Description: AU. Buffy as an army brat, imagine the possibilities. Anyway, she moves to Sunnydale and meets William "Spike" O'Connor. But Buffy's learned in the past not to get too close to people because she always ends up leaving. So what will happen when Buffy finally falls head over heels in love?

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Buffy/Spike (again.)

Buffy Summers was the new girl in school. It'd been that way since she was little. You see, Buffy's stepfather, Rupert Giles, worked for the Watcher's Council. Although she wasn't completely sure what it was that he did, Buffy knew Giles worked for the military. But that was it. He had one of those 'If I tell you, I have to kill you' jobs.

As she made her way through the mob of students, Buffy found herself feeling at home already. She'd been at eight schools in the past ten years, so she adjusted quickly, but never got too attached to her schoolmates. Buffy had learned that lesson with Drusilla.

The two girls met while Buffy was attending a private academy in London and became the best of friends. They were inseparable for the five months that Buffy was there. Then Mr. Giles had been reassigned from England to New York. Buffy had been devastated; she moped around for nearly three months before she finally moved on. Now they were in southern California; Sunnydale to be exact.

Studying the slip of paper clutched in her hand, Buffy managed to find her locker: 143-b. But when she tried to open it, the gray locker door wouldn't budge. "Open you stupid." Buffy grumbled as she tugged harder and harder on the door.

"Need some help?" someone asked. Buffy looked up to see a boy of medium build with brown hair and matching eyes. He was wearing slightly baggy blue jeans and a white muscle shirt covered by a green button down shirt.

"Yeah, thanks." Buffy said, flashing the guy a quick smile and stepping aside.

The boy move to the locker and with a quick spin of the dial and a swift kick to the bottom left corner, it popped right open.

"Thanks." Buffy repeated. She threw a couple of books and notebooks into her locker and slammed it again.

"I'm Alexander Harris," the boy said offering Buffy his outstretched hand. "But everyone calls me Xander."

"I'm Buffy.Summers." She said taking his hand and shaking it weakly.

"So you're the army brat that everyone's been talking about?" Xander asked with a chuckle.

"That'd be me." Buffy admitted. She'd been called an army brat for most of her life, so she was pretty much immune to the remark.

"So I hear your dad is in the secret service or something. You're not wired are you?" he teased smiling brightly.

"Step-dad." Buffy corrected, "and he's not in the Secret Service, but he works for the military." She looked down the hall and noticed a fairly large group of people walking towards them; Xander had noticed them too.

"Oh hey," he said wrapping his arm around Buffy's shoulders and tugging her forward, "I want you to meet my friends." Before she could object, the group was upon them, forming a half circle around Buffy and Xander. "Guys," Xander addressed the group, "this is Buffy Summers. This is Willow Rosenberg, Amy Madison, Oz, Riley Finn, Angel O'Connor, Cordelia Chase, and Tara McClay." As he spoke, Xander quickly pointed down the line of people.

'These people seem pretty nice.' Buffy thought as she shook one hand after another.

"Welcome to Sunnydale High." A cheery red head piped in. "I'm Willow, if you need any help in any of your classes don't hesitate to ask."

"Will's is our resident brain." Xander explained. "Highest GPA in the class this one."

"Only to be followed by Oz of course." Willow added, blushing when the quiet brunette looked at her.

'She's got a thing for him.' Buffy thought.

"Hello." Angel said reaching out his hand. He took Buffy's hand in his own and kissed the top of it gently.

"Don't let him seduce you." A new voice whispered into her ear.

Buffy spun around quickly too see definitely one of the hottest guys she had ever seen standing in front of her. His hair was bleached so blonde that it was almost white and his eyes offered the perfect contrast, being a deep navy. He wore a clingy black T-shirt that showed off his great abs, tight black jeans, and black boots.

"What are you doing here?" Angel sneered. He gazed at the boy through sharp eyes.

"Not glad to see me?" the boy asked stepping up beside Buffy. For some reason, she couldn't take her eyes off him.

"Spike!" Willow giggled loudly, hugging the boy quickly. "What are you doing back?"

"I was only suspended for two weeks Red." Spike explained. "I figure I should have another month or two before I get kicked out again."

"Spike?" Buffy asked with a small grin.

"Yeah." He answered eyebrows raised. "Got a problem with that Goldilocks?" Spike grabbed a piece of Buffy's hair and tossed it back. She swatted his hand away quickly. "Oh feisty one here."

