Chapter 8:

It'd taken Buffy nearly two hours to get ready. Everything had to be just right. Pulling a pair of shorts out of her duffle, the blonde tugged them on. "Shirt, gotta find a shirt." Once again, Buffy dived into her bag. She pulled almost a dozen tops out before finally deciding on a red one- shouldered shirt.

A soft rapping at the door caused Buffy to jump. "Come in." she called.

Tara pushed the door open slowly and surveyed to scene in front of her. A fairly large pile of clothes had managed to appear on the bed that she and Buffy were to share. Buffy herself stood in front of one of the twin, full- length mirrors that sat in one of the corners. She was busy pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

"A-are you almost ready?" Tara asked.

"Oh," Buffy turned around and stared at the bed for a moment before reaching into the side pocket and retrieving some money. "Yeah let's go."

"If she's not down here in three seconds I'm dragging her down the steps." Spike growled. He'd been pacing the same spot for the last hour; there were now marks on the floor.

"Breath Spike." Xander tried to calm his friend. "Girls take a long time to get ready."

"Red is ready. Tara's ready." Spike spat, making his point clear.

Willow smiled sheepishly. Spike was a sweetheart, like the big brother she never had, but he was the most impatient person on this Earth. If you were more than five minutes late to meet him, he simply left. That's definitely something to work on, the girl thought taking down the mental note.

"Here they come." Oz announced looking to a pair of spiral steps that lead to the second floor. Tara was already on her way down, and Buffy had appeared at the top.

Spike ceased his pacing and stared at the steps. His eyes grew wide as he took in Buffy's attire. A pair of shorts that left very little to the imagination and a red top with one strap that stopped before meeting her shorts, leaving a small piece of her well-tanned stomach showing. Spike couldn't help but notice how her top clung to the gently swell of her breasts. Very nice. he thought.

"Well if everyone's ready, let go!" Xander shouted with much enthusiasm. Before anyone could blink, he was off the couch and too the door calling the word "shotgun" as he ran.

"Is he always like that?" Buffy asked the group in general as she followed to the hyper boy.

"Only when he knows that cotton candy and candy apples wait for him." Willow mentioned with a small laugh.

As the group loaded back into Oz's van Buffy felt a familiar presence behind her.

"Looks like it's you and me in the back seat." Spike whispered to her.

Sure enough that was the only seat left. Oz and Xander were in the front, Tara and Willow had taken the middle seat, so that left the back seat to be shared between the two blondes. Turning her head just slightly, Buffy noticed Spike's overly cocky smile.

"Try anything and you'll be minus an appendage by the end of the ride." She warned before climbing in.

Bossy little chit, Spike thought as he gladly watched the girl's backside as she climbed into the van. Like that in a girl.

The carnival was bigger than Buffy had imagined; lights of every conceivable color surrounded the wooden structure. A large Ferris wheel stood in the center spinning, while a chorus of sickeningly cheerful music and screaming children engulfed the visitors. Vendors attacked the tourists, literally, asking them to buy this or that, only to be rejected each and every time.

"Wow," Buffy muttered under her breath.

"Yeah it's pretty great." Willow answered her with a cheery tone. "So what should we do first?"

"I think we should probably wait for Xander." Oz mentioned. It was only then that the rest of the group noticed that the quirky brunette was no longer in their presence.

"Where is he?" Buffy asked, turning her head from side to side, but still not finding the boy.

Oz pointed just over Buffy's right shoulder. "He's already started sugar overload."

Turning around, Buffy finally found Xander. Sure enough he was walking back to the group an armful of fluffy, cotton candy in every color.

"Geez, Xand." Buffy teased, "Think you got enough for everyone?"

"Everyone?" Xander asked, dead serious. "This is all for me."

At the incredulous look Buffy shot the boy, Willow laughed and began tugging her boyfriend towards to a small booth. "Win me that big bear Oz," she pleaded.

"You know these things are rigged, right?" Oz asked her in reply.

"Oh they are not," Spike laughed shaking his head.

"Yes they are," Buffy retorted, "My friend in L.A. once spent $30 at one of these things trying to win a goldfish."

"Well did they?" Tara asked.

"Yeah," Buffy admitted, falling into step next to the shy girl, "but it died before we got home."

Walking up to the poorly painted, wooden counter Spike slapped a dollar bill on the hard surface. "I'll prove to you that these things aren't rigged."

Taking the softball from the worker, a scruffy looking man in his mid 40s, Spike eyed his target expertly. It was one of those games in which the object is to toss softballs into a tilted basket without it bouncing back out. After a moment of contemplation, Spike gently released the ball; it sailed through the air between him and the basket, ringed the inside and flew back out.

"Bloody hell." Spike cursed under his breath and handed the guy another dollar bill. Buffy stood a few feet back with a smug look on her face, laughing when yet another ball dropped to the ground.

"Spike I told you, you can't win at these things." She teased. "No one can."

Oz stepped up next to his friend and placed a dollar bill on the wood in front of him. At a confused look from the peroxide blonde, Oz nodded and answered, "For moral support." Picking up the ball placed in front of him, Oz closed his eyes and casually pitched the ball. To everyone's surprise the sphere landed in the basket and stayed in.

