Chapter 2
What are bestfriends for?

Late afternoon, Buffy unlocked the front door of her new house with a heavy sigh. She was tired, and glad to finally be home. It was a really nice house. Just big enough for her. All on one level, with lots of open space and windows everywhere. But the main attraction was the backyard with its gigantic pool. She loved pools and had never had one before. Buffy was renting the house from her friend Xander for almost nothing. When he found out that she was moving to Sunnydale, he offered it to her right away. Xander owned an L.A. based construction company, but as a sideline, he liked to buy houses and rent them. He had quite a few across California and it was making him a rich man. Rich enough, at least, to give his childhood friend a really good deal. She wasn’t gonna complain about it.

She dropped her keys on the small table by the door and abandoned her briefcase as well. She wasn’t in the mood to look through paperwork tonight. She unbuttoned her silk shirt, leaving it hanging open on either side of her body, and made her way to the kitchen. She needed a drink badly. She toed off her mint green sexy stilettos on the way there, leaving them in the middle of the place. Yes, she was messy, she knew it, and she didn’t care.

Buffy took a look around the kitchen, still a little overwhelmed by how luxurious it was, with the shiny black granite counter tops, mahogany cupboards with glass doors, slate floor. And the sink was so big that she could probably take a bath in it. She went to the wine rack and picked a bottle of red wine. As she was pouring herself a glass, the phone rang. She took her glass with her and went to pick up the cordless.

“Hey Cordy.” She said in the receiver after taking a look at the caller display. She took a magazine from the pile on the kitchen table and went to sit outside by the pool to enjoy the sunset.

“So? How was your first day as the brand new tormenter of Sunnydale prison residents?” Her friend Cordelia Chase asked, every bit her usual enthusiastic self.

“It was… bizarre, to say the least.”

“It was bizarre? I’m afraid you’ll have to explain further girlfriend cuz good old Cord isn’t getting it. What do you mean, bizarre?”

“I don’t know, just a weird day. I didn’t even do my speech for one thing.”

“Aww! What happened? And it was such a good speech too! Worthy of the award for Monologue of the year. What a loss.”

“You’re a riot, Chase; did anybody ever tell you that?”

“You know I love ya. I’m just teasing. Go on. What happened?”

“I was just about to go to the cafeteria to introduce myself to the prisoners when there was a huge fight. You know my luck, right? I don’t even know why I’m surprised.” Buffy rolled her eyes and took a sip of her wine. The lights in the pool came on automatically as the sky got darker and Buffy got up to go sit with her feet in the water.

“Ok, so--yeah, there was a fight.” Cordelia commented matter-of-factly. “Big freaking deal: it’s a prison. So, what else?”

“Yeah…” Buffy trailed, not sure she really wanted to share the rest of the story. “You know… nothing interesting. I just talked to that guy who was involved in the fight… he hadn’t started it, he got attacked by another convict. Anyway, I talked to him and…”

“And he was really sexy and horny, so you pushed him on top of your desk and had hot sweaty decadent sex with him. Wow, how convenient: the handcuffs were already on him!”

Buffy’s eyes widened in horror. “Cordelia Chase! You are such--a whore! Who do you think I am? I would never have sex with a con or even THINK of having sex with a con… I have higher expectations, I’ll have you know.”

“Says the girl whose last boyfriend, Ford, pretended to be a lawyer when he was in fact a janitor at a lawyer’s office. If you don’t mind, I’ll pick the hot rugged prisoner over that loser anytime of the day.” She snickered with contempt.

“Whatever Cord, I’m not telling you anything else.”

“Come on! I’m dying here! You know gossip is my bread, my wine and my air. Spill the beans before I wither and die like a flower without sun and water..” Cordelia whined, knowing she’d get what she wanted anyway. She always did.

“And that is exactly why I won’t tell you anything. You’re just a big gossip machine. Yep, gossip machine, that’s what you are, missy. You know what will happen? I’ll tell you what you want to know, you’ll shriek in my ear in excitement, and hang up the phone on me. Less than an hour after that, it will be all over the news and I’ll be out of a job.”

“So you DID have hot monkey sex! Good for you!” When Cordelia Chase was onto something, she sure as Hell wouldn’t let go.

“Did not, you big freak!!”

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. But what’s the deal with that guy you were talking about? Was he hot?”

Buffy resisted for a few more seconds, then finally let it out.

“… Delicious.”

As she had predicted, her friend shrieked deafeningly into the phone.

“Buffy Summers!”

“Devilishly handsome. Very lickable. To die for. Sinfully gorgeous. Shall I go on?”

“Whatever happened to your rule about prisoners?” Cordelia asked in a more serious voice.

“Huh? What rule? I don’t have a rule…”

“You do now, missy: Don’t ogle them!”

“Cordelia, just how stupid do you think I am?”

**very, very stupid. Even more than that: Idiotic.** Buffy thought, ashamed of herself.

”You think I would risk my job to flirt with a guy who’s gonna spend the next twenty years behind the bars, all this because he has exquisite blue eyes, a tasty looking lower lip and perfect cheekbones? I’m not that dumb. Can’t a girl tell her best friend, after a long, horrible day, ‘Hey, I’ve seen a hot guy today’ without intending to do anything about it?”

“You know what Buff? I wasn’t actually serious, but you’re reacting so strongly about this that I’m starting to worry for real now.”

“Don’t. I’m sorry I freaked. I had a rough day. I wasn’t serious either.”

“Sure?”

“Sure.”

“Good. Now don’t go looking at that cute prison boy again or Queen C’s gonna come over and slap some sense into that blonde head of yours. Understood? And I’m only saying that because I’m your best friend, not because I would actually enjoy bitch-slapping you around.”

“As if you’d be able to anyway. I might be tiny, but I fight dirty. You know it, you’ve seen me in action.”

Cordelia cleared her throat. She remembered all too well Buffy’s bar-fighting days. “Yeah. Let’s forget about the bitch-slapping… So not going there with you, girl. You’re too much of a psycho for me. I could break a nail or…”

“Or your four-thousand dollar nose?”