"Buffy this is Spike." Xander introduced the two. "Spike's been suspended six times since freshman year. He's going for the new record."

"Now there's something to shoot for." Buffy mumbled, earning a few laughs from the group gathered around her.

"And who might you be?" Spike asked. He let his eyes wander down her body, examining every curve. She was beautiful, long blonde hair flowing down past her shoulders; a skimpy blue tank top that showed just the slightest sliver of her stomach, barely hiding the navel ring underneath, and the tightest pair of jeans Spike had ever seen a girl wear. 'Cor, how can she breathe in those things?' he thought.

"I'm Buffy." Buffy repeated herself for the third time.

"She's the new army brat." Cordelia added. Buffy looked at Cordy with a look that could kill. "What? You are."

"Oh, so you're the chit that everyone's been talking about." Spike smiled. "Gotta say, I imagined you as more of a tomboy."

Buffy huffed stubbornly. "So just because my step-dad works for the military, I'm supposed to be a complete camouflage bum? I don't think so." The warning bell rang then interrupting the all out brawl that was about to start between Buffy and Spike. She may look like a dainty little princess, but she could hold her own, not only in a verbal battle, but also in a full out street fight. Since she was little, Giles had taught her some self-defense. She really wasn't into it when she was younger, but the older Buffy got, and the more she realized how big of jerks guys could be, the more she trained. It had worked into a regular schedule with her step- dad.

"Where are you headed to?" Tara asked Buffy. It was clear the girl didn't like conflict, so she pretty much tried to avoid it whenever possible.

"Um."Buffy glanced down at her schedule, "Chemistry. Sounds like fun."

"It's actually not that bad." Cordy said taking Buffy's arm in hers and leading her down the hall away from the group. "The teacher is incredibly fine and if you show a little leg, you never have to do a single assignment." Cordelia continued to tell Buffy all the whims and so forth of Sunnydale High, the group stood behind and watched.

"Oh yeah," Riley muttered, "with Cordelia teaching her, she'll be the premiere slut of Sunny-D High in no time."

"I don't know." Angel said looking past everyone and staring directly at Buffy. "She's cute, she could be very girlfriend worthy."

"In your dreams Peaches." Spike laughed taking a few steps in the same direction that Buffy and Cordelia had just left.

"Where are you going?" Xander asked.

"Figured I'd take in a class or two. Believe I've got Chemistry next." Spike took off down the hall humming a jaunty tune as he went. 'Never been so happy to go to a class before.'

"And the funny thing is," Willow said with a giggle, "he hasn't taken chemistry since his sophomore year."

"That's two years ago." Tara added quickly staring off down the hall with a wide grin.

"Yep," Xander sighed as he, Willow, and Riley went to their next class together, "he's got it bad."

Part 2:

She'd been walking around Sunnydale for nearly twenty minutes and still hadn't found the Junior High School. Sure she'd passed clothing stores, fancy restaurants, fast-food places, a coffee shop-which she made a mental note to check out later-City Hall, but still no school. Buffy looked down at her watch annoyed; 3:21, Dawn would be out of school in 10 minutes and she would freak if Buffy wasn't there to pick her up.

"This is hopeless," she whined stopping to look down a street she was sure she'd already been on. "All right, I know the Junior High is only five blocks from the High School, so why can't I find it? This town isn't that big."

"Need a ride?"

Buffy spun around to see a gorgeous black convertible had pulled up beside her. It was the kind of car Buffy had wanted since her sixteenth birthday last year. It was awesome; beige leather interior, flawless frame, and a great paint job. Its body was almost solid black except a tiny blue racing stripe that ran along the bottom of the car.

'Sweet car.' Buffy thought. Then her eyes landed on the driver; those piercing blue eyes being hidden by a pair of black sunglasses, that platinum blonde hair, those high cheekbones and cocky smile. "Oh," she sighed, "it's you."

"Don't act so happy to see me, luv." Spike grinned. He patted the seat next to him and looked back at the blonde before him, "Need a ride?"

Buffy was ready to tell him to buzz off, but then she thought better of it. 'He does know this town,' the little voice in her head cried, 'and you know if you're late to get Dawn, Giles will kill.' Swallowing her pride, Buffy jogged to the other side of the car. Spike had already opened the door for her and she slid in, pulling it shut behind her.

