A/N:  I saw the previews for the new movie ‘Love Don’t Cost a Thing’ and an idea clicked in my head.  I don’t really know exactly how the movie goes or anything, so most of the story will be my ideas.  I’m pretty sure it’s based on an older movie, but I’m gonna do it anyway!!  Let me now what you think!!

~Ellie

  Prologue

Buffy Summers walked up the steps into Sunnydale High School.  She immediately headed straight for the quad, where she met her friends Cordelia Chase, and Harmony and Cecily Kendall.  They were the most popular girls in school.  They all came from rich families, and had looks that could kill.

“Hey guys.  What’s up?” Buffy greeted, as she joined the girls at the fountain.

“Hi Buffy!” Harmony screeched, hugging her.

Buffy giggled and hugged her back.

“Oh my gosh!  Your outfit is sooo cute!” Harmony said, admiring her friend’s black leather skirt and silver top.

“Thanks!  I got it in LA this weekend.”

“And your shoes are absolutely killer!” Cordelia chimed in.

“You wouldn’t believe the sales they were having at the mall.  My dad gave me his credit card.” Buffy said, grinning.

Cecily spoke up.  “Maybe we should go shopping again this weekend.”

“Oh my God, Buffy!” Harmony squealed, jumping up and down.

“What?  Do I have a zit?” Buffy asked, worriedly touching her face.

Cecily rolled her eyes at her twin sister.

“Harmony, spit it out already!” she yelled.

“Angel was staring at you, Buffy!” Harmony said, squealing again.

“He was?” Buffy asked, smiling.

Buffy has had a crush on Angel since she moved to Sunnydale a year ago.  Angel Michaels was the star of the football team and the object of every girl’s fantasy.

“He’s looking right now.” Cordelia said, grinning.

“He’s not the only one.” Cecily said, looking in the other direction toward two guys standing under a tree.

“Ugh, God!  Are they staring at us again?  What is their deal?” Cordelia asked.

“Looks like.” Buffy added, watching the bleached blonde.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

William “Spike” Giles and Xander Harris stood under the tree across the quad.

“Look at them, all rich and popular.” Xander said, looking at the girls sitting next to the fountain.

“Yeah.  Damn, Buffy’s looking good today.” Spike said.

“Yep.  Speaking of Summers women, where is my girlfriend?” Xander asked, looking around.

“Don’t know.  I think she was with Willow.  Actually, here they are now.” Spike replied.

“Hi!” Willow Rosenberg greeted.

“Hey Will.”

“Hey Red.”

“The others headed to class already.  So I guess we should go.” Willow said.

“But I don’t want to go to class.  I want to go into a closet with Xander.  Believe me; it’s much more entertaining than history.” Anya Summers said, putting her arms around Xander’s neck.

Xander’s face turned a lovely shade of red, while Spike and Willow chuckled.

“Honey, what did we discuss the other night about what we should and should not talk about in public?” Xander chided his girlfriend, as if speaking to a small child.

Anya pouted.

“Sorry.  I forget.”

“It’s ok.  Just try to remember next time.” he said, kissing her on the cheek.

Spike and Willow watched the couple in amusement.

“I think we should head to class now.” Willow told them.

“Yeah, I guess.  Off to history then.” Spike said, sneaking one last look at Buffy before heading in the other direction.

It was lunchtime and everyone headed to the cafeteria.  Buffy sat down with Cordelia and Harmony.

“Ugh.  I hate history.” Harmony complained.

“I know.  It’s so boring.  I really don’t see the point in taking it.  I say, what’s done is done, why should we care?” Cordelia stated.

Harmony nodded, taking a sip of her Diet Coke.

“We learn history so we can learn from their mistakes.  It’s kinda interesting.” Buffy said, absently.

Cordelia and Harmony looked at Buffy.  Buffy grinned sheepishly.

“But it’s still pointless and boring.” she added.

“Oh my God!  Why does your sister go out with that loser?” Cordelia asked Buffy, pointing a few tables over to where Xander and Anya sat with the others.

“Maybe she loves him.” Buffy stated, getting annoyed.

Cordelia rolled her eyes.

“Whatever.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Buffy said quietly, looking at the other table.

She sighed, watching as Xander played with his food.  She didn’t know what he was talking about, but judging by the laughter coming from the table, it had to be funny.  She silently wished that she could have friends like them.  They didn’t care what everyone else thought.  They had fun just being themselves, where Buffy found herself constantly put on a pedestal.  She had to be what everyone wanted her to be: gorgeous, popular, and not very intelligent.  She wanted so much to come to school wearing clothes that she was into; to have true friends, the ones who would stay by you no matter what happened in life; she wanted to be more active in history class discussions, for that was her favorite subject.  She wanted to be….herself.

Buffy was shaken from her thoughts by a shrill sound.  Buffy jumped, looking around, before realizing it came from Harmony.

“You’ve been totally ignoring us.” Harmony whined.

“Yeah, Buffy.  What is your deal?” Cordelia snapped, glaring at Buffy.

“Sorry.  I was thinking about, uh…” Buffy scrambled to cover herself.  She was saved when she saw Angel.

“Angel!  That’s what I was thinking about.” Buffy said.

“Oh.  Well, you could’ve said something before ignoring us.” Cordelia said.

“Sorry.” Buffy said.

“So, when do you think he’ll ask you out?  Cuz, he will be the best Prom date….” Cordelia rambled.

Buffy sighed again, wishing the torture would stop.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“And then William the Bloody was all ‘I’m gonna eat you!’” Xander said, moving a chicken finger around.  “And Anne was, like, ‘I’m gonna kill you, William the Bloody!’”, Xander continued, using another chicken finger.  “And then Anne grabbed her stake, and plunged it towards his heart.”  Xander took a toothpick and stabbed a chicken finger with it, and made stabbing motions at the other one.  He smiled happily and put the chicken down.  The others were roaring with laughter at Xander’s recap of his favorite show, Anne the Vampire Slayer.

“Well?” Spike asked, after calming down.

“Well what?” Xander asked.

Spike rolled his eyes as his friend stared blankly at him.

“Did she do it?”

“Do what?” Xander asked, confused.

“Did she kill the bloke?” Spike asked, getting annoyed.

“Ohhh!  No.  There was a huge twist!  She kissed him.”

“She kissed him.  Well, that is one helluva twist.”

Spike glanced up, and saw Buffy staring intently at the table.  He cocked his head to the side, wondering why she would be looking at them.

“What’s wrong?” Willow asked.

“Buffy’s staring at us.” Spike answered.

“She’s probably looking at someone behind us.” Oz spoke up, from his spot next to his girlfriend, Willow.

They all turned around, and after seeing no one interesting, they turned back around.

“Interesting.” Oz stated, and turned back to his fries.

“I guess that’s one of those mysteries of the universe.” Willow said, chuckling.

“That’s Buffy for you.  There’s no telling what she’s thinking about right now.” Anya said.

Xander chuckled, an evil idea forming in his head.  He looked at Spike.

“She might be thinking about boinking a certain bleach head we all know and love.”

Willow giggled, and Anya shrugged, noting that it was probably true.  Spike turned red.

“I doubt it, whelp.”

“Come on Spike.  I bet she’s thinking right now about how big your"- Xander stopped abruptly, when Anya smacked him in the chest.

“Xander!  I don’t care if she’s a bitch, but she’s still my sister.  So don’t talk about what she’s thinking.”  Anya said, and then added, “Even though it’s probably true.”

“Alright, alright.” Xander said, rubbing his chest.

Spike sighed, and looked at Buffy.  ‘God, I would give anything to be with her.’, he thought.  But his hopes were dashed when he saw Angel sit next to Buffy.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy gasped when Angel sat down next to her.

“Hey Buffy.”

Buffy stared at him, eyes wide, speaking only when Cordelia kicked her under the table.

“Hey Angel.”

“So, I was wondering if I could give you a ride home.” Angel asked, and then quickly added, “Unless you already have one.”

“No.” Buffy replied.

“Oh, ok then.  Maybe some other time.” Angel turned to leave, when Buffy grabbed his arm.

“I meant, no, I don’t have a ride home, and I would love it if you would take me.” Buffy told him.

“Alright.  I’ll see you after school then.” Angel said, and then walked away.

“He is going to ask you out.” Cordelia stated.

“He is so going to ask you out.” Harmony added.

Buffy smiled a little, and then heard laughter from the table she wished she was sitting at right then.  She turned to see Xander rubbing his chest, while Anya was pointing her finger at him.  Then she noticed Spike watching her intently.  She smiled at him, and then turned back to Cordelia.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Bloody hell.”

The others turned to look at him.

“What?” Xander asked.

“She smiled at me.”

“Who?” Xander asked.

“Are you sure?” Willow asked.

“I was looking at her, and she smiled at me.”

“I’ll talk to her tonight if you want.” Anya said.

Spike nodded.

