a little less anxiety.

“Are you sure?”

Buffy felt Spike move under the covers, his hand brushing over the inside of her thigh as he tried to make himself a little more comfortable. It took all of her strength to keep from gasping, her facial muscles contorting as she tried to repress the urge. Her mind seemed to drift for a second. All she could think about was that she had a semi naked boy in her bed, clinging to her right leg under the covers.

“Buffy?”

Her mother’s voice finally seemed to penetrate the thick fog surrounding her brain.

“Ah! What?!” She mumbled as she was snapped out of her daze.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to get you anything?” Mrs. Summers repeated.

“I’m sure, mom. I’m fine.” The last word came out in a high-pitch tone as she felt his warm breath on her stomach.

She closed her eyes to prevent her mom from seeing her rolling them back in their sockets.

Under the covers, Spike tried to push back the little voice in his head that beckoned him to touch her or maybe just to brush his lips over the exposed flesh of her lean stomach, just once… ‘Concentrate, concentrate…’ He kept repeating in his thoughts not realising he was starting to pant.

Buffy thanked whatever gods there were out there that her mother had her back turned to her when Spike’s breath became more evident on her tummy. She tried to repress the urge to move abruptly, but eventually ended up wiggling her toes in the process.

Spike’s eyes widened as he felt something quickly brush over his groin and couldn’t help letting out a deep groan.

Buffy froze when she felt something hard against her toes.

“What was that, honey?” Mrs. Summers stopped at the door and turned to face her daughter.

“Um… I-I said: Goodnight, mom!” Buffy lied.

With a soft smile, Mrs. Summers turned the knob, opening the door. Before she exited the room, she whispered:

“Goodnight, honey.”

And she was gone.

Buffy and Spike remained frozen in place until they heard the clicking sound of another door opening and closing. Complete silence filled the room only broken by the quick and short pants coming from the petite blonde.

She held her breath as she felt him crawl his way from under the covers, his arm lightly gliding across hers.

“That was close.” He breathed sitting next to her, on the bed, his legs still under the sheets.

She stared wide eyed at him, sometimes daring to throw a glance at his bare chest.

“Are you ok, luv?” He finally asked.

Then, something unexpected happened. Actually, considering it was Buffy, it wasn’t unexpected at all. She brusquely pulled at the sheets, shoving him off the bed with her shoulder, causing him to topple off the mattress onto the floor.

“Hey!” He protested.

“Stay out of my bed!” She hissed in a low voice, careful not to wake her mother once again.

The Brit remained on the floor, staring wide eyed at the petite blonde who looked back at him with a defiant chin jutting out.

Anger flashed in his eyes as he got up and grabbed the edge of the covers and pulled them off her, then proceeded by snagging one of Buffy’s pillows.

“I get the covers.” He said laying down on the floor next to her bed and pulling the sheets over himself while he rested his head on the pillow.

Without a word she got up and snatched the covers from him, setting them on the bed.

“Those are mine, I’ll get you something else.” She explained as she turned on the light and opened her wardrobe.

She looked through it for a few second and grabbed something. Walking back to him, she dropped them on his lap.

“There.” She grumbled, climbing onto the bed and covering herself.

“Are you kidding me? Scooby-Doo sheets?” The Brit protested in a low voice.

“It’s all I’ve got. My mom keeps the covers in a cupboard in the hall.” She explained as she closed her eyes and turned her back to him.

Reluctantly, he picked up the sheets. He gasped when he spread them out. They were miniscule, reaching as high as his waist. If he wanted to cover his shoulders he would have to keep his feet in the cold or the other way around.

“Bloody hell! This thing’s baby sized.” He complained.

“What did you expect? Those were my sheets when I was a kid.” She grumbled never bothering to face him.

“Bugger all!” He grumbled as he covered his legs with the small fabric.

A few moments of silence managed to filter between them before Spike’s whispering voice was heard:

“Are you still up, Betty?”

“It’s BUFFY!” She hissed between clenched teeth.

“Sorry.” He said with little conviction.

Silence.

“Buffy…” He called again.

“What?” She grumbled.

“What do we do about tomorrow?” He enquired as he stared up at the ceiling, his hands resting on the back of his neck as he laid on his back.

“What about tomorrow?” She replied with an annoyed tone.

“You’re mom, if she walks in… won’t be a pretty sight.”

“I’ve set the alarm. We wake up before she does, wait till she’s out of the house and then we can leave and end this nightmare. By the way, you are never setting foot in my house ever again.” She grumbled, her back still turned to him.

Minutes later…

“Buffy…”

“Spike?” She mumbled.

“Yeah?”

“Go to sleep.”

“I can’t. All I can think about is having a fag.” He lied.

“Think about something else, cause you’re *not* smoking in my room.”

Silence…

“Luv?”

“What!?” She exhaled sharply, turning around to face him. “What do you want this time?” She moved to the edge of her bed and looked down on him. She couldn’t help biting her lower lip at the sight of his bare chest bathed in moonlight.

“What about school?” He enquired looking up at her.

“What about school?” She sighed trying to sound as exasperated as possible.

“You know…”

“It’s one in the morning, Spike. Trust me, I don’t know.” She grumbled as she glanced at her alarm clock.

“The library… what we agreed on?” He managed to say without giving away his unease.

Buffy felt her whole body tense up at the recollection. She ignored it and replied:

“We already did it, so… no need to talk about it anymore.”

She quickly lay back on the bed, facing the ceiling.

“Oh, come on. You know it’s not going to work. We might have convinced the nerdy kids, but not the rest of the school.” He protested, turning on his side and propping up his head on his left hand.

When he heard no answer he called her name.

“I’m here.” She mumbled. “I’m thinking.”

Minutes passed and Spike grew impatient.

“Buffy? You done thinking?”

“Fine! We’ll do it. Tomorrow. During lunch break. Now go to sleep.”

Buffy tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach and settled down to sleep. But slumber never came. She tossed and turned in bed, the strange sensation of anxiety strangling her, making it hard to breathe, to move, to think, to do anything at all. She moved to the edge of the mattress and glanced down at an apparently sound asleep Spike. She returned to her nervous flipping over under the covers until she heard him mumble in a low voice.

“What’s the matter, luv?” He asked as he realized he wasn’t going to get any sleep if he didn’t make her stop moving around.

“Nothing.” She quickly lied.

“Then why are you tossing and turning?”

“I’m just… trying to get comfortable.” She retorted.

“You’ve been trying to get comfortable for an hour now.”

“I-… It’s just that… maybe it’s not such a good idea.” She dared to say.

“What is?”

“The… plan… and kissing.” She hesitated.

“You chickening out?” He chuckled.

“I *am* not!” She sat up on the bed to look down at him, pulling the sheets around her small form.

“You’re chickening out.” He teased.

“I AM not!” She insisted.

“What is it luv? Afraid if you kiss me you won’t be able to keep you hands off of my tight little body?” He continued his mockery.

“Ha! As if!” The anger growing in her helped her get over the nervousness racing through her.

“That’s it, isn’t it? You’re afraid you won’t be able resist me.” He continued to tease.

“Spike, I could kiss you anytime, anyplace, if only I could repress the intense urge to hurl I have every time you are within two feet of me.” She snapped. But her harsh words lost most of their sting at the sight of her nervous pulling and pushing of the sheets.

Spike smiled and sat up on the floor.

“Prove it.” He challenged her in a low voice.

Buffy’s eyes widened as he crawled his way into the kneeling position and set his hands on the mattress on each side of her. She gazed at him, cocky grin over his lips, a defiant sparkle in his eyes.

“Ha!” She managed to snap out of her daze. “Nice try! I’m not that easy.” And she forced a plastic smile on her lips.

“Believe me luv, I’m not trying to trick you into kissing me. I’m just afraid that tomorrow you’ll go all Al Gore on me, in front of the whole school.” He retorted.

Buffy widened her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows, clearly offended.

“Come on, pet. You gotta admit, every time I try to touch you or even go anywhere near you, you freeze up.”

“It’s because of the hurling factor. I told you.” She pouted.

“Get over it if you want to fool anyone.” He snapped a bit offended.

They looked at each other for a few moments, in silence, until Buffy broke it. With a loud sigh and patting the mattress, signalling him to sit.

“Come here.” She mumbled reluctantly.

“What for?” He grumbled.

“If I’m supposed to not freeze up, I better get used to having you near me.” She stated the obvious.

He stood up and plopped down on the bed with a loud, annoyed sigh. They sat once more in silence until Buffy spoke:

“Well… are you just gonna stand there? Touch me.” She ordered.

“What?!” Spike choked.

“I’m supposed to act natural when you touch me, so…”

A mischievous grin spread over his lips as he eyed her suggestively.

“Not *that* kind of touching!” She immediately stepped in.

He pulled his mouth to one side in a wicked version of a smirk and then nodded. Slowly, his fingers ran over a strand of hair which fell over her face and neatly placed it behind her ear. They then proceeded with making their way down to her shoulder, over her collarbone to reach her neck and cup her cheek. He moved his whole body closer to hers, as his other hand traced circular pattered over her right arm, down to her hand. He felt her tense up when he snuck it around her waist and drew her closer to him.

“See? This is what I’m talking about.” He complained, dropping his arms to his sides and sighing audibly.

“I’m sorry.” She said with a pout. “It’s just…” She took a long deep breath, closed her eyes and continued: “Ok! I’m focusing. Try again.”

It took a few moments, but she soon felt him move around her and take his place behind her, spreading his legs on either side of her. His hand brushed over her golden locks, pulling them over her left shoulder, exposing her neck. Instinctively, Buffy tilted her head baring her right shoulder to him. She felt his arms encircle her, bringing her back closer to his chest, until she was leaning on him. His hands rested on her waist idly playing with the edges of her shirt. Buffy couldn’t help but smile as she remembered him doing that just the day before. But the smirk soon crumbled and she froze as she felt his lips lightly brush over her shoulder. He stopped as he felt her tense up, and waited for a few seconds. Silently, she gave him permission to continue and he returned his mouth to the tender flesh at the crook of her neck.

At first it was soft and almost imperceptible, but it soon grew in intensity as he lightly suckled at her skin, his teeth nibbling as he made his way up to her earlobe. He took it into his mouth and his grip immediately tightened around her waist. Lost in the feeling, she relaxed and her own hands came into play as she caressed his bare arms. A low sigh escaped her parted lips as he continued his ministrations and she leaned against him for support. His lips left her ear to trace the edge of her jaw as she turned around to face him when suddenly he backed away.