"Where to luv?" Spike asked sliding a pair of sunglasses onto his face and gripping the wheel. "Wanna head up to look out point for a little 'session'?" he wagged his eyebrows to accent the last word.

"Look," Buffy said turning to him, "the only reason I'm agreeing to a ride is because I have," she glanced down at her watch, "8 minutes to pick up my sister from school before I am grounded for the rest of my teen years."

Spike chuckled as the car lurched forward and took a hard right turn. "Well, if you're looking for the Junior High School, you're on the wrong side of town. Walking, it would have taken you another twenty minutes to get there."

"Great." Buffy sighed leaning back in her seat. She pulled out a pair of sunglasses from her book bag and slid them on.

The rest of the trip was made in silence, not a single word passed between the two. But Spike couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked with the wind whipping her hair around. When she sat down, her jeans had slipped down another inch or so and her shirt, if you could call the piece of material she wore a shirt, rode up, so now he could see a majority of her stomach. The tiny blue jewel in her navel ring caught the light every so often and shined like a diamond. Spike couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Buffy noticed his constant glances, but for the most part she ignored him. She was used to guys staring at her, but there was something about the way his eyes seemed to look right through her. "Something wrong?" she finally asked.

"What?" Spike jumped, mad that he'd been caught staring at her. "Nothing's wrong. Why would anything be wrong?"

"Well you keep looking at me." Buffy pointed out.

He didn't know what to say. Yeah, he'd been looking at her, but any guys with eyes would have done the same. "Well can you blame me? I mean those clothes you're wearing aren't exactly suited to turn boys away are they?"

"What wrong with the way I dress?" Buffy asked innocently. Normally she hated playing guys, but there was something about Spike that made her want to tug on his chain.

"Well," Spike started, trying to choose his words carefully. He didn't want to piss this girl off and get a shoe thrown at his head, again. "You dress like you're headed for a night on the town, you know?"

"Are you calling me a hooker?!" Buffy shouted, face turning red with anger.

"No." Spike assured her, trying to get himself out of the hole he had just dug. "I'm just saying, you look like you're ready to go to a dance club, but its just school, pet." Spike pulled up beside a rather large brick building. "Here ya go."

Buffy looked past the driver to the masses of kids gathering outside the school. They all seemed huddled into small groups, and she didn't see Dawn anywhere. "I don't see her." She told Spike.

"Maybe she's still inside?" he suggested.

Buffy opened her door and climbed out; she had taken two or three steps before she realized Spike wasn't behind her. Buffy turned around to find him still sitting behind the wheel, shades on, looking good. "You just gonna sit there?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

"Um, yeah?" Spike answered though it was more of a question.

"Do you have any idea what I'm about to walk into?" Buffy asked, but Spike only stared at her with a quizzical look. "I'm about to go into a battlefield filled with hormonal junior high boys. It's like suicide."

"And what would you like me to do, luv?" he asked, grinning up at her. She looked so cute standing there with her hands resting on her tiny hips, her head cocked to the side.

"Come with me." She admitted.

Spike looked at her for a moment then climbed out of the car. He casually strode to the other side, meeting her on the sidewalk. "Are we ready for battle, General Summers?"

"Funny." She sighed sarcastically. Buffy took off at a fast pace into the crowds.

Spike allowed her to walk in front of him, enjoying the view from behind. He laughed at the thought of anyone being afraid of these kids. They were harmless for all he knew.

"Hey babe," a punked out kid called looking directly at Buffy, "you wanna go find a more private place?" The kid wagged his eyebrows and flashed her a wicked grin.

Buffy turned around and stared at the kid. He was your typical junior high bad ass; wearing clothes at least two sizes to big for him, his hair dyed a bright green, and more jewelry than Buffy owned. "No thanks." Buffy said rolling her eyes.

"What, you afraid you can't handle a real man?" A few of the students around the kid laughed at his joke and eyed Buffy.

"Maybe you didn't hear her." Spike sneered. The kids hadn't even seen him standing there. "She said no thanks."

"What are you her brother?" The little punk laughed.

"I happen to be the boyfriend," Spike lied, coyly slipping an arm around Buffy's waist. He pulled her closer to himself.

"Oh really?" a girl asked from behind the two. Buffy spun quickly, still in Spike's grasp, to find Dawn standing behind them staring up at her.