“Screw you, my nose is real. Mother Nature gave me that nose! You’re just jealous!”

Buffy laughed. “Yes, keep telling yourself that if it helps… You know what Cordy, I’ve had a rough day. I think I’ll go soak in the tub for a while then hit the pillow.”

“And have naughty dreams about hot prison boy?”

“Whatever, you perv.”

“I’m sure you and your hand will have hours of fun together.”

“Fuck you.”

“Good night to you too!”

Buffy hung up and shook her head slightly. Cordelia and she had been best friends since high school. She was like a sister to her. But sometimes she had to wonder what kind of drugs she was on. Yeah right, as if she would ever do--that, thinking of…

**Who are you trying to fool, you big liar? Wasn’t it your intention anyway? Long, hot, bubble-bath, then go to bed and…**

“Argh!!”

Annoyed with herself for not being able to get her mind out of the gutter, Buffy got up and walked angrily back to the house, her wet feet making slapping noise on the concrete. She slammed the patio door shut behind her and locked it for the night. She turned the lights off after rinsing out her wine glass and went to her bathroom, hoping to finally be able to relax.

She had no such luck. While soaking in the fragrant hot water, surrounded by her favorite scented candles, she couldn’t stop the thoughts from bouncing around in her head like a Ping-Pong ball.

**Be strong, I said. Be merciless with them. Show them who’s the boss.** Buffy silently mocked herself.

**First week is crucial, don’t show any weakness or they’ll eat you alive… Yeah right. Chatting up Mr. Cheekbones, giggling like a schoolgirl at everything he said, then sending him back without any real punishment sure made me look like a real dictator.**

She let herself slide down in the tub until her head was under the water, hoping to silence her infuriating thoughts. Finally accepting the fact that nothing would take her mind off the morning’s events, she got out of the water and wrapped her wet body in a giant, plush, towel.

Once in the bedroom, she gathered the clothes that she had thrown all over her king size bed that morning, and dropped them on the floor, too tired to bother putting them away. Then she slid under the covers and turned the light off…

And stared at the ceiling.

…stared…

…and stared some more…

There was a tiny little crack in the paint…

Looked like a lightning…

Or maybe mountain tops if you looked the other way…

Or…

Buffy reached out to grab the pillow near her and shoved it on her face to muffle yet another scream of frustration.

Giving up the fight against her own mind’s desires, she closed her eyes and finally allowed herself to relax. She let her brain recreate the image of the blonde man who had captured her attention so effectively and gave in to the urge to slide her hands along her warm body. Her finger tips ran over her firm stomach, the feather like touch making her skin tingle.

Buffy let out a soft moan when she finally dipped her slender fingers between her legs. She was surprised at how wet she was. How wet just thinking about this guy made her.

She knew that if she looked at herself in a mirror right now, she would probably see herself blushing like a virgin bride. She couldn’t explain why but she felt ashamed for thinking of him while pleasuring herself. She could see him so clearly in her mind that it made it all too real. Especially since she knew she really shouldn’t be thinking about him this way.

She flicked her clit a few times, nearly jumping off the bed at the first stroke. She hadn’t been that turned on in ages—Make it never. Spike. The nickname was so fitting.

Alright, reliving that conversation wasn’t exactly the biggest turn on. Maybe she could skip it. Though she did have a big grin on her face while thinking about their too short talk.

Buffy chuckled and pumped her fingers harder inside of her. She couldn’t believe just how silly that guy was making her.

She took the morning scene and rearranged it a bit. In her mind, she was now wearing a short black leather skirt instead of her suit pants.

**What was I thinking wearing pants anyway?…** she thought, still annoyed with her choice of outfit, but not for the same reasons that she had worried in the morning.

She let the fantasy play out in her head.

In her bed, Buffy moaned from the erotic image she had just created in her head, and the action of her hands on her oversensitive flesh.

Buffy came with a frustrated whimper. She wanted the real thing, not some cheap imitation her brain could come up with.

**Yeah, but that will NEVER happen girl. Put it in that stubborn little blonde head of yours and move on!** With her hand still buried between her legs, she turned on her side and fell asleep almost instantly.

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CHAPTER 3
Imaginary freedom

After guiding the prisoner through one drab hallway after another, the guard unlocked the handcuffs and pushed Spike outside of the building and into the equally dull yard. Everything in this soddin place was gray and grayer, with a touch of beige and greenish gray here and there. Spike had never considered himself a fan of bright colors and all that, but he swore to all Gods, or whoever was ruling this bleedin world, that if he ever got out of this Hell, nothing gray would ever be allowed in his house ever again.

Spike took a moment to massage his sore wrists then looked up, just as a few drops of cold rain splashed on his face.

“Bloody great.”

He shook his head in disbelief. Even the sky matched the surroundings. How appropriate. He took his pack of cigarettes out of his shirt pocket and lit one up, wondering if his sudden acute awareness of the décor’s drabness had anything to do with his earlier meeting with the new warden. The monotone environment seemed even duller when compared to the sparkling young woman.

“Get a grip mate…” Spike mumbled to himself, cigarette dangling from his lips.

He heard his name being called and turned to face in the direction where the voice came from. His friend Gunn was coming towards him.

“Hey man! What' you doin'g here? I thought for sure you’d disappear for a week after what happened in the cafeteria. How come they didn‘t throw your ass in isolation?”

Spike smirked. “Seems like there’s some kind of justice in this world after all. Who would have known.”

Gunn chuckled. “I know you survive on sarcasm Spike, but lets not push it.”

When there was no indication that his friend was going to say anything about what happened, Charles sighed and rolled his eyes at the blonde man.

“Am I gonna have to beat it out of you or are you gonna tell me what happened in there?”

Spike looked at Gunn like he'd just remembered the man was there.

“Oh. Right…” They started walking towards a more secluded area. “Nothing happened.”

Gunn gave Spike a ‘don’t give me that shit’ look. “So you’re telling me you almost killed a guy, got dragged by your hair out of the cafeteria and into the new warden’s office, and nothing happened? What kind of a fucking moron do you think I am?”