It took a second for her to perceive the loss of his touch, but eventually she did. She blinked wildly as she tried to focus her foggy eyes on him.

“What?” She breathed.

“I heard a noise.”

They sat in silence, waiting for another sound, but it never came. They exchanged a quick glance and all the awkwardness of the moment came flooding in. Buffy frantically ran her hands through her hair as she struggled to find something to say.

“Well… I-I guess… we’re… done.” She managed to stutter.

“Yeah.” Spike desperately tried to sound nonchalant and calm about the whole situation but all of a sudden what to do with his hands became an issue as he tried shoving them into the back pockets of his black jeans, awkwardly stumbling out of the bed.

“Well… Goodnight then.” She stammered as she watched him laying down on the floor.

She pulled the covers over her shoulders, nuzzling against the pillow. She held her breath as she recognized a strange scent over her sheets and all around her – his scent. Once again, she struggled to find slumber, but this time she wasn’t alone. On the floor, lying spread-eagle, Spike stared up at the ceiling, his mind wandering in the clouds, unable to fall asleep.

It was going to be a long night.

Chapter 14

Buffy repressed a groan when she eyed the alarm clock and it read: ‘Four a.m. It’s 4 am and I’m still up.’ She thought. For the third time that night, she carefully rolled over to the edge of the bed to check on her uninvited guest. ‘Sound asleep. Bastard!’ She cursed in her mind. She cleared her voice loudly and glanced at the pale boy. He never moved.

Spike kept his eyes closed, in the vague chance that sleep might come to him, but it didn’t. He was still wide awake, his mind plagued with indecent thoughts of the obnoxious blonde sleeping just a few feet from him. ‘Get yourself together, man. What the hell are you thinking? Sure, the chit’s not bad, but not worth losing a night’s sleep over.’ He mentally scolded himself as he felt his body start to react at the mere recollection of what had happened earlier that night. Sighing, he turned on his side, making sure to rest his back against the freezing wall. Maybe that would cool him off.

“Bloody hell!” He jumped up into sitting position as he felt something metallic sting his lower back.

Looking at the floor, he found a remote and picked it up. He didn’t have much time to inspect it as the lights were flipped on and an apparently sleepy Buffy moaned:

“What was that?” She forced her voice to sound drowsy and hoarse.

Spike blinked a couple of times as his eyes adjusted to the strong light that now filled the room. Before he could answer, Buffy snatched the remote from his hands and piped up, suddenly wide awake:

“That’s where it was.” She said as she placed the remote on her nightstand. “I was looking for that.”

Gradually, the sound of a piano filled the room. The two blondes turned to see the stereo – it was lit up.

“Must have turned it on.” Spike explained as slowly a soft female voice flowed in key with the instrument:

Time is gonna take my mind
and carry it far away where I can fly
The depth of life

will dim

my temptation to live for you.

The two blondes stared at each other for a glimpse of a second and then Buffy jumped and reach for the remote.

“No!” Spike called out.

She stopped and turned to face him. She found him with a serious look on his face

If I were to be alone

silence would rock my tears
'cause it's all about love

and I know better
How life is a waving feather

“I wanna hear it.” He said.

Buffy cocked up a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

“You? Wanna hear this?” She asked suspicious, pointing at the stereo with the remote in hands.

“Why not?” He questioned innocently.

“Mr.-Bad-Ass-Billy-Idol-wannabe wants to hear a sappy song?” She chuckled.

“I can do sappy. There are many layers to me, luv.” He explained.

“Oh! Tons, heaps of layers!” She said sarcastically shaking her head.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Come on, Spike. You’re a guy! You only have layers when you wanna convince girls that you’re sensitive.” She mocked while the song grew in intensity in the background

So I put my arms around you

Around you
And I know that I'll be leaving soon

Spike furrowed his eyebrows in a clear sign of hurt.

“I’m just being honest.” She said with a smile.

“Ok, so maybe you are right.” He finally admitted with a grin of his own.

My eyes are on you, they're on you
And you see that I can't stop shaking

The two blondes froze, staring intensely at each other, as they realised that they were having a civil conversation without the usual banter or sparing. The music continued to play in the background and a chill ran down Buffy’s spine. She shook her head as the moment became too much and looked down at the sheets avoiding his piercing gaze. She regretted it the moment she did it as the lyrics wheeling around them described her actions.

No, I won't step back but I'll look down to hide from your eyes
'cause what I feel is so sweet and I'm scared that even my own breath
Oh could burst it if it were a bubble
And I'd better dream if I have to struggle

Awkwardly, Buffy sat up straight and started playing with the remote in her hands while the frail voice coming from the stereo soared haunting heights.

So I put my arms around you around you
And I hope that I will do no wrong
My eyes are on you they're on you
And I hope that you won't hurt me

“So…” She started never daring to glance up at him. She froze when she realised he was standing up and coming to sit on the bed next to her. She remained still, holding her breath has he reached for a loose strand of her hair and slowly pushed it behind her ear.

I'm dancing in the room as if I was in the woods with you
No need for anything but music
Music's the reason why I know time still exists
Time still exists

Time still exists
Time still exists

As he leaned in something inside of her snapped. She jumped up and was standing by the bed in a flash, her voice over enthusiastic and high-pitched:

“Ok! I think we’ve practiced that enough for tonight!”

The Brit teen stared at her under a furrowed brow until he understood what she meant.

“Well, we-we better get some sleep, tomorrow being a school day and all. And-“ She spoke quickly and awkwardly as she searched for the remote, which had somehow slipped from her hands and was lost between her sheets. “Ha! Found it!” She said triumphantly, standing up straight and holding her prize.

So I just put my arms around you around you
And I hope that I will do no wrong
My eyes are on you they're on you
And I hope that you won't hurt me-

Silence once again filled the room as she pushed the off button. Buffy set the remote on the nightstand and stood beside the bed looking at him with a plastic smile on her face. Clearly embarrassed, Spike stood up to take his place on the floor once again.

“Well… Goodnight.” She piped up as she snuck under the covers, but she had no answer.

She felt something tug at her racing heart, but ignored it, closing her eyes and forcing herself to fall asleep.

The hours passed and soon it was seven am and the alarm clock rang. Buffy’s hands reached up and pressed the off button. She yawned audibly, pretending to have slept the entire night, as she moved to the edge of the bed. There he was, laying on the floor, curled up into a little ball pulling at the blanket to cover himself as much as he could.

“Spike…” She called softly, but had no answer. “Spike…” She whispered once again, this time reaching for him and lightly pushing him.

“Hum…” She heard him mumble as he turned his back to her.

“Spike… Wake up… My mom’s gonna be here any minute.” She said climbing off the bed and sitting on the floor next to him.

Her hands rested on his arm, pulling at him to turn him around as she spoke. Eventually, he did but he was still fast asleep. She watched as he nestled his face against her thighs. He looked so peaceful, so… non obnoxious.

Instinctively, she ran her fingers over his sharp cheekbones leaving her thumb behind to caress the amazingly soft skin there. She caught her breath as he nuzzled against it, his lips curling slightly up for a lazy smile. She heard him mumble something in his daze and she leaned in to hear him whisper in a drooling tone:

“Dru…”

Her eyes grew wide as she felt her stomach twist in disgust. In a flash, she was up and shaking him gruffly:

“Wake up!”

“Hum… What?” The Brit blinked wildly as he tried to ascertain where he was. A deep furrow marred his eyebrows as his sight focused on the petite blonde violently walking around in circles. “Oh, God… It wasn’t a nightmare.” He grumbled with a hoarse voice.

“Get up, get under the bed and don’t get out of there until I tell you!” She said simply before she opened the door and walked out of the room, leaving a dumbstruck, sleepy teen behind.

~+~

The moment the front door closed and she was sure her mother was out of the household, Buffy raced up the stairs. She stopped abruptly when she reached her bedroom. Taking in two deep, long breaths, she turned the doorknob and entered the room.

“Spike?” She asked when the bleached teen was nowhere in sight. “Spike?”

She walked in and headed for the bed, bending down to check under it. Nothing.

“Spik-“

“Bah!” Two jabbing hands were on her waist as a loud voice filled the room.

“AHH!” She screamed off the top of her lungs, twisting around suddenly, her right knee hitting its target right on the spot.

It was Spike’s turn to howl – in throbbing pain. Buffy’s fingers automatically went for her mouth, her eyes widening as she watched the bleached teen laying on the floor wailing while his hands were buried between his legs.

“I-I’m sorry.” She stuttered, frozen in place, her eyebrows wrinkled in a painful frown.

“Bloody hell, woman!” He yelled, still lying on the floor, his face the picture of agony.

“I-I..” She stammered as she kneeled next to him.

Immediately, he jumped back, fear coming over him.

“Just stay away from them!” He ordered between howls.

“Well… “ She said outraged as she stood up. “You-you shouldn’t have grabbed me like that.”

“It was a joke.” He protested as he tried to get up to his feet but failed. “I think I’ll just stay down here for… a while.” He said as he sat back down, leaning on her table.

“Suit yourself. I’m going to take a shower.” She replied as she stalked out of the room.

~+~

Spike waited patiently on the floor, still nursing his sore parts when he heard the door squeak. He turned to see Buffy’s drenched head pop in.

“Turn around.” She ordered.

“What?! I can barely move here, luv, and you want me to turn around?” He asked, cocking up an eyebrow.

“Well then… Close your eyes.” She insisted.

“It’s not like I haven’t seen a girl wrapped up in a towel before, you know?” He said sarcastically, annoying smirk on.

“Do you wanna get kicked again?” She questioned innocently as she put on her sweetest, fake smile.

A hint of fear flashed in the teen’s eyes before he closed them. He heard sloppy footsteps entering the room and a faint scent of vanilla hit him. Instinctively, he inhaled a little deeper and the aroma surrounded him. He was about to attempt to open his eyes when he heard:

“You open your eyes and I swear you will leave this room with a vocal tone higher then ten Michael Jackson’s put together.” She threatened.

Swallowing hard, he kept his eyelids closed shut, patiently waiting for her signal. He listened carefully to the shuffling; the sound of the wardrobe door opening and closing a few times and then there was silence.