She was clad in a pair of green denim jeans that hugged her hips tightly and a light blue t-shirt with a slew of glittering butterflies across the front. Her long chestnut brown hair was pulled back into two French- braided pigtails and a light application of make-up graced her face.

"Dawn," Buffy sighed in relief, "Finally."

"So Buff," Dawn eyed the guy standing next to her sister, "who's the bleached wonder?"

"Well," Spike huffed taken back by her words. His arm was still around Buffy's waist, she didn't seem to be pulling away, and he wasn't about to give that up. "Feisty little Niblet isn't she?" he asked Buffy.

"Dawn this is Spike; Spike this is my annoying little sister Dawn." Buffy introduced the two. "Spike's gonna give us a ride home. Let's go."

"You've been in this town for less than a week and you've already got a honey?" Dawn asked following the pair to Spike's car.

Buffy finally noticed the arm around her waist and quickly peeled it off. "He's not my honey." She explained to Dawn.

Spike said nothing as he jogged to the driver's side of the car and climbed in.

"Whoa." Dawn stopped in her tracks and stared at the vehicle in front of her. "Sweet car."

"I know." Buffy laughed, opening the passenger door and letting Dawn crawl in the backseat.

"Easy on the leather!" Spike scolded the girl.

"Touchy." Dawn sighed, dropping down in the seat.

Buffy climbed in and slammed the door behind her. Spike gunned the engine and peeled out of the school parking lot.

Part 5:

She had been avoiding him for the last three days, after their little dance at the Bronze, Buffy was not feeling very sure of anything at the moment. Avoiding him was easy considering he was only in three of her classes. She managed to sneak from once class to the next without looking too paranoid. Lunchtime was another dilemma, since she and Spike both sat at the same table. But every time Spike would even come close to saying something to her, Buffy would suddenly feel the need for another iced tea.

It was clear to everyone that she didn't want to talk to him, but none of them really knew why. Only Xander, Willow, Oz, and Tara were at the Bronze that night. But surely they had filled the rest in on what went down.

Walking through the south courtyard, Buffy kept her eyes peeled for any sign of a certain platinum blonde. Satisfied that he was nowhere in sight, she strolled off in the direction of her next class. Almost home free before Xander caught up with her, Buffy jumped when he stepped in front of her.

"Geez," she gasped, "are you like trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Sorry," he apologized, "I called your name like twelve times, but you didn't hear me."

"Sorry, must have blocked it out." Buffy peered around nervously hoping that Spike wasn't around.

"Well Willow just wanted me to invite you out tonight."

"Tonight?" Scanning her mental date book, Buffy found nothing planned for tonight with her friends.

"Yeah. You, me, Willow, Oz, Tara, the Bronze, could be fun!" Xander waved his hands in the air to accentuate his meaning.

Immediately Buffy's heart raced. 'This is just what I need, a night with my friends to get my mind off of.other things. No Spike, no teachers, no parents, no sis-' "Crap." She huffed under her breath.

"What's the matter Buff?" Xander asked to her sudden mood swing.

"I can't. I have to baby sit Dawn tonight. Mom and Giles are going out."

"Ow, tough break." Xander sighed. The warning bell sounded and Xander began walking away from his friend. "Well we'll be thinking of you while you're stuck at home, Buff!" he called before dashing off to class.

"Thanks." Buffy mumbled before going to her own class. Neither of them noticed the bleached blonde keeping to the shadows.

Spike smirked to himself as a plan formulated in his mind. "Doesn't want to talk to me eh? Guess I'll just have to make her then."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?!"

"No Dawn."

"Pretty please with ice cream, and chocolate, and sprinkles, and oranges!"

"Oranges?" Buffy asked, a disgusted look on her face.

"Please?" Dawn resumed her pleading, ignoring her sister's comment about her odd taste in ice cream toppings.

"Dawn," Buffy sighed. She was trying to clean her room up, finish her homework and baby-sit Dawn at the same time, and the youngest Summers was not making it any easier.

"Come on." Dawn whined, she picked up a stray pair of jeans off of her sister's bedroom floor and strung them through a hanger. "Can't we have just one night of sisterly bonding?"

"Dawn I already told you, I have a ton of homework and mom said if my room didn't get cleaned tonight she was going to throw everything that was on the floor out the window." Buffy explained while cleaning.

