Chapter 1 – Run-In


Buffy Summers clutched her books to her chest as she wandered through the
crowded halls of Sunnydale High. It was her first day at the new school and
already several months into her senior year. At her old school, she had been
happy. Popular. Now, she felt like she was stuck in a fishbowl with
everyone staring at her as she made her way to her locker.

Trying to avert her eyes, she felt the shyness creep into her that she
wasn’t used to. Her mother had been killed in a car accident a few weeks
ago, and ever since then, Buffy had reverted into a much more reserved person
when she was in an unfamiliar setting.

Finally reaching her locker, Buffy looked at the combination written on the
small slip of paper in her hand. After her third unsuccessful try at
opening it, she had to repress a growl as she lowered her head in defeat.
Seeing a fist fly by her head, Buffy instinctively ducked as it struck the
door of her locker.

Spinning around in surprise, she encountered a tall brown-haired boy with a
goofy grin. “Most of these lockers just need a little persuasion of the
forceful variety,” he said, offering his hand. “I’m Xander Harris.”

“Buffy Summers,” she said with a smile of her own, shaking his hand.

“So, you’re the new girl everyone’s talking about.”

“I was hoping the staring and whispering was my imagination,” Buffy said,
depositing half of her books in the locker and slamming the door.

“Nope, that’s the consequence of moving to a one Starbucks town like
Sunnydale,” he replied as they began walking down the hall.

“Great,” Buffy said with a small grin. “Just what every new kid looks
forward to- being the daily gossip.”

“Try weekly,” Xander said with a smile. “We don’t get a lot of news by the
day.”

Buffy laughed as he reached for her schedule. “Well, you’ve got most of
your classes with me, and the ones that I’m not in, you’ve got with Willow.”

“Willow?”

“Yeah, she’s my best friend. Really nice, you two should get along just
fine.”

“Oh, that’s-“

Buffy was cut off as she turned a corner and crashed into what felt like a
wall, her books flying everywhere.

“Bloody hell, woman, watch where you’re going!”

Buffy looked up from picking up her books to stare at the leather-clad
bleach blonde who had nearly knocked her off her feet and was now glowering
at her. Standing up to her full five feet, three inches, Buffy gave him a
glare of her own. “Me? You’re the one that doesn’t know how to walk!”

She narrowed her eyes as he looked her up and down, suddenly wishing she
wasn’t wearing a skirt today as his eyes seemed to linger on her legs
longer than necessary. “Listen, Princess, you need to figure something out
real quick,” he said, a more menacing tone to his voice as he took a step
closer to her. “YOU move out of MY way when you see me coming.”

Buffy clenched her jaw as she looked over his shoulder to see his friends
chuckling. “The name’s Buffy, not Princess,” she replied, offering a
half-hearted smile. “And I’m guessing you’re about to have a rough time
because I have no intention of getting out of your way.”

Buffy roughly pushed past him, feeling moderately satisfied when his friends
moved out of her way.

“Hey.”

Buffy turned to see Xander jogging up beside her, handing her the books that
she didn’t get around to picking up. “Oh, Xander, I’m so sorry! I forgot
all about you when that jerk crashed into me.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, waving his hand in dismissal.

“So, who is he, anyway? Leader of the Sunnydale High Hell’s Angels?”

Xander chuckled. “You’d think so, wouldn’t you? No, he’s actually William
‘Spike’ Giles. Star of the Sunnydale High soccer team and general pain in
the ass if you’re not in his clique.”

“I guess after my little display back there, I am definitely not in the
clique,” Buffy said with a smile.

“Probably not,” Xander replied with an answering smile. “Well, this is us,”
he said, pointing to a nearby classroom.

“Let the torture begin,” Buffy said with a wry smile.

* * * * *

Spike roughly shoved both doors open to the library as he stormed in. “You
know, I really hate the bints that go to this school!”

“Shhhh,” his father shushed him as he came rushing out of his office.

“Dad, there’s no one here,” Spike said with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s still a library,” Rupert Giles said as he got closer to his son.
“Now, what’s the problem today?”

“Just some little chit, thinks she’s God’s gift or something,” Spike said,
slouching into a nearby chair.

“You mean someone has annoyed you today?” Giles asked. “I don’t believe
it.”

Spike stared at his father for a minute. Sarcasm was definitely not normal
in a conversation with him. “You feelin’ alright, Dad?”

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“No reason,” Spike replied, shaking his head.

“So, who is this girl that seemed to agitate you so much?”

“Some little princess. She plows into me and then informs me that she has
no intention of ever getting out of my way.”

“After you informed her of the very same thing, I’d wager.”

Spike knew enough to look suitably sheepish at his father’s accusation.
“She’s the new girl. I’ve been here for years- I’ve earned my place!”

“Son, this is not a Caste system,” Giles said with a sigh. “It’s a high
school. You could at least try to be nice, especially if she’s new. She’s
probably nervous.”

“Yeah, real nervous with her designer clothes and snobby attitude.”

“Should I be worried that my son knows what clothes are designer?” Giles
asked with a smile.

Spike glared at him, deciding to not even dignify the statement with a
reply. “You could try and support your flesh and blood every now and then
and not defend a girl you’ve never even met.”

“Did you say she’s new?” Giles asked with a puzzled look.

“I’ve never seen her before,” Spike answered as Giles walked over to his
desk and began flipping through papers.

“Did you happen to catch her name?”

“It was something weird.”

“People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, SPIKE.”

Spike glared at his father. “I don’t know it was something like Bunny or
Candy. Why do you care anyway?”

“Buffy?” Giles asked, staring at a piece of paper in his hand.

“That sounds right.”

“Buffy Summers. She’s the daughter of Hank Summers.”

“So?”

“I think you should try and be nice to her.”

“And why would I want to do that?” Spike asked with a confused look as he
stared at his father.

“Just be nice to her, William.”

* * * * *


Buffy let out a heavy sigh as she walked into the cafeteria. It had been a
very long day, and it was barely even half over. Smiling when she saw Xander
and Willow waving at her from their table, Buffy began making her way over
to them.

Halfway there, and for the second time that day, she felt herself losing
balance as someone plowed into her. Turning to face the perpetrator, Buffy
found herself rolling her eyes as she, once again, began glaring at Spike
Giles. She noticed his clenched jaw as he looked up at the ceiling.

“Do you need glasses or something?” he asked, making eye contact with her.

Buffy took a deep breath, not wanting to get into a screaming match in the
middle of the cafeteria on her first day at a new school. Regardless of
what she thought of him, it wouldn’t do wonders for her reputation to be
caught yelling at one of the most popular guys in school. Unless everyone
else disliked him as much as she did. This thought almost brought a smile
to her face, but Buffy quickly remembered where she was. “Do you think
you’re so superior to everyone else that they don’t even matter when you
try and knock them over?”

“Maybe if you’d get your nose out of the air and watch where you’re going,
you wouldn’t find yourself in this position so often.”

“I’m the one with my nose in the air?” Buffy asked, gesturing to herself in
disbelief. “When you practically have an entourage following you?” She
motioned at the same group of people that were with him that morning in the
hallway.

“At least I have friends,” he said with an annoying smirk.

Buffy glared at him. “Yeah, I’m sure they’d stick with you through thick
and thin. Or at least through the next soccer game, provided that you score
the winning goal!”

Without another word, Buffy turned and made her way to the only two people
who had made an effort to be friendly to her all day.

Spike gritted his teeth as he stalked over to his table, jerking out his
chair with enough force to propel it across the room if he hadn’t had such a
harsh grip on it. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to be nice to her,” he
grumbled as he dropped into the chair.