“Buffy?” He asked as a frown settled on his eyebrows.

“Keep your eyes closed.” She commanded.

“They’re closed!” He replied shrugging.

He heard more shuffling and then felt heavy covers being dropped on him.

“Hey!” He protested.

“Don’t peep!”

The minutes crawled by and nothing.

“Are you ready?” He finally asked.

“No.”

“You haven’t even picked out your clothes, have you?” He questioned, a hint of exasperation in his voice. There was a pause. “Buffy?”

“No, I haven’t.” She finally said in one breath and the teen under the covers groaned.

“Will you hurry up, woman?”

“Stop calling me that!” She snapped.

“What? Woman?”

“Yes! I have a name, it’s Buffy!”

“Whatever, pet.”

“Grrrr…” He heard her growl.

Another ten minutes passed and Spike restarted the conversation.

“So… What was that whole thing with your mom?”

Silence.

“Buffy?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” She growled.

“Her first date after your da?” Having no answer he continued. “It’s ok to feel kinda weird about it.”

A furious stomp broke the silence.

“It was kinda strange for me too when my da first started going out.”

The stillness returned and Spike was about to continue when Buffy mumbled:

“You’re parents are divorced?”

“My mom died when I was a kid.”

“Oh…”

An uncomfortable silence returned but was soon broken by the Brit still hidden under the covers.

“It’s normal, you know? For your mom to want to go on with her life.”

“I know.” Buffy admitted reluctantly.

“You’ll get used to the idea. Who knows, you might even like the guy.”

“Never!” Was the petite blonde’s immediate response.

Spike couldn’t help but chuckle.

“It’s not funny!” She protested with a pout.

“You’ll-“ cough “You’ll-“ cough “Can I come out from under this thing? Breathing is becoming a problem.”

His answer came when the covers were swiftly lifted off him. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light, after a few seconds his sight focused on the short blonde girl standing in front of him. She wore low cut jeans and a light-blue turtleneck sweater.

“All that time for that?” He frowned as he got up.

“What’s wrong with this?” She protested as she opened the wardrobe door and looked at herself in the mirror.

“Nothing. It’s fine!” He immediately jumped in between her and the mirror. “Let’s go!” He continued as he dragged her out of the room by her arm.

The first thing the bleached Brit did when he stepped out of the house was light up a cigarette, which immediately earned him a look from the short blonde who walked next to him.

“Don’t look at me like that.” He warned her as the smoke flowed out of his mouth.

“That’s disgusting.” She retorted, making a face. “I’m not kissing you today.”

“A-ha! I knew you’d chicken out! Gotta say– good excuse, luv.”

“It’s not an excuse, I just don’t want to have a bad taste in my mouth.” She explained as she looked down at her feet.

“How do you know it tastes bad?” He asked her with a smirk, his eyes on her.

“It smells bad, it tastes bad. That’s my motto.” She replied pushing her lips together. The weight of his stare starting to get to her.

“You’ll never know till you actually taste it.” He said as he suggestively ran his tongue over his lips.

“I already did, remember!” Her face contorted for a disgusted look.

“Tell you what, I’ll buy a pack of breath mints before lunch. Happy?” He suggested as they continued to walk down the street.

“How about we just postpone the kissing scene for tomorrow and you don’t smoke till then?” She looked up at him with hope in her eyes.

“Nice try, pet. It’s today or never.”

“Hum… Never?” She quickly opted giving him a plastic smile.

“Come on, luv. We’ve talk about-“

“Ok, ok. No need to bring on the whining skills, I know you’ve got them.” She grumbled.

“That’s my girl.”

“I’m not your girl, William.”

“Don’t call me William.” Seriousness dawned in his voice.

“Don’t call me pet or luv or woman.”

“Deal.” He agreed.

They continued to walk in silence for a couple more minutes till Buffy sighed and grumbled:

“Why didn’t you bring your bike?”

“It’s in the shop.” He answered.

“I hate walking.” She continued to protest as the high school finally came into view.

“Gotta say I agree with you on that one, pet.”

“Thanks… William.” She said with a fake smile as he looked at her from under a frown.

They walked up the steps to the main door of the teen-filled building and entered the halls. They reached class 209 and the two teens stopped.

“This is me.” She said as she played with the cover of her history book.

Spike awkwardly nodded as he shoved his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. Buffy’s gaze bounced off the walls and scanned the entire hall as she tried to avoid the bleached teen standing in front of her. She froze as she saw Angel and Dru walking towards them, the quarterback’s heavy arms draped over the black clad teen. Spike followed her eyes and swallowed hard as the couple quickly approached them.

“Well… bye.” She uttered quickly as she turned around to enter the classroom, when she felt herself being pulled backwards by her left arm.

Before she could register Spike’s arms around her or her chest pushed against his, his lips came down to crush hers in a demanding kiss. She froze, feeling his hands slip under her sweater to caress her lower back for a split second before he pulled away from her.

“Didn’t taste that bad, did it, luv?” He whispered in her ear before he walked away.

Buffy was left behind, completely dumbstruck, staring at the parting teen as he strolled pass Angel and Dru.

“Dru. Angel.” She heard him greet them before Mrs. Finch’s high-pitched voice pierced its way through the haze that engulfed her.

“Miss Summers are you planning on joining us anytime soon?”

~+~

Buffy yawned loudly as she walked out of the classroom after Oz and Willow.

“Buffy, I knew you didn’t like Spanish, but I had no idea the subject bored you so much.” The redhead noted as they walked down the hall.

“I just didn’t get much sleep last night. That’s all.” Buffy explained in a low voice.

“Bummed over your mom going out on a date, huh?” Willow gave her best friend a sympathetic look.

“I’m adjusting.” Buffy mumbled.

“Hey guys!” They heard Xander’s booming voice as he approached.

“Xander, you don’t have to shout.” Cordelia grumbled as they all walked towards the cafeteria, suddenly, Buffy stopped.

“What’s up, Buffster?” Xander asked.

“I-I don’t think I’m hungry.” She stuttered awkwardly.

“Are you going on one of those stupid ‘eat nothing and get anaemia’ kind of diets?” The boy questioned.

“No, you guys just go along and I-I’ll join you later.”

“Buffy, you really should-“

Before Willow could say anything else, Buffy had whirled around and was steadily walking down the hall. Willow and Xander exchanged a concerned look.

“What’s up with the Buffster?”

“It’s her mom.” Willow began as they entered the cafeteria. “She- Spike!” The redhead jumped up as the bleached teen appeared in front of her out of nowhere.

“Hey, red. Where’s Buffy?”

“She wasn’t feeling well. She doesn’t want to have…” She wasn’t able to finish her sentence as the Brit turned around and left. Willow instantly pouted. “Why’s everyone running from me?”

“I won’t.” Oz piped up, worming his arm around his girlfriend.

~+~

Buffy walked idly down the hall as she made her way to the football field when someone grabbed her by her arm and dragged her into an empty classroom.

“Spike.” She jumped when she saw him and asked nervously: “What are you doing here?”

“You’re not getting off the hook that easy.” He said tilting his head as he leaned on the door, blocking her way out.

“Wh-What are you talking about?” she stuttered.

“Buffy…”

“Well… We already kissed, so… no need to do it in front of the whole student body anymore.” She blurted out.

He remained silent giving her a disapproving look, watching as she tried to excuse herself:

“I-I mean, we’ve achieved our goal, right? We kissed, people know we kiss. We are officially perceived as a kissing couple. Goal achieved. No more kissing required. End of kissing talk.” She ended her rambling taking a deep breath and waited for his reaction.

Without a word, he walked over to her and she instinctively stepped back until the back of her legs hit the edge of a desk and he was able to close the distance between them. He towered over her as he questioned in a low voice, a smirk on his lips:

“Why does the thought of kissing me make you so nervous?”

She froze for a split second, before jumping up and awkwardly slipping away from him to quickly put the table between them.

“Nervous? I’m not nervous.” She tried to sound as sure of herself as possible, but failed as her voice came out in a squeak.

“Just admit it.” He said plainly, leaning over on the desk.

Buffy immediately stepped back.

“Admit what?”

“That you’ve got the hots for me, pet. It’s only natural.”

“Ha! You’re funny!” She chuckled, but the uneasiness was still clear in her voice.

Spike remained in place, just smirking at her.

“Stop that!” She protested.

“Stop what?”

“That grinning thing. It’s disconcerting.”

“Oh! A big word!” He mocked widening his eyes while she narrowed hers.

She stood up straight, crossing her arms around over her chest.

“What do you want?” She grumbled.

“Why are you afraid to kiss me?” He finally asked seriously.

“I’m not afraid, just disgusted.” She retorted.

“Come on, Buffy…” He sighed audibly plopping onto a nearby desk.

“Oh, fine, let’s do it.” She said crossing the room and sitting on the table opposite to him, her eyes closed as she pushed her lips together.

She waited and nothing. Finally, she opened her left eye to find Spike shaking his head at her.

“What?” She asked bringing her shoulders together.

“You…” He started pointing at her, before turning his finger on himself. “Kiss me.”

Chapter 15

Buffy’s eyes widened at his short statement.

“What?!” She exclaimed as her legs dangled off the desk.

“You heard me, Summers.” He gave her a cocky smile and his scarred eyebrow rose up high on his forehead.

She was about to protest, her mouth opening and closing a couple of times as a frown settled on her forehead, but soon realised it was no use.

“Fine. Let’s get this over with.” She exhaled sharply as she jumped off the table and closed the distance between them.

“It’s so nice to feel wanted.” He said with a sardonic tone, which earned him a forced smile from the blonde teen that now stood in front of him.

A moment of silence filtered between the two of them and Buffy took in a deep breath, closing her eyes and pausing before opening them again. She slowly moved in, leaning into the bleached teen who still sat on one of the desks when suddenly, she backed away.

“What?!” The bleached teen gasped, with a frown as he watched her walking around in circles.

“Still haven’t gotten over the ‘yuck’ factor.” She mumbled as she stopped to face him.

He simply looked at her with an annoyed expression plastered on his face.

“Take your time, Betty.” He grumbled, emphasizing the last word.

In a flash, she was standing in front of him, cheeks flushed and anger flashing in her green eyes.