“Who smiled?  Who are you going to talk to?” Xander asked, confused, while the others laughed.

Buffy met Angel at his car after school.  Angel walked to the car and got in.  Buffy stood there a moment, wondering if he saw her.  She opened the door, and got in.

Angel started the car and drove off.  ‘Why isn’t he talking?’, Buffy thought.  After an agonizing five minutes, Buffy decided to try to start a conversation.

“So, uh, thanks for taking me home.”

“No problem.” Angel said, not looking at her.

“Um, I know it’s not my business, but, are you ok?” Buffy asked, tentatively.

“Yeah.  I just have a lot on my mind.” Angel replied, finally glancing at her.

“Well, if you ever want to talk…” Buffy trailed off, confused by Angel’s behavior.

The rest of the ride was made in silence.  Angel pulled up in front of Buffy’s house.

“Are you going to the Bronze tonight?” Angel asked.

“Probably.” Buffy answered.

“Maybe I’ll see you there?” Angel asked.

“Yeah.” Buffy said, smiling.

“Good.  See you later then.”

Buffy got out of the car.  She was going to turn back to thank Angel again, but he had already sped off.

She shook her head, completely confused by his sudden change of behavior.  ‘He seemed to eager to drive me home.’, she thought.

Buffy walked into the house and headed to her room.

“Buffy!”

Buffy turned, heading back down the stairs, to the kitchen.

“Hi mom.”

“Hi sweetie.” Her mother, Joyce, said from her spot next to the stove.

“How was school?”

“Same as usual.  Where’s Anya?” Buffy asked, noticing the other blonde was nowhere in sight.

“She’s upstairs in her room.”

Buffy nodded, and Joyce walked over to the counter to stand across from Buffy.

“Have you thought about what you wanted to do for your birthday?”

“I don’t want to do anything.  No parties.  Buffy birthdays are always bad.” Buffy said.

“Ok, no parties.  How about a movie night?  You, me and presents.  And cake.” Joyce suggested, smiling.

“As long as you invite Ben and Jerry.” Buffy replied.

“Of course.  Can’t leave them out.”

“That’s ok, then?  You don’t have to go to the gallery?” Buffy asked.

“Sure, it’s ok.  I am working tonight though.  I’m leaving in a few minutes.  So, you can order pizza if you want.”

Buffy sighed.

“Can I go out?”

“I guess.  As long as you come back at a decent hour.  It is a school night, you know.”

“I know, mom.  I promise to come home early.”

“Ok.  Oh, Cordelia called.  She said to call her back.  You’re not meeting her tonight are you?  You know I don’t like her, or the other two.”

“They’re my friends, mom.”

“I know, honey.  But I still don’t like them.”

Buffy walked with Joyce to her car.  Joyce opened the door and put her things in the car.

“You be careful tonight, ok?”

“I will.”

Joyce kissed Buffy on the cheek.

“Bye honey.”

“Bye mom.”

Buffy watched her mother drive away, then turned to go into the house.

‘Another night spent alone.’, she thought as she walked inside.

Buffy heard the phone ringing, and the answering machine pick up.  She walked over to the phone, prepared to pick it up, but put her hand down when she heard Cordelia’s voice.

“Buffy, you need to call me.  Now, damn it!  Hello?  Ugh, fine, call me later.”

Cordelia disconnected, and the answering machine clicked off.  Buffy watched the red light blink for a moment.  She started to pick up the phone again, but hit the delete message button instead. 

‘Suddenly I don’t feel like going out tonight.’, she thought, as she headed upstairs.  She stopped by Anya’s room and peeked in.  Anya was lying on her bed reading Cosmo.

“Are you coming in or are you just going to stare at me?  There seems to have been a lot of staring today and I would prefer if you would just say hello.” Anya said, not looking up.

Buffy walked in, and stood off to the side, feeling awkward.  She and Anya used to be the best of friends until they hit high school and Buffy got popular.  Even though they lived in the same house, they had hardly talked to each other since.

“Hey.  What are you reading?” Buffy asked.

“Cosmo.  Sex stuff.” Anya replied, absently, turning a page.

“Mom said we could get pizza.”

“She told me.”

“Are you going out tonight?” Buffy asked.  She secretly hoped she wasn’t, because she wanted to spend some time with her sister, get to know her again.

“Most likely.” Anya replied.

“Oh.  I thought maybe since mom was gone, you and I could stay in and-“ Buffy started, but was cut off by Anya’s phone.

Anya picked it up.

“Hello?—Hi Xander!—Sure.  Pick me up at seven?—Ok.—Love you too.  Bye.”  Anya put the phone on the bed and stood up to get ready.

She walked by Buffy, seemingly oblivious to her presence.  Buffy sighed, and walked out, deciding she would go out after all. 

‘Better than being here by myself.’

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy heard Anya leave.  She sighed again, and finished her makeup.  She stepped back to examine herself in the mirror.  She was wearing a pink skirt, with a matching pink spaghetti strap top, a present from Cordelia last Christmas.

‘Really not my style, but, whatever.’, she thought.  She grabbed a coat and headed out.

When she got to the Bronze, she could hear the music thumping.  She went inside, and began to walk towards the bar to get a drink when she heard Cordelia.

“There you are.  Why didn’t you call me back?  It’s not like you had anything important to do.” Cordelia told her.

“Sorry, Cordy.  My mom had me run an errand for her.”, she lied.

“Whatever.” Cordelia said, tossing her hair.

“Go get our table before some loser grabs it.  Harm and I will be there in a minute.” Cordelia told her, before walking away.

“Yes, mistress.” Buffy said, mockingly.

She headed towards their usual table.  She bumped into someone.  Willow looked up to see who she had run into.  She looked at Buffy, a little afraid.

“Oops.  Sorry.”

Buffy looked at her a moment.

‘Here it comes.’ Willow thought, preparing herself for any barbs Buffy threw at her.

To Willow’s shock, Buffy said, “It’s ok.”

Buffy looked at Willow in amusement as the girl stared at her, mouth hung open.

“So, who are you here with tonight?” Buffy asked her.

“Uh, I’m here with my friends and my boyfriend, Oz.  Yeah, he’s my boyfriend.” Willow stammered.

Buffy smiled at Willow’s nervousness.

“That’s nice.”

“You want to meet him?” Willow asked hesitantly.  She figured Buffy would say no, but she was shocked again when Buffy answered.

“Sure.”

“Ok.”

Willow led Buffy over to the sofas where her friends were sitting.

“Hey guys.  You know Buffy, right?” Willow said.

Buffy was about to say hi, but stopped when Cordelia, Harmony, and Cecily walked up.

“Are these losers messing with you?” Cordelia asked.

Buffy started to speak, “I was just-“

“You weren’t talking to them were you?” Harmony asked.

Buffy sighed, deciding that any attempts at explaining were a lost cause.  So she stood there, while the three girls insulted the group.

“Let’s go Buffy.” Cordelia said, walking away with Harmony and Cecily in tow.

Willow looked upset.  Buffy threw her an apologetic look, and whispered, “Maybe some other time.”

Willow smiled a little and nodded.  Buffy walked away to join the girls.

Halfway to the table, Buffy decided to go home.  She didn’t feel like sitting at a table talking about hair and makeup.  She turned around abruptly, and ran into something hard.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After witnessing the encounter with Buffy and her friends, Spike decided to go get a drink.  He was walking back to the others when he saw Buffy in front of him, heading towards the three girls seated at one of the tables.  Suddenly she turned and ran right into him.  He stood there, looking at her.  She looked up at him and blushed.

“Sorry.”, she mumbled, and walked around him.

Spike turned and watched her walk away.

“Strange girl.”, he said, and continued to his friends.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy was walking home, thinking about the night’s events.  She was a little angry because she had almost made a new friend, until her current “friends” interrupted.  Buffy shook her head.

‘Like I told Willow, maybe another time.’

Then her thoughts turned to a certain bleached blonde.  She was embarrassed that she blushed in front of him.

‘He has a nice chest.  I wonder if he works out.  I like his eyes.  Never seen eyes that blue before.  Does he have a girlfriend?  Maybe he likes me.  He does stare at me a lot.  God, why did I have to just say sorry?  I could have talked to him….’

Buffy continued thinking about Spike, and before she knew it, she was standing on her front porch.

Friday morning, Buffy was woken by her mother’s loud yell.

“Happy Birthday Buffy!”

Buffy opened her eyes sleepily, and glared at her mother.  She looked at the clock next to her bed and groaned.

“Don’t be so grouchy.  It’s your birthday!”, her mother told her, leaning against the open door.

“Yeah, it’s my birthday.  You woke me up ten minutes early.  I could have really used those ten minutes!” Buffy grumbled, throwing the comforter over her head.

“Well, lay there for ten more minutes, but you better be downstairs in forty-five minutes.” Joyce told her.

“Fine.” Buffy huffed from under the comforter.