“What’s wrong, Blondie Bear?”

Spike looked to his left to see his girlfriend Harmony sitting next to
him. “Nothing, Harm,” he said in a sulky tone.

“Spike just had another run-in with the new girl,” Riley Finn said as he sat
across the table.

“New girl?” Harmony’s whiny tone carried across the cafeteria.

Spike glanced over at Buffy’s table to see her shoot him a look, obviously
knowing that they were talking about her.

“Yeah, Buffy something,” Angel O’Rourke said, taking a seat. “Cute girl,”
he said, looking over at Buffy’s table.

“I’ll say,” Riley spoke up. “Definite potential for that one.”

Spike stared incredulously at his friends. “Are you lot insane!?”

“Come on, Spike,” Angel said. “You know you were checking her out with the
rest of us.”

“My Spikey doesn’t check out other girls,” Harmony said, not noticing the
eyes that were rolling.

“What’s the what?” Cordelia Chase asked, sitting down next to Riley as Darla
Mason sat next to Angel.

“Just talking about the new girl,” Angel said.

“I had a class with her earlier. She seemed alright, great fashion sense.
Why? Are we thinking about letting her into the group?” Cordy asked.

“We bloody well better not be,” Spike said, giving the members of the table
a look.

“Spike’s having issues with her,” Riley said when Cordelia gave them a
confused look.

“Did she put you in your place, Spike?” Darla asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh yeah,” Angel said with a chuckle, earning a glare from Spike. “She told
him she wouldn’t be getting out of his way anytime soon.”

“I like her already,” Cordy said with a laugh.

* * * * *

Buffy was practically running through the hallways after school. She had
stopped by the Counselor’s office to make sure her transcripts had arrived
from her old high school, and now she was running late.

Turning the corner, Buffy groaned when she saw Spike at the end of the hall,
leaning against the row of lockers. Taking a deep breath, Buffy made her
way toward the exit. She could have found another door, but she didn’t have
time.

She saw when Spike noticed her but kept her eyes averted as she got closer.

“Are you stalking me, Summers?”

Buffy turned to face him, looking slightly uneasy. “I never told you my
last name.”

“Small school. Details don’t stay quiet long.”

Buffy didn’t bother to answer- she simply made her way to the exit door.

“You never answered my question.”

“No, I’m not stalking you,” she said in an irritated voice. “I’m trying to
get home…and I’m not the one lurking in darkened hallways like some creature
of the night.”

“I’m not lurking, I’m waiting.”

“Waiting?”

“For my girlfriend,” Spike said in a tone that implied she should have
known.

“You mean someone’s actually going out with you? What kind of air-headed,
bubble brain would demean herself that much?”

Before Spike had a chance to answer, Harmony came bouncing down the hallway. “Spikey! I’m done with cheerleading practice. You wouldn’t believe how
easy it is for me to do the new cheer now.”

Buffy raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. “Never mind, you don’t need
to answer. I think I get the picture.”

Spike walked closer to Buffy, putting more distance between himself and
Harmony. “You think you’re so cute, don’t you, Summers? With your pricey
clothes and the holier than thou attitude, but you know what? I see through
all that. I see the shallow, egotistical creature that’s lying under that
polished surface.”

“You talk to me for less than five minutes, and you think you know me? Let
me tell you something, Spike, you…” Buffy trailed off as she looked at her
watch, her eyes widening as she turned around to run for the door.

“So that’s it? No snappy retort?”

“I don’t have time for you, Spike,” Buffy said, rushing out the door.

Chapter 2 – Not a Clue


Spike walked into the modest, two-story house on Revello and draped his
duster on the banister as he made his way into the kitchen. His mother
Jenny was standing in front of the oven, keeping an eye on a batch of
cookies, as she looked up to smile at her son.

“Hello, sweetheart,” she said, walking over to give him a kiss on the cheek.
“Did you have a good day?”

Spike shrugged as he took his place at the kitchen island, grabbing one of
the cooling cookies off of the plate in front of him. “It was alright, I
guess.”

“Did you have a fight with Harmony?”

Spike gave his mother a look at the obvious hopeful tone in her voice. It
was no secret that Jennifer Giles disliked Harmony Kendall and obviously
thought her son could do better. “No, Mum, I didn’t have a fight with her.
I just kept running into some new chit. Literally.”

“What’s so wrong with that? You didn’t injure the poor girl, did you?”

Spike offered her a small smile. “Only in my dreams, Mum.”

“William Giles, I don’t want to hear my son talking that way.”

“She just gets under my skin,” he mumbled, staring at the tiled surface.

“Is she annoying?”

“Yeah.”

“Stubborn?”

“Yeah.”

“Irritating?”

“Yeah.”

“Pretty?”

“Yeah…wait!” Spike looked up and saw the devilish smile on his mother’s
face. “That was a trick question.”

“It worked, didn’t it? So, what’s her name?”

“Buffy.”

“Buffy,” Jenny repeated softly as she took her latest batch of cookies out
of the oven. “Sounds like an interesting girl.”

“If you mean to say spoiled, I’ll support that statement.”

“William, did you even give the girl a chance? You haven’t even known her a
day.”

“And that’s one day too many,” Spike said, walking out of the kitchen.

* * * * *

Buffy tried to enter her house as quietly as she could. Not quiet enough,
apparently.

“Buffy!”

Buffy inhaled sharply at the sound of her father’s voice. The very idea
that he was even in the house sent chills racing up and down her spine, but
knowing that he was looking for her practically had her in panic mode.

Knowing that it was best to not keep him waiting, Buffy made her way through
the huge, impersonal mansion, quickly coming to stand in front of her
father’s office. Timidly knocking on the door, Buffy jumped when the door
was wrenched open and an angry Hank Summers stood in front of her.

“Where the hell have you been?”

“I-I’m sorry. I had to talk to the guidance counselor after school.”

Hank seemed to study her for a long time before his glare deepened. “Get
out of my sight.”

Buffy wasn’t sure what had made him so angry this time but didn’t hesitate
to retreat to the front of the house. Quickly climbing the staircase, Buffy
made her way to her room, dropping her backpack in a nearby chair as she
collapsed on her bed.

Her mind flashed over the events of the day. Buffy was grateful that she
had made two new friends, even if she did have too many run-ins with the
infuriating Spike Giles. Buffy lay on her bed, repeatedly tossing her
stuffed pig Mr. Gordo into the air and catching it on every downfall.

Buffy froze when she heard footsteps approaching. Surely her father
wouldn’t seek her out when he had demanded her out of his sight less than
ten minutes ago. Hearing a soft knock on the door, Buffy breathed a sigh of
relief. Hank Summers never concerned himself with knocking. It was ‘his
house’ after all, and he could ‘go anywhere he damn well pleased.’

Jumping up from the bed, Buffy opened the door to reveal Winifred Burkle.
Fred was one of the maids in the household and the closest thing to a mother
that Buffy had these days.

“How are you, honey?” she asked with compassion evident in her voice.

“I’m okay,” Buffy said with a shrug. “It’s not that bad…today.”

Fred nodded. “How was your first day of school?”

“It was good,” Buffy said, offering a tentative smile. “I made some new
friends. I’m meeting them at the local club tonight.”

“That’s great,” Fred said with a big smile. “Be home before your father
gets back,” she warned, the smile fading from her face.

“Don’t worry,” Buffy said with a nod. “I’m not going to give him any
ammunition to use against me.”

Fred gave Buffy a quick hug. “Charles said he’ll be back a little after
midnight.”