"What the-" Spike muttered, staring blankly as the carnival worker handed his friend a fair sized purple and blue teddy bear. Oz immediately handed it to Willow, who accepted it with a big smile.

Without a word Spike tossed another dollar onto the counter. Again the ball flew through the air, into the basket, and onto the ground; each time, the group learned another British swear word.

Fifteen minutes and nearly twenty dollars later Buffy was now the proud owner of a large brown teddy bear complete with the traditional red bow around the neck.

"Oh Spike," Buffy exclaimed, hugging the animal to her chest, "he's adorable. Thanks."

"So where to now?" Willow asked, clutching her own bear to her body.

"How bout the Ferris wheel?" Xander suggested pointing passed Buffy and Tara to the glowing, spinning wheel. As one the group began to move towards the ride.

"I don't know." Buffy sighed as they came nearer and nearer to the line. "I'm not really a fan of heights."

Spike stopped, turned and stared at her. "Are you saying that you're fraid of heights?"

Buffy was immediate to deny, "No. It's just that-" she searched her mind for a good reason, one that wouldn't get her laughed at. Finally she came up with, "If God intended us to be that high up, He would have given us the power to fly," earning a quiet chuckle from the group.

"I don't know about this," Buffy whined, being dragged behind Spike into one of the Ferris wheel seats.

"You'll be fine," he assured her. A carnival worker pulled the bar across their laps and fastened the latch. "See, we're all strapped in. There's nothing to worry about."

The seat lurched backwards and Buffy grabbed onto Spike's arm. It stopped just a few feet back and both blondes watched as Oz and Willow climbed into the seat. The red head waved to Buffy and gave her and encouraging smile. Then the wheel began to turn again, stopping momentarily for Tara and Xander to take their seats, and then continued.

'Okay,' Buffy thought, 'this isn't too horrible. I can deal with this.'

"So tell me a little something about yourself." Spike asked, trying desperately for some conversation.

"Like what?"

"You know, about your family, it must be fun to have traveled all over the world." He was avoiding looking directly at her, enjoying the scenery instead.

"Fun.yeah," Buffy mumbled with distaste. Spike raised a scarred eyebrow and Buffy continued, "I've never really been one to see the sights. You'd think that growing up in England would be fun, what with so much history all around you. The truth is, I hated it. I hated not being in one place for more than a few months, I hated not being able to keep friends, and I hated not being able to have a boyfriend." A moment of silence fell over the two. Buffy stared down at the coast, listening to the sound of a million voices.

Spike studied the girl next to him. She looked so sad, yet so brave and strong. He'd never known anyone with that kind of strength. "Listen, if you don't want to talk about your past, then I won't push."

"Thanks," Buffy finally let her gaze fall to the man next to her. "Tell me something about you then."

"Me?" Spike asked; Buffy nodded. "Well I was born in England, lived there until I was twelve with my grandmum, but she said I was too much trouble and shipped me off to the states to live with my Uncle Wesley. I've been here ever since. S'not a bad place, boring at times, but you get used to it."

'I'll never get the chance,' she thought bitterly.

As the ride came to a halt and the attendant opened the car for Buffy and Spike, he offered her his hand, and she accepted. They exited the ride, hands still clasped, fingers intertwined, and waiting for their friends. Neither realized that they were still connected, and it stayed that way for the rest of the night.

Part 9: ----

"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Buffy, happy birthday to you!" Buffy sat at the end of the long, wooden table as her friends crowded around her and sang. Smiles were plastered on everyone's faces as they watched her.

"Blow out your candles," Willow ordered in a cheery voice. She was bouncing up and down with excitement. This whole party had been her idea, and everything had to be just perfect. Tara, Xander, and herself had decorated the house while Oz and Spike entertained Buffy. A few balloons and streamers later, it was party central.

"Don't forget to make a wish," Tara added quickly.

Buffy leaned forward and sucked in a big breath. She paused momentarily, thinking of what to wish for. Everything had been going so well, she had no complaints. Being at the beach, surrounded by her friends-what more could a girl want? Glancing up at Spike, Buffy knew. She made her wish and blew out every last candle in one breath. Everyone clapped and cheered.

"Present time!" Willow sang, hefting a small, flat sized box onto the table. "Open it!"

"Will, you didn't have to get me anything," Buffy smiled. The gift was beautifully wrapped in shiny, gold paper and topped with a silver bow. Peeling the paper back delicately, Buffy pulled the box out and opened the top. "Oh Will," she gasped. Inside was a silver picture frame lined with a multitude of daisies connected with vines, and a snapshot of all of them at the pier. "How did you get this picture so fast? I mean it was just taken last night."

"Well there was a 1 hour film place next to the grocery store," Willow explained, "So when Oz and I went for your cake I ran to the photo place while Oz waiting in line at the grocery store. Do you really like it? I wasn't sure you would like it."

"It's perfect," Buffy smiled. She reached up and hugged the red head quickly, "Thank you so much."