Spike flicked the remains of his cigarette away and sat on the cold ground with his back to the metal fence before answering.

“You’re mum would be very cross with you for using such foul language. I’m bloody fucking sure.”

“Ha. Ha. So, what happened?”

“Nothing. Happened. Got sent to the warden’s office, the chit asked me my side of the story, I told her what happened, and she sent me on my merry way.”

“Alright then.” Gunn seemed skeptical, but didn’t want to push the issue. He chose another tactic instead. “So, what was she like? You got to see her before everybody else, now you’re gonna have to share the details with your buddy. ”

“Real ugly thing. Old and fat, with those yellow teeth. Nasty.”

“You’re shitting me man.” Charles gave Spike a horrified look. They had all expected it to be bad, but never that bad.

“Yes I am. And it’s bloody entertaining.”

“Making you eat rocks would be entertaining too, but you don’t see me doing it.” Charles smiled smugly as Spike gave him the finger. “So, should I repeat the question? What does she look like?”

“She was alright I guess. If you like the type. Short little California bird with the blonde hair and the tan.”

“Blonde California babe, huh? Just the type of chicks I dig.”

“Not a chance mate. Don’t waste a minute even thinking about the chit. She’s way out of your league, not to mention out of reach.” Spike wondered briefly who he was talking too when saying this. Gunn, or himself.

“Relax man. A guy’s allowed to fantasize. Besides, I haven‘t even seen her yet. But I can‘t wait now.”

“She owns your arse. The chit is here for one purpose, and one purpose only: make your life a living hell. Do you really want to start fantasizing about her? My advice to you mate is to be faithful to Halle and Beyonce. Besides, you’ll be disappointed.” Spike shrugged hoping to look casual. “She’s really not that hot.”

The image crossed his mind briefly, but just long enough to make his cock twitch in his pants. His hand reached for his cigarettes of its own volition. He hoped Gunn didn’t notice the flame trembling when he lit the smoke. But his friend just kept on talking, oblivious to the blonde man’s state of mind.

“Yeah… I guess you’re right. My girls would get pissed if I’d think about some other chick. And if she’s working as penitentiary warden, there‘s gotta be something seriously wrong with her. Who in their right mind would chose to come to prison everyday? ”

“Strangely, it didn’t cross my mind to ask. Maybe you could attack someone, or try to escape. You’ll end up in her office and you can ask her yourself. Then you’ll have a month or two in isolation so you’ll have plenty of time to ponder her bloody answer.”

“Cute.” Charles snorted. “So, she really didn’t do anything to you? I still find it a little hard to believe that she’d let you go like that. It’s her first day at work, she’s got something to prove, doesn’t she? Not that I think you deserve discipline man. I mean, I was there. I know Parker attacked you for no reason other than he’s Parker.”

“She did discipline me a little.” Spike finally said.

“What, she got her paddle out of the closet and spanked you? Was it one of those black satin and pink feathers ones, with ‘dominatrix‘ written on it?”

“Do you even listen to the shit that comes out of your mouth?”

“Come on, what did she do?”

“Extra therapy sessions and she took me away from the license plates production line and sent me to work at the library. Permanently.”

“What?!” Gunn cried out indignantly. “Dude, that’s no punishment! You hate making license plates and love the library!”

Spike shrugged.

“What is this? Did you bat your pretty eyelashes at the woman?”

“Did not you wanker. And there’s nothing pretty ‘bout my eyelashes. They’re manly.”

Gunn took a good look at his friend. “Oh God, that’s why you don’t want to answer any questions! You like her! You liiiike her” he said in a sing-song voice, sounding like a twelve year old school boy.

“Would you sod off already and…”

Both men looked up when they heard someone clearing their throat to get attention. Two of the guys were standing there. Andrew and Jonathan. Also known as Spike’s most devoted groupies. Those two were the kind of guys that you’d imagine more easily sitting at home in front of their computers chatting about Star Wars, than as permanent occupants of a penitentiary. But they were in for massive Internet fraud as well as being accomplice in a girl’s murder. Their new occupation: stalking Spike.

Spike sighed, annoyed beyond words at seeing the two boys.

“What the bloody Hell do you want? Don’t you have someone else to drive stalkers? Go play D&D, exchange Star Trek cards… whatever it is you geeks do nowadays.”

When Andrew didn’t open his mouth to talk, Jonathan elbowed him in the ribs. Andrew yelped.

“Hey! That hurt you freak--Oh--yeah. Huh.. We, we were wondering…”

“We wanted to know, since you’ve met the new warden before everybody else, and we think that’s pretty neato what you did to that jerk Parker by the way, he soooo deserved it for attacking you like that, he’s such a jerk… and that cool move you did… man, how did you do that? It looked like something right out of Star wars, you know in Return of the Jedi when…”

Gunn growled. “If you don’t stop rambling and cut to the chase, you have no idea what I’m gonna do to you.”

Jonathan’s eyes bulged out comically at the threat. “Right. Anyway, what’s she like? Cause, you know, to be mentally prepared. Is she really bad? What does she look like? Is she like…”

Spike rubbed his temples, feeling the headache forming. “You starting to turn blue there, Spock. Take a deep breath.”

Andrew gave Jonathan a nasty look and hissed between his teeth: “Shut up, he’ll think we’re losers.”

Spike didn’t even bother pretending he didn’t hear. “I pretty much already think you are, so don’t worry bout it.” He rolled his eyes at the two geeks. “She’s a real evil bint, alright? Now you be good nerds and be on your merry way.”

“What do you mean she’s evil? What did she do?” Andrew asked, curious.

“She’s real scary. Yelled a lot, gave me enough shit to do that I’ll have to come back after I die to finish. Now leave. I’m sure you’re dying to tell everybody.”

Spike flicked his cigarette butt at them with a scold on his face. They backed up hurriedly, not wanting to push their luck.

“Why did you lie?”

“Don’t know. The bird’s been real nice to me, I’d be the biggest wanker in the world if I’d go tell everybody. How would she get respect if she already has the reputation of being soft on her first day on the job?”