Joyce sighed, and left the room.

Buffy pulled the comforter off of her head and stared at the ceiling.  She was startled when Joyce popped back into the room.

“God, mom.  You trying to kill me?  On my birthday, no less. ”

Joyce chuckled.

“Don’t forget to tell your sister happy birthday.”

Buffy rolled her eyes.

“Mom.  We were born at the same time.  I doubt we’d forget.”

“Well, just thought I’d tell both of you, considering the fact that neither of you ever speak to each other.”

Joyce left before Buffy could reply.  Buffy sighed, and rolled out of bed.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy came down the stairs, a little perkier than she was earlier.  She walked into the kitchen where Anya and Joyce were standing.  Anya was babbling about money again, while Joyce tried to cook.  Joyce looked up at Buffy when she walked in.

“Feeling better now?”, she asked, flipping a pancake.

“Yep.”

Buffy took out a plate and grabbed some of the chocolate chip pancakes her mother had made.

“Ooh, birthday pancakes.” Buffy said, munching happily.

Joyce smiled at Buffy.  Anya sat down next to Buffy with her own plate.

“Happy Birthday Buffy.”

Buffy looked at Anya and smiled.

“Thanks, Anya.  Happy Birthday to you too.”

“So, how does it feel to be eighteen, girls?” Joyce asked, joining them.

Anya shrugged.

“I don’t feel any different than I did yesterday.” Buffy said.

Joyce chuckled.

“Anya, Buffy and I were going to have a little birthday celebration tonight.  Just the three of us.  We’ll watch movies, and have cake.” Joyce told Anya.

“And don’t forget the ice cream.” Buffy said.

“And ice cream.  What do you say?  You never did tell me what you wanted to do.”

Anya shook her head.

“Actually, I invited some of my friends over.  We pretty much had the same idea you did.  If that’s ok with you.”

Joyce looked at Buffy, who was pushing her food around the plate.

“What about your sister?”

Anya looked at Buffy.

“You can join us, Buffy.  It’s your birthday too.”

Buffy sighed.

“Sure.  That’s fine with me.”

“Great!” Anya said, happily.

The girls finished their breakfast, then headed for school.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Anya walked over to the others, who were sitting under “their” tree in the quad.

“Hey guys.  Hi Xander.” Anya said, greeting the others, while giving her boyfriend a kiss.

“Happy birthday Anya.” Xander told her.

“Where is my present?” Anya immediately asked him, looking around.

“I’ll give it to you later.” Xander said.

“But I want it now.” Anya pouted.

Xander leaned over and whispered in Anya’s ear.  Spike shook his head and chuckled, knowing what he was telling her.  The rest of the gang looked just as amused.

Anya grinned, then pouted.

“Why can’t I get it now?”, she asked.

“Because now is not the time.  Or the place.  Definitely not the place.” Xander said, turning a little red.

“Ok.” Anya replied, defeated.  Then she whipped around to face the others.

“Did you guys get me presents?  You better have gotten me some.”

“Of course we did.  But you’ll just have to wait till lunch.” Willow said, from her perch on Oz’s lap.

“I guess that’s ok.  As long as there are many gifts.” Anya mumbled.

“So, what did your mum get you?” Spike asked.

“Not sure yet.  But I think it’s money.  I hope it’s money.” Anya replied.

All of a sudden, Xander’s face lit up and he waved.

“What are you doing?” Spike asked him.

“Jesse’s back.”

Jesse joined the group under the tree.

“Hey guys.  What’s the what?”

“Hey Jesse.  Welcome back.  How was your trip?” Willow said, giving him a hug.

“Hey Will.  It was ok.  Except the plane ride.  I hate planes.  New York was way too cold for me.  I like my hot air.” Jesse replied.

“You certainly let out enough hot air whenever you speak.” Spike said, smirking.

Jesse playfully smacked him in the chest.

“You hit like a girl, mate.” Spike said, chuckling.

“Yeah, well, at least I don’t scream like one.” Jesse retorted.

Spike’s smirk faded, and he stood up straight.

“Hey.  I wasn’t expecting your dumb ass in my closet during the middle of the night.  And I thought I told you never to bring that up again.” Spike scowled, referring to a prank Jesse had played on him.

“Ha ha!  Whatever.” Jesse replied, laughing.

Spike was about to reply when Xander intervened.

“Alright, kids.  Chill out.”

“So, what’s happened since I’ve been away?” Jesse asked.

“You were only gone a week.” Xander said, chuckling.

Jesse shrugged.

“You missed the encounter with the Cordettes last night at the Bronze.” Oz said, speaking for the first time since they had been there.

“Yeah.  I ran into Buffy, and she was, like, ‘that’s ok’ and then she asked me who I was with, and I almost got to introduce her to everybody.” Willow said.

“Almost?” Jesse questioned.

“Yeah.  Cordelia and the others interrupted and insulted us, like usual.  Then they left.” Willow answered.

“Huh.” Jesse said, shaking his head.

“She ran into me on my way back from the bar.  I think she just left them.” Spike said.

“Bet you enjoyed that.” Jesse said, smirking.

“No comment.” Spike answered, simply.

The bell rang, and they headed off to class.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy stalked through the hallway on her way to lunch.  Her day had been horrible since she stepped onto the Sunnydale High quad.  The first thing Cordelia did was snap at her for deserting them at the Bronze.  Then, they went on about their normal lives, oblivious to the fact that it was Buffy’s birthday.  The last thing she expected from them was gifts, but a simple “Happy Birthday” would have been fine.  At least she would have known they thought about her.

‘Friends, my ass.  I should really consider finding new ones.  Ones that care.’

Her thoughts went to Willow and her friends.  Buffy shook her head.

‘Who am I kidding?  That’s never gonna happen.  They hate me.  And they have good reason to.’

She opened her locker, and threw her books in.  She sighed, and violently slammed the door shut.  She turned around abruptly and ran into Spike.

“Is there a bloody sign on my forehead that says ‘tackle me’?”, he asked.

“Well, you were in my way.” Buffy said.

“You didn’t even see me!” Spike countered.

“Then you should stop being so…sneaky!  Yeah, if you weren’t so sneaky, I would have seen you!” Buffy said, making up the first excuse she could think of.

“Well then, luv, I guess I’ll go sneak my way to lunch.” Spike said, smirking.  Buffy glared at him and continued stalking down the hallway.  Spike watched her walk away.  He shook his head, then made his way to lunch.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy made her way through the crowded cafeteria to her usual table.  She sat down next to Harmony.

“Hey guys.” Buffy greeted.

“Hey Buffy.  You talk to Angel today?” Harmony asked.

“No.  I haven’t seen him actually.” Buffy replied.

“Oh.” Harmony said, and turned back to Cordelia, who was talking about the latest trends in Europe.

Buffy sighed and scanned the cafeteria to see if anything interesting was happening.  Angel and his friends sat a few tables over, mostly football players.  There was a small group, or trio rather, towards the back that she only knew as geeks, members of the science club and really into Star Wars.  She spotted Anya and her friends sitting at their usual table.  They were throwing confetti on Anya, while she squealed.  They were all laughing and obviously having a lot of fun.  There was a small cake on the table with candles.  Buffy’s face fell when she realized they were celebrating her birthday.

“What about you Buffy?”, she heard Cordelia say.

“Huh?”

Cordelia rolled her eyes.

“I asked if you were going to the Bronze tonight?”

“Uh, no.  I have plans.”

“Plans?  What plans?” Cordelia asked.

“Family plans.” Buffy stated.

“So.  Ditch them.” Cordelia snapped.

“No, I won’t.” Buffy replied.

“Whatever.” Cordelia said, turning away from her to face the other girls.

Buffy shook her head and stood up to leave.

“Where are you going?” Cordelia asked her.

“To the bathroom.” Buffy replied, walking away before Cordelia could speak.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The gang, well, pretty much Xander, Willow, and Jesse, threw confetti on Anya.  They were all laughing at the mess they made.  There was a small cake sitting on the table, with green frosting, Anya’s favorite color, the color of money.  There were eighteen candles, which Anya had blown out.

“So your mom said it was ok if we came over tonight?” Willow asked.

“Yep.  Oh, uh, I kinda had to invite Buffy, since it’s her birthday too.”  Anya replied.

“That’s ok.” Xander said.

“She insults me and I will get very angry.” Jesse said, remembering that most of his experiences with Buffy had involved a lot of insults and teasing.

“She won’t.  I’ll talk to her.” Anya said.

“Ok, then.  What time do you want us to be there?” Spike asked.

“Um, maybe seven.  That sound ok?” Anya replied.

Everyone agreed to meet at the Summers’ house at seven, promising to bring lots of gifts.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy sat in one of the bathroom stalls.  She was crying, upset because no one seemed to remember her birthday.

‘Another Buffy birthday gone bad.  I should really stop celebrating this cursed event.’