"It's from me and Oz," Will corrected her.

"Thanks Oz," Buffy amended. He nodded his head in acknowledgement.

By the end of 'Present Time', Buffy had accumulated, along with the picture, a sweater and book of Love Spells from Tara, and an odd looking necklace from Xander. He said it was a good luck charm that his grandmother had given him.

"Grandma Harris told me that whenever you need a little luck to always have this with you," he explained.

"Why are you giving it to me? I mean doesn't your grandmother still need it?" Buffy asked, eyeing the peculiar jewelry.

"Nah, she's dead." Xander put bluntly. "Got hit by a bus."

"Doesn't sound like much of a good luck charm," Spike said under his breath.

"Okay, cake time!" Willow interjected. She had returned from the kitchen carrying paper plates and silverware. "Who wants ice cream?"

----

After cake and ice cream, the Birthday Girl stepped outside for a bit of fresh air. Buffy was busy surveying the ocean horizon when she felt a familiar presence behind her. "What's up Spike?" she called over her shoulder.

"Nothing much going on in there," he explained stepping up beside her and leaning against the railing, "the Whelp's trying to get everyone to play spin the bottle."

Buffy laughed, "Sounds like something Xander would do."

"Yeah." An awkward silence fell between the two as Spike stared out at the water and Buffy enjoyed the view of her shoes. Finally Spike spoke up, "I know I didn't get you a gift-"

"Oh, that's all right." Buffy interrupted, "I wasn't even expecting a party. It was a nice surprise." In truth, she had had a sneaking suspicion about the 'surprise' party from the beginning. Willow had been trying to get her out of the house all day.

"I wanted to get you something special but I couldn't find anything," Spike mumbled, "Everything was just-not what I was looking for."

"Spike it's okay." She'd never seen him like this. He was always so confident, most of the time coming off as arrogant and cocky, but now he looked nervous, almost scared.

'Just do it mate,' Spike ordered himself, 'Get it over with.' "Guess you'll just have to settle for this." Without warning he grabbed Buffy around the waist, pulled her body against his, and kissed her.

Buffy's mind immediately went into shock; she couldn't believe this was happening. Spike's lips felt so right against hers, his arms around her, fingers tracing tiny circles on her lower back. After a moment of surprise, Buffy began to relax into his touch. Slowly her lips parted granting his tongue entry, but it never came.

Pulling back, Spike sucked in air and stared at the girl in his arms. "Buffy are you sure you want this?" Though he really didn't want to know the answer, Spike waited anxiously.

She thought for a minute. Never had she felt such strong feelings for someone she'd known only a short time. It was obvious that there was an attraction between them, but Buffy wasn't certain she should act on impulse. Relationships had been broken before, leaving both parties heart- broken, and that was a feeling she was not ready to repeat. But for some reason, Buffy felt that it would happen with Spike; something about this was different. She felt safe and secure in his arms, letting the world melt away.

Without a word, Buffy pulled Spike's face to hers, meeting his lips yet again. The kiss was more passionate this time, sparks flying between the two. Spike's arms slid tighter around Buffy, pulling her closer to him; her arms circled his neck.

'Happy Birthday to me,' Buffy thought blissfully.

Part 10:

"Xander, are you sure you know how to start a fire?"

"How hard could it be?" he mused, dumping a generous amount of fluid into the pit. "A little lighter fluid, some logs, a match or two and BOOM, you've got fire!"

Both Willow and Buffy stared at him a moment. "Okay," Buffy shook her head, "have fun." She grabbed Willow's arm and tugged her a safe distance from the fire pit to where Oz and Spike were lounging comfortably on a large blanket.

"Where's Tara?" Willow asked.

"Ran up to the house for the food," Spike answered. Buffy made herself comfy in Spike's lap, his arms wrapped around her waist, her body leaning against his chest.

"I should go see if she needs help," Will looked up at the beach house a short fifty some yards away.

"I'll go with," Oz said climbing up from the blanket and joining his girlfriend. The two departed leaving Buffy and Spike alone.

Immediately their lips met in a fury of emotions. It'd been almost a full day since the two had first kissed and from that moment on they couldn't keep their hands off one another. They were always stealing kisses in a dark corner or holding hands whenever they could or even just sitting close together. It was almost as it their bodies were magnetic, yearning for the other when apart.

Breaking the kiss, Buffy gasped for air and smiled at Spike. "So what were you and Oz talking about?"

"Oh we were just placing bets," Spike grinned.

"Placing bets? On what?"

"How long it would take for the Whelp to light himself on fire," he answered nodding towards Xander who was struggling with the pile of logs and cussing under his breath.

Buffy laughed, "I don't think it will take very long. Maybe we should go help him." But before she could stand up Spike tightened his grip around her waist, holding her tight against him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Spike answered, "I just love having you in my lap. Generates some nice friction." He smiled devilishly and wagged his eyebrows.

Buffy reached up and slapped his chest playfully. "You're perverted, you know that?"

"That's on of my best qualities," Spike argued.