“It’s Buffy! How many times do I have to tell you? Buffy, Buffy, Buffy!” She almost screamed. “God! You know, I don’t know why I’m doing this.” She waved her hands in the air as she started rambling. “I don’t think seeing Angel grovel at my feet is worth all the effort. You’re just so… so…” She struggled to find the right word.

“Sexy?” He offered with a grin.

“Grrrrrr…” She growled in his face. “I hate you.” She said between clenched teeth.

“Ditto.” Spike answered with a plastic smile.

Once again, she sighed audibly as she frantically struggled with her hair, pulling it away from her face and curling it behind her ears. She shook her arms at her side as if preparing for a race. Spike simply smiled. Closing her eyes once more and inhaling sharply she tried to calm herself. After a few moments of silence she was able to do so. Her eyelids fluttered open and she looked down on him for a few seconds before quickly running her tongue over her lips to moisten them and leaned in. She could feel her heart slamming violently against her ribcage, her knees threatening to buckle from under her, the palms of her hands soaked as she tilted her head sideways and closed her eyes. Her mouth barely brushed over his bottom lip, for a first innocent contact. She pulled away, just a bit, to breathe in before she returned to her task. This time, she parted her lips, taking his lower one between hers, pulling lightly at it as the kiss built up.

He remained frozen, his arms at his sides, partially supporting his weight on the desk, while she kissed him. He let out a deep groan as she sucked his lower lip into her mouth as if wanting to devour it and instinctively wrapped his arms around her, gruffly pulling her towards him until she was between his legs, her arms crushed against his chest. His left hand slowly made its way from her lower back to the crook of her neck, cupping her face to deepen the kiss.

Buffy’s heart skipped a beat when she felt his tongue gliding over her mouth, as if asking permission to enter. Before she could even process the information, she was parting her lips, letting him in. A moan escaped her as they fought for dominance and the kiss intensified.

They pushed and tugged at each other’s clothes as teeth and hands came into play. Buffy’s fingers curled around the collar of his shirt, bringing him closer to her while she leaned into him. They battled away and light moans occasionally filled the empty and silent classroom. Eventually, as lack of oxygen started to become an issue, Spike was forced to pull away from her. He looked at her from under hooded and dazed eyes, his forehead resting on hers as he tried to speak coherently:

“Think you’re…” gasp “Over…” pant “the ‘yuck factor’?” He managed to ask her between gasps, his gaze alternating between her eyes and her swollen lips.

“Not sure…” She inhaled sharply closing her eyelids, trying hard to control her breathing before uttering: “Better make sure.”

“Better safe than sorry…”

Buffy nodded in agreement as his hand hungrily snaked under her ear to pull her toward him for another kiss.

She had time for a short breath before he once more crushed her lips with his; his tongue slipping inside of her mouth with ravenous urgency. His hands slid down to her thighs, hooking under them and pulling her skywards as he stood up; her legs instinctively wrapping themselves around his waist.

Buffy was so lost, she didn’t even notice she was being carried across the classroom and set on a hard surface. She partially opened her eyes to quickly glance down and realised she was sitting on the teacher’s desk with Spike nestled between her legs. She let out a deep groan as he nibbled his way across her jaw, towards the sensitive spot just below her earlobe.

Spike inhaled sharply and buried his nose in her turtleneck sweater for a second as her scent surround her him. The sound of her gasping sent chills down his spine and his grip on her thighs tightened as his tongue caressed the tender skin of her neck.

Suddenly, a sharp, high-pitched sound pierced through their combined haze.

“Wha…” Buffy tried to ask, but it seemed impossible.

“Hum…” She heard him moan as his mouth glided across her chin to reach her lips once more.

“Sp-“ She wasn’t able to finish the word as he kissed her once again. “Spike…” She gasped when she had a chance. “The…” kiss “Hum…” kiss “The… ah…” She gave up and leaned in to deepen the kiss.

Once again, their moans and gasps filled the room and they were lost in a blinding haze when, suddenly, loud, gossiping voices broke the stillness. The noise lasted for a few moments before coming to an abrupt halt. Buffy opened her eyes for a split second and they grew wide when she saw the door to the classroom wide open and a crowd of teens standing dumbstruck at the threshold. It took a while for her to recognize them but, eventually, she did. The short, gawking boy, whose hand still rested on the doorknob, was Jonathan, the teen next to him Andrew. The girl, who was still too shocked to close her mouth, was Harmony and the black clad figure right behind her? Who could it be, if not – Dru!

Buffy froze, wide eyed, staring back at the mini-crowd gathered at the door. She was still too flabbergasted to realise a certain bleached teen was still nibbling at her ear.

“Spike!” She called out, pulling at his duster.

There was no answer besides a deep groan.

“Why are you guys standing there like a bunch of idiots?” Angel’s voice hovered into the room as he made his way through the crowd. “Dru, honey, what going-“ He stopped in mid sentence as he witnessed the same spectacle as the others.

“Spike!!!” Buffy screamed pushing him away with such strength that the Brit stumbled backwards and only didn’t fall flat on the floor thanks to a desk behind him.

“Wha’?” He asked with a husky voice.

There was no need for Buffy to answer his question as he soon turned to see the group of teens standing at the door.

“Oh…” He managed to say; his gaze flying from the crowd to the flushed blonde still sitting on the desk.

“I… We… I and- I” Buffy struggled with the words, trying to find an explanation for the event. “I…” She tried once more, but was unsuccessful.

Her heart raced as everyone eyed her. She felt exposed, dirty. God, she felt… She had to get out of there. In a flash, she jumped off the table and was running out the door, pushing her way trough the teens, trying hard to ignore the look on everyone’s faces.

Spike was left behind, being now the centre of attentions. In complete silence, he stood up straight, shoved his hands into his pockets and started to leave the room when a strong hand gripped his arm. He turned around to see a seriously pissed off quarterback staring down at him. Angel was about to say something when Dru leaned into him and whispered something into his ear. The dark-haired teen remained still for a few seconds, pondering what to do.

“Got something to say, mate?” Spiked asked between clenched teeth.

Without a word, Angel let go of his arm and the bleached Brit stormed away while the small crown started to disband.

~+~

“Buffy!” He shouted as he watched her run down the hall.

Her response was to increase her speed as she opened the main door and exited the building.

“Buffy, stop! Buffy!” He yelled after her.

She didn’t answer, just continued to jog her way down the street.

“Buffy! We need to… talk!” He began coughing as he was almost catching up with her when she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks and faced him with a murderous look on her face.

“What?!” She snapped while she watched the bleached teen bend down and rest his hands on his knees as he gasped and panted violently.

“I-“ cough “Why are you running?’”

“Why?!” She yelled. “Did you see their faces? Did you?”

“Yeah! I thought that was the point!” He said between gasps as he stood up straight, his hand resting on his stomach.

“The point?” She practically screamed.

“Yeah! Make them believe that we’re together.”

“And that I’m some kind of kinky slut that likes doing it on the teacher’s desk.” She shouted.

“Come on. They’re not going to think-“

She cut him off:

“Of course they are!” She howled. “I mean, everyone was there! By now the whole school knows!”

“You’re exaggerating, luv. There were just a half a dozen kids there.”

“Half a dozen? Did you even see who was there? Every group in that stupid high school had a representative there. The nerds, the fashionably, bubbled-gum-brained cheerleaders, the jocks… God, even Dru was there to represent the freaky black-clad outcasts. But that’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?”

“What?!” He asked confused as the blonde teen continued to scream off the top of her lungs.

“You probably planned the whole thing. God! How could I be so stupid?” She gasped as she brought her hand to her forehead. “You planned the whole thing! God! I hate you, so much, I-”

“Ok.” Spike decided to step in. “First of all - will you stop shouting for a bloody second, woman? I think you’ve just pierced my eardrum.” He protested, sticking his finger into his ear as he cringed. “And second, how the hell would I plan the whole thing? I didn’t even know you weren’t going to eat at the cafeteria.” He pointed out, but she was so enraged, she couldn’t even see straight.

“I know you did. Just admit it and I won’t have to kill you; just cause you enough physical harm that will leave you paralysed from the neck down.” She threatened with a flame in her eyes.

“Buffy, listen to yourself. I could have never done that. Even if I was *that* much of a prick, I wouldn’t be able to do it.” He tried to explain when she whirled around and started to walk away. “Buffy…” He breathed as he walked after her, but she came to a halt once again.

“Don’t come anywhere near me, ever again.” She hissed between clenched teeth and walked away.

~+~

Buffy entered the house and, without a word, stormed up the staircase and entered her bedroom. Slamming the door behind her, she flung herself on the bed. In a few moments, a light knock on the door was heard.

“Honey…?” Mrs. Summer’s soft voice filled the room as she entered it. “Are you ok? What are you doing home so early?” She questioned as she came closer to the bed and realised her daughter was crying. “Oh, honey, what happened? Buffy…”

“It’s ok, mom. I just wasn’t feeling so good so I came home.” Buffy quickly answered as she sat up straight and hastily wiped the tears from her flushed face.

Mrs. Summer’s looked at her from under a frown.

“It’s true, I’m fine. I just have this horrible headache.” Buffy lied rather convincingly.

“I knew you were coming down with something.” The older woman exhaled sharply as she rested her hand on her daughter’s forehead. “You’re kinda warm.”

“I’m fine, mom. I’m fine.” The teen insisted, running her hands across her face and pulling the rebellious strands of her hair behind her ears as she leaned on the headboard of the bed.

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to catch something.”

Buffy nodded with a weak smile and Mrs. Summer’s stood up and walked over to the door.

“Well, I’ll get you an aspirin and some vitamins, just to make sure. Do you want some hot-cocoa?” She offered as she stood at the threshold.

“That’d be great, mom.”

The moment the door was closed Buffy slammed her head against the headboard as she let out an audible sigh. She ran her fingers over her face as she contemplated what had happened only half an hour ago. ‘God, how could I be so stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Now everyone in school’s gonna think I’m a slut that does it on the teacher’s desk.” She let out a deep groan, closing her eyes and trying to erase the thought from her mind. ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid!’ she continued to insult herself in her mind.

“It’s all *his* fault!” She finally said between clenched teeth. “God, I hate him soooo much! I’m gonna kill that bleached idiot! Kill, kill, kill…” She continued as the anger built up inside of her. “You kiss me.” She said with a mocking tone. “I’ll give him the ‘you kiss me’. Grrr….”