“You liiiiiike her!”

“And do you like your teeth the way they are? Cause I can rearrange them if you don’t shut your bloody gob.”

Gunn made kissing noises and laughed when Spike gave him a warning growl.

“What are you? Twelve?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“LIGHTS OUT.”

Spike stared at the shadows on the wall for the longest time, listening to the not so familiar prison’s sounds. He had been told that you get used to it after a while and don’t even hear it anymore, but it had been six months for him and it still felt like his first day… everyday.

That old saying about getting used to everything? That was bullocks. Certain things were just too horrible for a human mind to get past. Maybe it depended on who you were. Spike could see how a ruthless murderer, a rapist, or someone who spent the best years of his life in unmentionable dives and dark alleys, could possibly call this place home. After all, you had free food. Not very good, but still. And you had cable TV, a gym, you could even study if you felt like it. For some, it was the bloody Hilton, that‘s what it was. Or maybe more like the Super 8 motel.

But this world was not his. He didn’t belong there. He had always loved things of beauty. The little boy who grew up wanting to become a poet or write stories about love and fantasy worlds, was lost in the confined cell. The only freedom he had left was his imagination.

Spike closed his eyes, trying to erase from his mind the images of the steel bars, the concrete floor and walls, the chair bolted to the floor. He felt so exposed in the open cell, under the very thin blanket; Snyder, his cell mate, snoring loudly in the cot right underneath his own. The noises were so near that he could almost hear Gunn breathing in his own cell. He forced himself to block the sounds out. To not feel the rough blanket against his skin. The cold. It was all making it hard for him to escape to his own world. But he was trying anyway. Every night he was trying, but now, he had a motivation. She made it easier. Behind his closed eyelids, he saw the world as it should be.

Spike turned on his side, wincing as the cot protested loudly. He curled up in a protective manner. Habit he picked up on his very first horrible night in jail.

Spike frowned. *Sundress? Not very teacher-like… Oi! Sod off! It’s my bloody dream and she’ll wear a sundress if I want her to.*

He rolled his eyes at his own internal argument, and reached down under the blanket to touch his already painfully hard erection. His cock jumped, desperately needing the attention.

Spike took hold of his hard cock and gave it a few slow strokes. He stiffened a moan, not wanting to attract attention to himself.

Spike gripped his cock harder and started pumping at a fast pace, trying to convince himself that it was Buffy giving him a hand job, not himself. It was getting harder to stay quiet but it wouldn’t do to have a guard walking in front of his cell and bring attention to him by making some loud, rude comment--they did it all the time, but he himself never got caught. Thank God. He really wasn’t the “public display” kinda guy.

Spike did the same while the vision of Buffy smiled at him. He took some of the toilet paper he had left by his cot and came in it, hiding his face in his pillow to keep quiet.

Spike calmed down and shut his eyes tightly as realization sunk in.

*The warden, you BLOODY, STUPID, IDIOTIC, WANKER. THE SODDIN WARDEN!! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR GODDAMN MIND?! Argh!*

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CHAPTER 4
Every night

The blond man tossed and turned on the small, uncomfortable bed. As usual, he was restless and caught in the nightmare. Always the same. His past was haunting him through his sleep and he couldn’t escape. Prisoner of the cold building during the day, prisoner of his dreams at night. ,

“Oh for God’s sake! Will you wake up, you lunatic!”

Spike gasped, trying to catch his breath. He looked around, trying to understand where he was and what was happening. His eyes finally landed on the very unappealing face of Snyder.

The little man snorted in disgust. “Some people would appreciate getting some sleep--if it fits into your schedule, somewhere between the whimpering and the yelling.”

“Shut your bloody gob, rat face” Spike spat at his cellmate.

Snyder went back to his own cot, mumbling under his breath. “Every night. EVERY single night… Freak.”

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CHAPTER 5
A little motivation

She had done it. She had finally done it. Buffy had fallen asleep. Of course, she wasn’t there anymore to marvel on that fact, but if she had been able to comment, she would have said: “Thank you God.”

But her sleep was not that different from her previous state. She was tossing and turning, every bit as restless as she had been earlier when awake.

The annoying sound seemed to be coming from everywhere at once. Buffy just lay on her back, eyes still closed, wondering sleepily what the hell was making that noise. She growled when she finally realized what it was: the phone. Reaching out blindly, she got a hold of the offending thing and answered.

“…What?”

“Rude much.” Came the perky voice of Cordelia through the receiver.

“Mghrhmmm”

“Sorry, I don’t speak cave Buffy. Care to translate?”

“What do you want?”

Cordelia let out an audible offended breath. “I put my alarm clock three hours early to wish my best friend good luck and that’s what I get for my trouble?”

Buffy chuckled. “As if.”

“Fine, fine. I had to get up for a business meeting. I’m having breakfast with the owner of a new store on Rodeo drive who’s interested in my clothing line. But still, my intentions were pure.”

“Thanks Cor. And good luck with your meeting.”

“So,” the other girl asked, “any dreams about prison boy?”

“Sorry to disappoint, but no.” Buffy lied, biting her lower lip. “Johnny Depp saved me from a mob of evil bunnies in Prague.”

She wasn’t going to tell Cordelia how ‘prison boy’ took the place of the overweight, bald, officer who sent her to work at L.A. county prison ten years ago in her dream. Things had happened differently back then, for one thing, the guy hadn’t been interested in finding out why exactly she was rebelling--not that she would have told him about Tara anyway--and wasn’t sending her there so she could find a career. He just wanted to scare the shit out of her. In the dream, Spike had been sitting behind the desk and telling her to believe in herself and basically, to help him. But except for that, everything had been the same.

“Evil bunnies, huh?”

“Maybe my subconscious is trying to tell me something?”

“Yeah. That you’re deranged.”

“Bitch.”

“Loony.”

“Wallmart designer.”

“Ouch.”

Buffy laughed. “Did I get the last word on this one? That would be a first.”

“I’ll give you this one, but don’t get used to it. Gotta go hon, I just burned a red light and nearly killed some old lady crossing the street. But good luck today.”