"I'd have to say it was your sense of humor," Oz said, returning to the blanket carrying an armful of sodas, cups, and Styrofoam plates. Tara followed quickly with the buns, mustard, and ketchup.

"Where's Willow?" Buffy asked noticing the absence of the over jubilant red head.

"She's helping Xander with the fire. I think he almost set himself on fire," Tara added glancing backwards.

Xander and Willow were arguing, waving their limbs profusely. Looking at them you would never know that these two had been the best of friends since kindergarten. Something about a yellow crayon brought them together, Xander had often told Buffy the story but she never quite grasped the concept.

"They're so cute when they argue," Buffy giggled.

"I think I better go break it up before Willow kicks his ass," Spike said. Reluctantly, he nudged Buffy off his lap, grimacing at the lack of contact.

"Better go with him," Oz set down the items in his arms, "Will can get pretty nasty when pushed to the limit."

Buffy and Tara watched the two men approach the fire sight. Conversation was had that neither girl could make out, but moments later Willow came trudging over to the blanket and flopped down.

"What's the matter Will?" Buffy asked popping a potato chip into her mouth.

"Xander's going to get himself killed one of these days," she sighed.

"What's he d-doing?" Tara asked, setting her stuff on the blanket next to Oz's things.

"He dumped the entire bottle of lighter fluid on the logs. I told him putting a match to the mixture would give you a flame large enough to see from an airplane but he didn't believe me. It's downright dangerous to do that, I mean does he know what could happen?" Snapping open a can of soda Willow took a large swig and set it into the sand.

"Don't worry Will," Buffy assured her, "Spike and Oz are there to help him now. It's cool." No sooner than the words had left her mouth a loud 'Bloody Hell' was heard. Three sets of eyes darted to the fire pit. Spike, Xander and Oz stood feet from the whole, a flame near ten feet high shooting from deep within.

"I told you!" Willow shouted earning a shrug of the shoulders from Xander.

"We s-should go help," Tara offered.

"Are you kidding? I'm not going anywhere near that thing!" Buffy pointed at the out of control flame. Already Spike had brought a bucket of water back from the crashing waves and doused the logs. The fire shrunk a little, but it was still far too large to maintain.

"See, they've got it under control." Buffy pointed out. "No need for us to interfere and risk singing hair."

----

After finally getting the fire under control, hot dogs and marshmallows were roasted, and eaten by all.

Buffy had just finished her third smore when Spike pulled her to her feet saying, "Come on, let's go for a walk."

"Okay," she agreed quickly. She dropped her plated into the garbage bag, took one last drink from her soda can and tossed it in also, and joined Spike.

"They're not coming back for a while are they?" Willow asked with a mischievous grin.

"Probably not," Tara answered plucking her half burnt marshmallow off the stick. She popped it in her mouth and smiled at the warm sticky goo left on her fingers.

----

They'd only been walking for ten minutes when Buffy looked behind her and decided that they were far enough from the group. Without a moment's hesitation, she grabbed Spike around the neck and crushed her lips to his. He responded eagerly, working his tongue inside her mouth. His hands came to rest on her waist, thumbs massaging tiny circles in the skin exposed by her shirt. Tiny goose bumps surfaced under his touch.

The kiss was broken with reluctance, both blondes breathing hard. Resting her forehead against his, Buffy spoke in a voice just above a whisper. "I don't want to go home."

"Who does?" Spike asked with a chuckle. "I don't want to be away from you for longer than a minute."

Buffy smiled and kissed him softly on the lips. "I can't believe we've been here for three days already. It feels like we just got here."

"Know what you mean," Spike said walking again. His arm slinked its way around Buffy's waist pulling her closer; she laid her head on his shoulder.

They walked slowly, enjoying the feel of the wet sand beneath their feet, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, and the occasional blast of cold water against their legs. Two hungry seagulls flew overhead screeching to one another.

"We should make this a yearly deal," Spike suggested. "We always get a long weekend around the same time every school year."

"Won't you be going to college next year though?" Buffy asked.

"I'll probably be headed to UC Sunnydale. I could take a day off of classes. No big." Honestly Spike was never one to think that far ahead, he preferred to live life as it came to him, day to day.

"Taking days off of class is what gets you kicked out," Buffy laughed.

"Yeah, well, anything to be near you." The two shared another passionate kiss that left both breathless.

"You're too sweet, you know that?" Buffy laughed.

"I've been told that, yeah."

Buffy laughed and wrapped her arms around Spike's waist. They continued their walk in silence, only the sounds of nature surrounding them. All thoughts were focused on themselves, and the wonderful feelings they were both experiencing.

“She’s home!” Dawn shouted. The youngest Summers leapt off her perch on the arm of the sofa and raced into the kitchen. Plowing through the door, she almost knocked over her stepfather who was coming the opposite direction.

“Oh, sorry, dad.” Dawn apologized.

“It’s quite all right sweetheart,” he smiled, “Is your sister home yet?”

“The van just pulled in the driveway,” she announced.

The sound of the front door opening and bags being dropped preceded Buffy’s voice calling, “I’m home!”