She slumped down on her bed and curled herself into the foetal position as she stared out the window. Soon, the screeching sound of a door opening was heard and light footsteps followed.

“Thanks, mom.” Buffy started as she turned around. “I don’t know- Spike!” She exclaimed as she saw the bleached teen standing by her bed holding a tray. “Get out!” she immediately hissed.

“Now, luv don’t want to-“

“I don’t want to hear it. Put the tray down and get out!” She raised her voice slightly.

He obeyed to the first part of the command, setting the tray on the nightstand, but ignored the second.

“Are you hard of hearing?”

“I’m not leaving until you tell me why you’re acting this way.” He replied in a low, calm voice that made her nerves act up.

“Because… I… Hum…” She struggled for an explanation and finally hissed: “Cause the entire school thinks I’m a ho and it’s all you’re fault.”

“My fault? How is it my fault?” he asked defensively.

“You were the one who caused it. You with you’re ‘You kiss me’ speech.” The last sentence was said with a high-pitched semi-whining tone.

“No one forced you to do anything, luv. Actually, as far as I can remember you seemed more than willing.” He replied with a mocking tone, but the partial grin on his face soon crumbled as he saw the rage flare up in her green eyes. “Look, so they saw us snogging, it’s not like the entire world is going to fall apart.”

“You just don’t get it, do you? People will-“

“Will what?” He interrupted her. “We weren’t doing anything wrong!” He sighed audibly.

Buffy remained still, trying to find a reason for her rage, but couldn’t find any. He was right; there wasn’t anything wrong with what they had done. Sure it bordered on the kinky, but so what? They were teenagers; they were supposed to do dumb things.

“Luv, just calm down and-“

“Don’t call me that.” She warned him.

“Sorry.” He apologized sincerely.

They exchanged a look of truce and silence filtered between them. Finally, Buffy spoke:

“Did you see the look on Angel’s face?” She said with half a smirk.

“Yeah, the wanker looked like he was about to have a fit.” Spike replied with a grin of his own as Buffy’s smile grew.

“I never knew a person could turn that green.” She chuckled as she started to relax.

“Did you see Dru? Man, she looked like she as about to pop with envy.” He laughed out loud.

Something about the way he said it, maybe the sparkle in his eye as he spoke her name, made the subject a lot less funny to her. But, she ignored the sinking feeling in her stomach and continued in a low voice:

“Guess, the plan is working, huh?”

Spike’s smile seemed to dim at her question: “I guess.”

“Who would have thought they would fall for it?”

“Yeah…” Spike breathed as the tension between them grew.

“Well… I guess you’ll have Dru with you in no time.”

“Yeah.” He paused for a second and swallowed hard before forcing the words out. “And you’ll have Angel.”

“My own personal slave.” She said with a mocking tone and a smile. “Let the good times roll.”

Spike simply smiled, shoving his hands into his pockets. After a few moments of silence he finally decided to speak:

“Hum… Summers?”

Buffy looked at him as his gaze travelled from the floor to meet hers.

“Are you still…” He paused, waiting for her to answer, but it was clear she didn’t understand the incomplete question. “Are you still… in love with him?”

Buffy frowned a bit and tilted her head, but didn’t answer.

“Hum… I’m sorry; I shouldn’t be asking this, I’ll just be going.” He spoke quickly and awkwardly as he headed for the door. “Your mom’s probably going to worry about you having a boy in your room all this time and-“

“She thinks you’re gay, Spike.” She said with a devilish grin.

“Don’t remind me.” He grunted as he turned the knob and prepared to leave when Buffy spoke:

“Hum… Spike?”

“Yeah, luv?”

“Me and the guys are going to the Bronze on Friday. Wanna come with?” There was a hint of insecurity in her tone and when he didn’t answer immediately she quickly added: “Totally on a ‘make Dru and Angel face the green-eyed monster’ basis, of course.” He remained silent. “Dru will probably be there… would be fun to see if she pops this time.” She continued with a weak smile. “Or maybe not, it’s your-“

“I’ll be there, Summers.” He interrupted her with a low, calm voice.

“Oh…” She breathed. “Good.” She said shoving her hands into the back pockets of her jeans as her feet fumbled with the edge of the carpet.

“See you tomorrow, Betty.”

“See you tomorrow, William.”

She watched as the bleached hair disappeared behind the closing door and held her breath. A sharp ringing tone snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Hello?” She asked as she picked up the phone.

“Buffy?”

“Hey, Willow!”

“Are you ok?” An extremely anxious and nervous redhead questioned from the other side of the line. “I mean people are talking that you and Spike were doing the nasty on Mr. Gulliver’s desk. Is that true? What happened? Are you ok? Did Spike do something-“

“Willow, Willow. Slow down. Breathe. That’s it. Inhale… exhale… inhale… exhale.” Buffy coached. “And no, I wasn’t doing the *nasty* with Spike. We were just… you know…”

“No, I don’t. That’s why I’m calling. Oh, and by the way, Xander had a heart attack when Harmony told him that she had walked in on you and Spike stark naked in-“

“What?! God, I’m gonna kill that bleached airhead.” Buffy grumbled between clenched teeth. “I wasn’t doing anything. We were just kissing, Willow. That’s all.”

“A-are you sure?” Willow hesitated.

“I’m pretty sure. I mean, I *was* there and all, you know?” Buffy replied sarcastically.

“So-sorry, I-I didn’t mean to-“

“It’s ok, Wills. No need to go on stutter mode.”

“So, you’re ok then? I was just worried about you. You left school and didn’t say a thing, I thought…”

“Nothing bad happened. I promise. I was just a bit… embarrassed out of my mind! Couldn’t really take the whole Gestapo-like inquiring and gawking.”

“I understand. Will you come to school tomorrow?”

“Yes, don’t worry. Ok?”

“Ok. Bye.”

“Bye, Willow.”

Chapter 16

Buffy lay quietly on her bed, eyes closed, lost somewhere between hazy consciousness and deep slumber. She turned on her back and draped her arms over the warm blankets resting them on her chest, when a soft noise broke through the sleepy mist that surrounded her mind. She tried to open her eyes, but her lids seemed to hold the weight of the world, so she kept them closed, but when she felt her mattress move, she quickly opened them. Her sight was foggy and it took a while for her to focus on the approaching figure that climbed onto her bed and cat-like crept its way up her body. She didn’t need to see him to know who he was; the clear scent of alcohol and cigarettes surrounding her was evidence enough. She held her breath as he crawled all the way up and hovered over her frozen form, his weight resting on his forearms that lay on either side of her.

“Spike, what are you doing here?” She tried to sound angry and outraged, but to no avail, as the word came out like a fragile whisper.

“Shh….” She heard him say before he buried his head in the nape of her neck, lightly kissing his way up to her earlobe.

She gasped as she felt him rest his weight on her, one of his legs between hers as his left hand wormed its way under the covers, pulling them off of her before tugging at her nightgown.

“Sp…” She tried to speak but the words got caught in her throat as his fingers dug into the outside of her thighs hitching up the nightdress.

She heard him moan, as he thrust his pelvis against hers and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his hips. Her hands pulled and tugged at his red shirt, trying to drag it over his head, but he wouldn’t let go of her. His arms wrapped around her, one resting on her thigh, the other on her neck as he pulled her towards him for a bruising kiss. She felt him rub against her and let out a muffled cry into his mouth, running her nails over his clothed back.

He pulled away abruptly to stared down at her, their breaths coming in short urgent pants.

“You’re beautiful, Summers.” He whispered, before diving for her neck once more.

She arched up letting out a moan as she felt the hand on her thigh move between her legs to tug at her panties.

“God… Buffy.” She heard him gasp as his fingers pushed the elastic band to the side.

“Buffy… Buffy, wake up!”

Her eyes snapped open to meet the figure of her mother standing by her bed, lightly shaking her out of her dream.

“Mom?!” Buffy asked confused as a frown settled over her eyebrows.

“You’re going to be late for school, missy.” Mrs. Summers warned her daughter. “Now, get out of bed. I’ll come up before I leave to check if you’re up.” She said as she left the room.

Buffy propped herself on her elbows, her hazy stare scanning the empty room. Her eyes widened as the memories of her dream assaulted her mind.

“Oh… my God.” She whispered to herself but, as a couple more images flashed before her eyes, she repeated with a high-pitched tone: “OH, MY GOD!”

~+~

She quickly scurried down the hall, through the multitude of teenagers with her head bowed and her books tightly clenched against her chest, trying hard to avoid the places where she thought he might be.

“Hey, Buffy!” She heard Willow’s familiar voice and turned to see the redhead standing by her locker next to Oz, waving her hand.

The petite blond smiled and was about to go meet with her when she saw a flash of white hair and black leather turn the corner and head towards Willow. Buffy’s eyes widened and she quickly shouted:

“I can’t now. I’m late for class.” And with that she whirled around and continued down the hall.

Willow frowned at her best friend’s statement.

“Late for class? The bell hasn’t rung yet. And since when is Buffy paranoid about being on time… And for English lit to top it?”

Oz simply shrugged.

“Hey.”

Willow jumped up as she heard the deep male voice coming from behind her.

“Hey, Spike.” She quickly replied while Oz gave him a light nod.

“You guys seen Buffy?” He asked.

“We just saw her on her way to class.” Willow explained.

“Already?” Spike furrowed his brows.

The two redheads gave Spike a shrug.

“Well, I’ll see you guys later then.” The bleached teen said as he quickly sprinted down the hall on his way to class.

~+~

Buffy scurried down the corridor, looking through her books to find her class schedule. She was so engrossed in her current task, she didn’t even notice the curious glances thrown her way, or the incessant whispering that seemed to affect every student she passed by. She let out a satisfied sigh as she found what she was looking for.

“Wednesday… Wednesday…” She muttered as her finger ran over the table printed on the small piece of paper. Why couldn’t she remember what class she had? “Stupid dream!” She mumbled, returning to her search. “English lit.” She said before looking up to see where she was. “That way.”

As she reached the classroom, she looked both ways before turning the knob and entering. She closed the door behind her and let out a deep sight of relief, closing her eyes.

“Safe. Good old English lit, ah.”

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open.