“Thanks, Fred. And tell Gunn I said thank you.” Charles Gunn was her
father’s driver. In the few weeks since she’d moved in, the staff had made
a conscious effort to look after Buffy.

Buffy shut the door and leaned against it as Fred left. Looking around her
room, she shook her head at the irony of her life. The room was decorated
in burgundy shades, accenting the deep cherry wood of her four-poster bed,
dresser, and desk. Several windows lined the huge room, including Buffy’s
favorite place- her window seat.

The seat was covered in a velvet, burgundy cushion and looked out over the
vast grounds of Hank Summers' property. From the gardens, where every exotic
flower that could survive the California heat were planted, to the stables
and rolling pastures that were dotted with exquisite Thoroughbreds.

Hank never bothered to ride the horses, only having a few exclusively for
riding. He housed prized stallions which he used for breeding to local
racing farms. The horses were also one more way for Hank to schmooze his
fancy clients that he brought home to wine and dine from his law-firm
Summers & Pryce.

On the outside, Buffy was nothing more than a spoiled little rich girl,
perfectly polished and playing her role as the attentive daughter. But
scratch the surface, just the tiniest amount, and the glamour fell away.
She might appear to be a princess, but more than anything, she wanted her
mother back. She wanted the life that she had grown up with, in a modest
house with a warm, comforting environment. A bedroom that felt
personalized. She wanted the love and kindness that she feared she would
never have again. Yes, people thought they knew Buffy Summers…they didn’t
have a clue.

Chapter 3


Buffy nervously walked through the doors of The Bronze, wearing a lavender
halter with a slight shimmer to it when she moved and a pair of black
pants. Her hair fell slightly past her shoulders in a golden curtain.
Buffy looked around the popular club and spotted Willow and Xander at a
table, waving at her to get her attention.

Buffy smiled and waded through the crowd to get to her new friends, giving
them each a friendly greeting as she sat down.

“So this is the ‘it’ place in Sunnydale, huh?”

“Yeah,” Willow said with a nod. “It’s not much, but it’s got a homey
atmosphere.”

Buffy nodded in agreement as she looked around the dimly lit club. “Well, I
think I’m going to get a drink. Do you guys want anything?”

“I’m good,” Xander said with a shake of his head.

“Me, too,” Willow said, nodding. “But thanks.”

Buffy slowly made her way to the bar, feeling like a fish swimming upstream,
as she tried to squeeze through a particularly tight area.

“Bloody hell!”

Buffy squeezed her eyes shut, praying to anyone who would hear her, begging
that the voice she heard didn’t belong to the one and only Spike Giles.
Apparently no one was listening.

“I should have known it was you.”

Buffy opened her eyes and turned in the direction of the voice. Her mouth
opening slightly as she saw his t-shirt clinging to his chest as a result of
the empty cup in his hand.

“Why don’t you watch where you’re bloody going next time?” he growled,
looking at her with ice blue eyes.

“I-I’m sorry…I didn’t…”

Spike clenched his jaw, staring at the tiny blonde girl in front of him.
“Forget it,” he ground out, pushing past her, only to come face to face with
his girlfriend.

“Why are you talking to her?” Harmony asked in a haughty voice as she looked
down her nose at Buffy.

“I wasn’t,” Spike said, trying to pull the soaked fabric away from his
chest.

Harmony stared at the other girl for a minute. “What a cute outfit…last
year.”

Buffy glanced down at her clothes before sighing and turning for the bar,
narrowly avoiding knocking over another man. She stopped when she heard
Spike’s voice again.

“You know, Summers, wherever you go, I’m guessing bad things inevitably
follow.”

Buffy turned to face him, something that could only be anguish written on
her features. Blinking rapidly, trying to keep her tears at bay, Buffy
quickly began walking the other way, only stopping briefly to say a quick
goodnight to Willow and Xander, making up an excuse of a headache.

Spike watched her walk out of the club, not sure what came over her all of a
sudden. He felt remorse for something that he didn’t consciously do, and it
mad him angry at himself. His ‘inner ponce’ William was trying to come out
and make him feel guilty, but Spike gritted his teeth before turning away
from the direction that Buffy fled.

* * * * *

Buffy wandered home slowly. Her father would still be gone for several
hours, so there was no need to rush back. Hugging her arms around her thin
frame, she periodically wiped tears from her eyes, hating herself for the
weakness flowing through her.

She felt her heart rate speed up when she heard a car approach and slow
down, coming to a stop next to her.

“Buffy, right?”

Buffy turned at the sound of her name, vaguely recognizing the boy in the
car. “Who wants to know?”

She watched skeptically as he exited the car, making sure to keep a safe
distance from her. “I’m Riley Finn,” he said with a friendly smile. “I go
to Sunnydale High.”

“Oh, right,” Buffy said with a nod. “One of Spike’s lackeys.”

Riley smiled, glancing down at the ground almost shyly. “Not the way I
like to think of it, but I can see how you would get the assumption. I was
wondering if you wanted a ride?”

Buffy hesitated, looking up and down the dark street as she nervously bit
her lip.

“I promise I’m not an axe murderer or something.”

“Okay,” Buffy said softly. Riley seemed like a nice guy, and it was probably
safer than walking a mile in the dark.

Walking around the side of his car, Riley held the door open for her,
helping her into the car like a gentleman.

Very little was said as Buffy pointed out the way to her house. Pulling
through the front gates of the Summers Estate, Riley let loose with a soft
whistle.

“Nice house,” he said with raised eyebrows.

“Thanks,” Buffy murmured.

“Must be nice living here.”

Buffy shrugged. “It’s just a house.”

Riley looked at her but didn’t comment as he got out of the car.

“Thanks for the ride, Riley,” Buffy said, offering him a smile in gratitude.
“It really wasn’t necessary, but I appreciate it.”

“No problem,” he replied with a goofy smile. “Listen, Buffy…there’s this
party Saturday night that one of the guys from the football team is
throwing. I was wondering if you wanted to go.”

Buffy swallowed nervously as she glanced behind her at the imposing house.
“Can I tell you in school tomorrow?” At Riley’s quizzical look, she
continued. “I have to ask my dad.”

“Sure,” Riley said, glad that she wasn’t blowing him off.

* * * * *

Buffy wandered through the halls of Sunnydale High the next day. She was
slowly making her way to the cafeteria, not in a hurry since she never had
much of an appetite anymore.

Stepping through the doors, Buffy sighed when she saw Riley begin waving her
over to his table. Swallowing hard, she walked over to him, trying to avoid
eye contact with most of the people sitting there, especially Spike and
Harmony.

“Guys, this is Buffy,” Riley said in introduction. “Buffy, this is Angel
O’Rourke, Darla Mason, Cordelia Chase, Harmony Kendall, and I think you
already know Spike.”

Buffy offered a timid smile, wanting to make her escape as soon as possible.

“Nice shoes,” Cordelia said, looking the blonde girl up and down and
ignoring the shocked look that Harmony was giving her.

“Thanks,” Buffy said, smiling genuinely for the first time that day.

“Gucci?”

“Yeah,” Buffy said quietly.

“Of course,” Spike said, stabbing at his lunch, never making eye contact
with Buffy. “The Princess has to have the best of everything, isn’t that
right?” he asked, looking up at Buffy for the first time.

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Cordelia said, raising an eyebrow at her
friend.

Spike wisely stayed quiet, not wanting to get into an argument with
Cordelia Chase of all people.

“So, what do you say, Buffy?” Riley asked, steering her attention back to
him.