Dawn jogged down the hallway to meet her sister at the door. “Oh you’re back?” she said nonchalantly.

“Yeah,” Buffy smiled, “don’t play it cool Dawn I know you missed me.”

”You have no idea,” the younger girl admitted. “It’s been the most boring weekend of my life. Lots of parents/child bonding time. I’m ready to crack Buffy.”

Buffy laughed, knowing exactly what her sister was going through. Before Dawn was old enough, mom and Giles had always wanted to spend time with her. They still did, but now that Dawn was old enough to bond with, she got a little more free time.

“Here’s the rest of your bags,” Spike grumbled dropping the overstuffed duffels on the ground.

“Thanks Spike,” Buffy said.

”Hi Spike,” Dawn greeted cheerfully.

“Niblet,” he nodded with a grin.

“So where are mom and Giles?” Buffy asked, ignoring Spike’s hand on her hip. The little display of affection was hidden from the prying eyes of Dawn, but Buffy was still uncomfortable about such things in front of her family.

“They’re in the kitchen,” Dawn explained, “probably doing something I don’t want to think about.” The look of mock disgust on her face was mirrored on Buffy’s.

“Thanks Dawn, I needed that mental image,” she groaned sarcastically. Buffy breath caught in her throat when she felt Spike’s fingers slide across the skin exposed by her low cut jeans. “Uh…I’m gonna go…umm…say goodbye to the guys. Be right back.” Pulling Spike along behind her, Buffy burst through the front door onto the porch and pulled it closed behind her.

“What?” Spike asked innocently when she sent him an icy glare.

“Are you nuts? My little sister was right there.” She scolded him half-heartedly. The minute his lips met hers, all arguments were lost and Buffy was thrown into a world of not caring. With his lips on hers and his hands around her waist, nothing else existed-nothing else except her stepfather.

“Buffy!” Giles shouted.

The two broke apart immediately, their eyes darting up to the towering British man. A look of anger spread quickly across Giles’s face at the sight of his stepdaughter and this-boy together.

“Giles,” Buffy began in a scared voice.

“Get inside,” Giles ordered. When neither Buffy or Spike moved he added, “Now!”

With a look of guilt and shame, Buffy gave one last look to Spike and stomped passed Giles. Without so much as a word to anyone she continued upstairs, slamming her bedroom door in complaint.

“I’ll just be going,” Spike said drifting backwards to the van.

Giles said nothing, but watched the young boy leave and turned back inside the house.

----

“What was that all about?” Joyce asked rushing to her husband’s side.

“Buffy and that-Spike boy were kissing on the porch,” he explained clearly still upset.

“Oh,” Joyce sounded disappointed. “Why did you yell at her?”

“Because she should NOT be kissing boys she’s only known a few weeks!” Giles was dumbfounded; he couldn’t believe Joyce was not more upset. God only knows what happened at that beach house!

“Rupert,” Joyce started, her soothing voice attempting to calm the British man, “this isn’t that big of a deal. Buffy is a mature girl and she is 17 now.”

“What has that got to do with it?” he asked.

“We agreed that when she turned 17 she could date.” Joyce explained. “Apparently she took advantage of that rule.”

Sighing, Giles removed his glasses and proceeded to clean them thoroughly while he tumble the idea around his mind. True, he and Joyce had decided that once the girls were 17 they would be permitted to date, and Buffy had turned such an age only yesterday. But still Giles felt compelled to protect the girl from the world, to hide her away and block out all evils.

“I just don’t want to see her get hurt,” he finally said, replacing the now clean glasses on his face.

“You’re not her Watcher,” Joyce reminded him, “It’s not your job to shield her from pain. It’s the only way she’ll learn to deal and mature.”

He let that sink in. With a sigh of defeat he looked to the stairs.

“I suppose I should go apologize,” he concluded.

“I’ll finish the cake. Tell her that dinner will be ready in half an hour.”

Before he climbed the steps, Giles leaned down and kissed his wife strongly on the lips.

“What was that for?” Joyce asked, smiling.

“You always know how to fix things,” Giles told her and quickly added, “That’s why I married you.”

----

Buffy was mad. Storming up the stairs she had slammed her door and flung herself onto her bed.

‘What the hell is his problem?’ she thought bitterly, ‘It’s not like I was doing anything wrong! I was kissing someone, not exactly a crime! Giles needs to check the calendar, it’s not the eighteenth century anymore, it is okay for people who are not married to kiss!’ Buffy was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t hear the knock on her door.

“Go away!” she yelled, not caring who was on the other side.

“Buffy, may I come in?” Giles called through the wood.

“No!”

“Buffy please.” When she didn’t answer Giles was going to let himself in, but the door swung open quickly revealing a mightily pissed of teen.

“What d’you want?” she asked, hand on her hip, head cocked slightly, a look of anger in her eyes.

“I want to talk,” Giles said.

“What’s to talk about?” Buffy shouted. “You just treated me like a child in front of my boyfriend! Not to mention that all of my friends were in the van probably watching and laughing!”