“English lit? That’s with-“

She wasn’t able to finish her sentence as someone opened the door she was leaning against and sent her sprawling to the floor. She groaned as she hit the hard surface, her hair coming to cover her face but she quickly scrambled to her feet. Exhaling sharply, she sent her blonde strands flying away from her face. She had to suppress a high-pitched squeak when she saw who was standing in front of her, holding the door open.

“Spike.” She groaned, rolling her eyes as she turned on her heels and made her way to her desk, by the window.

“Hey, luv! Nice to see you too.” He mumbled sarcastically, closing the door behind him.

“What are you doing here?” She asked with an annoyed tone, trying hard to repress the memories of her dream, which seemed intent on flashing before her eyes.

“Question would be: why are you here, luv? Class hasn’t started yet.” Spike noted coming to lean on the desk next to hers.

Buffy ran her fingers over her tired eyed, pushing back the nasty images and groaning.

“Are you ok? Is it because of yesterday? Cause I thought-“

“No, I’m fine.” She grumbled.

“Oh, yeah, you’re just peachy, luv.”

“Can you please quit calling me that?” She practically begged.

Spike melted down to his seat and stared at her.

“Is it cause of you’re mom? Cause-“

“Spike, stop trying to analyse me. I told you – I’m fine. I’m just tired. Had a really, *really* bad dream.” She moaned as she rested her head between her hands, her elbows on the desk.

“Sure that’s just it?” He asked and couldn’t help letting a hint of worry filter through to his tone.

“Spike, why are you asking me all these questions?” She groaned finally looking up at him.

He was about to answer, when the classroom door was opened.

“How’d you kids get in here?” Mrs. Kennedy’s voice hovered into the room and the two teens quickly turned to face her.

“Hey, Mrs. Kennedy.” Buffy greeted awkwardly.

“Ms. Summers.” The 30-year-old woman nodded, resting her things on her desk. “Never thought of you as someone to come early to class. I thought you hated English Literature.”

“I- I… don’t… I…” Buffy stumbled over the words.

“No need to stutter, Buffy, I’m glad to see you’ve taken an interest in my class.” Mrs. Kennedy smiled and winked at the petite blonde from under her glasses.

Buffy let out a sigh of relief while Spike stood up and strolled over to speak to the teacher. Buffy frowned as she watched the two quickly exchange a few words, with Mrs. Kennedy nodding before the bleached teen turned on his heels and took his place next to Buffy.

“Why are you smiling? I don’t like it when you do that. It’s a sign of bad things to come.” Buffy grumbled, raising her eyebrow.

The school bell rang and Mrs. Kennedy opened the classroom door to let in a flood of pimpled teens. A wave of gossip and whispering soon filled the room as everyone eyed the blonde couple now seated together.

“Aren’t you going to take your seat?” Buffy questioned.

Before Spike could answer, Mrs. Kennedy called out:

“Ms. Kendal.” She had no answer as the blonde teen enthusiastically chatted with a fellow student while eyeing the infamous couple. “Harmony Kendal!” Mrs. Kennedy called once more and this time the girl acknowledged her. “If you wouldn’t mind, I would like you to change seats with Spike.”

Buffy’s eyes widened, staring at Spike while he wiggled his eyebrows at her and smirked.

“What?! Why?” The teen whined.

“Because from now on, Spike will tutor Buffy in her English Literature studies. And it would do you good not to be so close to your cheerleading colleagues. You seem to have a great deal of difficulty concentrating when you’re near them.” Mrs. Kennedy answered as she turned to write something on the board.

“But-“

“Not another word, Harmony.” Mrs. Kennedy warned, not bothering to turn and face the teen.

Reluctantly, the blonde teen picked up her things and mumbled as she dragged her feet across the room to reach her new desk:

“Tutoring, my ass…”

“I heard that, Ms. Kendal.” Mrs. Kennedy warned before starting the class.

An hour later, the school bell rang once more and a combined sigh of relief coming from the students was heard, as instantly the teens began packing their books and preparing to leave.

Spike leaned on his new desk watching as Buffy awkwardly stuffed her things into her backpack.

“Are you nervous, pet?” He finally asked, cocking up a curious eyebrow.

She had spent the entire class avoiding him, frantically scribbling on her notebook. If he didn’t know her better he would have thought she was actually trying to learn something. Every time he’d glance at her or call her, she’d turn bright red and would just stare down at her books.

“I’m fine.” She breathed, putting her bag over her shoulder.

“Well, you look kinda jittery to me.” He insisted as they walked out the door together.

“I’m just busy. I-I gotta go.”

And with that she was sprinting down the hall, leaving behind a dumbstruck teen.

~+~

Two days passed and Buffy continued intent on avoiding him, being quite successful at it. She had only seen him once, on Thursday, and she had managed to hide before he saw her.

She let out a content sigh as she entered the house and dragged her feet up the stairs. She plopped down on her bed, lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling, when the phone rang. She grunted as she reluctantly crawled her way up her bed to her nightstand and picked up the receiver.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Buffy.” Willow’s peppy mood was heard from the other side of the line.

“Hey, Wills.” The blonde teen mumbled, rolling onto her back and closing her eyes.

“So, what time tonight?”

“Tonight?” Buffy frowned as he mind drew a blank. “What about tonight?”

“The Bronze… remember?”

“Oh… right.” Buffy uttered with little enthusiasm.

“Don’t tell me you’re not coming.” Willow begged as she knew her best friend all too well.

“Well… I’m kinda tired and my mom-“

“Oh, come on, Buffy! You said you’d come, you promised.” Willow whined.

“Why do you want me to come?” Buffy wondered.

“Well, I-I… you’re my best friend and-and… it wouldn’t be any fun if you didn’t come.” The redhead stammered.

“Right… Now, let’s try this once more, and without the pathetic attempt to lie.” Buffy mumbled, pressing her fingers against her shut eyelids.

“I-I’m not lying.”

“Come on Wills. You couldn’t lie if your life depended on it. Now out with it!” Buffy ordered with a light tone.

“Oh, alright!” Suddenly, Willow’s tone became giddy with childlike excitement. “I’m not supposed to tell you this but…” There was a moment of pause before the hysterical redhead shouted into the receiver: “Oz’s band it playing tonight!”

Buffy jumped up, letting go of the phone to rest her hand on her ear. A string of curses passed through her clenched teeth before she picked up the receiver.

“Buffy, are you there?”

“Yeah, I’m here. I’m bleeding from my ear, but I’m here.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry! It’s just that… OZ IS PLAYING TONIGHT!” Willow yelled once more causing Buffy to jump up again.

“Ok, Willow, which part of ‘I’m bleeding from my ear’ didn’t you get? Was it the ‘ear’ or ‘the bleeding from’?”

“I’m sorry.” Willow said in a small voice. “It’s just that I’m so excited.”

“The constant ringing in my ear is definitely proof of it.”

“I’m sorry.” The redhead begged.

“It’s ok, Wills. No biggy.” Buffy said as she stuck her finger into her ear and cringed.

“So you’re coming right?”

There was no answer.

“Oh, come on! You gotta come. I’m bringing a video camera and all!!!” Willow’s excitement was evident in her high-pitched tone.

“I…”

“Pleeeeease.”

“I can’t promise anything. But I’ll try, ok?”

“Ok. I gotta go now. Gotta pick my least non-sexy outfit.” Willow giggled.

“Bye Wills.”

“Bye.”

Buffy remained lying on the bed, on her back, letting the busy signal from the receiver echo in her ears for a few seconds before putting it back in place. She closed her eyes and was slowly drifting to sleep when she heard the door to her room swing open.

“Honey?” Her mother’s voice filled the room.

“Mom? What are you doing home?” Buffy asked as she slowly propped herself up on her elbows. She frowned when she saw how her mother dressed up and… “You’re wearing make up!”

“Yes.” Mrs. Summer nodded, tightening her grip on the peach-coloured shawl that was draped over her slender shoulders.

“You never wear make up. Not even on your last few dates.” Buffy noted suspiciously as she sat up straight.

“That’s true.” Another annoyingly peaceful nod was thrown Buffy’s way.

“Why are you wearing make up?”

“I’m going on a date.”

“Again?! You’ve gone out on dates every night this week.” Buffy noted a bit outraged by her mom’s behaviour.

“Buffy, I’m a grown woman and I have the right to go out as much as I please.”

Buffy sighed in frustration as she stood up.

“I know mom, but… “ She paused, choosing her words. “Is it serious?”

“What is, honey?”

“The person you’re going out with… Is it serious? I mean if it’s make up worthy, it’s probably serious.” Buffy stated.

Mrs. Summers pressed her lips together. She really didn’t want to talk about this right now.

“Honey… I don’t know.”

“Am I going to have to meet him?” Buffy questioned with a hint of desperation.

A soft smile crept over the older woman’s lips as she shook her head.

“Not just, yet.”

“Good.” Buffy sighed in relief walking back to her bed while her mother stayed at the doorway.

“Are still going out tonight?” Mrs. Summers asked.

“I don’t know. I might.” Buffy mumbled as she plopped down on the bed.

“Well, have fun.” Her mother started to leave, when she stopped and her face gained a light shade of red. “I-I might be late tonight.”

Buffy tilted her head and cocked a suspicious eyebrow before she asked:

“How late?”

“Late.” Mrs. Summers clearly tried to avoid the subject.

“How late, mom?” Buffy insisted.

“I might not come home tonight.” Mrs. Summer’s blurted out, finally finding the courage to word it out. But before her daughter could say anything, she closed the door, sprinted down the stairs and out the front entrance, leaving Buffy sitting on her bed, trying to pick up her jaw.

~+~

She walked around in circles in her room, clenching and unclenching her hands at her sides, her nails digging into her sweaty palms.

“My mom is having sex with a stranger?” She mumbled the words in disbelief for the 100th time that evening. “My mom. Is having sex. With a stranger.” Her stomach turned, doing a couple of painful flip-flops. “Oh, God… I think I’m gonna be sick.” She managed to word out as she ran her way down the hall and into the bathroom, kneeling in front of the toilet to throw up.

After the nauseating deed was done, she let her body fall limply to the white tiled floor and leaned on the cold wall, closing her eyes tightly shut. She grumbled under her breath as she heard the doorbell and contemplated just letting it ring. She really didn’t feel like getting up right now. Eventually, the clear resonant sound started to dig into her brain causing a major migraine and she forced her tired body into the standing position, sluggishly making her way down the stairs while the ringing became incessant.