Buffy came out of the stall and walked over to the mirror and examined her reflection.

‘Now I’m all splotchy.’

She sighed looking at her face, and splashed some cold water on her face.  She heard the bell ring, and stared at the bathroom door.

‘No one will miss me.’

She waited until the hall was clear, and left the bathroom.  She gathered her things, quietly left the building and headed home.

When Buffy got home, she found her mother in the kitchen.

“Buffy?  What are you doing home?” Joyce asked, concerned.

“Uh, I wasn’t feeling well.” Buffy replied.

“Oh.  Sorry sweetie.  You want me to get you anything?”

“No.  I’m good.”

Joyce smiled.

“Alright then.  So, are you going to join in on Anya’s little party tonight?”

Buffy grimaced.

“Um, about that.  I was going to ask you if it would be ok if I went to dad’s this weekend.  Maybe do a little shopping.” Buffy asked.

Truthfully, she would do anything to get away from Sunnydale for the weekend.  So, she figured if going to stay with her dad would make her feel better, then so be it.

Joyce looked at Buffy for a moment.

“Well, if you really want to.” Joyce answered.

“Ok.  Could you take me now?”

“Now?  Is everything alright?” Joyce asked, concerned.

She knew Buffy would rather clean toilets than spend time with her dad’s fiancé.

“I’m ok.” Buffy replied.  “I just want to get away from Sunnydale for a few days.” she added, seeing Joyce’s skeptical look.

“Well, go pack.  We’ll leave when you’re ready.”

Buffy gratefully hugged her mother, and then ran upstairs to get packed.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Three hours later, Buffy was standing in her room at her dad’s house in LA.  She unpacked her bags, and headed downstairs.

“Buffy!” her dad’s fiancé yelled, throwing her arms around Buffy.

“Uh, hi Vanessa.  Where’s dad?” Buffy greeted the woman.

“He had to go to work.  But I have to go to the shelter if you want to come with me.” Vanessa offered.

Buffy sighed, but accepted Vanessa’s offer.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“And this is where they go to watch TV, or just hang out.” Vanessa told Buffy, leading her into a large room, with a few sofas and chairs and a large television.  After Buffy and Vanessa had arrived at the shelter for runaways, Vanessa proceeded to give Buffy a tour of the large building.  Buffy was pretty sure she had seen every square inch of the building, but she didn’t complain.  She actually thought it was pretty cool.

“Well, that’s the end of our tour.  I have to go back to the office to finish some paperwork, so you can feel free to do whatever.” Vanessa told Buffy, before leaving her standing by herself in the large room.

Buffy walked around the room, looking at the various pictures on one of the walls.

“Hi.”

Buffy turned around to see who was there, and was met by a shy brunette.

“Hi.” Buffy answered.

“Are you new here?” the girl asked her.

“Oh, uh, no.  I’m just visiting.  My dad’s girlfriend, Vanessa, works here.  I’m Buffy.” Buffy told her, holding out her hand.

“I’m Fred.” the girl answered, shaking Buffy’s hand.

“So, you live here?” Buffy asked.

“Yep.  You wanna see my room?” Fred answered, brightening a little.

“Sure.”

Fred led Buffy down the hall to the “residence area”.  They entered one of the rooms.  When Buffy walked in, she saw a small room with bunk beds, a set of dressers, and two desks.  Fred sat down on the bottom bed, and Buffy joined her.

“Do you have a roommate?” Buffy asked, noticing the other bed was devoid of any sheets.

“Nope.  I live in here by myself.  I-I don’t have any friends here.” Fred answered.

“Why not?”

“I-I don’t think they like me very much.” Fred told her, smiling sadly.

Suddenly, Buffy had an idea.

“Hey, do you wanna stay with me until I leave?  You know, spend the night at my house.” Buffy asked, hoping to make the other girl feel better.

Buffy couldn’t help but smile when she saw Fred light up.

“Really?”

“Yep.  I’m sure Vanessa won’t mind.  And, hey, maybe we could go out to eat tomorrow, and do a little shopping.” Buffy said.

“Ok.  But, I don’t have any money.”

“Don’t worry about it.  I’ll go tell Vanessa that you’re gonna stay with us, and you can pack whatever you need.  I’ll see you downstairs.” Buffy told her, before leaving the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

That night, at the summers’ house in Sunnydale…

Anya opened the door for her friends, and smiled as they came in, arms loaded with presents, food, and movies.

The night started with the opening of presents, which Anya had immediately demanded upon their arrival.  She received a new sweater from Willow and Oz, a key chain that said ‘I Love Money’ from Spike, a t-shirt with ‘New York’ written in it from Jesse, and a few CD’s and a necklace from Xander.

Then the cake came, followed by the movies.  They had settled down to watch Wrong Turn.

“Hey, where’s Buffy?” Willow asked, as soon as the credits began to roll.

“She went to stay with dad for the weekend.” Anya answered.

“Oh, ok.”

“Too bad.  I was really looking forward to spending some quality time with her.” Jesse said.

“I thought you hated Buffy.” Anya said.

“That was sarcasm.” Jesse answered, rolling his eyes.

“That’s not very nice.” Spike put in.

“Well, excuse me for not being nice to her, but she teased us mercilessly ever since she moved here.” Jesse said.

Spike was about to retort when Anya stepped in.

“Hey, no fighting on my birthday!” Anya yelled.

Jesse and Spike grumbled an apology and the movie fest resumed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Ooh, I wanna go in here.” Buffy said, pointing to a small store.

She and Fred were spending the day at the mall.  Buffy’s father, Hank, had given her his credit card, so Buffy was treating her new friend to lunch and a small shopping spree.

They walked into the store, looking at the clothes.  They were mostly vintage and leather.  Buffy bought up a few things, and they left the store.  Buffy glanced at Fred, who was smiling, arms full of shopping bags.  She thought it was so cool to have a new friend, one who she could be herself with.  Fred and Buffy had spent most of the previous night talking.  Buffy learned that Fred wasn’t actually a runaway, she was an orphan.  Her parents had died in a car accident when she was fifteen.  She had spent the last few years wandering before she had moved into the shelter.  She was eighteen now, Buffy’s age.  She didn’t attend school, but was still very intelligent.

Watching Fred, another idea hit Buffy.  What if Fred could come home with her?  She could go to Sunnydale High, and maybe college.  Buffy decided to call Joyce that night, and didn’t mention her idea to Fred, in case it couldn’t happen.

They hit a few more stores before heading back home.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy walked into her bedroom and flopped down on the bed.  Fred was sitting on the bed reading a magazine.

Buffy had called her mother a few moments ago, and it was confirmed that Fred could come home with Buffy, to live with them and go to school.

“Watcha doin’” Buffy asked.

Fred looked up from her magazine.

“Just reading one of your magazines.”

“Oh.  I wanna ask you something.  It’s really important.” Buffy told her.

Fred looked at Buffy, concerned, and put her magazine down.

“Is something wrong?”

“Oh no.  It’s nothing bad.  I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to come home with me.  You could go to school with me.  I asked my mom, and she said it was cool.” Buffy said.

“Really?” Fred asked eyes wide.

“Yep.  So, what do you say?”

“I would love too!” Fred said, smiling.

“Well, mom is picking us up tomorrow.  Do you need to get anything else from the shelter?”

“No.  What I brought with me is all I have.” Fred said, embarrassed.

“Ok, then.  Then we may just have to go shopping again!” Buffy told her, grinning.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day, Joyce arrived in LA to pick up the girls.

“Hi mom!” Buffy greeted.

Buffy pulled Fred from behind her.

“This is Fred.  Fred, mom.  Mom, Fred.” Buffy said, introducing them.

“Hello dear.  So you will be staying with us?” Joyce asked.

“Yes, Mrs. Summers.” Fred answered, smiling.

“Please, call me Joyce.  Or mom if you want.” Joyce told her.

“Ok.”

“Well, let’s put your bags in the car so we can go.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Anya and the others woke up before Joyce, Buffy, and Fred came home.  They said their goodbyes, and left.  Joyce and the girls arrived not long after they left.

Anya greeted her mother and sister and went upstairs with her presents.

“That was Anya, my sister.” Buffy told Fred.

Joyce walked in.

“Fred, you will be staying in the guest bedroom.  Consider it yours now.” Joyce told her.

“Thank you.” Fred answered.

Buffy led Fred up to her new room.  Buffy helped her unpack.

“Who’s she?”

Buffy and Fred looked up to see Anya standing in the doorway.

“Hi Anya.  This is Fred.  She’s going to be staying with us.” Buffy told her.

Fred waved and Anya just looked at her before leaving.

Buffy frowned when she heard Anya’s mumbled remark as she left.

‘Great.  Another one of Buffy’s minions.’

Buffy looked at Fred, and sighed in relief when she realized that she had not heard it.  They continued unpacking, talking about the upcoming school day.