“Yeah…it sounds good.”

“Great! The party starts at nine, so I’ll pick you up around then.”

“That’s-“

“What?” Buffy was cut off as Spike turned to Riley, staring at him as if
he’d grown two heads. “You’re going out with her?” he asked, jerking a
thumb in Buffy’s direction. “Come on, Finn, you don’t want to have to pawn
your car so the Duchess can have a good time.”

“You know what, Spike?” Buffy said, her anger finally bubbling over. “You
think you’re so clever, but let me fill you in…you’re not! Riley asked me
to go to a party, and I accepted. You may think I’m a stuck-up snob that’s
only interested in money and clothes, and that’s okay, because I have no
interest in the opinions of a guy who doesn’t even bother to get to know me
before he makes a snap judgment. You’re pathetic.”

The group at the table watched as Buffy turned and walked toward her lunch
table, many raising their eyebrows at Spike as he stared after her with
narrowed eyes.

Chapter 4 - Interactions


Buffy was nervously going through her closet on Saturday night. She wasn’t
thinking about impressing Riley- as far as she was concerned, this was just a
friendly date. No need to send him romantic implications when she didn’t
necessarily feel that way about him. Buffy was nervous because this would
be the first night she was out of her comfort zone. Xander and Willow
weren’t planning on attending the party, and Buffy didn’t want to feel
completely dependent on staying with Riley the whole night. She was hoping
to meet some new people.

Finally making a decision, Buffy pulled out a black leather skirt and a
silky, white sleeveless shirt that was more draped in the front, showing off
just a hint of cleavage. Buffy looked at the clock and realized she was
running late, hurriedly dressed, and slipped on her shoes. Hearing the
doorbell, she smoothed her hair, which was pulled back in a loose bun with
some pieces left down to frame her face, and quickly reapplied her lip
gloss before walking downstairs.

Buffy smiled when she saw Fred talking to Riley, giving her version of the
third degree, which wasn’t much, but it was sweet that she wanted to make
sure Buffy was safe.

Riley turned to Buffy with a smile when he saw her descending the stairs.
“Wow,” he said. “You look sensational.”

Buffy blushed at the compliment and smiled back. “You look pretty good
yourself.”

Buffy saw that Fred had to restrain from clapping her hands in excitement
when Riley offered Buffy his arm. Buffy wished she would have talked to the
older woman to let her know this date wasn’t a romantic intention, merely a
friend, but she would have to do that later.

Waving good-bye, Riley led her out the door to his sports car, opening the
door for her and helping her in.

Buffy and Riley made small talk on the way to the party.

“So, whose house are we going to?”

“Parker Abrams,” Riley replied. “Have you met him?”

Buffy shook her head. “I haven’t met many people this week.”

“Well, you know me now,” Riley said, throwing a smile her way, which Buffy
returned. She really did like Riley. She didn’t feel butterflies or get
nervous around him, but he seemed like a genuinely nice guy, and she was glad she met him.

Pulling up to a large house close to Buffy’s neighborhood, Riley escorted
Buffy into the house. She had to refrain from groaning as she encountered
Spike and his girlfriend close to the door. Thankfully, Spike barely even
glanced at Buffy, giving her the once-over before turning back to his
conversation.

Buffy looked around the huge house. The foyer and the living room were
connected, leaving an open area for all of the high school students. A
curving staircase was to her right, leading to the second floor, where a
balcony ran the length of the room and several students were already dancing
and partying, to overlook the downstairs.

Riley excused himself to get some drinks as Buffy stood close to the wall,
surveying the area. She smiled when she saw Cordelia Chase walking toward
her. She knew Cordy was considered one of Sunnydale High’s resident snobs,
but the girl had been nice to her the few times they had spoken.

“Buffy,” Cordy greeted with a smile. “Glad you could make it.”

“Me, too,” Buffy said, smiling back at the taller girl. “You look great,”
she continued, looking at the red Versace dress.

“Thanks, you do, too.”

Buffy was grateful for the sincere compliment. “Are you here with anyone?”

“Not tonight,” Cordy said with a shake of her head. “I’m currently in
between boyfriends, so tonight is for Cordelia Chase to have fun and relax.
Where did Riley run off to?”

“Oh, I think he went to get us some punch.”

Before Buffy even finished talking, Riley appeared behind her with two
glasses of punch, offering one to Buffy.

“Cordelia,” Riley said with a nod in greeting. “Good to see you.”

“You, too, Riley. Well, I’m going to leave you two alone. Have a good time
tonight, Buffy,” Cordy said as she passed by them.

* * * * *

Two hours later, Buffy stood on the balcony, looking over at the party. She
had met several people tonight, but most were too drunk to even remember who
she was. Riley had disappeared about twenty minutes ago with a group of his
football buddies, and Buffy was getting increasingly bored.

The party was in full swing, but Buffy had already danced most of the night
and was soon tiring of the packed house.

“Not good to be all alone up here, pet.”

Buffy didn’t turn around as she heard the distinct British accent, but she
was surprised when she felt his warm breath caressing her shoulder. She was
even more surprised at the tingles that seemed to spread through her body.

“And why not?” Buffy asked in a much shakier voice than she intended.

Buffy felt her breathing become shallow as Spike stepped behind her, putting
one hand on each side of the railing that she was leaning against,
effectively blocking her in. She could smell the faint scent of alcohol,
but she knew that he was more sober than the majority of the house.

“You never know when some nasty might try and get a taste of you,” he
whispered.

Spike didn’t know what was coming over him. He had seen Buffy standing
alone, the way she had been most of the night, and felt himself drawn to
her. He didn’t understand why he was up here, and he really didn’t
understand why he was having to fight the urge to brush his lips over the
bare skin of her shoulder, but for some reason, she wasn’t as infuriating to
him right now.

“And that’s not you?” she asked in a whisper, trying to fight the trembling
that seemed to course through her.

“Maybe,” he replied in a husky voice.

Buffy’s brow furrowed as she looked around the crowded room. “Where’s your
girlfriend?”

“Probably off flirting with one of my teammates,” Spike said, looking over
her shoulder.

“And that doesn’t bother you?”

“Couldn’t really care less, luv.”

Buffy trembled slightly when she felt his hand gently running over her
shoulder to trail up and down her arm. “Don’t we hate each other?” she
whispered softly.

Spike smiled before leaning in close. “We can still hate each other,” he
whispered as he let his hands fall down to the hem of her skirt, his
fingertips trailing slightly underneath. “It doesn’t stop what you want.”

Buffy finally snapped out of the daze that she’d been in, spinning around to
face the arrogant man behind her with a glare. “You’re a pig, Spike! You
expect me to just jump into bed with you after the way you’ve treated me.”

“I wouldn’t throw stones, pet,” he said with an arrogant smirk.

“Yeah, I’d really want to be with a winner like you,” she said
sarcastically. “Someone who would willingly cheat on his girlfriend just
to get some action.”

Spike’s gaze hardened as he stared at her. “You don’t know anything about
me or my relationship,” he growled.

“I know more about you than you know about me,” she shot back. “And
relationship? I’m willing to bet that you two are no more than bed warmers
for each other. Just an easy fix that happened to turn into a so-called
committed relationship.”

“Tread lightly, Summers,” Spike said in a deadly tone.

“What’s the matter, Spike?” Buffy asked, widening her eyes in false
innocence. “I got a little too close to the truth, didn’t I?”

Buffy watched as Spike clenched his jaw before turning and walking down the
stairs. Buffy knew she was a little too hard on him, but her mind kept
flashing back to some of the hateful things he said to her, and she didn’t
feel as bad as she probably should have.