"Well I'll help." Dawn jumped at the opportunity. "You can finish your homework while I clean your room."

Buffy stopped mid-dusting and stared at her sister. Dawn was standing there, a clump of clothes already on hangers in her arms. "Okay," Buffy said wearily eyeballing her sister, "who are you and what have you done with Dawnie?"

"Ha ha." Dawn laughed sarcastically. "Look I've really missed hanging with you lately and thought you might want to do something."

The blonde thought for a minute. "What's the catch?" Buffy straightened and rested her hands on her hips.

"Dad said I couldn't watch the movie unless you watched it with me because I might get scared and have nightmares." Dawn explained.

"Dawn, if Giles doesn't want you watching it alone, chances are it's not a good movie for you to see."

"You know Buff," Dawn began hanging up clothes in the already overstuffed closet, "they've been married for seven years and you still call him Giles. Why?"

She chose her words carefully for this one. It wasn't that Buffy didn't love her step dad-she did very much-but he would always be Giles to her. He own father hadn't been around much when she was little, not that she remembered a whole lot. She'd only been six years old when her parents split, but she remembered the constant fighting up until that point. It was always one thing or another; the bills, Joyce's art gallery, the new baby, something. Though he did have enough decency to stick around until Dawn was born, and even a few months after. Giles had been a great friend to Buffy's mom while she was busy raising two kids under the age of seven by herself. He'd been a father to Buffy even before he and Joyce had married. But she'd always known him as Giles, and found it weird to call him dad. But since Dawn had never really known their real father, it was easy for her to accept Giles as her dad.

"I don't know." Buffy explained. "Just always called him that."

Dawn shrugged and began her consistent pleading again. "Well what if I help you clean your room? You can do your homework and then we can watch the movie. Sound good?"

Buffy thought for a minute. Either she could spend the whole night cleaning and doing homework, or she could let Dawn help her and then watch a movie. Granted it wasn't the same as going to the Bronze with the gang, but it was better than nothing. "Fine," she finally decided, "I'll watch it with you."

"Thank you!" Dawn shouted. She ran and gave her sister a chaste hug before setting to work cleaning.

Buffy smiled faintly and set to work doing her homework. 'Maybe this night won't be so bad.' She thought.

About forty minutes later, Dawn was sitting on the couch, feet tucked under her and blanket pulled around her body. Buffy came walking out of the kitchen carrying a tray of sodas, chips, and popcorn. She set it down on the coffee table and took a seat next to her sister.

"Ready Dawnie?" she asked; Dawn nodded in agreement. "Then let the movie begin." She pointed the remote at the TV and pressed the play button. The television screen went black before the picture came into view.

Twenty minutes into the movie Dawn peeled her eyes off the screen for a split second to glance at her sister; Buffy was out cold. Sighing, Dawn pulled the blanket that was wrapped around her legs off and threw it over her sister. "Poor Buffy." Dawn went back to watching the movie when a knock at the door interrupted her. "Great." She groaned, hitting the pause button and climbing off the couch. She threw open the door in an annoyed manner and gasped at the figure behind it.

Spike sat in his car, parked outside the Summers' home for almost an hour. "Just do it!" He argued with himself. "Sitting out here in your ride watching the house could be considered stalker like." Feeling the adrenaline raising in his body, Spike swung open the driver's door and climbed out, slamming it behind him. "Here we go." He said in a calm, steady voice. He jogged across the road and walked swiftly up the porch steps. But when he got to the door he froze, hand poised ready to knock.

'She doesn't want to see you.' The voice sneered. 'If she wanted to talk she would have done so at school.'

"Shut up." Spike growled. He reared his hand back, ready to knock, but still couldn't bring himself to do it.

'You can't do it. Just leave now and get the girl out of you head.'

Determined, Spike rapped loudly on the wooden door. "Here goes nothing." He mumbled to himself when he heard footsteps on the other side. Spike held his breath as the door swung open to reveal-not Buffy, but Dawn.

"Spike?" the younger girl asked.

"Um yeah." Spike said uncomfortably. "Is your sis home?"

"Maybe." Dawn said, she stood with her hands on her hips, head cocked to the side just like Buffy always did.

'She looks just like her sister.' Spike thought. "I really need to talk to her Bit."

"Bit?" Dawn asked confused.