It was Monday morning, and Buffy was in Fred’s new room helping her pick out something to wear for her first day of school.  Buffy sifted through the new clothes she and Fred had gotten on their shopping trip.  Fred sat on the bed fiddling with the comforter.

“You have nothing to be worried about, you know.” Buffy told her, sensing her nervousness.

“But what if no one likes me?” Fred asked.

Buffy smiled at her.

“Then they’re stupid.  You’ll be fine.  Here, put this on.” Buffy answered, handing Fred a pale blue sundress.

Fred smiled and took the dress from Buffy.

“I’ll be back in a second.” Buffy told her, leaving the room.

She went into her room and picked through the make-up on her dresser.  She picked up a few things and went back over to Fred’s room.

“Are you ready?” Buffy asked through the door.

The door cracked open, and Fred peeked out at Buffy.

“I don’t think I should wear this.” Fred told her.

“Open up.  I wanna see.” Buffy replied.

Fred opened the door and Buffy stepped in.  She looked at Fred and smiled.

“I think it looks cute.” Buffy said, fixing the spaghetti straps on Fred’s shoulders.

“Are you sure?” Fred asked again, playing with the hem of the dress.

“Yep.  Now sit down.  I’m gonna do your make-up.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

A few minutes later, Buffy came down the stairs with Fred behind her.  They went into the kitchen to get breakfast.

“Good morning girls.” Joyce greeted them.

“Morning mom.  Don’t you think Fred looks cute?” Buffy said, leaning on the counter.

Joyce looked at Fred, who was standing next to the stove.  Joyce smiled at her, and turned to Buffy.

“She looks gorgeous.”

“See?  I told you it doesn’t look bad.” Buffy said, smirking at a blushing Fred.

“Oh, Anya left with Xander.  Do you girls want me to take you to school?” Joyce asked them.

Buffy nodded, and Fred gave a little smile.

“Sure.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Anya and Xander walked hand in hand over to the gang.  They greeted each other and sat down under their tree.

“So, what’s the what?  Anything special happening today?” Jesse asked.

“Does anything special happen any other day in this place?” Spike answered, rolling his eyes.

“True.  But a guy can always hope.  Maybe the school will explode.” Jesse said, smiling.

“With us in it?  Not my idea of special.” Xander said.

Jesse’s smile faded.

“Huh.  Didn’t think of it that way.”

“Hey, who’s that walking with Buffy?” Willow asked.

They turned to see Buffy walking with a brunette girl.

“Oh, that’s Fred.  She’s living with us now.” Anya said.

“Living with you?” Spike asked.

“Yep.  Buffy picked her up from a runaway shelter, and now she’s living with us, and going to school.”  Anya answered.

“She’s pretty.” Jesse said, staring at the girl.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy and Fred walked into school.  Buffy took her to the office where she got her schedule.

“We have all the same classes except fourth period, right before lunch.  You have Advanced Physics.  You can meet me for lunch.” Buffy said, handing the paper to Fred.

“Ok.” Fred answered staring at the paper in her hands.

They headed off to their classes.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy stood outside of the cafeteria waiting for Fred.  It had been ten minutes since the lunch bell had rung, and no sign of Fred.

“What are you doing?”

Buffy turned to face Cordelia, who stood there with her arms crossed.

“I was waiting for someone.” Buffy told her.

“Well, guess who’s sitting at our table?” Cordelia said, grabbing Buffy’s arm.

Cordelia pulled Buffy to their usual table, where Harmony and Cecily sat with…

“Angel?” Buffy said.

“Hey Buffy.” Angel greeted her, smiling.

Buffy sat down next to him.

“How have you been?” Buffy asked him.

Angel was about to answer when Cordelia starting laughing.

“Look at the new girl!  What a loser!” Cordelia said, laughing hysterically.

Buffy looked up to see Fred sitting with Anya and the others.

‘So that’s where she went.’ Buffy thought, hurt.

Buffy was startled when Angel waved his hand in her face.

“Listen, I was wondering if you needed a ride home after school?”

“Um, I have something to do after school.  Maybe another time?”

“That’s ok.  Maybe you could meet me at the Bronze tonight instead?” Angel asked.

“Ok.  See you at seven?”

“Sure thing.  See you tonight.” Angel replied, leaving the table.

“Oh my gosh!  He asked you out again!” Harmony squealed.

Buffy rolled her eyes.

“We’re just going to the Bronze.  It’s no big deal.” Buffy said.

“Excuse me, it is a big deal.  He’s the most popular guy in school.  Do you realize how this will boost your reputation?” Cordelia snapped.

“Cordelia, I don’t care!” Buffy yelled, leaving them sitting there.

Harmony and Cordelia stared after Buffy, mouths hung open.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“So you’re going to be staying at the Summers’ household now?” Jesse asked Fred.

“Yeah.” Fred answered, blushing and looking down.

Anya rolled her eyes.  Xander jabbed her in the side.

“What?” she hissed.

“She’s new.  Be nice.” Xander whispered.

“I’m trying to, but she won’t say a word.  It’s all monosyllabic.” Anya huffed.

“I told you, she’s new.  She’s just shy.  You were new once.”

“Fine.  So, Fred, did you have a boyfriend in LA?” Anya asked.

Fred looked at Anya startled.

“Uh, n-no.”, she answered, blushing even more.

“That sucks.  No orgasms.” Anya said.

Fred choked on her drink, sending her into a coughing fit.  Jesse grimaced, and patted her back, while the others stifled their laughter.

“I think I’m going to go now.” Fred told them, standing up.

“Oh, you don’t have to leave.” Willow said, looking nervous.

“It’s ok.  I’m just going to go get my books before class starts.” Fred answered, walking away.

“Oh man.  You don’t think she hates us now?” Willow asked the others.

“Nah.  She was just embarrassed.” Xander said, looking directly at Anya.

“Embarrassed by what?” Anya asked.

“Your lack of tact, for starters.” Jesse said, smirking.

“Whatever.  I was just trying to make conversation.” Anya said.

“Hey, where’s the bleached wonder?” Xander asked.

“Smoke break.” Oz answered simply.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy stomped out of the cafeteria and into the hallway, heading for her locker.  As she turned the corner, she slammed into Spike, sending him flying into the middle of the hallway with her lying on top of him.  Buffy sat up to see who she had hit, and drowned in two sapphire eyes.

Buffy stared at Spike, a little stunned.

“If we’re going to keep meeting like this, we should schedule an appointment so I can be ready.” Spike told her, smirking.

‘Wow, look at those eyes.  And those lips.  Very kissable.  Wait, Bad Buffy!’

Buffy did not reply, so Spike waved his hand in her face.

“You still in there, luv?”

Buffy blinked and shook her head.

“Uh, what?”

“Are you alright, pet?” Spike asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” she answered, shrugging.

“Then why are you still on top of me?  Not that I’m complaining or anything.”

Suddenly, Buffy realized their position and scrambled off of him, blushing furiously.

Spike chuckled and stood up, helping her to her feet.  Just as Buffy was standing up, she tripped over her purse, falling into Spike again.  This time Spike caught her, and stumbled back a few feet against the row of lockers.  Stunned, they stood there for a moment, Buffy pressed against Spike, his arms wrapped around her.

‘This is really nice.’ Buffy thought.

‘If I had known this would be the way to get her in my arms, I would have tripped her myself a long time ago.’ Spike thought.

Buffy was the first to move.  She looked up at Spike, who was looking down at her.  Buffy barely had time to think when Spike moved his head toward hers.

Spike moved his head towards Buffy.  Just as their lips touched, the bell rang, and students began to fill the hall.  Buffy jerked out of Spike’s arms, and quickly ran into the bathroom across the hall.

Spike stood there, breathing hard.  He finally pushed himself away from the lockers and started to walk away when something caught his eye.  Buffy’s purse was lying on the floor a few feet away.  Spike walked over and picked it up, and put it in his locker.

‘Give me an excuse to see her again.’ Spike thought, smiling.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy stood in the bathroom, leaning over the sink.

‘Oh my God, Oh my God!  I almost kissed him!  Spike’s Lips!  Lips of Spike!’ she thought, looking at her flushed face in the mirror.

She bent over the sink and splashed cold water on her face.  As she was drying her face, she noticed a pair of sandals in a stall behind her.

‘I know those shoes’; she thought as she walked over and tapped on the door.

“Fred?”

The stall door opened, revealing Fred standing behind the door.

“Hi.”

“Are you ok?” Buffy asked.

“Oh yeah.  I’m fine.” Fred answered giggling nervously.

“Then why are you hiding in the stall?”

Fred shrugged, playing with the straps on her dress.

“I saw you sitting with Anya and the others at lunch today.” Buffy said.

“Yeah.  I got lost on my way from Physics, and I saw Anya so I asked her where the cafeteria was.  And then I couldn’t find you, so I sat down with them.  I don’t think they like me very much.” Fred said, quickly.

