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Chapter 2 – A Potential Buyer


Slowly walking toward the Bronze later that night, Buffy looked around at the shadows that were cast on the streets of Sunnydale. They offered her a sort of comfort that she had never found anywhere else andhe reveled in the solace that it provided.

Ever since her father had moved out three years ago when Buffy was fifteen, her life had been altered. She hadn’t seen or heard from him since he left on that fateful day, and her mother had been saddled with everything he’d run away from.

After selling their house and moving into a modest two-bedroom apartment in the low-income side of town, Joyce had begun to worry about Buffy. Although she had been in public school at Sunnydale High and was happy and well-adjusted, they still had to pay more money than the Summers’ women had available. A few months after her father’s departure, she had taken it upon herself to apply for scholarships from Sunnydale Academy. No one was more surprised than when she got a full-ride from the school. Covering everything from her books to her uniforms, Joyce had cried when she heard what her daughter had sacrificed to help her family, even though Buffy assured her that the ‘sacrifices’ were minimal.

Buffy had learned who her true friends were after switching schools. Or friend, as the case may be. Xander Harris was the only one who bothered to make an effort to keep their friendship. Everyone else had dropped her once her father had abandoned her, leaving them destitute.

On Buffy’s first day at the Academy two years ago, she’d been fortunate enough to meet Willow and formed an instant friendship with the friendly redhead. Unfortunately, Buffy also had the misfortune of meeting Spike and getting on his bad side, no sooner than she’d walked through the door of the school.

Spike had taken one look at the little blonde and thrown that annoyingly sexy smirk her way before asking her if she wanted to slip into an empty classroom and have some fun. Now, in the middle of their senior year, Buffy would have expected nothing less from the peroxide pest, but since that was the first thing he’d ever said to her, she had immediately retaliated, letting him know that she had no interest in a Billy Idol wannabe.

Unfortunately, a small part of her had really wanted to take him up on his offer, but their first interaction had laid the groundwork for their current relationship of snapping at each other, followed by smug responses.

Buffy could hear the soft, straining notes of the music flowing out of the club as she got closer. Subconsciously, she adjusted her black skirt and straightened the simple white halter-top as she walked through the darkened alley. She was meeting Willow and Xander, who had developed their own friendship thanks to Buffy.

Scanning the crowded club, she recognized several students from both schools but ignored the vast majority. It seemed to be split down the center- those who had abandoned her and those who never got to know her to begin with. She could see her friends sitting at their usual table, talking and laughing with each other. She also saw Spike shamelessly flirting with two girls at a nearby table. Another flash of jealousy went through her, but she stamped it down and chose to ignore the angled cheekbones, piercing blue eyes, and full lips as she walked by.

Spike raised his eyes from the two women he was talking to, tilting his head slightly when he saw Buffy walking by, obviously ignoring him. He couldn’t help the smirk that played out on his features as he watched her. His tongue darted out to dance along his bottom lip as she walked to the next table and rewarded her friends with a bright smile. Spike’s eyes darkened at the realization that he had never been on the receiving end of that smile, but he quickly shrugged off the feeling as he turned his attention back to the women.

* * * * *

Buffy had managed to avoid Spike for the last hour. Truth be told, Spike had avoided her since she was never the one to seek him out, but she was having fun with her friends, and it felt good to relax and have a good time.

“Excuse me,” a soft voice said, causing Buffy to turn around and smile at the boy who looked vaguely familiar. “I’m Owen Thurman.”

Buffy nodded in recognition, remembering that this was the newest student at the Academy. “I’m Buffy Summers,” she said with a friendly smile. “This is Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris,” she continued, gesturing to her friends as Owen gave them each a nervous nod in greeting.

“Um…I was wondering if you’d want to dance,” Owen asked with a shy quality that she found endearing.

“Sure,” Buffy said, hopping down from the tall seat as Owen smiled in relief. He led her to the dance floor, his hand on the small of her back as they walked to the middle of the floor. She turned around, reaching up to put her arms around his neck, surprised at how tall he was.

“How long have you lived here?” Owen asked, a nervous tremor in his voice as he loosely gripped her waist.

“A while,” she said with a shrug. “I’ve been at the Academy for two years now, but I’ve been in Sunnydale a lot longer. What about you?”