* * * * *

Riley dropped Buffy off, leaving her with a chaste kiss on the cheek. Buffy
quietly entered her house and jumped when she saw her father standing next
to the front door.

“Daddy!” she squeaked in surprise.

“Where were you?” Hank asked in a low voice.

“I-I told you…remember? I went out with a…with a boy from school. You said
it was okay.” Buffy hated herself for the terror in her voice.

“You’re back a little late, aren’t you?” he asked, a cool edge to his voice.

“I-it’s before my curfew,” she said softly.

“So you went to a party,” he said with a false warmth. “And how many boys
did you screw while you were there?”

Buffy’s eyes widened at the question. She shook her head as she answered,
“None, Daddy, I promise.”

Hank stared at her for a few moments before turning and walking away.
Buffy breathed a sigh of relief as she quickly ran up to her room. Shutting
the door behind her, she felt some of the tension leave her body as she
leaned against it, grateful that her father hadn’t said anything
else…tonight.

Hank Summers tried to play the role of the perfect father in front of other
people, but he had no problems degrading his daughter when they were alone.
In the few weeks since she’d moved in, Hank was certain that Buffy was the
town slut. He had no facts to base this opinion on, but it apparently made
him feel good about himself to humiliate his only child. Buffy knew that
Fred and Gunn were worried that he would start to take out his anger on her
physically, but she just told them she’d cross that bridge when she got to
it.

Hank never wanted a daughter to begin with, and he detested the idea of being
saddled with a teenager, especially when the women he brought home were not
much older than Buffy. She was a constant reminder that he was getting
older, and he hated her for that, among other things. Buffy was biding her
time until she graduated and could leave this Hell dimension that was
camouflaged by money.

Chapter 5 - Confrontations


Buffy walked through the halls of Sunnydale High Monday afternoon, searching
for her friends in the crowd as she headed for her last class of the day.
Spotting them on the other end, Buffy waved as she made her way over to
them, greeting them as she approached.

“Hey, Buffster,” Xander said, throwing an arm over Buffy’s shoulders. “How’s
my favorite girl?” Noticing the look that Buffy was throwing his way,
Xander’s eyes widened as he turned and pulled Willow to him with his other
arm. “I meant, my OTHER favorite girl.”

“Nice save, Xand,” Buffy said with a smile.

“I thought so,” he mumbled.

Buffy frowned when they neared the end of the hallway to encounter a very
heated argument between Spike and Harmony. The three friends exchanged
looks as they got closer.

“You were the one off snoggin’ some other guy, Harm, so don’t even try it.”

“I wouldn’t have if you would give me the time of day!” Harmony replied in
a high-pitched voice.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the fact that ever since Little Miss New Girl showed up,
you haven’t been able to have a conversation that doesn’t revolve around
her!”

Buffy blushed at the assumption that it was her. There was no other new
girl in this school as far as she knew.

“You’re blowing things out of proportion, Harm. And you’re trying to get me
off the subject, which is the fact that you were the one messing around with
someone else!”

“Don’t try that with me, Spike. I saw you at the party the other night.
You were practically having sex with her on the second floor!”

“That’s an exaggeration, and you know it,” Spike said in a low voice.

“Maybe it is, but you obviously can’t stop thinking about the little
floozy,” Harmony replied, noticing Buffy standing there for the first time
and gesturing toward her.

Buffy swallowed hard. It was bad enough that she got called every name in the book by her father, but now she had to be subjected to it at school.
Turning away from the couple, she knew she saw Spike look over at her before
continuing the argument.

Xander and Willow quickly chased after Buffy, who was busy trying to fight
back the tears in her eyes.

“Buffy, don’t listen to that vacuous tramp,” Willow said, earning a look
from both of her friends for her unusual words. “Don’t look at me like
that- you know I’m right, Xander.”

“Yeah, she is right, Buff. I mean, Harmony doesn’t have a coherent thought
in her head.”

“Guys, I’m okay, don’t worry about me,” Buffy said, offering a small smile
of gratitude as she continued walking.

* * * * *

Buffy walked toward her locker after the final bell had rung, only to be
encountered by a very angry man in a leather duster.

“Hope you’re happy, Summers,” Spike said in a low tone.

“About what?” Buffy asked with a skeptical expression.

“Thanks to you, my girlfriend broke up with me.”

“Thanks to me?” Buffy asked in disbelief as she pointed to herself.

“Yeah, you!”

“Don’t even start with me, Giles,” Buffy said, lowering her own voice to a
menacing level. “I never forced you to try and come on to me at that stupid
party! I was minding my own business when you decided if you gave me a
little sweet talk, I’d just offer myself to you. You have a lot to learn
about women.”

“Maybe I do,” Spike replied. “I just thought I’d see if you were trying to
turn over a new leaf since your reputation preceded you.”

“What?” Buffy asked in confusion.

“Oh, you mean you didn’t know?” Spike asked with mock sincerity. “Yeah, the
entire school knows about what you were like in L.A. You didn’t think you
could keep your shady past a secret, now do you?”

Buffy stared at Spike for a long minute before turning and walking away.
She had plenty of quick retorts for him, but it wasn’t even worth it. He
wasn’t even worth it.

Spike watched the petite girl walk away, feeling guilty for such a low blow.
He always opened his big mouth, but it was infuriating to know that
Harmony had called it quits, and it was, in fact, his fault. He knew he
shouldn’t have taken it out on Buffy, but he was ready to lash out at
anybody, and she had the misfortune of being the first one he came across.

With a heavy sigh, Spike turned around and groaned when he looked into the
angry eyes of his father.

“Son,” Giles said with venom evident in his voice. “Might I have a word?”

* * * * *

Spike was surprised that he wasn’t being dragged into his home by his ear
when he and Giles walked through the front door.

“Sit down,” Giles said, pointing toward the couch as he walked out of the
room.

Spike felt like he was five years old again, as he sat down. His father
wouldn’t even let him drive home, lecturing him the entire way about
propriety and appropriateness in proper conversation.

He sighed as his mother and father walked into the room.

“Rupert, what’s going on?” Jenny asked as she looked at her son sitting on
the couch like a scolded child.

“He’s your son,” Giles said, leaving the room again. “I’ll let him tell
you.”

Jenny raised an eyebrow as she looked at Spike. “Wow, you really must have
screwed up if you’re ‘my’ son.”

Spike offered his mother a small smile before clasping his hands in front
of him and biting his lip.

“What’s going on, William?” Jenny asked softly, sitting down next to Spike.

“I’m an idiot, Mum,” he said, looking at the floor. “I told a girl a rumor
I heard about her, and Dad overheard, and now…”

“Why would he get mad about that? You were just trying to inform a girl
about something.”

“More like…using it against her in an argument,” he said, looking up at her
with a sheepish expression.

“William,” Jenny said in a reprimanding voice. “You were raised better than
that. Why would you do it?”

“Harmony and I broke up,” he said softly.

“Really?” Jenny asked, trying to keep the obvious glee out of her voice.

“I just happened to come across Buffy and-“

“The girl that you keep running into?”

“Yeah, and I started an argument with her because she happened to be there.”

“William-“

“I don’t need a lecture, Mum. I know I screwed up.”

“Yes, you did,” she said softly. “Is there any specific reason you would
have started an argument with that particular girl?”

“She’s the reason Harmony broke up with me,” Spike said, hanging his head.

Jenny suppressed a smile- she liked this girl even more. “And why was
that?”