“Thanks Cordy. I should talk to you every morning, you put me in a good mood.”

“That would be the Cordelia Chase Harris curse: I try to be a bitch, and all I manage to do is put a smile on peoples faces. Call me later.”

“Will do.”

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“Silence!”

The voice of the usually calm and collected Rupert Giles echoed throughout the cafeteria, efficiently getting the attention of the prisoners.

Buffy was holding her hands behind her back to hide the tremors her nervousness was causing. She might have worked with cons for ten years, but it was the first time she was going to address them all at once and she couldn‘t help the uncertainty crawling under her skin. She was standing with the rest of the prison staff who had been assembled for the speech, and so far, no one had noticed her. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She had spotted Spike almost right away--he was sitting on the side alone with another con, a black guy--and he was looking straight at her.

She realized that Giles was still talking, and she had missed most of what he said.

“… and I hope that unlike yesterday, you’ll be on your best behavior. So here she is, your new warden.”

Buffy took a step forward, trying to look determined, an ‘I’m in charge’ look on her face. But she wasn’t feeling it, and people can always sense that.

“Hello everyone, I’m… “

Her words were lost in a sea of lewd comments, cheers and laughter. She waited for them to calm down but it didn‘t seem like they would any time soon. Then, she cast a quick glance towards Spike. He was still looking at her, smiling encouragingly, and she automatically felt more confident.

Buffy took another couple of steps, coming to stand near the first tables. Giles reached out to stop her, obviously worried for her safety, but she ignored him.

“ENOUGH!” She yelled, her voice surprisingly loud for such a tiny woman. It shocked everyone into silence.

“As I was saying, my name is Buffy Summers and I’m your new warden. I might be a woman, and I might not look very intimidating, but I won’t take shit from any of you. I have the power to make your life miserable. As long as you remember this, we’ll get along just fine. Is that clear?”

She could see from the corner of her eye that Spike’s smile had grown wider.

Everything was going to be just fine. The Spike in her dream was right: she could do this.

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CHAPTER 6
Life isn't always fair to gentlemen

Extending an arm in front of her, the young warden pushed the seemingly endless piles of papers and files cluttering her desk to the side and sighed tiredly. Resting her weight on her elbows, Buffy massaged her sore temples and closed her eyes, willing the headache to go away, without much success.

Giles poked his head through the open door of her office. The security headquarters, where his own office was located, was a little further down the hall. In the week she had been working there, he made a habit of stopping by to chat once in a while, when her office door was open and he had a minute to himself.

He cleared his throat to get her attention. “I got you some coffee. You look like you might need it. You‘ve had your head buried in those documents all morning.”

“My hero! You are, by far, my favorite person in the world right now. Thank you so much.” She gestured for him to have a seat while taking the paper cup from him.

“No need to thank me Buffy. I just noticed that you’ve been working at your desk since you arrived this morning and thought you might need a break. And after working around her for a few years now, I realize Harmony does have a tendency to be forgetful about these things. It’s not that she doesn’t try, it’s just that--If you ask her for a coffee, you will be lucky to get it sometime during the next week.”

Buffy laughed at this. “Yes, but I think I’ll keep her anyway. Despite her lack of decorum, she seems to be a sweet girl and she’s not doing such a bad job. She can be annoying sometimes, but nothing I can’t deal with. I guess as long as I accept the fact that I’ll have to get my own coffee, we’ll be fine. Thanks for checking on me though, I appreciate it. You have no idea how much my brain cells needed a break right now. I swear, I‘m looking at you, and I can still see legal documents dancing in front of my eyes.”

Giles glanced at the piles of files on Buffy’s desk. “Am I wrong in assuming that your predecessor left you with a tremendous amount of unfinished projects to sort through?”

“You’re right on. The son of a… “ Buffy caught herself, and gave Giles an innocent smile. “I mean, Mr. Wilkins left a gigantic mess behind. I’m sure he’s roasting on some Mexican beach, a playboy model rubbing sun tan lotion on his back, and he’s laughing at me right now.” Buffy frowned, suddenly unsure. “He IS the corrupted one you were talking about, right? Or is he the one who killed himself? In which case, he’s probably roasting in hell for this.” She pointed at the work scattered all over her desk.

“Corrupted one.” Giles confirmed with a smile. “He stole a great deal of money from the prison. But… you’re probably already aware of that.”

The blonde woman snorted and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I got that memo. Is there anything he didn’t do? The guy was way evil.”

“I’m afraid he was, yes.”

Buffy stretched in her chair, rolling her neck and pulling her arms above her head. She made a face at the soreness in her tired limbs.

“You know Giles, I’ve been sitting here for hours and my butt is kinda numb. What about doing that inspection of the facilities I’ve been putting off for a week? Are you up to it?”

“Of course. We could do it now if you wish.”

“Yes, I think I need a change of scenery before I go insane.”

Buffy got up, grabbed her jacket from the back of her leather chair. She fumbled for a moment, trying to find her clipboard and a pen that worked, then she followed Giles out of the office.

When they walked pass Harmony’s desk, the perky blonde secretary stopped them.

“Oh boss? Ms. Osborne called.”

Buffy frowned in confusion. “Who?”

Harmony rolled her eyes at her. “Hello! The criminologist? She works here? Anyway, she said she’ll come back from her vacation a day early to have a chance to meet with you.”

Buffy took a deep breath not to snap at the girl. “And that’d be when exactly Harmony?”

“Well duh, Friday.”

“Fine. Block some time on my schedule would you?”

“On it!” Harmony carefully wrote it down on her pad, then smiled at Buffy, obviously pleased with herself.

Buffy just shook her head and followed Giles down the corridor.

“This girl amazes me. It’s like we speak two different languages.”

“Don’t worry too much about it. Took me at least two years to get what the bloody hell that girl was talking about. You’ll get the hang of it… eventually.”

“Yeah, I won’t keep my hopes up. I might have to hire a translator eventually or I risk a permanent headache.”

They passed the metal detectors, then a few bulletproof glass doors and into the secure area. Two other guards accompanied them in case of trouble.