“I’m coming, I’m coming. For Christ sake will you just hang on a sec?” She shouted just as she swung the door open. She rolled her eyes as she was greeted by the familiar peroxide blond.

“You’re not dressed yet.” He noted as he saw the thick, white robe she was wearing and the cute bunny shaped slippers.

“No? Really? You have such cunning observational skills. You amaze me!” She uttered with fake enthusiasm as she dragged her feet to the living room.

Spike frowned as he walked in, closing the door behind him and followed the petite blonde.

“I see you’re in your usual peppy mood tonight.” He said watching her plopped down on the couch and idly flip through the channels.

“Don’t push me Spike, I’m not in a good mood.” She grumbled, her eyes never leaving the flickering images coming from the TV.

“Oh… that’s new.” He retorted.

Rolling her eyes once more, she turned to look at the black-clad teen and realised he had his hand conveniently concealed behind his back.

“What are you hiding?” She asked, trying to sound uninterested.

“Nothing.” He answered with a grin.

“What is it?” She insisted sitting up straight.

“Nothing.”

Without a word, she stood up and walked over to him. He immediately stepped back.

“Come on. What’re you hiding?” She repeated.

His grin grew wider as she tried to circle around him, but he kept turning, never giving her the chance to see what he was concealing. They played the cat and mouse game for a while, and eventually, Buffy was trying to keep from giggling as she attempted to reach his back, pushing and pulling at him. Suddenly, she violently tugged his forearm, causing him to lose his balance and, instinctively, he brought both arms to his front to find support on the couch, revealing a single red rose in his left hand. Buffy frowned:

“A rose? For me?” She asked a bit confused.

“No. It’s for your mom.” He quickly answered, seeing the sparkle in her eye die out.

“Oh…” She mumbled embarrassed.

He felt a pang in his heart and quickly told the truth:

“I’m kidding, luv. It’s for you.”

She didn’t say anything, just looked up at him with a puzzled expression on her face.

“Why?”

“It’s our one week anniversary. I was going to bring you a bouquet but I thought you’re mom might get suspicious.” He explained.

Buffy narrowed her eyes. Was he blushing?

“One week anniversary?”

“Yeah. We agreed to our fake dating scheme a week ago, remember? ‘We’ll hold hands?’”

“Oh… right.” It was her turn to blush as she picked the rose from his hands.

“I-I know, it’s stupid. I-I shouldn’t have-“ Spike started awkwardly.

“No-no. I-I like it.” Buffy stuttered as she went into the kitchen to get a glass of water and put the rose in it.

“If you don’t like it, you can just throw it away. I don’t care. It was just…” Spike nervously began to ramble.

“No, I like it.” Buffy repeated with less hesitation.

A moment of unbearably awkward silence filtered between them as they stood together in the kitchen. Buffy was the one to break it.

“Do you want something to eat?”

“No, thanks. I already ate. And we’re going to be late anyway, if you’re still going to get dressed and all.”

“I don’t think I’m going.” She replied.

“What do you mean? You’re not going to short stick’s gig?” Spike question frowning.

“Short stick?” Buffy cocked up an eyebrow.

“Oz. Red’s boyfriend.”

“Short stick… right. Look who’s talking.” Buffy grinned as she eyed the bleached teen up and down.

“Hey!” He protested.

Buffy smiled triumphantly, but it soon crumbled as realisation came.

“Wait a second. Willow told you about it? I thought it was supposed to be a secret.” Buffy said with a pout.

“Wasn’t her. Was Oz. Told me while we were playing football.”

“You and Oz play soccer together?”

“And the whelp.”

“And Xander?”

Spike nodded.

“And Oz told you about the concert.” Another nod. “Since when are you and Oz buddies?”

“What can I say? People are just naturally drawn to me.” He shrugged. “So are you getting dressed or not?”

Buffy sighed forcibly before, nodding and sprinting up the stairs.

“Give me 5 minutes.” She shouted back.

Chapter 17

Half an hour later he sat on the couch, sprawled out as he idly flickered through channels. Every once in a while, he’d throw a glance at the staircase in the feeble hope of finding her there. Sighing audibly, he stood up and sprinted up the stairs. Reaching her bedroom, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

“You ready yet?”

“Just give me two more minutes.” He heard her shout from the other side.

“Oh, come on luv, we’ll be late for short stick’s show.” Spike grumbled.

There was silence for a few moments.

“Luv, we-“ He stopped in mid sentence as the door swung open to reveal her limping form.

Buffy clumsily hopped on one foot as she tried to get her other one into her high-heel boots while, at the same time, attempting to put on one of her spaghetti earrings. He gawked noticeably at her as she limped her way back to her dresser. She wore a short, black miniskirt and a lustrous silver top that tied up around her neck and left her pale back exposed. The outfit was completed by the pair of knee-high black boots.

She stared at the mirror, frowning as the earring refused to go through her pierced earlobe.

“Stupid earring.” She grumbled, while continuing to stick her foot into the boot. After a few moments, she was successful in both her tasks and she stood up straight in front of the mirror, pulling her skirt down as she turned to examine her back. “How do I look?” She asked without even glancing at the boy.

Spike’s mouth opened and closed several times, like a fish out of water, but the words refused to come out as he simply gawked at the girl in front of him. He repressed a groan as he saw her lean into the mirror to apply her lipstick.

Minutes later, she stood up straight once again, tugging at her miniskirt and flattening her top as she turned sideways to see herself on the mirror.

“How’s the war-paint?” She asked, finally looking at him.

Spike jumped up in surprise, snapping out of his daze to gaze up at her face.

“What?” He managed to word.

“The make-up. Is it ok?” She questioned, turning to the mirror and smacking her lips together.

“It’s ok.” He mumbled, his gaze returning to her exposed legs as she leaned over the dresser.

At his statement, she immediately stood up straight.

“Just ok?” She frowned.

“You look gorgeous, luv.” He corrected himself.

“I better.” She said with a light pout. “I wanna see Dru foaming from her mouth and Angel kicking himself unconscious for dumping me.” She uttered devilishly as she picked up her coat and walked out of the room, quickly followed by Spike.

She frowned as she finished locking the door and turned to see Spike walking over to a car parked in front of her house.

“What’s this?”

“My baby.” He answered with a proud tone, opening the door for her.

“You’re baby?” She questioned, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

“Yep.”

“Since when do you have a car?” She asked as she entered the vehicle.

She waited till he was in before they continued their conversation.

“I’ve had this baby for ages.”

“Then why don’t you drive it to school?” She questioned, but immediately raised her hand and continued: “Don’t answer. Stupid question. You’re ashamed to be seen in this junk.”

“Hey!” He protested. “This ‘junk’ is a classic.”

“Right. That’s why it’s about to fall to apart. Are you sure you don’t wanna just walk?”

He gave her a plastic smile which crumbled in seconds as he started up the car.

“I love this car. Don’t make fun of it. Consider yourself warned, pet.” He grumbled as he drove off.

~+~

Buffy stepped out of the vehicle and waited for Spike to lock it up before heading for the teen infested club. She stopped dead in her tracks when she reached the door.

“What’s the matter, pet?” He asked, cocking up a scarred eyebrow.

She didn’t answer, merely inhaled sharply, letting her chest rise and fall a couple of times before shaking herself off.

“Do you always have to do that?” He asked as he remembered her doing that exact same exercise before their make-out session three days before.

“I’m preparing myself for the battle.” She replied, opening her eyes and walking into the Bronze.

Spike simply shook his head and followed her.

It didn’t take long for them to spot an extremely juiced up Willow practically jumping on her seat as she waved at the approaching couple. Cordelia and Xander sat around the small table, the former trying very hard to remain unnoticed by the crowd.

“Hey, Buffy! You made it!” A very peppy Willow greeted as she threw her arms around the petite blonde’s neck.

“Ah, Will… Need oxygen here.” Buffy managed to breathe.

“Oh, sorry!” Willow piped up, letting go of her.

“She’s been like this for an hour now.” Cordelia grumbled.

Buffy smiled as she tried to reach for a stool but Spike was faster, pulling it out for her to sit. She frowned a bit, but said nothing, nodding and sitting down. She moved to take off her coat, and again, to her surprise, Spike was right there to help her with it. She swallowed hard and gave him a weak smile before turning to the group:

“So… When’s it gonna start?” Buffy asked, scanning the room and realising the evil couple of death wasn’t there yet.

“In half an hour.” Willow quickly answered clapping her hands.

“Half an hour? You said we were going to be late.” Buffy protested glaring at the leather clad boy sitting next to her.

“Was the only way to get you here on time, pet.” He winced as Buffy’s heavy hand hit him in the arm. “Hey!”

“That’s for lying.” She grumbled.

“You’re off easy, man.” Xander spoke up. “You should see what happens to me when- Ouch!” He wasn’t able to finish his sentence as someone kicked him hard, under the table. “See what I mean.” He murmured.

Spike gave him a light sympathetic grin and turned to face Buffy.

“You want something to drink, luv?”

“Soda.” She answered as her gaze hovered over the thick crowd.

“Anyone else?”

“I’m fine.” Xander answered.

“I wanna get out of here.” Cordelia grumbled.

Spike turned to look at Willow, but she seemed completely out of it. Without a word he headed for the bar.

“Wow, the place is really packed, huh?” Buffy noted.

“Yeah, isn’t it wonderful?” Willow squeaked bringing her hands together for another hysterical clapping session, but found it impossible as Cordelia held her tightly by her wrists.

“You clap those hands one more time; I swear I’ll bite them off.” The brunette threatened with a murderous glare.

“Gee!” Willow’s eyes widened for a second as she pulled away from the cheerleader’s death-grip.

“Why are you in an even worst mood that usual, Cordy?” Buffy asked.

“Because Miss ‘I suffer from psychoneurotic hysteria’ here has been clapping her hands like the energizer bunny on speed for the past hour.” Cordy grumbled.

“Here you go.” Spike said as he set the soda on the table.

Buffy frowned as she saw the bottle he held in his hands.

“You’re *not* planning on drinking that, are you?”

“Why not?” He furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the label.

“You’ll get beer-breath.” She answered.

“So?” He questioned confused.

“You’re not gonna get anywhere near me tonight if you drink that.” She stated.