Spike took a deep breath before explaining. “Harm thought I was flirting
with her or wanting to be with her instead or something like that.”

“And do you?”

"Do I what?" Spike asked, looking over at his mother.

"Would you rather be with her?"

Spike was all ready with a resounding ‘No’, but he couldn’t get the word to
leave his throat.

Jenny softly patted her son’s arm as she stood. “Maybe you should think
about that, William.”

* * * * *

Buffy quietly let herself into the house. Her father probably wasn’t there
anyway- he was usually at work this time of day, but there were the
occasional surprises. Walking up the stairs, Spike’s voice kept echoing
inside her head, ‘Your reputation preceded you.’

Walking into her room, Buffy felt anger begin to take over at the callous
use of his words.

“What does he know?” she muttered to herself. “He thinks he’s such an
expert on women. He thinks he knows me, but he doesn’t know a damn thing!”
she finished as she forcefully pulled her books out of her bag, throwing
them down on her desk.

* * * * *

Buffy did her homework, finishing it in just under two hours, when she heard
the door open behind her. Briefly squeezing her eyes shut, Buffy quickly
turned and faced her father. “Hi, Daddy,” she said softly.

“What are you doing?” her father asked, not bothering to greet his daughter
as he looked over her shoulder to the work on her desk.

“Just finishing up with my English homework.”

“You keeping your grades up?”

“Yes, sir.”

“We’re expected to attend a dinner party tomorrow night.”

“A school night?”

“Did I stutter?” Hank asked, his gaze hardening.

“No, sir,” Buffy replied quietly.

“Not that I want you to go,” Hank continued. “But it’s part of the Mayor’s
reelection campaign, and he wants to prove that family values are important.”

‘He’s obviously never seen this so-called family,’ Buffy thought but wisely
kept her mouth shut.

"Be ready to go by seven,” Hank said, walking out the door before turning
back to face her. “And Buffy…I don’t want you coming on to every man in the
room.”

Buffy felt tears spring to her eyes as she watched the door close behind
him. The first night that she had arrived, Hank had been hosting a party.
Buffy had the unfortunate experience of meeting some of his colleagues,
including the revolting Ethan Rayne.

Ethan had made passes at Buffy all night long, even when she was around her
father. Hank didn’t seem to notice or care until all his guests left for
the evening when he turned on his daughter, accusing her of being a whore and
wanting to sell herself to the highest bidder.

It wasn’t Buffy’s first experience with Hank’s dark side, but it was the
first time he had so blatantly accused her of something. To an outsider,
Buffy had only been there for a few short weeks. From Buffy’s point of
view, she had been living in this house for an eternity.

* * * * *

Buffy dressed in a black silk halter dress the next night. The hem of the
dress fell to the floor with a slit on one side that showed a generous
amount of her tanned leg while still leaving a lot to the imagination.

Styling her hair in an elegant chignon, Buffy checked her make-up before
heading downstairs. She was five minutes earlier than she needed to be, but
that wasn’t enough to impress her father, who just raised an eyebrow upon
seeing her before turning and walking out the door.

Buffy smiled when she saw Fred wave good-bye from the entrance to the dining
room. Buffy waved back and walked out the door, feeling relief when she saw
Charles Gunn standing next to the Rolls Royce and holding the door open for
her.

“Thanks, Gunn,” she whispered as she walked past him.

“You look beautiful, Buffy,” Charles said softly with genuine care in his
voice. “Try and have fun tonight, okay?”

“I’ll try,” she said before getting into the car.

* * * * *

Ten minutes later, Buffy was walking into the Mayor’s mansion on her
father’s arm. It almost made her sick being this close to him. Her nerves
were practically shattered as Richard Wilkins came to greet them.

“Hank, it’s always good to see my favorite lawyer,” Wilkins said with the
suave attitude that kept him in office. “And who is this exquisite young
lady?”

“Richard Wilkins, meet my daughter, Buffy,” Hank said, putting on his false
pride as the Mayor shook Buffy’s hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, my dear.”

“You, too, Mr. Mayor,” Buffy said with a smile.

“Well,” Wilkins said. “I must be off to greet the rest of my guests, but
Hank, I expect to talk to you later.”

Buffy followed her father into the ballroom of the mansion, surprised when
she felt herself nearly toppling over in her heels.

Turning around, Buffy’s mouth dropped open when she saw Spike standing
behind her, an equally surprised expression on his face.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

Spike stared at her for a moment as if he wasn’t sure it was her before
answering. “My Dad is friends with the Mayor. He always drags me along to
these things. You?”

“Same,” Buffy said softly when she noticed the older, attractive couple
walking up behind Spike.

“Son, aren’t you going to introduce us to this lovely young woman?”

“Sorry, Dad,” Spike mumbled, briefly taking his eyes away from Buffy as he
looked over his shoulder. “Buffy Summers, meet my parents, Rupert and Jenny
Giles.”

Buffy smiled as she shook hands with Rupert before turning to the friendly
woman to her right. Jenny surprised both Spike and Buffy by enveloping
Buffy in a warm hug. “I’ve heard so much about you,” she said softly as she
pulled away to look at Buffy.

“I don’t know if that’s good,” Buffy replied with a smile.

“Oh, it was,” Jenny said, laughing when she saw Buffy’s skeptical look.
“You have to read between the lines.”

Buffy was about to respond when she heard her father calling out to her from
across the room. The Giles family all noticed the crestfallen look on
Buffy’s face before she turned and motioned to her father that she would be
right there. Turning around, Buffy pasted a fake smile on her face as she
looked at the two adults. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. and Mrs.
Giles.”

“Oh, please just call me Giles,” he said with a wave of his hand.

“And I’m Jenny. None of this Mrs. Giles business.”

Buffy smiled at the warmth that the woman seemed to radiate as she began to
walk away. She gave a quick nod to Spike, who was still staring at her,
before making her way over to her father.

“Who was that?” Hank asked in a low tone as he pulled Buffy to a more
secluded area.

“Rupert and Jenny Giles.”

“The librarian at your school.”

Buffy shrugged, even though it wasn’t technically a question. “And the
other one?”

Buffy turned and noticed that the Giles family were all discreetly watching
her interaction with her father. “That’s their son, Spike.”

“Spike,” Hank said with a scoff. “Sounds like a guy you’d date.”

“I’m not dating him,” she replied, trying to keep the defiant tone out of
her voice, to no avail.

“No?” Hank asked with a disbelieving tone. “I guess he’s just one of your
conquests then.” Buffy visibly flinched at the statement as Hank
continued. “Don’t embarrass me tonight, and don’t even think about talking
to any of my clients or coworkers.”

“Dad, I wasn’t-“

“And make sure you don’t go slutting around in your hooker dress, either.”

“You bought it for me.”

Buffy realized her mistake as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Yes,
she was proud of herself for standing up to the man, but pride had nothing
on fear.

Hank roughly grabbed Buffy’s arm, apparently not caring who saw, as he
spoke. “Don’t you dare speak to me in that tone, young lady.”

“I’m sorry, I was just meaning that it was in with all the dresses that were
there when I moved in.”

Hank let go of her as he took a few steps away. “Don’t test me, little
girl,” he said in a low tone. “You are nothing to me.”

Buffy watched as her father turned and walked away. She swallowed the lump
in her throat as she made her way to the open French doors at the back of
the room, needing a few minutes to herself.

Once outside, Buffy took in deep gulps of the cool night air as she looked
at the elaborate patio, leading down to a beautiful swimming pool with
flowers floating on the glassy surface.

“Are you okay?”