That’s how started what seemed like days of walking, listening to Giles pointing out the things he had been wanting to bring to her attention and taking notes on her clipboard. This wasn’t getting rid of her headache at all, but at least they were moving. She had desperately needed to ease the cramps in her legs caused by the long hours sitting behind her desk. Immobility wasn’t one of Buffy Summers’ favorite things. She was more of an action girl. Always had been.

But stepping into the workout area, Buffy’s need for action was about to be fulfilled dramatically.

“The camera in this corner, in my humble opinion, isn’t in the right angle. It should be moved or another one should be added so we can get a better coverage… “

Giles was suddenly interrupted by loud shouting coming from the other end of the room, followed by the sound of people fighting. Automatically, the two security guards who had been following them quietly during the tour of the facilities sprang into action. They rushed to where a convict was just about to hit another with a 50 pound dumbbell, while the other cons cheered him on and started fighting amongst themselves. The security guard on duty in the workout area ran to help them. Some of the prisoners decided to take advantage of the disruption to rush the exit but Giles saw it and made them back up. He wasn’t paying attention to Buffy anymore.

Engrossed in what was happening, and yelling orders in her two way radio, Buffy wasn’t paying attention either. She didn’t notice the con coming at her from behind until it was too late. She turned, just in time to have his meaty fist smashed into her stomach. She lost her wind long enough for him to throw her out of his way, and headfirst into the nearest wall.

Buffy blinked several times, trying to fight the darkness that threatened to swallow her. A face came into focus in her sight and she could hear his voice calling to her. It sounded very far away.

“Buffy… Ms. Summers! Are you alright? Don’t close your eyes luv, stay with me.”

It was Spike. She wanted to answer him, but then he was gone, and everything went black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m alright… I’m fine… not closing my eyes, just resting them…” Buffy mumbled, slowly coming to.

She opened her eyes carefully. She blinked at the sudden harshness of the overhead light and looked around, surprised that Spike wasn’t there anymore. In his place was a girl that she remembered for being… What was her name again? Annie? Hanna? She looked around herself, trying to figure out where she was. She wasn’t in the workout area anymore. It looked like the infirmary.

**How the hell did I get here so fast? I just closed my eyes for like two seconds. Did someone finally figure out the secret to teleportation?**

Thinking hurt her head and she groaned before closing her eyes again.

“Don’t close your eyes and pretend that you’re still unconscious. I heard you groan.”

Buffy opened her eyes again and this time, the nurse’s face was mere inches from her own, making her jump.

“You’re gonna have a very unappealing bump on your head. But except for that, you’re perfectly fine and physically able to go on with your normal activities without worrying. Maybe you shouldn’t drive your car though. You’d probably end up killing someone. But hey, on the brighter side,” she added with a bright smile, “orgasms don‘t require concentration. So you can have them without risk.”

Buffy stared at the girl with her mouth open. Now she remembered what the girl’s name was. “… Anya, right?”

“Yes.” Anya smiled at her, obviously pleased that her employer remembered her name. “We met the day of your speech, but we haven’t had a chance to talk since.”

Buffy gave her a tight smile. **Oh joy, the girl was already making my head hurt when I was perfectly healthy. Now, she’s gonna kill me for sure.**

“Spike… “ Buffy started asking. “What happened to him?”

“Oh, don’t worry. He’s being taken care of. I’ll go and ask someone to drive you home. You look awful.” The brunette turned around without waiting for an answer, and left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The punch hit him square in the jaw and Spike fell on his knees, spitting out blood. He had already received a few solid ones to the ribs and by the pain radiating throughout his torso, he could tell they’d probably broken one or two.

“No bloody fair to hit a man who can’t defend himself you wankers.” He hissed through clenched teeth.

He had been dragged more roughly than usual towards isolation, but they really lashed out at him when he had asked if the warden was all right. He didn’t know exactly why but wasn‘t going to ask either.

One of the guards grabbed the back of his shirt and unceremoniously threw Spike headfirst in the isolation cell.

“You can expect to rot in here for a lifetime or two, Spike. And after what you did, we might even forget about your sorry ass. Nobody would miss you. ”

The other guard laughed.

Spike didn’t bother to answer. He wiped the blood from his face and sat back against the wall of the cell. He could be honest with himself and admit that he was usually actively looking for trouble. But for once, he didn’t think he did anything to deserve this treatment. He had only tried to protect the young woman from the ongoing fight.

**Right. Like fairness has any part to play in my bloody soddin life anyway** He thought somberly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The cab dropped Buffy off in front of her house, and the driver helped her reach the front door.

“You sure you alright miss? You look like a ghost.”

“I’ll be just fine sir, don’t worry. I’m tougher than I look. Thanks for your help.”

Buffy’s smile faded as soon as the cab driver turned to walk away. She felt like shit. It felt like her head was double its normal size.

She made her way to her bedroom and let herself sink into her plush bed. She was starting to think that she might take Giles’ advice after all, and take a few days off.

**I’ll have to make sure to thank Spike when I get back to work** She thought drowsily before drifting off to sleep.

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A/N: When I wrote this, I didn't even know about Euro Trip. I swear! It's just coincidence. If I'd gotten my idea from the movie, I would give it the credit, but I wrote this chapter during my trip in Paris last May, and saw the movie in August. Awesome movie by the way. I bought it. :::starts singing Scotty doesn't know::: ;-)

Chapter 7
French lessons

Monday morning, Buffy decided that she was rested enough to go back to work. She had spent Thursday, Friday and the weekend home, wrapped in her afghan and watching movies. Now her head was feeling much better, and she was bored to tears. She knew that one more day off and she’d never be able to catch up on her work at the prison. She was so eager to get back that she made it to her office before the night staff had been relieved. That’s where Giles found her, so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn’t even hear him knock.

“Buffy? What a surprise! I thought for sure you’d be gone for another few days. How are you feeling?”

Buffy smiled up at him, and leaned back in her chair. “I was doing much better until I realized just how much of a set back this whole ordeal has been. I’m behind on everything I had to do. I’m gonna have to put in a lot of extra hours this week if I want to catch up.”