“I am sorry about that,” Giles managed to slip in while Buffy caught her breath.

“Sorry?” Buffy repeated sarcastically. Turning on her heel, she stalked back to her bed and dropped onto the mattress, stuffed animals sliding overboard.

“Yes, sorry.” Giles repeated. He took a few steps into the room and when she didn’t protest, closed the door behind him. “Buffy, I’m terribly sorry for the way I acted. It was horribly selfish of me to intrude on your personal life.”

“Got that right,” Buffy pouted. “Why’d you do it?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted taking a seat next to Buffy on her bed. “I guess I was just trying to protect you.”

“Giles, I don’t need protected. I can take care of myself.”

“I know,” he amended quickly. “I suppose I still think of you as that little girl who would beg me to push her on the swings or ask me for a bedtime story.” He laughed happily at the memory, even earning a slight grin from Buffy herself.

“And then one day while I was pushing you on that swing, you jumped off and scraped your knee. You screamed like a bloody banshee,” Giles laughed, “but I picked you up and held you, and finally you stopped crying.”

Buffy smiled warmly though she didn’t remember the incident. “I was just a little kid then.”

“Yes, but ever since that day I’ve felt like I needed to be there for you, watching out for you.”

Feeling like a real bitch for saying the things she had, Buffy slid closer to Giles. He wrapped his arm around he shoulders.

“You’re my Watcher,” Buffy laughed. “Thanks.”

“So we’re all right then?” Giles asked, hopeful.

“Yeah,” Buffy said laying her head on his shoulder.

Giles smiled broadly, enjoying the momentary bliss of the situation. ‘This is the way every day should end,’ he thought.

~Discovered Relations~

Buffy walked down the hallway of Sunnydale High with a bounce in her step. She’d woken up this morning refreshed and rejuvenated, feeling like a million bucks. Taking an extra few minutes to toy with her hair and apply some make-up, Buffy was out the door.

Approaching her locker, she twisted the dial and pulled on the handle; the door didn’t move.

‘Crap,’ Buffy thought, ‘now how did Xander do this?’ With a swift kick to the bottom corner the door flew open. Buffy smiled broadly.

“Yep, you’re officially a student of Sunnydale High.”

She spun around quickly finding Spike leaning against a group of lockers directly across from her own. “Gee thanks,” Buffy said dryly, “just what I’ve always wanted.”

With a coy smile, the bleached blonde pushed himself off the lockers and sauntered over to her. His lips quickly captured hers in a fevered kiss. Spike’s hands wormed their way around her waist and Buffy’s around his neck.

“Ah hem,” came the voice that broke them apart. Both blondes turned to find Willow looking at them with an amused look on her face.

“Hey Will,” Buffy greeted sheepishly, her face turning slightly red. She made busy with the task of stuffing her books into her locker and pulling out the ones she would need for her morning classes.

“Sorry to interrupt,” she apologized, “but Angel asked me to find you.” She nodded to Spike for clarity.

“What’s the great poof want?” Spike asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

“I’m not sure. Something about your uncle’s car.” Willow told him.

“How does Angel know your uncle?” Buffy asked, grabbing a few last pencils from her backpack.

“Well they are brothers,” Willow laughed. At Buffy’s stunned face she added, “You didn’t know that?”

“Angel-Angel’s your brother?” Buffy asked, dumbfounded. She couldn’t believe Spike had never told her that. After all, he’d told her a lot of stories about his childhood. Never once had he mentioned having a brother.

“Half brother,” Spike corrected with a roll of his eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she wondered aloud.

“Um…I’ll see you guys at lunch alright?” Willow slipped backwards, trying to escape the mess she had made. ‘Really need to learn how to keep my mouth shut!’ she scolded herself.

Before saying a word, Spike tugged Buffy into a nearby empty classroom. Satisfied that there were no teachers or students lurking around, Spike shut the door and turned to Buffy.

“Look,” he began, “Angel and I aren’t related by blood--well not in my point of view anyhow. My da left my mum after she got pregnant with and hooked up with Angel’s mum. After I was born, my mum and I moved in with my grandma. I didn’t even know that the great poofter existed until I came to Sunnydale, after my mum died. He moved in with Uncle Wes too and the rest-as they say-is history.”

Buffy took a moment to let it all sink in. Spike has a brother that he never told her about; he never mentioned anything about his dad leaving or about his mother dying. What else was he hiding from her? She couldn’t help but wonder if there was something more that he was telling her. What if there was someone back in England that Spike had feelings for? The warm, confident feeling that had wrapped itself around her earlier like a soft blanket was gone now, replaced with feelings of doubt and wonder.

“Pet?” Spike ventured once Buffy hadn’t answered. She’d done nothing but stare into space for the last minute or so.

“I-um-I better get to class,” she mumbled pushing her way passed Spike and out the door. She disappeared down the hall in record time.

“Bugger,” Spike cursed under his breath, watching her walk away.

----

“What’s up Buff?” Xander greeted, loudly and with too much enthusiasm.

Buffy looked up from her lunch, startled at the sudden company. “Oh, hey.” She said meekly.