“I’m from San Francisco…just moved here.”

Buffy nodded, stepping a little closer to him as the slow song continued. She refrained from laying her head on his chest, not wanting to give him the wrong impression, but she did let her eyes wander around the club as she was slowly danced in a small circle. Her eyes widened when they came to rest on Spike and saw his gaze fixed on her.

Narrowing her eyes in confusion as Spike quickly turned away, Buffy inwardly shrugged as she continued their dance. When the song ended, she took a step back, giving Owen a soft thank you before making her way back to her seat. She was surprised when her path was blocked by a tall man in black.

“I’ve missed you, Buff.”

Buffy looked up, rolling her eyes as she sighed. “Can’t say that I’ve missed you, Angel,” she said, shaking her head.

“Aaah, now that’s no fun,” he said in a playful tone as she took a step around him. “When are we gonna have some more fun, baby?”

“Let’s try the day after never,” she said with a fake smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

Buffy quickly walked back to her friends as they gave her sympathetic looks.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Buffy said, taking her seat. “I’m over him…no…I never needed to get over him.”

And it was true. She’d met Liam Angelus soon after transferring schools. He was a freshman at UC-Sunnydale and had pursued her relentlessly. Buffy had enjoyed spending time with him but had made the mistake of letting things go too far one night. The morning after, Angel had changed drastically, telling her that it was a good time but not a big deal. She had been heartbroken, not because of his rejection, but because she’d slept with a man who she didn’t want to be with.

Getting over Angel would have been fairly easy, except he began showing up everywhere she was, frequently at the Bronze. Joyce had pushed for a restraining order on the man, but Buffy insisted she could handle it. Angel eventually lost his fascination with her, but he still enjoyed surprising her from time to time.

“Come on, guys,” Buffy said with a bright smile as a fast-paced song came on. “Let’s dance.”

She dragged Willow and Xander out on the floor, throwing her arms up in the air and swaying her hips to the beat of the music. She laughed with her friends, enjoying the chance to relax and have a good time, not having to worry about the stupid auction, considering this time next week she would be ‘owned’ by someone.

Buffy looked over and saw Willow intently staring at the stage. Turning around, her eyes strayed from the guitarist to Willow and secretly smiled at her friend. “He’s a cutie, isn’t he?” she called to her over the loud music. Willow blushed, looking at the ground, but Buffy could see the nod. Motioning to Xander that they would be right back, she grabbed Willow’s hand and led her to the front of the stage as the music stopped, giving the band a break. “Oz!” Buffy yelled, getting his attention before he walked off the stage.

“Buffy,” he nodded in greeting.

“I wanted you to meet my friend Willow,” she said, shoving the blushing redhead in front of her and seeing Oz’s eyes light up. “Oz and I went to school together at Sunnydale High. He’s in college now,” she explained as Oz hopped off the stage. “You two have fun.”

Before Willow could turn around in protest, Buffy was halfway across the floor. Seeing Xander getting something to drink at the bar, she headed toward him, only to be intercepted by a leather-clad Spike. She tried not to let her eyes wander the lines of his body beneath the black duster, but they seemed to have other ideas. Too often, she saw him in the khaki pants and white button-down shirt or white sweater that the school required. The duster gave him an edge that nothing else would be able to capture, especially the maroon blazer and coats that the school provided, which Spike refused to wear.

Seeing his eyes traveling up and down her body, Buffy felt a feminine thrill rush through her but ignored it as she looked at him. “Can I help you?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Are you offering?” he asked with a smirk.

“What do you want, Spike?” Buffy replied, not bothering to take him seriously.

“I have to have a reason to talk to you, Summers?”

“You? I’m thinking…yes,” she said, walking by him as he turned with her.

“I saw you talking to your sweetie-bear,” he said with a grin. “Rejecting you again, was he?”

Buffy turned around as fire flashed in her eyes. “You know nothing about me, so why don’t you stay out of my life? Just go away.”

“Why should I do that when it’s obviously bothering you so much to have me here?”

“You know what, Spike?” Buffy replied, turning to face him. “The more I get to know you, the more I wish I didn’t.”

Spike watched as Buffy turned and walked away from him, unable to stop himself from admiring her as she left.





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