The young woman got up and went to the brand new coffee maker she had installed in a corner of her office. She poured two cups.

“A coffee maker?” Giles chuckled from where he was standing in the doorway.

“Well yeah. It was the only logical solution to my problem. Harmony won’t get me coffee, and I’m too lazy to walk all the way to the staff lunchroom and get it myself. So I went to Wallmart yesterday and got my very own coffee machine. This way everyone’s happy.”

Buffy turned around and rolled her eyes dramatically when she noticed that Giles was being his usual British self. He was staying politely by the door, waiting to be invited in. She chuckled and shook her head. “Come on Giles, don’t just stand there. Have a seat.”

As he walked in and sat down in front of her, she handed him a cup of coffee. He gave her a grateful smile.

“You know, you don’t have to be so polite and proper with me. We’ve only known each other for a little more than a week, but I consider you a friend already. Or at least,” She added, suddenly unsure, “I was hoping we could be friends--eventually.”

“Of course, Buffy. I do like you very much.” He said warmly. “I just wasn’t sure where I stood with you and didn’t want to be overly familiar. But if you don’t mind the familiarity…”

“I don’t mind at all Giles. I told you, as long as we’re not around prisoners, there’s no ‘rank’ between us, all right?”

“As you wish, Buffy. So…” He hesitated, obviously fighting his instinct for formality. “Huh--How was your weekend?”

Buffy almost laughed at how flustered he looked, but she managed to keep a straight face. After all, he was making an effort.

“I almost turned into a vegetable. At one point, I thought I would start growing roots. I spent the weekend on the couch. Nothing very exciting. But I guess I needed that. It had been a long time since I’d had time to pamper myself like that. You probably noticed already, I’m kind of a workaholic. It’s always all work and no play for Buffy. I rarely take time for myself like I did this weekend.”

“Yes, I did notice. I can already tell that you’ll be doing a fantastic job here. I’ve been working in this prison for over twenty years and of all the wardens I’ve dealt with, you’re the first one who seems to love the job. Though putting your work before your own happiness cannot be healthy. Surely you have other activities? Friends, family, love interest?”

This time, Buffy laughed out loud. “If that’s the way you feel, I guess I’ll wait before asking you how things have been here since I left.”

She grinned playfully at him and he shook his head slightly.

“To answer your question, no, I don’t have that many people in my life. My mom lives in San Francisco where she owns an art gallery. We call each other once in a while, but she’s busy. My father has been MIA for years now. He’s probably on a yacht somewhere in Greece with his barely legal mistress. And I have a younger sister, Dawn, who’s a student at UCLA. She‘s the smart one in the family. She‘s been in Paris perfecting her French for the past four months. She came back three weeks ago but I hadn‘t had a chance to see her yet.”

“What about friends?”

“The only close friends I have are Cordelia and Xander. We were always together in high school but now that we’re grown ups and living in different cities, it’s getting harder to see each other. They got married when we finished school and have a little girl, Camille.” She paused, pretending to be thinking hard about this. “Yup. That would sum up my very pathetic social life. As far as love is concerned--I gave up on that a while ago. I have the worst taste in men and it always ends badly. I‘m much better off single. Less drama.”

“Nonsense. You are a beautiful, bright, young woman. You can’t possibly tell me that you gave up on love already because of a few bad experiences. There’s no point in living without love. You just haven’t found the one yet. Give it some time.”

“I don’t know. I’ve never really been in love before. I’ve had a couple of innocent crushes when I was in high school, but it wasn’t love. And usually, the guys I dated were jerks or just plain weird. But what about you, Giles? Did you find the one?”

Giles cleared his throat uncomfortably. He was obviously not used to talking about himself so openly. “Well, huh.. I don’t know if… she’s the one or not, but I have been seeing Anya, the new nurse. She’s special. Strangely enough, I like her bluntness. It takes getting used to at first, but you never have to guess with her. It‘s… refreshing.”

The blonde girl just stared at him, mouth gapping. “Anya? No way! That’s… great! Wow, you guys are so--different.”

Giles took off his glasses and started cleaning them. “I understand your surprise. We are indeed quite different. But you know what they say: opposites attract. I’ve never really believed that old saying before, but I’m starting to think maybe it is true after all. Perhaps I could introduce her to the delicate art of tact, and in return, she could help me loosen up a bit.” Giles said with a mischievous glint in his blue eyes.

Buffy chuckled.

Giles looked at his watch and got up. “I really should get going. I have quite a lot of work to do today and I’m sure you do too.”

“All right. It was nice to finally have a chance to talk. The rest of the staff isn’t very friendly. Half of them still look at me like I’m some kind of a joke, and the other half just ignore me.”

“They’ll come around, Buffy. Just give them some time.”

“Yeah, I know.” She sighed. “But it’s just depressing. Alright, enough self pity. I’ll see you later.”

Giles turned to leave, but remembering that she had planned on meeting with Spike later on, she stopped him. “I almost forgot--could you…”

Buffy interrupted herself when Harmony walked in. She gave her secretary a questioning look.

“Here you go.” The bubbly blonde gave her boss her brightest smile while dropping on her desk a mountain of documents. The top of the pile was decorated with what looked like a field of yellow post-its. Harmony’s trademark.

“What are those, Harm?”

“Urgent stuff that accumulated while you were on your unplanned vacation.”

“I wasn’t on vac--never mind. And what are the post-its for exactly?”

“Things scheduled for today and other things that need attending to. Like the showers have started acting funky this weekend and the guys are getting majorly pissed off. Cold water is supposed to make your hair shinier. They should be happy, but they‘re not. Go figure. You also have a meeting with the caterers at 11am about that food poisoning last week. But--It’s all there on the little post-its, and in order of priority. I’m sure you can read it yourself.”

The more Harmony talked, the more Buffy’s shoulders slouched.

“Thank you. That was very considerate of you.” She said in a barely concealed mocking tone that Harmony missed completely.

“No problem boss.” She walked out, forgetting to shut the door behind her as usual.