Immediately Xander knew something was wrong. Buffy was usually perky at lunch time, always chatting it up with Willow and Tara, or scrambling to do some last minute homework; but today she was merely sitting at the table staring down at-whatever it was the school was serving today.

“What’s the matter?” he asked. “Who died?”

“Someone died?” Tara asked taking a seat next to Buffy.

“I don’t know,” Xander said setting his tray down and dropping into a chair, “ask Miss Pouty face over there.”

“No one died,” Buffy explained, “I’m just a little distracted.”

“With what?” Tara asked.

“Is it Trig, cause you know Willow is a wiz at that stuff.” Xander offered.

Buffy smiled softly. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

Conversation took a brighter turn, laughing about things that had happened at the beach house, complaining about teachers, and dishing about the upcoming party.

“What party?” Buffy asked. She hadn’t heard anything about a party this weekend, unless-maybe she had but simply wasn’t listening.

“Cordelia is having a big party at her place this weekend,” Willow answered. She and Oz had joined the table shortly after Tara and Xander. “It’s full of all the popular jocks and cheerleaders, but if you avoid them it’s usually a pretty good party.”

“You should come with us,” Xander invited.

“I don’t know,” Buffy sighed, “I mean I wasn’t really invited.”

“That’s the beauty of it, you don’t have to be,” Xander said.

At Buffy’s confused look Oz said, “It’s pretty much a school wide thing. No one’s ever invited, they just come.”

She thought for a minute, “I guess it could be fun.”

“It’ll be fun,” Willow assured her.

----

Spike had ducked out of eighth period early to make sure he’d be able to catch Buffy when she left school. Leaning against her locker when the final bell sounded, Spike jumping at the sound and waited for her. Finally she came; gliding down the hall books in her arms, a pencil stuck neatly behind her ear.

‘She’s beautiful,’ he thought lustfully.

“Hi,” Buffy greeted meekly as she approached her own locker.

“We need to talk,” Spike put it bluntly. “Get your books and meet me at my car.” Without waiting for a reply he took off for the student parking lot.

Buffy didn’t know what to do. She could just leave through one of the other doors and walk home, but then nothing would get settled and she definitely needed closure. Stuffing a few textbooks and notebooks into her book bag, Buffy took off for Spike’s car.

----

They were half way to Buffy’s house by the time Spike finally spoke.

“I’m sorry,”

“For what?’ Buffy asked.

“For not telling you about Angel. It’s just that-a few years ago I met this girl name Cecily, and I fell madly in love with her. She was all I bloody thought about. Well once Angel found out about my little crush, he moved in wooing her until she was his willing slave. I’ve hated him from that day on.” Spike’s face took a look of pain and misery.

The minute he mentioned another girl’s name, jealousy crept over Buffy’s mind. She knew it was stupid of her, but still she felt it.

“I should have told you about him, but I was so scared that I’d lose you too.” He added.

It was then that Buffy realized that she really did care for Spike; that it wasn’t just a lusting after. Without a word she leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips.

“Spike, you will never lose me to Angel,” she said to him. “No one has ever made me feel the way you do. You make me feel alive, like the world is spinning under my feet. I can’t think of anything else I would rather do than to spend forever with you.”

A small grin spread across Spike’s face and grew wider until he feared that his lips would crack. Grabbing Buffy’s face, he crushed his lips to hers. “I love you,” he muttered between gasps of breath and more kissing.

Chapter 13:

Buffy pushed back suddenly, a look of panic on her face. "W-what?"

"I said I love you," Spike repeated, slower this time, savoring every word.

'Damn, that's what I thought he said!' she thought. Glancing back to the road, Buffy noticed that they were only two blocks from her house. "I need to go," she said hurriedly. Opening the passenger side door, Buffy climbed out and slammed it behind her, taking off in the direction of her home.

"Buffy!" Spike shouted, "Wait!" But it was no use; the girl made no indication of waiting or even hearing his voice for that matter. "Bloody hell," Spike groaned tossing his head back on the seat, "What the hell did I do now?"

----

'What the hell just happened back there?' Buffy asked herself. 'He can't mean those things. I mean, it's not possible. We've only known each other for a few weeks. Love? What the hell am I going to do? I can't face him now, I just ran out on him after he told me that he loves me! I mean, usually it's the guy that leaves right? Oh man.' Her mind was so caught up in the jumble of thoughts that Buffy didn't realize that she'd walked right passed her house. Only when the Anderson's dog began barking at her was she snapped back to reality.

"Don't worry," Mr. Anderson called hefting a handful of weeds from his garden, "he won't bite ya."

Buffy just smiled at the older man and kept walking. She didn't know where she was going or even care, she just kept walking. Trees stood on either side of the road, reaching their green branches toward the heavens. Cars whizzed passed stirring up the dirt that lay on the cracked and pot hole infested road.

'I knew this was going to happen. Feelings grow, I leave, and people get hurt. I never should have started this relationship!' Turning down a side street, Buffy looked up and notice Dawn walked her way, waving cheerfully.