“Is that why you were hiding in the stall?” Buffy asked.

“That’s part of it.  And my feet hurt.” Fred answered, nodding toward the shoes on the floor.

“I have some band aids if you want any.  We should probably get to class anyway.” Buffy told her.

They walked out of the bathroom to Buffy’s locker.  Buffy opened it, looking for her purse.

“Spike.” Buffy said, after her failed attempt to find her purse.

“What?” Fred asked.

“Oh, uh, I ran into Spike, literally, and I must have dropped my purse.  Maybe he has it.” Buffy told her.

“Oh.  Is he the guy with the black coat?” Fred asked.

“Yeah.  Black coat, bleached hair, beautiful blue eyes, a nice hard chest,” Buffy began, but stopped at Fred’s raised eyebrow.

“And we should be going to class now.” Buffy said quickly, walking away.

Fred smiled and shook her head, following Buffy down the hall.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy and Fred walked into the house after school.

“Mom!  We’re home!” Buffy yelled.

After no answer, Buffy yelled again.

“Mom!”

They walked into the kitchen.

“Maybe she went out.” Buffy said, opening the refrigerator.

“Um, Buffy.  Here.” Fred said, handing Buffy a note.

Girls,

 I have to go to LA for a few days.  I’ll be back this weekend.  There’s money for food on the counter.

Love, Mom

Buffy set the note on the counter.

“Well, I guess that means we’re eating pizza tonight.” Buffy told Fred.

“Alright.” Fred answered, through bites of donut.

“Idiot!” Buffy yelled.

Fred jumped, dropping her donut on the floor.

“Not you.  Me.  I totally forgot that I have a date tonight.” Buffy said.

“Oh.  Well, I can stay here by myself.  I’m used to it.” Fred said.

“Oh no, Fred.  You can come too.  I’m sure Angel won’t mind.”

“No.  I’ll just stay here.  I have a lot of work to catch up anyway.  You go.” Fred said.

“Ok.” Buffy said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two hours later, the phone rang.  Buffy picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Buffy?  It’s Angel.  Listen, I won’t be able to pick you up tonight.  Do you think you could meet me at the Bronze instead?” Angel asked.

“Sure.” Buffy answered.

“Alright.  See you then.”

“Bye.” Buffy said to the tone on the other end.

“Ok.  Weird.”

Buffy turned to go upstairs when the doorbell rang.  Buffy sighed, and went over to the door, opening it.

“Hi Buffy!” Harmony chirped.  Cordelia just stared at her.

“Harmony!  And Cordelia!  What are you guys doing here?”  Buffy asked.

“We came to see if you needed any help getting ready for your date.” Cordelia said calmly.

Cordelia stepped in, Harmony right behind her.

“So, when is he picking you up?” Harmony asked.

“Well, he’s not going to.” Buffy told her.

“What?” Cordelia asked.

“He called right before you got here and said he wouldn’t be able to pick me up, but asked for me to meet him there.” Buffy said.

“Oh.  Well, we can’t take my car.  Daddy’s getting it detailed.” Cordelia told her.

“We can walk.” Buffy shrugged.

“Are you kidding?  We don’t walk.” Cordelia stated.

“Then what do you suggest we do?” Buffy asked a little annoyed.

“When did your mom leave?” Harmony asked, walking out of the kitchen.

“A little while ago.” Buffy answered, and then turned back to Cordelia.

“How long will she be gone?” Harmony asked.

“Until this weekend.” Buffy answered.

Harmony nodded, looking at her nails.  Buffy turned back to Cordelia.

“We can always take a-“

“Wait.  You said your mom wouldn’t be back until this weekend.  We can take her car.” Cordelia said, smiling.

“What?  No, we can’t"- Buffy started.

“Yes, we can.  Your mom isn’t here.  No one will know.”

“What about Anya?  She’ll know.  She’ll tell.  You know she can’t keep a secret.” Buffy said.

“Buffy, don’t worry about it.  Let’s get ready to go.” Cordelia said, heading upstairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Later, Buffy was standing outside in front of her mom’s car.  Cordelia and Harmony walked past her, and got into the car.

“Come on, Buffy.” Cordelia said, shutting the door.

Buffy sighed, and got in the car.

“Maybe we shouldn’t do this.  I don’t have my license with me-“

“Buffy!  Let’s go!” Cordelia yelled.

‘What could it hurt?’ Buffy thought as she started the car and left.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy parked in front of the Bronze.  The girls got out and headed toward the entrance.

Buffy saw Angel sitting at a table with some of his friends.  She headed towards him.

“Hey Angel.”

Angel looked at her, a little startled.

“Oh, hey Buffy.”

They stood in silence for a moment.

“Um, Buffy?  Could we talk?  Upstairs.” Angel asked.

“Ok.” Buffy answered.

They went upstairs and stood next to the railing.

“So.” Buffy said.

“It’s about us.  We shouldn’t really see each other anymore.  I don’t think I could ever have a relationship with you.” Angel stated.

Buffy’s mouth opened in shock.

Buffy thought.

“Ok.”, she finally answered.

“Look, it’s not you.  It’s me.” Angel said, starting to pace.

“Are you ok?  You wanna talk?” Buffy asked.

Angel paced for a minute before finally speaking.

“It’s just-I’m in love with someone else.  She doesn’t go here.  She lives across town.”

“Oh.” Buffy said.

“And she’s pregnant with my baby.” Angel added, still pacing.

“Ohhh.  Congratulations?” Buffy said, carefully.

“I know.  Exciting, huh?  I can’t wait to be a dad.” Angel said, stopping in front of Buffy.

“You understand now, right?  Why we can’t be together?” Angel asked.

“Oh, yeah.  Completely.” Buffy answered.

Truthfully, she was relieved she did not have to pretend to want to date Angel anymore.  Since the incident earlier that day, she had her eyes on a certain bleached blonde.

“Ok?”

Buffy glanced at Angel.

“Sorry, what?”

“I said that I think we should still be friends.”

“Sure.  So, I’m just gonna head back down now.” Buffy said, turning to leave.

“Whoever he is, he’s a really lucky guy.”

Buffy stopped, and turned.

“What?”

“It is a guy, right?  The reason for your intense thoughts?” Angel asked.

“How did you know I was thinking about a guy?  I-I could have been thinking about something else, like, uh, math.” Buffy asked, smiling a little.

Angel smiled at her before walking past her.

“It’s a guy thing.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike walked into the Bronze and headed towards his friends sitting on the sofas.

“Hey.”, he said.

“Hi Spike.” Jesse greeted him.

“What’s up?” Xander asked.

“Nothing really.  Where are the girls?” Spike asked.

“Bathroom.” Oz stated.

Spike nodded.

“So, have any of you seen Buffy?” he asked.

“No.  Not since school.  Why?” Xander answered.

“I, uh, have her purse.” Spike said, taking Buffy’s purse from under his coat and placing it on the table.

“Why do you have her purse?” Jesse asked, leaning forward to examine it.

“She dropped it today.  I was going to give it back to her.”

Xander leaned forward also, and poked it.

“Have you looked inside of it?” Xander asked, poking it again.

“No.  It’s her purse.  It’s private.” Spike answered.

“Yeah.  It’s, like, a woman’s secret source of power.  There are many dark and dangerous things in there that men should never know about.” Oz said.

Jesse sat back a little, before falling forward, knocking the purse onto the floor.

“Oops.  Oh, I’m sorry.  Damn, we should clean that up.” Jesse said, kneeling to look at the spilled contents.  Xander leaned over also, while Spike picked it up.

“Leave it alone.” Spike told them, annoyed.

“What?  It fell.” Jesse said innocently.

“What fell?” Anya asked, standing behind Spike.

“Buffy’s purse.” Jesse said.

“Who has Buffy’s purse?” Willow asked.

“Spike.” Xander said.

“Why do you have my sister’s purse?” Anya asked a little annoyed.

“She dropped it, alright!  I was going to give it back to her.” Spike said.

“Hi Buffy.” Willow said.

Spike jumped, unintentionally clutching the purse to him causing Buffy to smirk.

“That color really matches your coat.” Buffy said, smiling a little more.

Spike looked down at the purse.  He straightened up and shoved it toward Buffy.

“You dropped this today.” he said.

Buffy smiled again and took the purse from him.  They stood awkwardly in silence for a moment, the others staring intently.  Buffy finally spoke.

“Thanks.”

Spike nodded.

“No problem, luv.”

“I guess I should go.” Buffy said.

“So, are we scheduled for tomorrow, then?” Spike asked.

“Huh?” Buffy asked, looking confused.

“You know, for the next time you’ll run into me."

“Oh.  I guess.” Buffy answered, smiling.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy searched the crowd of teens for Harmony and Cordelia.  She finally spotted them talking to a group of guys.

Buffy pulled Cordelia to the side.

“Let’s go.”

“What?  No way.  It’s early.” Cordelia said.

