[Reviews - 354]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 5356 times

- Text Size +




Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks for all of the reviews! I hope this chapter ends on an intriguing note:) Chapter 8, titled "The End Of An Era", will be posted tomorrow!
When Sunday rolled around, Buffy was very skeptical to go to work, fearing that maybe Spike seriously did like her and had a plot against Riley. She cautiously looked around when she walked inside the Doublemeat Palace, managing to get to her locker in back when Spike appeared beside her.

“Hi,” she said quietly, not looking at him, which he noticed.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, worried, and she sighed, nodding. “Why won’t you look at me?”

“Do you like me, Spike?” she asked, looking at him. “I mean, not in just the friendly type of way. Do you like me?”

“Not going to lie when I say you’re beautiful, Goldilocks,” he said. “I’m sure I’ve made it clear in the past that I like you.”

“No, you’ve made it clear that you want to sleep with me,” she replied. “That’s not the same thing.”

“I like you, yes,” Spike said, looking away. “You’re intelligent, cute when you’re angry, diligent, and best of all, you’ve started warming up to me.” She tilted her head. “What?”

“Are you trying to screw Riley over?” she asked curiously. “I mean, are you trying to win me over so that you can take me away from him and one-up him?”

“No,” he answered, shocked by her questions. “Why would I do that? I know how it feels to be heart-broken because your girlfriend leaves you for someone else- I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” She looked down. “But just because you two are together doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop liking you. I’m just going to wait until the day you two are no longer together so that I can slip in and have myself a good day.” She smiled slightly.

“But you’re not going to wait patiently, are you?” she asked, and he smirked.

“No way in hell,” he said, walking away. She laughed quietly before closing her locker and clocking in.

* * * * *

When there was a particularly long lull in the late afternoon, Buffy and Spike took a break and sat at one of the tables, talking.

“So, where are you applying to college?” Spike asked conversationally, sipping his soda.

“Every school that I can get a scholarship for,” she replied. “I may work my ass off, but I will never get enough money to pay off half of the schools I want to go to. Hopefully I’ll graduate as the valedictorian, thus giving me a better shot of impressing all of the Ivy League schools and getting them to fight for me.” He chuckled, and she smiled in return. “I just want to go away from here, you know? I’ve never really traveled much, and the last thing I want to do is stay in Sunnydale for the rest of my life.”

“What do you want to do as a career?” he asked, and she sighed.

“I want to be an author,” she answered wistfully, and he raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Couldn’t you just get a degree in English at UC-Sunnydale and then leave to travel the globe?” he asked, and she shrugged.

“I guess, but it doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun to me,” she said. “What about you? Where do you want to go next fall?”

“Probably UCLA,” he answered. “Far enough from home to be on my own but close enough in case of emergencies.”

“Like if you run out of money?” she asked, smiling, and he nodded. “Must be nice to have parents who can give you whatever you want.” He frowned, and she looked down. “I didn’t mean for that to sound bad- I just always wanted a life like yours, and after realizing I’d never have it, I got kind of bitter.”

“Rightfully so,” he said. “I know I’m a lucky bloke, and yes, I abuse the privileges I’ve been given, but no one’s really ever called me on it. Not until you.” She smirked and looked at him. “You know, Buffy, maybe I could talk to my mum about sending in a letter of recommendation to Wellesley for you. It’s her alma mater, after all.”

“Wellesley would be nice,” she replied, smiling. “But I couldn’t ask your mother to do that- I don’t even know her.”

“So come over after work,” he offered. “You can meet and charm her, which I happen to know you do very well.” She blushed and looked away. “Not like it’d do you any harm if she wrote one up for you.”

“That’d be really nice if she did,” she said. “Thank you for suggesting it.” He grinned.

“Not a problem,” he replied. “Besides, it’s a good excuse to take you home with me tonight.” She raised an eyebrow as he got up and walked back to the counter to start serving customers again.

‘He thinks I’m charming?’ she thought. ‘When it comes to charming people, he’s the king.’

* * * * *

After they finished working that night, Buffy followed Spike to his house and was stunned as she pulled up in front of a beautiful mansion.

‘Why am I surprised?’ she asked herself as she got out of her car and walked over to him. ‘I know he’s rich- this type of house shouldn’t have been a shock.’

“So, how do you like it?” he asked, motioning to the house. “The exterior is okay, but wait until you get inside- Mum’s put a lot of work into decorating it.”

“Well, when there isn’t a budget, it’s not too hard to make a house look palatial,” she said, and he raised an eyebrow. “Sorry- I warned you before that I can be bitter.” He took her hand in his as they walked to the front door, and she tensed up a bit before relaxing and not pulling her hand away from his.

‘We’re just holding hands- it’s not a big deal,’ she told herself. ‘Friends can hold hands, right?’ She paused. ‘Wait, are we even friends?’ He opened the door and led her in, and she stared around the foyer, her jaw dropping as she took in her surroundings. ‘Okay, if this is the type of place I can come to visit, then I’ll be his friend for life.’

“Hello, William,” an older woman said as she descended the main staircase, looking at the two teens. “This must be the infamous Buffy you’ve told me all about.” Buffy looked at Spike for a moment and saw the smirk on his face. “I’m Jenny, his mother.” The two women shook hands. “Welcome.”

“Thank you for allowing me to come over,” Buffy said. “Your house is beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Jenny said. “So, how about we go and have a chat about Wellesley, just us girls?” Buffy looked at Spike to gain his approval, and he nodded, smiling.

“I’ll come down in an hour,” he said, going to the stairs. “Be nice, Mum.” Jenny winked at her son, who grinned and walked upstairs. Jenny turned her attention to Buffy and smiled warmly.

“Now, William tells me you have an outstanding GPA,” she began, leading Buffy into a nicely-furnished living room area.

* * * * *

True to his word, Spike returned downstairs an hour later after taking a shower and calling Xander, only to find Buffy and his mother sitting on a couch and laughing. He smiled at the sight and tilted his head.

‘Mum’s never comfortable with the girls I’ve brought over,’ he thought. ‘But they’re really hitting it off.’ Buffy spotted him and stood up as he walked into the room. Jenny stood up, also, and patted her son on the shoulder.

“She’s a refreshing young woman,” Jenny said, causing Buffy to blush. “I feel like I’m 18 again, the world at my fingertips.” She looked at Buffy. “It was lovely to meet you, dear, and please don’t be a stranger.”

“Thank you so much,” Buffy said, shaking her hand again. “It was nice to meet you.”

“And you, as well,” Jenny said. “The letter will be in the mail tomorrow morning.” She kissed her son on the cheek. “Have a good night, you two.” She exited the room and returned upstairs, leaving Buffy and Spike in silence. Buffy cleared her throat and smiled sheepishly.

“It’s getting late- I should probably go,” she said. “But thanks again for inviting me over- your mother is very sweet.”

“You’re welcome,” he said. “Anything to be of service.” She smiled and followed him to the front door. “So, I’ll see you at work on Tuesday?”

“Yep,” she answered, nodding. “Have a good night, Spike.”

“Good night, Buffy,” he said quietly, watching her leave with a soft expression. He shut the door before leaning back against it, shutting his eyes and hoping that maybe things would improve more between he and Buffy.

Meanwhile, Buffy pulled away from the house with a smile on her face.

‘This was really cool of Spike to do,’ she thought. ‘Maybe he’s not so bad after all.’

She was too wrapped up in the flood of thoughts that filtered through her head to notice the car that began following her home. If she had really looked in the rearview mirror, she would’ve seen that Riley was behind her, upset and angry, having witnessed her leave Spike’s house.





You must login (register) to review.