"What's happenin' sis?" she called joyfully.

"Why are you in such a good mood? And what's in the bag?" Buffy asked nodding to the plastic grocery story bag dangling at her sister's side.

"Well if you must know," Dawn laughed, "I'm happy because there's a dance at my school next week and this boy, Conner, asked me to go with him."

Buffy couldn't help but notice how happy Dawn was; her face was literally shining with a bright smile. She tried to feel glad for her younger sibling, but the emotion just wasn't there at the moment. The only thing that clouded her mind was confusion and depression.

"As for the bag," Dawn continued not noticing her older sister's lack of excitement, "we have to do a nature project for Biology. I'm supposed to collect ten different leaves and identify them."

"Uh huh," Buffy mumbled, remembering a similar project she'd done in middle school. "I'll meet you back at the house, Dawn. Mom should have dinner ready soon."

"I was just heading back now," the girl answered then turned to Buffy who had already walked passed her in the opposite direction, "Where are you going?" When Buffy didn't answer Dawn sighed in annoyance, "Her mind's a million miles away. Probably day-dreaming about boys!"

----

Saturday morning Buffy awoke around 10:30 to a shrill ringing next to her head. Quickly realizing what it was she called out, "Will someone please get the phone?" When no one answered and the ringing continued, the tired and grumpy blonde plucked the handset off the stand. "Hello," she said in a rather annoyed voice.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" Willow asked from the other end.

Immediately Buffy's mood brightened; Willow was one person she could stand to deal with this early in the morning.

"Sorry Will," she apologized sitting up in her bed, "Didn't get much sleep."

"Sorry again," Willow repeated. "I was just calling to make sure we were still on for tonight."

"Tonight?" Buffy asked herself aloud. 'What's going on tonig-oh right, Cordelia's party.'

"Cordy's party." Willow said, echoing Buffy's own thoughts.

"I don't think I'm going." Buffy said.

"What? Why not?" Will blurted.

"I'm just not in the party mood," Buffy lied. The real reason she wasn't up for the party lied with Spike and her avoidance of him.

"And that's exactly why you should go-to get into the party mood." Buffy made a sighing noise on her end and Willow continued, "Are you sure this doesn't have anything to do with a certain bottle blonde we both know?"

'How does she do that?' Buffy wondered. "How'd you know?"

"It's just that best friend vibe thing," Willow laughed. "Also I kind of noticed that you've been avoiding him for the past few days. So what's up?"

"It's nothing really." Buffy attempted to assure her best friend.

Willow saw right through it. "If you won't tell me on the phone I'll come over and weasel it out of you."

"I'm fine, I swear. You don't have to-" Before she could finish her sentence, Buffy heard a click on the other end followed by the deafening sound of a dial tone. 'Great,' she thought placing the handset back on the receiver, 'now I have to get out of bed.'

----

Buffy barely had enough time to throw on a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt and run a comb through her hair before Willow was at the front door.

"I'm here and I brought ice cream," the red head announced skipping through the door, a plastic bag swinging at her side.

"What kind?" Buffy asked hopeful.

"Moose Tracks for you and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough for me," she answered.

The girls moved to the kitchen. Buffy grabbed two spoons out of the drawer and handed one to Willow before taking a seat at the aisle.

"So what's the matter?" Will asked, shoving a hefty spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.

"It's nothing big," Buffy answered. She hadn't looked up from her container in over ten minutes.

"Yes it is, don't lie."

"How do you know?" Buffy asked, feeling a little defensive.

"It's the best friend's job. We have to know everything that's going on at every minute or we get replaced." Both girls shared a laugh that died quickly. "So really, what's the what here?"

Buffy looked around for a moment, just checking to make sure that her family wasn't lurking anywhere. They seem to all be out for the day.

"After the whole Angel thing, Spike was giving me a ride home." Buffy paused but seeing Willow's insistent face continued quickly. "And we were kissing and-he told me he loved me."

"He actually said-" Will asked but didn't say the words. "Wow."

"Yeah wow," Buffy repeated. "And I pretty much freaked out big time. I jumped out of the car and walked home."

"Wow. Well-what do you-I mean how do you-" Try as she might, Willow just couldn't find the right words.

"Do I love Spike?" Buffy filled in. Willow nodded shyly. "No. I mean.well.maybe. But you know I can't have a relationship, cause I'll be moving away and it'll all just end horribly."

"Yeah," Will agreed. "Well have you told Spike that?"

"Not exactly."

"Why not?"

"I don't know," Buffy admitted. "I guess I thought if I ignored the fact that I would eventually leave it would never happen. This place is so- nice. For once I feel normal, part of the crowd, not just like I'm passing through. I don't want to leave."

"No one wants you to leave," Will added. She looked up at Buffy and smiled, feeling sympathy for her. "Maybe you should just tell Spike how it is. You know, how you can't get involved because of your step dad."

"I guess I kinda have to, don't' I?" Buffy asked; Willow nodded. "When?"

"Tonight at Cordy's party," Willow answered.

"I guess that's as best a time as ever," Buffy groaned. "Tonight then."