“Do you want to walk home?” Buffy asked.

Cordelia stared at her for a moment.

“Harm!  Let’s go!” Cordelia yelled.

The girls went outside and got into the car.  Buffy started the car and left.

As Buffy neared Revello Drive, a cat jumped out from a bush into the road.

“Look out!” Harmony yelled.

Buffy slammed on the brakes and swerved, missing the cat, and headed right into a nearby tree.

Buffy looked up from her spot in the drivers seat.  Luckily, she was not going too fast, and was able to slow down enough to keep everyone safe.  She looked over at Cordelia, who was staring at the tree.  Harmony sat in the back, unharmed by the accident.

“Are you guys alright?” Buffy asked, unbuckling her seat belt.

“I broke a nail.  And I just got these done yesterday!” Harmony whined.

Buffy looked at Cordelia, who was still staring ahead.

“Cordy?  Are you ok?”

Cordelia slowly turned her head towards Buffy.

“Ok?  Ok?  You almost got us killed!” Cordelia yelled.

“I’m sorry, Cordy.”

“You better be.” Cordelia said, throwing the door open, and getting out.

Harmony and Buffy got out also, walking over to Cordelia, who was standing behind the car.

“We should call someone to come help us.” Buffy said.

“Come help you, maybe.  I’m leaving!” Cordelia told her.

“Me too.” Harmony said, nodding.

“What?  You guys can’t leave me here alone!  I hardly know where I am!”  Buffy yelled, on the verge of tears.

“Oh honey, you’re on Oak Street, a block away from my house.” Cordelia told her, starting to walk away.

“Cordelia!” Buffy yelled.

Cordelia whirled around and glared at Buffy.

“It’s your accident!  You take care of it!  I’m going home, and don’t bother to follow me.  Come on, Harm.”

Cordelia and Harmony walked away, leaving Buffy alone on the dark street.

“That’s just great.  Really great.  Now what am I gonna do.” Buffy said to the empty street.

Buffy went around to the front of the car to survey the damage.  The hood had a dent, and the bumper was almost completely torn off.  Buffy shook her head and sighed.

“Oh yeah.  I’m dead.”

Buffy took her cell phone out of her purse.  She had forgotten that it had been turned on, and had been in her purse all day.  She cursed when the phone died.

“Damn!”

She began to walk slowly down the street, looking for the nearest house.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike had left the Bronze early, and was now driving around town.  He turned the radio on, and began to sing along.

“I wanna be sedated!”

He tapped the steering wheel to the beat of the music.  He turned down another street.  He saw a girl walking along the road, and slowed down to see if she needed any help.  He stopped the car and got out heading towards the girl.

Buffy had been walking for about five minutes when she saw the car stop.  A figure got out, and she saw it was a man.  Buffy started shaking a little when he headed towards her.

‘Oh God.  I’m gonna die. He's getting closer.’

Buffy had stopped walking and was slowly starting to panic.

Spike watched the girl as she stopped.  He could tell she was nervous, so he yelled to her before he got any closer.

“Do you need any help?”

Buffy’s head shot up at the voice.

“Spike?”

Spike stopped walking when he heard her speak.

“Yeah, luv.”

Buffy felt a little safer, and walked over to him.

“Hi.”

“”Hi to you, pet.  May I ask why you’re walking down a dark street by yourself?”

“I had an accident.  Cordelia and Harmony left me.  And my cell phone is dead.” Buffy told him, and then added quietly, “Bitches.”

Spike chuckled at that.

“Where’s your car?”

“Down the road, a little way.” she answered, looking in the other direction.

“Well, I have a friend whose father owns a mechanic shop.  I’m sure he could get you a tow truck.” Spike told her.

“That would be very helpful.”

“Come on, you should sit in my car.  I’ve got a cell in there, I’ll call from here, and we’ll wait.”

They headed toward the DeSoto, and Spike opened the door for Buffy.  She got in, and Spike went to the other side and got in, reaching for the phone on his dash.  He dialed a number, and talked for a few minutes, before hanging up.

“Jesse will be here in a few minutes with the truck.”

Buffy nodded quietly, and stared at the floor.

Spike started the car, and drove down the road and stopped when he saw a car smashed into a tree.  He pulled over and stopped, getting out when he saw Jesse pull up.

“Hey man.  Thanks for coming.” Spike told him.

They walked to the front of the car, and Jesse whistled when he saw it.

“Who did this?” Jesse asked.

“It’s Buffy’s mum’s car.”

Jesse looked at Spike.

“Serves her right.”

“Hey, I know you have issues, but please just do this.” Spike said, sighing.

“Fine.  But just so you know, I’m only doing this because of you.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Jesse took the car to the garage next to his house, and Spike and Buffy followed.  They got out, and went inside.

“It doesn’t look too bad.” Spike told her.

Buffy looked at him, eyes wide.

“Are you kidding?  You probably won’t see me at school anymore, cuz I’ll be dead!  My mom is going to freak!” Buffy said.

“Your mum is nice.  It won’t be that bad.” Spike said, trying to calm her down.

She turned around to look at the car again and sighed.  Spike noticed the cut on her cheek.

“You have a cut, luv.” he told her.

“What?  Where?” Buffy asked.

“On your cheek, right here.” Spike told her, lightly touching her face.  “You should get that bandaged.”

“Oh, uh, I think I have some band aids in my purse.” she answered, rummaging in her bag, and pulling out a small tin.

“Here’s some alcohol.”

“You keep alcohol and cotton balls in your car?” Buffy asked.

“I get into a few fights every now and then.” Spike answered, smiling.

Spike took the cotton ball, and dabbed Buffy’s cheek.

“Ow.” Buffy winced.

“Sorry, luv.”

Spike finished cleaning her cut and took a bandage and placed it over the cut.

“All done.” Spike told her, his fingers resting lightly on her cheek.

“Thanks.” Buffy replied, liking the way his fingers lingered on her face.

Jesse walked up behind them and coughed.  Spike took his hand away from Buffy’s face, and they turned to Jesse.

“I’ve looked at the damage, and made an estimate of your bill according to what dad charges.” Jesse said.

“Oh, thanks-“

Jesse cut Buffy off and continued.  “Anyway, you’ll need to have the bumper replaced, and the dent taken out of the hood.”

He handed her a paper, and walked over to the other side of the garage.

“Don’t mind him.  He’s naturally cranky.” Spike told her, chuckling.

“I heard that!” Jesse said from across the room.

Spike started to walk over to Jesse when he heard Buffy yell.

“A thousand dollars?  That’s ridiculous!”

Spike walked back over to where she stood, examining the paper.  Jesse got up and walked over as well.

Buffy looked at him and glared.

“It can’t be that much.  You’re doing this because of me.”

Jesse shook his head.

“You can look at my dad’s books.  It’s right.”

“It can’t be.  How am I going to pay for this?” Buffy asked, waving the paper.

“Well, for starters, you can go beg your mommy for the money.” Jesse retorted.

“Hey, that’s enough, mate.” Spike said, stepping next to Jesse.

“It’s my mom’s car!  She’ll be so pissed!” Buffy yelled.

Jesse was about to reply when Spike grabbed his arm.

“Let’s go have a quick talk.”

Buffy watched them walk across the room and whisper.  Then she looked at the bill again and felt tears come to her eyes.

Meanwhile, Spike glared at Jesse.

“Why can’t you cut her some slack?” Spike asked.

“I’m billing her like we bill all of the customers.  Why should she be any different?”

“Well, can’t you do something?” Spike asked, running his hands through his hair.

“I am doing something.  I’m fixing her car.  The bill stays.  If you care so much, why don’t you fix it for her?” Jesse said, walking away.

Spike thought a while before he went back over to Buffy.

“Hey.  Sorry about him.”

Buffy looked at Spike.

“It’s ok.  He has reason to hate me.” Buffy answered quietly.

“I have an idea.”

Buffy looked up at Spike.

“Oh?”

Spike nodded.

“What if I fix the car?”

“Ok.” Buffy answered slowly.  “What would I owe you?”

“Uh, I don’t want money.” Spike said.

Buffy looked at Spike, eyes wide.

“What?  I’m not sleeping with you, if that’s what you mean.” Buffy yelled.

“No!  I didn’t mean that, luv.”

“Oh.  Then what did you mean?” Buffy asked, embarrassed by her outburst.

“Well, if I fix the car for you, at no charge, I want to you to go out with me.”

“Oh, a date?  We could do that.” Buffy said.

“No, luv.  Not a date.  As my girlfriend.”

Buffy stared at Spike, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

‘Girlfriend?  Oh my God!  His girlfriend!  I could be his girlfriend!  He likes me.  I thought he hated me.’

Before Buffy got too lost in her thoughts, Spike interrupted her.

“Buffy?  Did you hear what I said?”

Buffy shook her head slightly and looked up at Spike.

“Yeah.  How long?”