"Yeah. You know you're just a little bit cuter than your sister." Spike knew charm was the only way he was going to get around this girl. "But don't tell her I said that." He added with a sly wink.

Dawn blushed at the compliment and stepped to the side, ushering Spike in. "She's asleep, give me a minute and I'll get her." She left the blonde standing in the hall while she went to wake her sister, returning seconds later, a sleep plagued Buffy following her.

"Who is-" Buffy's voice cut off as she noticed the peroxide blonde standing in her house. She narrowed her eyes angrily; feeling slightly betrayed that Dawn would let him into the house without asking her first. There was no way that Dawn could know that she and Spike were fighting, and Buffy didn't hold that against her. "What do you want?"

Spike was taken aback. Even in her sleep disheveled state she was beautiful. Her blonde locks were pulled back into two braided pigtails, loose strands falling from the binds and gracing her neck. The tank top she was wearing was bunched slightly around her jogging pants, which were shifted just a bit. Her eyes were heavy with slumber, but the minute she saw him they were wide and alert. "We need to talk."

"About what?" she asked dumbly.

"Come on, you know." Spike couldn't believe that Buffy was really the kind to play dumb. She was a lot smarter than she let people see. He eyed her up and down and tried to find the right words.

"Dawn," Buffy addressed her sister but her eyes never left the man in front of her, "could you give us a minute?"

"Sure," she agreed. Dawn turned to leave but grabbed her sister's arm and pulled her aside for a minute. "Don't do anything stupid." She warned before leaving the two blondes to figure everything out.

"So," Spike ventured. Buffy turned to face him, her face marred with a look of almost fear. "What's wrong?" he asked straight out.

"Nothing." She lied. Buffy folded her arms around her body, hugging herself.

"Don't lie to me, pet." Spike retorted. He was becoming annoyed with her already, but he kept his emotions in tune.

"What makes you think I'm lying?" Buffy asked, her face completely emotionless.

"Come on," Spike groaned, "at the Bronze, we were getting along great. Dancing and all that. Then out of nowhere you turn on you heel and take off, virtue fluttering."

"I, um," she desperately tried to come up with a buyable excuse, "I got sick, so I just ran home."

"Oh really?" Spike laughed, not buying it for a second. "I don't think so luv. Something happened in that little head of yours. Care to tell me what?"

Buffy glanced around, looking at anything except Spike. 'If you tell him everything your life will be a lot easier.' She reasoned with herself. 'Just do it and get it over with. You might be able to get a friendship out of this.' Thoughts rolled in her mind, causing a sudden dizzy feeling. With a long sigh, Buffy moved around Spike and took a seat on the steps.

"What's the matter?" Spike asked, worry etched on his face.

"You sure you wanna know?" Buffy asked. Spike nodded in response and took a seat next to her on the steps. "Alright, here goes." She took a deep breath and started her story. She told him everything, from when her parents divorced, to her mom's marriage to Giles, her friendship with Drusilla, and her move to Sunnydale. She told him why she could never have a relationship because her family always had to pick up and move.

Spike sat watching the emotions rolling over her face as she told him everything. He could see the pain in her eyes as she relived her friendship with a girl named Drusilla. His heart cried for the girl, for everything she had been through. Spike found himself developing new feeling for her. She wasn't just pretty and she wasn't just funny, but she was also incredibly strong and that was something Spike had to admire.

When she finished telling him everything, Buffy over at Spike. "That's it." She finished.

"Wow," Spike breathed. He had initially come to see Buffy in hopes of winning her over and spending the night steal kisses on her couch, but now- everything was different. "Listen," he began a slight waver in his voice, "I get what your saying, and-" he took a deep breath and tried to sort out what he wanted to say, "if you want to just be friends, I can handle that."

Buffy released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. This was exactly what she was hoping would happen. She would much rather have him as a friend than constantly chasing after her. "Good."

"Good," Spike echoed. He stood up from the steps and offered Buffy a hand. He helped her up and she walked him to the door. "So I'll see you in school on Monday then?"

"Sure, see ya."

With a quick nod, Spike turned and left the house. Buffy shut the door behind him, a happy smile glued to her face. 'Maybe this place won't be so bad after all.' She thought happily.

Part 6:

She felt wonderful, an essence of confidence radiated from her body. Standing in front of her full-length mirror, Buffy stared at her reflection and smiled.