Buffy turned and was surprised when she encountered Jenny standing next to
her, with a sympathetic look on her face.

“You saw?” Buffy asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yeah,” Jenny said, resisting the urge to take the tiny girl in her arms and
give her some much needed mothering.

“I’ll be fine,” Buffy said with a firm nod.

“Buffy, are you sure you’re safe where you’re living?”

“I’m safe,” Buffy said, trying to put enough resolve into her voice to make
it sound more believable. “Don’t worry about me. I can handle whatever
comes my way.”

Chapter 6


Buffy sat next to her father in the elaborate ballroom as she played with
the food on her plate. She wasn’t all that hungry, but it wasn’t like she
could get up and leave whenever she felt like it. Looking up, Buffy nearly
dropped her fork when she saw Spike carefully watching her. He was sitting
across the table and a little further down, but his blue eyes seemed to be
penetrating into her.

Spike watched Buffy carefully as she moved the food around her plate. He
noticed she didn’t eat much of anything as she seemed to be preoccupied.
He offered her a slight smile as she looked up, directly into his eyes,
before Spike turned back to his own meal.

Spike had seen his mother go outside to talk to Buffy, but she refused to
tell him anything when she came back inside. Now, as everyone finished
their dinner and began leaving the table, Spike found himself almost drawn
to Buffy.

“Care to dance, pet?” Spike asked as he walked up behind her.

Buffy whirled around to face him, surprise written all over her features.
“Why would I want to do that?” she asked in an icy tone.

Spike didn’t hesitate as he wrapped his arms around Buffy, pulling her close
to him as they began to sway to the beat. “Because it’s so easy,” he
whispered, sending chills up and down her spine as his fingertips trailed
along her back.

“Okay then,” Buffy replied in a voice barely above a whisper. “Why would
you want to do that?” Spike pulled back slightly to look into her eyes
questioningly as Buffy continued. “Do you just want to find out if the
rumors that ‘preceded’ me are true?”

Understanding dawned on Spike as he turned away from her, not sure what to
say.

“That’s it, isn’t it?” Buffy asked, pulling away from him. “You’re all
bitter because your girlfriend left you, and now you’re looking for a quick
fix.”

“Did I say that?” Spike said in a neutral tone as he tried to pull her
closer.

Buffy evaded his arms as she stared at him. “I’m not some replacement for
your Barbie Doll wannabe. I don’t know what you saw in her, because from
what I’ve been told, she’s gotten friendly with every member of every sports team at
Sunnydale High.”

“Be quiet, Summers,” Spike said through gritted teeth.

“Why? Does the truth hurt, Spikey? Knowing that you weren’t enough for
her?”

Spike saw red as he took a step closer to Buffy. “You know what?” he said
in a deadly calm whisper. “The truth is, you’re not enough for me.”

Spike felt the anger radiating off of him as he walked away.

Buffy watched him go, feeling upset and guilty at the same time. Why did
she and Spike always manage to bring out the worst in each other?

“Care to dance?”

Buffy turned and was shocked to see Rupert Giles standing behind her,
extending his hand. “Thank you,” she said softly.

Giles kept an appropriate amount of distance between himself and Buffy as
they began moving to the music. “Buffy, you’ll have to forgive my son,”
Giles said, looking across the room, where Spike was trying to discreetly
look their way. “He has a bad habit of putting his foot in his mouth, and I
feel that he’s effectively done that tonight since he stormed off the way he
did.”

“It wasn’t his fault, Giles,” Buffy said. “I just bring it out in him, I
guess.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Giles said with a gentle smile.

“It really is,” Buffy replied with a nod. “Spike’s not the only one who
puts his foot in his mouth all the time.”

* * * * *

Buffy walked into her English class the next day with a heavy heart. She
had to listen to a forty-five minute lecture from Hank Summers the previous
night about the proper etiquette at parties and many more things that Buffy
would never feel comfortable thinking of again.

The source of the problem, being that Buffy danced with not one, but two
men. One of which was married. Never mind that it was in the most innocent
of contexts, and never mind that Hank himself had been dancing with girls
who were barely even Buffy’s age. No, the fault and the blame always lay
with his daughter.

Buffy barely even offered a greeting to Willow as she took her seat,
propping her head up with her hands as she waited for the teacher to start
class.

Nearly an hour later, Buffy was bored out of her mind as Mr. Green repeated
the instructions for their next project.

“Okay,” he said. “Now that everyone knows what they are supposed to be
doing, you’re going to be paired up to complete the project.”

Buffy and Willow each looked at each other, silently confirming that they
would work together.

“And I’ve decided to pair off the partners,” Mr. Green continued, as he
began reading from a list in his hand.

Buffy listened as the names of the students dwindled down, silently begging
that she wouldn’t be put with the peroxide pest that sat in the back row.

“William Giles and Buffy Summers.”

Buffy narrowly avoided beating her head on the desk as the names were
uttered.

“Alright,” Mr. Green said a few minutes later. “Now that you know who you
are partnered with, you have until the week before Christmas vacation to
finish, so I suggest you get started on it sooner rather than later.”

As the bell rang, Buffy practically bolted to the front of the room, with
Spike right behind her.

“Mr. Green,” Buffy said, reaching his desk first. “You can’t expect me to
work with him.”

“I can, and I do,” Green said with a pleasant smile.

“Sir, with all do respect, I don’t think Summers and I are the best choice
to be partners for this,” Spike said.

“And why is that?” Green asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his
arms over his chest as he awaited an answer.

“Because one of us will end up killing the other,” Spike replied in an
honest tone. “And I don’t want to go to prison for murder.”

Buffy glared at him before turning back to the teacher. “I would be
perfectly happy working by myself on this,” she offered in an overly hopeful
tone.

“Nope,” Green replied. “My decision has been made. Maybe this project will
do you two some good.”

“But him?” Buffy said, jerking her thumb in Spike’s direction.

“Yes,” he replied. “We’re done now.”

Both Buffy and Spike gave a deep sigh as they turned and walked out of the
room.

“Well, this is just great,” Buffy muttered as they stepped into the hallway.

“I’m not too thrilled about it either, Princess,” Spike said in a sardonic
tone as he glanced over at the small girl. “So, when do you want to get
started on this? The sooner we start, the sooner it’s over.”

“I guess we could work on it tonight,” Buffy mumbled in defeat. “How about
your house?”

“No can do, Princess- Mum’s having some friends over tonight. I’ll just
come to your place.”

“N-no, that’s okay, why don’t we-“

“It’s not a problem, Buffy,” Spike said, cutting her off. “I’ll stop by
around four.”

“Alright,” Buffy said with a resigned sigh as Spike turned to walk away.
“Do you even know where I live?” she called after him.

“No worries,” Spike said as he turned around. “Biggest house
in town…I think I can find it.”

“Yeah,” Buffy mumbled, already hoping that her father would be working late.
She didn’t even want to think what his reaction would be to someone of the
opposite sex stopping by, no matter how innocent the situation.

* * * * *

Buffy nervously paced through the foyer of her house later that day. She
had changed into a pair of jeans and a black sweater, deciding it would be
more appropriate than her skirt that she’d worn to school.

Looking at the clock, Buffy noticed that it was already a few minutes past
four, and her anger was beginning to rise.

“The least he could do is be on time,” she mumbled as she resumed pacing,
seconds later hearing a knock on one of the double doors.

Buffy ran for it, throwing it open to reveal a very smug-looking Spike
standing on the other side. “Nice house, Princess,” he said in a
patronizing tone. “Come with its own staff, does it?”

Buffy had to suppress a groan as Fred walked around the corner from the
dining room.