“But-“

She simply shook her head.

“Bloody hell.” He grumbled setting the beer down and sticking his hands into his pockets.

“Whipped.” Xander coughed, getting a glare from the peroxide teen as he fumbled with a red and white pack.

“No smoking either.” Buffy said, eyeing the cigarette box.

“But, pet…”

“No.”

“Bugger all.” He snarled shoving the pack back in his pockets and before Xander could say anything he growled: “Sod off.”

Xander gave him a wicked grin, but refrained from making any comments, especially considering he wasn’t exactly a free man himself.

“Where’s Oz?” Buffy questioned.

“He’s backstage getting ready.” Willow tried, but couldn’t help her jitteriness slipping into her voice. “I’m just so excited!” She went to bring her hands but managed to repress the impulse as Cordy shot her another one of her dagger spitting glares.

Buffy smiled, bringing her drink to her lips as the conversation started up.

“So, since when are you, Oz and bleach-boy over here soccer-buddies?” She asked tilting her head towards Spike.

“Since Wednesday.” Xander answered simply. “He asked us if we wanted to play after school. Soccer isn’t that bad actually.”

Buffy grinned glancing at the teen sitting next to her, his hand draped across the back of her stool.

“I’m slowly exorcising you all from the evil that is American Football.” He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“But I still say American Football kicks ass.” Xander piped up.

“Give it time. You’ll come around.” Spike said as his fingers idly began to play with the edge of Buffy’s top.

“I gotta say I’m pro-soccer.” Cordelia joined in on the conversation.

“And another one sees the light! Halleluiah, my brothers!” Spike shouted lifting his arms up in the air, earning a series of glances from the surrounding tables.

“Don’t. Ever. Try to do the American accent, Spike.” Buffy mumbled as she cringed. “It’s just sad… and wrong. Oh, so wrong!” She mocked.

“Ha, ha. Very funny luv.” Spike said with fake enthusiasm as his fingers left her top to massage Buffy’s bare back.

She froze for a second, her muscles contracting at the feel of his rough fingers lazily running up and down her spine, but she soon relaxed as the touch became familiar and even pleasant.

The conversation went on for a few more minutes until the background music was turned off and the lights dimmed down to focus on the small stage at one end of the club.

“Oh, my God! This is it!” Willow squealed while hysterically clapping her hands.

“Someone *please* give this girl a Valium. For my sake.” Cordy begged as a deep male voice was heard coming from the loud speakers:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please put your hands together for ‘Dingoes Ate my Baby’!”

A roaring sound filled the packed club for a few moments before total silence came and then the first cords of the song were heard. A sharp light focused on the band and Oz finally came into view.

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! Oz!” Was all that Willow could say before bringing her hands to cover her mouth and just stare at her boyfriend on stage.

The song played out for a while as the group sat around the table. Spike’s hand idly wandered over Buffy’s back and he held his breath as he felt her lean in against him. He froze for a second, but soon brought his arms around her slender form, bringing her closer to him; her head resting on his chest. He closed his eyes for a split second, inhaling her vanilla scent and letting it seep into his brain. God she smelled wonderfully! When the song finally finished, she stood up straight and clapped noisily, along with a very enthusiastic Willow and a moody Cordy. Xander on the other hand, brought his index fingers to his mouth and issued a loud whistle that seemed to pierce the eardrums of everyone around him… including Cordelia. This earned him another strong kick in the shin.

“Ouch!” He protested as he massaged his sore leg.

Spike remained oblivious to his surrounding, for as soon as the music started once more, Buffy leaned back against him in the same fashion she had done moments before. He didn’t know why, but this seemed so… right. He sighed as his arms circled around her once again and he fingered the edge of her top.

The next song was a slow, rock ballad and as a few couples moved to the dance floor, Buffy turned to ask Spike:

“Wanna dance?”

“Sure, pet.” He quickly answered standing up and setting her coat on his stool before leading her to join the dancing couples.

As they reached the dance floor, they came to a dilemma as they awkwardly tried to drape their arms around each other. Eventually, Spike took the lead, worming his arms around her and pulling her towards him as she rested her head over his right shoulder.

A few seconds passed before he heard her whisper:

“Have they seen us yet?”

“What?” He asked frowning.

“Dru and Angel.” She insisted and suddenly he realised she was eyeing someone across the room.

He glanced in the same direction to find the infamous couple having a major make-out session.

“Oh.” He mumbled as he felt a pang in his chest. He couldn’t quite tell if it was due to the pathetic spectacle displayed in front of him or because of the realisation that the girl in his arms had only reciprocated his tender behaviour as part of a façade. He feared it was the latter.

“So are they looking?” She asked anxiously.

“Hum… I don’t think so. Angel’s too busy sticking his tongue down my ex’s throat to notice us.” He answered as he felt revulsion start to boil up in the pit of his stomach.

“Damn it.” She grumbled as she reluctantly moved along with the song’s sluggish beat. “Well, we’ll just have to *make* them notice.” She murmured, slowly turning in his arms, so her back was resting on his chest.

Lazily, her hands grazed over his, making their way from her hips to his shoulders and then across his neck to finally hover in the air above her head. She swayed her hips in small elliptic motions, in time with the slow, soothing rhythm, flexing and stretching her legs to move up and down his body.

Spike closed his eyes, clenching his teeth together, making his sharp chiselled cheekbones more evident, as he searched for the control necessary to keep himself from grabbing her and pinning her against the nearest available hard surface.

Unaware of his reactions, she continued to dance, her eyes closed as she leaned the back of her head on his chest, her blonde hair clinging to the black leather of his duster. She slowly turned to face Spike, managing to throw a quick glance at the couple that stood in the shadows. A soft, triumphant smile curled the edges of her glossy lips as she saw the dumbfounded expression plastered on both their faces. Burying her cheek in Spike’s red shirt, she inhaled sharply. She shook her head, trying to escape the haze that seemed to surround her suddenly. Her stomach started doing those flip-flopping it did whenever she got too close to him. ‘What is this? It shouldn’t feel this way. It’s just… pretend.’ She reminded herself before looking upwards, her nose gliding across his pale, white throat before her lips connected with the sensitive skin there.

Spike gasped as he felt her teeth scrape over his neck on their way to capture his right earlobe. He heard her whisper as she nibbled and suckled the tender piece of flesh into her warm mouth.

“I guess…” kiss “we caught” lick “their attention.”

He felt her smile against his ear and it took him a couple of seconds to come up with a relatively coherent answer.

“Um…” He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down a couple of times. “Yeah… I guess.”

“Are they still looking?” She breathed as she tried to ignore her galloping heartbeat.

His scent seemed to intoxicate her as she trailed butterfly kissed down his throat and nuzzled against the crook of his neck. Her hands developed a mind of their own as they snaked down to his waist and wormed their way under his shirt to caress his bare stomach.

Instinctively, he jolted up straight, his hand catching her wrist.

“Luv… what are you… doing?” He managed to ask between gaps.

“Making…” She kissed his neck. “them jealous?” She lied to herself. ‘It’s all part of the plan. Just a plan.’

Spike swallowed hard, once again, his eyes rolling back in their sockets as her tongue traced secret patterns over his neck, her body crushed against his.

“Is it… working?”

He was too lost in the sensation to even hear what she was saying. After a while, he felt her whisper against his skin.

“Spike… are they still watching?”

He shook himself out of his daze and glanced at the couple to find them… fighting? He watched as much as he could under hooded eyes as the dark haired girl waved her hands in the air, and from the veins sticking out in her throat, he was pretty sure she was screaming at the top of her lungs.

“They’re… fighting.”

He was distracted as Buffy pressed her body against his and her hands travelled over his chest, instinct and craving causing him to close his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them again, Dru was gone and only Angel remained, leaning against a wall, his arms crossed over his chest and a seriously pissed look plastered on his face.

“What…” Buffy cleared her throat as her breath came in short, urgent pants, making it hard to speak. “… are they doing now?”

He pondered for a few seconds whether or not to tell her the truth. His mind struggled to understand why the thought of her stopping her ministrations made his stomach turn.

In the meantime, Buffy kicked herself mentally as she found herself wishing Dru and Angel were still there, watching them.

“Spike… are they still looking?” She insisted, her mouth still teasing and nibbling at his earlobe. ‘God! He tastes so… Urg! Stop it!’ She screamed inwardly.

In a fraction of a second he made up his mind and, without a word, he nodded slightly and she continued to kiss him. His hands circled her small waist and gruffly brought her closer to him as he captured her lips with his. She let out a soft moan as his tongue plundered her mouth with ravenous urgency.

Her mind seemed to spiral into a dreamy state of consciousness, that place where you feel lighter than air, like you can just hover. The feel of his hands erratically running up and down her back, pulling her to his chest…

Buffy jolted away from him as a loud clapping sound vibrated through the entire room. It took a few seconds, for the blonde couple to realise that there was no music, Oz’s band had just finished their set and were now stepping down from the stage. The two awkwardly eyed each other, both pulling sharp pants from their lungs as reality dawned on them. She felt her heart violently slamming against her chest, a mixture of lust, nervousness and fear causing it to skip a few beats as she dropped her gaze to the floor.

“I gotta go to the bathroom.” She finally blurted out as the uneasiness between them became too unbearable.

Before he could say anything, she had turned on her heels and was currently scurrying her way to the ladies’ room.

~+~

She stared wide-eyed at her reflection in the mirror while a couple of giggling teenagers stood in the corner exchanging gossip. She knew them, from high school; two of Harmony’s brain deprived lackeys. She knew they were talking about the R rated show she and Spike had just given them a few minutes before, but she didn’t care. Right now she was more worried that her heart wouldn’t stop racing, her palms were sweaty and she couldn’t stop thinking about the annoying bleach-boy on the other side of the bathroom door. What was this all about? She wasn’t supposed to be having major erotic dreams with him, or be acting like a fourteen-year old girl with a crush every time he touched her.

She shook her head and ran her hand over her forehead as if to try to erase the images that kept flashing in front of her eyes. Taking a deep breath and adjusting her top, she turned to leave.

An instant cloud of smoke surrounded her as she re-entered the bar, causing her to have a mini coughing fit. When she calmed, she resumed walking, her eyes scanning over the crowed to find the familiar blonde. She felt her heart skip a beat, her entire body contract at the sight of him talking to… Dru?