The gang had decided to spend the long weekend at the beach; Willow's uncle had an ocean front cottage that he lent to the kids. Being that Monday was a holiday and Tuesday was a Teacher's Open House, Buffy wasn't due back at Sunnydale High for four days. Four whole days to spend lounging in the warm sun and splashing in the cool waters of the Pacific.

At first her mom and Giles were completely against the idea; the thought of their precious baby girl spending the night in a strange place with people she hardly knew and boys. The minute Giles heard the names Spike, Xander, and Oz his eyes flashed bright with anger.

"There's no way you're spending the night with teenage boys."

"Come on, Giles!" Buffy had pleaded, hoping to sway her stepfather's opinion. "It's not like I'm a child, I'm almost 17!"

"You're not old enough to be sleeping away from home in the same house as teenage boys with no adult supervision." He retorted.

"But there will be an adult there." Buffy lied. As soon as the words left her lips, she knew she was not getting out of this one. "Willow's uncle will be there the whole time." Buffy was silently praying that Giles could not read her twitchy behavior.

It had taken about another four hours of convincing arguments from both sides, her parents' wills were finally broken. Studying her reflection, Buffy decided she was ready. She wore a bright pink halter-top, a pair of Capri pants, and flip-flops. A large duffle bag sat at her feet, accompanied by a bright blue messenger bag filled with CDs, magazines, and anything else needed for entertainment on the ride there. Beside these two bags stood yet another, medium sized bag filled with beach towels, sunscreen, and three different swimsuits. Since Buffy couldn't decide which suit to take, she packed all three. Although she was only going to be gone for four days, Buffy had packed enough clothes to stay for a month.

A soft rapping at Buffy's bedroom door caught her attention. "Come in." she called, struggling with the zipper on one of her duffels.

"All packed?" a male voice asked from behind her.

"Yes," Buffy answered, knowing exactly who was there. She straightened and turned around to see Giles standing in her doorway, leaning against the frame. His face was lined with uncertainty, his prior decision rolling around in his mind. "Giles," Buffy groaned hefting one of the large bags onto her shoulder, "we've been over this. There's nothing going to happen this weekend. It's just a bunch of teenagers gathering at the beach, hanging out, and possibly throwing me a birthday party, I'm sure about that one."

"And there will be an adult there?" he asked, grabbing the other two bags and following Buffy out of the room.

"Giles." Buffy whined. She reached the bottom step and dropped her duffel near the door. "We've covered this before." Buffy took a deep breath before setting into her deep seeded lie. "Willow's uncle will be at the cabin the entire time. We will only be there for four days and it is not like it's out in the middle of nowhere. The house is only 2 hours away and I swear I'll call you as soon as we get there."

"And each night." Joyce added, entering the hallway from the living room. "You've got everything packed? Sunscreen, shampoo, towels? What about your cell phone?"

"Yes mom," Buffy replied with a slight roll of her eyes. Giles was about to begin the lecture about responsibilities again when a shill beep sounded in the Summers' driveway. "That's them!" Buffy announced happily, she dashed to the door and flung it open. Oz's van was parked in the driveway, while Xander, Willow, Tara and Spike climbed out. Buffy turned quickly and gave her mother a hug and pick up one of her duffels. "Thanks again for letting me go." She directed at both her mom and Giles.

"Hey Buffy!" Willow greeted, excitedly as she stood just outside the door. "Mrs. Summers, Mr. Giles."

"Hi Willow." Joyce greeted the young redhead. Giles smiled at the girl and moved to the living room area.

"Hello Mrs. Summers." Spike followed behind Willow, quickly followed by Tara.

The older woman nodded to the bleached teen. She wasn't exactly thrilled about the children's little outing, but she trusted her daughter and agreed that she needed more of a social life. Her husband on the other hand had greatly disagreed. He had insisted that Buffy was too young to be spending the weekend in a house with teenage boys, which he so affectionately called "hormonally driven animals". It took her quite a while to persuade him to her way of thinking, but eventually he came around.

"Ready pet?" Spike asked Buffy.

"Yes," she answered, "and don't call me pet."

Giving her his trademark cocky grin, Spike finally noticed the multiple bags lying near his feet. "You do know we'll only be gone for a couple days right luv?" He eyed her curiously.

"Okay Spike, say it with me: Buuuuufffffyyyy. Not pet, not luv, not any other British slag you can come up with." Buffy scolded him with a partial grin, "And I only packed the essentials. There's nothing in those bags that I don't need."