“What?” Spike asked, confused.

“How long will we date?  A week, two weeks?” Buffy asked.

“Uh, I hadn’t really thought about that.” Spike said sheepishly.

“Ok.” Buffy said slowly.

They stood in silence for a moment.

“Two weeks.”  Spike said suddenly.

“Huh?”

“We date for two weeks, then we can break up.” Spike explained, hoping she would say yes.

“Two weeks from today?” Buffy asked, a funny look on her face.

“Uh, yeah, if you want to get technical about it.”

Buffy rolled her eyes.

“Well, according to my calculations that will be the night of the Prom.”

“Oh.  Well, I guess I’ll be going with the Prom Queen then.” Spike said, smirking a little.

“Don’t call me that.” Buffy said quietly.

“Alright then.”

“No.” Buffy said.

“Would you please stop talking like that!  You confuse me.” Spike said.

“No.” Buffy said again.

Suddenly, Spike understood what she meant.

“Fine.” Spike said, quietly.

“Wait!  I mean-ugh- just let me think about it, ok?” Buffy asked.

“Alright, luv.” Spike said, the little hope he had with her growing a bit bigger.

“Can you take me home?” Buffy asked.

“Sure, pet.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After a very awkward ride home, Buffy walked into her house a little after midnight.  Everything was quiet.  She went upstairs, peeking into Anya’s bedroom, sighing after seeing that it was empty.  She heard music coming from Fred’s room, and knocked on the door.  She chuckled when she heard a yelp and a thump.  Finally, Fred opened the door looking flustered.

“Buffy!  You scared me!” Fred told her, smoothing back her hair.

“Were you hanging from the ceiling or something?” Buffy asked, smiling.

“What?” Fred asked, confused.

“I was just wondering what the thump was.”

“Oh.  I fell off my bed.  You scared me, remember?” Fred told her, smiling.

“I’m sorry.  Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s ok.  I’m just not used to people knocking on my door.”

Buffy nodded and looked down at her feet.  Fred tilted her head to the side.

“Are you alright?”, she asked.

“Uh, yeah.  I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Oh.  Do you want to talk about anything?” Fred asked.

“I’m alright, really.  I was just checking on you before I went to bed.”

Fred looked a little upset, but tried not to show it.

“Ok then.  Good night.”, she said, softly closing the door.

“Good night.” Buffy answered.

Buffy stood there a moment, staring at Fred’s door.  She knocked on it again, and Fred opened the door.

“Didn’t get me that time.” Fred said, smiling.

“I wrecked mom’s car.” Buffy said suddenly.

Fred smile faded.

“Ok.”

Buffy walked into the room and started pacing.  Fred walked over to the bed and sat down, watching Buffy as she paced.  She jumped a little, when Buffy spoke again.

“And Cordelia and Harmony left me.  They left me, right there, on an empty, dark street.  Do you have any idea how freaked I was?”

“A lot?” Fred said tentatively.

“Hell yes!  I was scared to death!  And to make matters worse, my cell phone was dead, because Spike had it.”

“Spike had your phone?” Fred asked, trying to keep up.

“Yes, Spike had it.  It was in my purse, which he had also.  And you know what?  I gave Cordelia and Harmony a ride to the Bronze, and they don’t even have the decency to say thanks.  Or at least let me use their cell phone to get help.  They didn’t even wish me a happy birthday!”

“Are we still talking about the accident?” Fred asked.

“I mean, they’re supposed to be my friends, right?  Anya’s friends are nicer to me than my supposed friends are.  And Spike, don’t even get me started on Spike.”

“Ok, I won’t ask you about Spike.” Fred said.

“Good.  Cos I don’t wanna talk about him.”

“Ok, no Spike.” Fred said, smiling.

“Spike!” Buffy yelled, causing Fred to jump.

“He helped me.  He called for help, and picked me up.  And then his friend Jesse gave me an estimate for a thousand dollars.  A thousand dollars for a bumper and a dent!  And you know what Spike did?”

Fred shook her head, eyes wide.

“He offered to fix my car for free.  Free!”

“That was nice of him.” Fred stated.

Buffy stopped pacing and joined Fred on the bed.

“But he said he would do it if I would be his girlfriend until after Prom.”, she told Fred quietly.

“Oh.”

“If I don’t accept, I’ll have to either come up with a thousand dollars before mom comes home, or wait and tell mom and be grounded for the rest of my high school career.”

“And if you accept?” Fred asked.

“And if I accept, I will be the joke of the school.  Me dating a so called loser?  And you know what’s really weird?  I don’t think I care.”

They sat in silence for a moment, until Fred spoke up.

“Do-do you like him?”

Buffy chewed her lip for a moment, pondering the question.

“I’m not sure.  I think I do, but sometimes he can be so annoying.”

“So, are you leaning toward yes?”

“Pretty much.  Do you think I should accept the offer?”

“It’s not for me to decide for you, Buffy.  But I will say, he is really cute.” Fred replied, smiling.

“Yeah, he is isn’t he.”  Buffy said dreamily.  “He has these really gorgeous eyes and cheekbones, and he has this adorable smirk.  And when he leans over to pick up his bookbag, you can see the way his muscles ripple and, um-“ Buffy stopped talking at Fred’s raised eyebrow and slight smile.

“And I’m going to bed now.  Good night.” Buffy said, blushing and quickly leaving the room.

Fred watched Buffy leave the room, and followed her, closing the door, and chuckled.

“And people say I have problems.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By the next morning, Buffy had made her decision.  She got up and took a shower, returning to her room to get dressed.  She put on a short denim skirt, a pink halter, and pink flip-flops.  She put on some light makeup, and left her hair down.

She headed downstairs to the kitchen where Fred was eating a bowl of cereal.

“Good morning Buffy.  Feeling better?”, Fred asked.

 “Well, I’ve made a decision.  I’ll talk to Spike when I get to school.” Buffy replied, eating a banana.

They finished their breakfast, and left for school.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike walked out onto the quad, and went over to the gang.

“Hey Spike.” Willow greeted.

“Hey Red.”

Spike leaned against the tree, staring out over the quad.

“Whatcha looking for?” Willow asked.

“More like who.” Jesse said, looking directly at Spike.

“What’s he mean?”, asked Xander.

“It’s nothing.  I’ll tell you guys later.” Spike said, not wanting to talk about the Buffy situation right then.

“Ok.” Xander replied, smirking.
”I wonder what he’s gonna tell us.” Anya said, in what she thought was a whisper.

“I don’t know.  He’ll tell us when he feels like it.  Besides, it’s probably a guy thing that we’re not supposed to hear anyway.” Willow told her.

Spike rolled his eyes at their ‘whispered’ conversation, and continued to watch the students coming onto the quad.

“It’s probably about sex.” Anya ‘whispered’ again.

“Like I said, I don’t wanna know.” Willow said, making a face.

Spike looked at the girls.

“Bloody hell!  I’m standing right here!”

Willow’s eyes went wide, and she blushed.  Anya just shrugged.  Xander coughed.  Spike’s eyebrow shot up at Xander’s sudden cough.  Jesse snickered.  Xander shrugged, an amused look on his face, while Oz sat by, stoic as ever.

*Cough* “Buffy.” *Cough*

Spike turned his head and glared at Xander.  Xander looked around innocently, and Jesse snickered again.

“Oh.” Anya said, slowly.

“Bloody hell!  I need a smoke.  See you lot later.” Spike told them, stalking away.

Willow watched as he left.  She smacked Xander in the chest.

“Ow!”, he yelled, rubbing his chest.

“Look what you did!  Now he’s gonna be grrr all day.” Willow said.

“He’ll get over it.” Jesse told her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike stalked into the school, heading for his locker.  He hadn’t seen Buffy, and he was beginning to doubt her response.

Buffy walked toward her locker with Fred.  She saw Cordelia and Harmony on the quad as she walked by, but she didn’t stop.  She had seen Anya and the others, but no sign of Spike.  As they walked down the somewhat empty hallway, Fred grabbed Buffy’s arm.

“What?” Buffy asked.

“Look.” Fred said simply, looking down the hallway.

Buffy looked up and saw Spike standing at his locker, which happened to be next to hers.  Buffy stopped walking and looked at Fred.

“I guess this is it.” Buffy told her.

“Go ahead.  I’ll see you in class.” Fred replied, walking away.

Buffy sighed, and looked at Spike.

‘It’s now or never.’

Buffy walked over to her locker, opening it.  She fiddled with her books.

Spike saw Buffy standing next to him, and he shut his locker door.  He leaned against it, watching her.

‘I wonder if she forgot.’, he thought.

Buffy looked over at Spike.

“Hi.”, she said.

“Hello, luv.”

Then there was a moment, one with the awkward silence, each pondering what to say next.

“Well, I have-“

“Have you-“

They spoke at the same time.

“You go first.” Spike told her.

“Ok.  Um, I’ve made a decision.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~