Buffy sighed deeply in front of the workload that awaited her. She finally noticed Giles still standing expectantly by the door. She gave him a puzzled look.

“You were saying something before Harmony walked in.” He reminded her.

“Oh. Yeah. But you know what, forget about it. I won’t have time today. It’s something I can do tomorrow. If I’m still alive.”

“I will let you get to work then.”

He closed the door after him, and Buffy took the first post-it, needing to start somewhere. It said:

Contact maintenance for shower repair to avoid riot

It was written in pink, and the “i” in “riot” had a little heart shaped dot on it.

Buffy rolled her eyes dramatically. This was gonna be a long day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy grinned happily when her house came into view and she saw who was waiting for her. She turned the steering wheel sharply to engage her little sports car in the driveway. Anybody who would have witnessed the maneuver would have gasped in fear when the red car stopped no more than half an inch from the garage door, but not the dark haired girl who was sprawled comfortably on the front porch stairs. She had seen much worse displays of Buffy’s horrible driving in her lifetime. Which was the reason why she would never set foot in a car with her, even if Orlando Bloom himself asked her to. The young girl had her pretty face upturned to enjoy the warm sun, long chocolate brown hair and expensive sunglasses shining in the late afternoon light. Buffy slammed her car door and walked towards her. As she approached, the girl finally jumped up to her feet.

“Dawn!” Buffy exclaimed happily. “Oh my God, I’ve missed you so much!” She hugged the taller girl fiercely.

“Moi aussi! Je me suis ennuyee de toi comme tu ne peux pas savoir. Comment va ma soeur prefere?”

“Huh?”

The look on Buffy’s face was priceless and Dawn couldn’t help but laugh.

“I said: Me too. I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed you. How’s my favorite sister doing?”

Buffy pouted. “Yeah, yeah. Go ahead,” She said while unlocking the front door. “brag. Make fun of your poor sister. One summer in France and you come back fluent? How fair is that? I know you’re supposed to be the brain of the family, but seriously…”

“Oh come on, you’re just jealous.” She said, walking past Buffy and into the house. “Is it my fault if I took three years of French in high school and actually showed up for class? Which is more than you can say. When you finished high school, all you could manage was ‘Je ne parle pas francais’”

“Did I say I was glad to see you? I must have lost my mind there for a second.” The grin on her face denied her words. She missed bickering with her younger sibling. They had spoken on the phone once in a while when she was overseas, but it wasn’t the same.

Dawn dropped her backpack by the door and looked around, a glimmer of curiosity lighting up her blue eyes.

“Do I get the grand tour of ‘Casa del Summers’? I’m the only one who hasn’t seen your new house yet.”

Buffy put her arm around her sister’s slender shoulders. “And who’s fault would that be for coming back the day before college started?”

Dawn pretended to analyze the question carefully. “Louis-Philipe’s fault actually. But he was well worth it. He had eyes like the Mediterranean Sea. Too bad he was married with two kids my age. Le salaud.” She blurted out with a straight face.

“What?!”

She giggled, happy with herself for getting the reaction wanted.

“Relax. He was 20, single, free of any offspring, and now has a broken heart thanks to me.”

“Shame on you, you man eater.”

“Yep. Man eater, that’s me.”

“Come on. I’ll give you the tour, then you’ll tell me all about your exciting adventures in the country of cheese and bread.”

“Deal.”

Buffy led her sister from one room to another, showing her the painting studio, the two guestrooms, master bedroom, living room…

“Considering the lack of tacky New Kids on the Block posters, am I right to assume Cordelia had something to do with the decoration?”

Buffy pouted. “You’re wrong! We did it together--as a team.“

Dawn gave her a stern look, clearly not believing her.

“Ok. Fine. She welcomed my suggestions--kinda.” She admitted sheepishly.

Dawn loved the house, but what really got her to squeal excitedly was the playroom in the basement, with its entertainment system, pool table and bar, and the backyard.

“Can you imagine the incredible pool parties we could have here! I’ll be the most popular freshman in the history of UCLA!!”

“Whoa. Hold your horses young lady. There will be no frat parties here for as long as I breathe. Got it?”

“I could invite my very hot, young, Italian teacher.” Dawn gave her sister her most dazzling smile, batting her eyelashes innocently.

“Does he speak English?”

They burst out laughing.

Buffy went to the fridge. “Want something to drink, Frenchie?”

“You have ice tea?”

“Yup.”

“With ice. Lots of ice. Pretty please.”

Buffy poured two glasses of ice tea and came to sit in front of Dawn at the table by the pool. The sun had set, but the night was warm and comfortable.

“What brings you here on a week night? Don’t you have school?”

“Nope. It’s a study week. Which brings me to ask if maybe you’d let me stay here for a couple of days? After only three weeks, I already need a break from all the ‘fun’ of the dorm life. I’d go to San Francisco, but you know mom. She’ll make me work at the gallery and keep me busy unpacking old dusty stuff. I’ll never have a minute to relax…” Dawn corrected herself quickly. “I mean study. Of course.”

Buffy snorted. “No problem. I’m sure my pool will be a much more favorable environment for your ‘studying’. But no frat parties, missy.”

“Even if I invite the Italian hunk? I’m sure you’d like him.”

“Sorry to disappoint, but no. Besides, you know that Buffy and dating are totally unmixy things.”

“Does that mean there’s still no romance in your life?”

“That’s exactly what it means. Romance free life, thank you very much.”

“Oh come on! Not even a potential hottie that makes your heart skip a beat and that you could consider as an eventual love interest?”

For a second, the look on Buffy’s face turned dreamy, but she quickly caught herself.

Not quickly enough for Dawn not to notice though.

“I saw that! Buffy Summers. Spill.”

“Give it a rest, Dawn. There’s no one.”

“Fine. Be that way. But I saw. There was definitely ‘a look’. And you know I won’t give up until I find out who the mysterious man who caught your att…”

“So. How was Paris?”

Dawn frowned at the abruptness of her sister. Something was definitely wrong with her and she couldn’t wait to find out what was really going on in that pretty blonde head of hers.

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