"I highly doubt that." Spike mumbled before hefting the two duffels onto his shoulders. "God these things weigh a ton."

"Stop complaining." Buffy shouted after the blonde. Giving her mother a quick hug, she picked up her messenger bag, strung it around her shoulders, and headed out the door, following Willow and Tara.

Joyce sighed heavily before she shut the door, walking into the living room, and snaking her arms around her husband waist. "It'll be fine." She assured him, though she wasn't entirely sure herself.

"I've just got a bad feeling about this." He stared out the window, watching the van back out of the driveway and take off down the road at a rapid speed.

"Two hours on the road," Spike announced as they pulled away from the Summers' house, "I get to pick the tunes."

A chorus of objections sounded from the back seats. "No way in hell is Spike picking the music!" "He'll put something stupid like punk rock on!" "Or the Ramons!" The passengers erupted into laughter all except Oz and Spike. Spike because it was his taste in music that was being insulted, and Oz-it'd be a cold day in hell before he broke out into any type of laughter.

"Why don't we just turn on the radio to whatever station will come in?" Xander suggested earning a round of 'Okays' and 'I guess so' from the group.

With an overly dramatic groan, Spike leaned forward from his position in the front seat and turn the dial on the radio. It sprang to life, fluorescent green numbers appearing on black screen. A loud crackling of static dawned in the speakers and Spike promptly turned them down. "Here we go." He said giving the dial a good spin and letting it stop. After a moment of nothing but static, a faint signal began to break through. Lyrics to a familiar song found their way to Buffy's ears and registered quickly in her mind.

"Oh I love this song! Turn it up!" she shouted. The blonde bobbed her head to the rhythm and sang along.

'At first I was afraid I was petrified

kept thinking I could never live without you by my side

But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong

and I grew strong and I learned how to get along'

Willow quickly joined in, both girls shouting at the top of their lungs.

'and so your back from outer space

I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face

I should have changed that stupid lock i should have made you leave your key

if I'd known for just one second you'd be back to bother me

oh now go, walk out the door

just turn around now cuz your not welcome anymore

you think I'd crumble you think I'd lay down and die'

Having enough of the Harlem Girls Choir in the back seat, Spike leaned forward and switched off the radio.

"Hey!" Buffy protested from the backseat, "I like that song!"

"Me too!" Willow added.

"And I like my eardrums the way they are." Spike sneered, "In the non- bleeding sense."

"Oh come on it wasn't that bad!" Xander argued. Spike promptly turned in his seat and stared at the brunette in the back. "What?" Xander asked incredulously. "Hey I'm all alone in the back with three girls, if I say there singing was terrible-which it wasn't-" he quickly amended, "I'll get ripped limb from limb. It won't be pretty."

"So what are we supposed to do without music?" Buffy whined.

"We could always resort to that caveman form of communication." Spike suggested with a smirk. Seeing the confused and bewildered faces of his companions, he added, "Talking."

"Oh," Buffy said with little enthusiasm. She hated talking; especially because it usually led to her having to tell the story of her life to people she had only known a few months. Not that her life story wasn't interesting; what with living in a different place every year, going to different schools, meeting important people-but recalling everything that she had missed by not being a "normal kid" tended to depress her.

"Why don't we play a game or something?" Willow offered, noting Buffy's uncomfortable state.

"Twenty Questions?" Xander asked excitedly. Everyone knew that he was the Twenty Questions champ.

"I hate that game." Spike groaned.

"Oh come on," Xander retorted, "It's a fun game!"

"Yeah because you always win."

"Exactly!" he shouted. "That's why it's so fun."

'Oh yeah.' Buffy thought as she stared out the window at the passing scenery, 'this is going to be a long trip.'

"Oh my God Will," Buffy gasped as she took in the sight of the beach house, "this place is beautiful.

"Yeah I kinda like it." Willow agreed.

The house was gorgeous-beyond gorgeous, it was-perfect. A small cottage type home with one floor. A small porch jutted out from the front, two old wicker rocking chairs swaying with the wind. It was only a short distance, through a narrow path in the high grass, to the beach.

The distinct sounds of seagulls and crashing waves sounded in Buffy's ears. The sun felt warm against her bare shoulders and face. 'This is going to be great.' Buffy thought idly. 'Please be great.'