“Buffy, I…oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had company.”

“That’s okay, Fred,” Buffy replied. “Spike’s just over here to work on a
school project- don’t worry about it.”

“Aren’t you going to introduce me, pet?” Spike asked Buffy with a smirk.

Buffy sighed. “Winifred Burkle, meet Spike Giles. Spike, this is Fred.”

“Pleasure to meet you, may I take your coat?” Fred asked.

“Uh, no, that’s alright.”

“Okay then. Buffy, I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Fred,” Buffy said softly.

“So, you have a maid, huh?” Spike asked, looking over at Buffy. “I can’t say
I’m surprised. It’s not like I expected you to lift one of your pretty
little manicured fingers to help.”

“Shut up, Spike! You don’t know what I do or how I help out, so why don’t
you keep your preconceptions to yourself, because you don’t even know what
you’re talking about.”

Spike raised an eyebrow as Buffy turned and walked down a nearby hallway.
With a heavy sigh he followed her, coming to a stop at one of the doors at
the end. Buffy quickly pushed it open and walked through, not bothering to
check and see if Spike was behind her.

Spike walked through the doorway a moment later, looking at the vast room he
was standing in. It was almost the size of the entire downstairs of his
house. Oriental rugs lined the hardwood floor with brown leather sofas
sitting in the middle of the room, accented by the mahogany end tables and
coffee table. Adorning the walls were expensive art, which Spike had a
feeling weren’t reproductions.

Wandering around the room, Spike stopped in front of a particularly
extraordinary painting.

“Renoir,” he murmured as he stared at the beautiful work.

Buffy looked up in surprise as she slowly walked over to stand next to him.
“You know his work?”

“Yeah…my Mum, she’s a fan of the Impressionist painters- Monet, Bazille,
Renoir…among others.”

“It is beautiful,” she said softly as she stared at it for a moment longer.

“Kind of expensive.”

Spike realized his mistake the moment the words were out of his mouth. He
wasn’t meaning to bring up the sensitive subject, merely commenting on how
the painting would be almost priceless, but of course, he’d said it wrong.

Buffy’s features hardened as her gaze dropped to the ground. “I guess so.
I really wouldn’t know since it belonged to my grandfather.”

“Buffy, I’m-“

“Don’t,” Buffy said, holding up her hand as she looked into his eyes. “It’s
not important anymore. You obviously aren’t going to change your opinion
about me, so I may as well agree with you.”

“Buffy-“

“Spike, my father has a lot of money. A LOT of money,” she reiterated.
“So, yes, I probably appear to be the spoiled little rich girl. Let’s just
get this project finished so we don’t have to go through this anymore.”

Spike watched as Buffy turned and walked over to the couch to begin their
assignment. With a heavy sigh, Spike followed her, choosing to sit next to
her instead of on the other couch. He noticed as Buffy tensed slightly when
he sat down, but she soon turned back to their work.

* * * * *

Over an hour later, Spike threw his head back to rest on the back of the
couch, exhaling loudly as he shut his eyes. He and Buffy had gone over
every detail of what they needed to do, and he was already exhausted by
thinking about all the work they would have in the next few weeks.

Buffy mimicked Spike’s movements as she stretched her arms over her head,
causing Spike to glance at her out of the corner of his eye. He noticed the
exposed skin of her taut stomach as her shirt rode up and was surprised as
he felt a slight movement in his groin.

Spike quickly looked away, frowning. He had never had any type of reaction
when seeing a little bit of skin. Shaking his head slightly, he began to
gather his things together.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow at school. We can work out when we’re going to
do the rest of the assignment. I’d rather it be sooner than later,” Spike
said, looking into Buffy’s eyes and noticing the brilliant colors that
seemed to dance in them for the first time.

Buffy opened her mouth to respond when she heard the door to the room open.
Without looking up to see who entered, she felt the trembling begin in her
stomach and spread throughout her body.

Spike looked at her in confusion before turning and standing to greet the
older man that he vaguely recognized as Buffy’s father.

“Mr. Summers,” Spike greeted, shaking her father’s hand. “Nice to meet you,
I’m William Giles.”

Spike saw Buffy turn to look at him upon hearing his name.

“You, too,” Hank said in what Buffy recognized as a fake voice. He used it
whenever talking to someone who wasn’t her. “Buffy,” he said, motioning
for his daughter. “This way.”

Buffy tried to calm her breathing as she stood to follow him out of the
room. “I’ll be right back,” she mumbled to Spike who was still looking at
her with some unease, brought on by her current mood.

Buffy walked into the hall with trepidation, pulling the door shut behind
her as she looked up to see Hank standing further away. Walking toward him,
she hung her head in defeat, hating herself for so many things. Not the
least of which was being born Hank Summers’ daughter.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked in a menacing tone.

“We’re working on a school project,” Buffy said, knowing that saying
anything would be futile, but saying nothing would be even more damaging.

“I’m so sure,” Hank said in a sarcastic voice. “What else were you
‘working’ on, Buffy?”

She stayed quiet, surprised when she felt her arm grabbed in a vice-like
grip.

“You’re quite the little slut, aren’t you?” he asked in a wicked tone.
“You’re a whore, just like your mother was!”

Buffy’s eyes snapped up to meet his. “Don’t you talk about her,” she said
in a low voice that disguised her fear.

“I’ll do and say whatever the hell I want,” Hank said, his voice rising.
“You’re my daughter.”

“Your daughter?” Buffy asked in disbelief. “You never even wanted to have
me! It was Mom who raised me. And turning out like her would be a hundred
times better than turning into you.” She noticed the tick in his jaw but
felt the power surge through her at finally standing up to him. “You call
me a whore, but you know what? You’re describing yourself!”

Buffy jumped and let out a yelp as she felt his fist impact the wall next to
her head as Hank lowered his head to look her in the eye. “You’re just
giving me a reason to send you away. Is that what you want, Buffy? To live
in some group home until you’re eighteen and they throw you out in the
street?”

Buffy’s eyes narrowed as she stared at him. “What about your ‘family
values,’ Father? It wouldn’t look good for the flawless Hank Summers to
ship his only motherless child away because he never wanted her to begin
with.”

Hank gritted his teeth as he looked at the small girl. “I don’t want to see
you,” he said in a menacing tone. “I don’t want to know you’re here. Stay
out of my way.”

Buffy watched as he walked away. “That’s what I’ve been trying to do,” she
said as he turned the corner.

Taking a deep breath, Buffy turned and walked back to the den, opening the
door to see Spike standing there with an unreadable expression. “You should
probably go,” she said softly.

Spike didn’t answer her as she walked past him. He watched as she began
gathering her things together before he turned and shut the door.

“Spike-“

“Does that happen a lot?”

Buffy shut her eyes, humiliation and shame filling her. “How much did you
hear?”

“Enough,” he said softly as he walked toward her.

Buffy looked down at the ground as she felt her chin begin to quiver.
“Spike, I know you hate me,” she said quietly, never raising her eyes from
the floor. “But…please don’t tell anybody about this. Say whatever you
want to me, but please-“

Buffy was cut off as she felt herself wrapped in a strong embrace. Spike
pulled her firmly against him, feeling her clutching at his shirt as she
buried her face in his chest and finally let her tears fall.

Buffy hadn’t had this kind of comfort in so long, she wasn’t about to turn it down.

Spike felt his heart wrench as he ran his fingers through her silky hair,
lowering his head until his lips were level with her ear. “I don’t hate
you, Buffy,” he whispered. “I'm here...I'll be here."

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