Buffy surveyed the entire contents of her closet (which were currently strewn all over the floor and her bed) with dismay. Why the hell was it this hard to find something to wear on a night out with a friend? Maybe he happened to be a guy friend but a friend no less. Scowling at her clothes she grabbed a pair of low riding jeans and a red halter.
There. Not to casual but not at all, in the least bit, date clothing. Smiling she left her hair as it was and put on some lip gloss. Absolutely not like a date. Looking at the clock she grabbed her purse and made her way downstairs.
Just as she reached the bottom of the steps a hand gripped her shoulder tightly and she found herself slammed into the wall with brutal force. “ Where the hell do you think you’re going now?”
She stared into the cold eyes of her current worst nightmare. God why did this have to happen just when she thought it was over, catch her of guard like that. But she knew, this time she could tell he wasn’t drunk. She knew the difference. She tried not to show fear at the sudden outburst.
“ Just out, with some, uh friends.”
She felt the punch and it felt like the air in her lungs had been violently pushed out of her. Keeling over she gasped for air as she clutched her stomach with one hand.
“ Don’t lie to me little girl, because I’ll make sure you won’t be able to lie to anyone ever again.”
The door bell rang unexpectedly. Hank glared at his daughter. “ Answer it.” He spoke it in a cold deliberate voice.
Getting up she pushed away the pain as best she could and walked towards the door. Pushing away pain was one thing she was good at. Opening the door she put on the best smile she could manage when she was faced with Spike. “ Hi Sp..er William.”
Spike could feel the tension and saw the cold look directed in Buffy’s direction from her father as she told him she’d be back later. He wasn’t good at judging people by any means, he’d done that wrong many time, but he knew that this man was somehow bad news. He didn’t know how yet but he knew that there was something wrong with this picture. The way Buffy had pushed him away the first time he had come here and the way she seemed even slightly scared or intimidated didn’t exactly want to give this guy a father of the year award.
He watched her closely as they made their way to his car after she closed the door. “ Pet is everythin all right?”
She gave him a sideways glance. “ Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”
He frowned, he didn’t miss how her voice had wavered for a split second. He’d let it go. For now. He went to her side of the car and opened the door. “ Your chariot awaits m’lady.”
Giving him a gracious smile she got in and sighed after he had closed the door. God it was getting harder and harder to hide what really happened behind closed doors, especially when someone as perceptive as Spike almost witnessed it. Now she had to worry about him not finding out.
She had really thought that it had been the last time when he had hit her before. Maybe something just happened that she didn’t know about and she happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Since when is your own house ‘the wrong place’?
***
“ So where are you taking me?”
She saw the patented smirk appear on his face and couldn’t help the nervousness that came over her. How was she supposed to act, if this was, in fact, not a date. It would have seemed a lot less like a date if there was someone else there besides just the two of them, and Wesley was bound to find out sooner or later . Maybe this hadn’t been her greatest idea…
“ You’ll see.”
That was it? That was all he was going to say? ‘ You’ll see?’ No sarcastic comments or flirty comments? No that no flirty comments was a bad thing, it was actually good, just didn’t seem very Spike like. She winced. “ Bad choice of rhyme.” She mumbled to herself.
“ What did you say?”
She gave him a nervous smile. “ Nothing, I was just thinking.”
Spike shook his head all the while grinning. “ See, that’s your problem. You think to much, sometimes you just have to act. You’ll never truly live otherwise.”
She raised her eyebrows. “ A closet philosopher to huh? What other tricks do you have hidden?”
She watched as he gave her a sideways leer with his eyebrows raised. “ Wow, forget I asked.”
He pulled the car to a stop. “ Ok pet, we’re here, but you have to promise to keep this place a secret or else I’ll be forced to keep you quiet.” He said in mock seriousness.
“ Fine.”
They both got out of the car and Buffy watched as Spike glanced at the watch on his wrist before a boyish look came over his face. It was the cutest thing she’d ever seen. Before she could ask what he seemed so giddy about he grabbed her by the hand and started to pull her down a narrow alley that was only lit by two yellow lights from the street lamps.
Buffy rolled her eyes. “ What is it with you guys and dark alley ways?”
He glanced back and gave her a scornful look. “ Shh pet, unless you want us to get caught.”
Spike watched as her eyes went comically wide and she stopped in place keeping him from pulling her any farther. “ Where the hell are you taking me that we can’t get caught?! I don’t exactly want to get in trouble with the law here!” She whispered angrily.
Spike glanced at his watch again then turned to look at her, his face totally serious. “ Look, if you want to see this, and I guarantee you’ll love it, then we have to hurry.” When she didn’t seem convinced he grabbed both her hands. “ Look, I would never intentionally get you in any serious trouble. If I thought for a second that you would in any way be hurt I wouldn’t have brought you here. Besides, I’ve been doing this for years and I’ve never been caught yet."
The look on his face when he had said that was utterly sincere and she had no doubt in her mind that he was speaking the truth. Damn it. “ Fine.”
She watched as the happy boyish grin appeared on his face again and he grabbed her hand and again they started to run to a destination she wasn’t yet aware of.
“ Here luv.” He stood in front of the latter he had pulled down earlier that day.
Buffy looked at the old, dirty and unmistakeably rusty ladder that was attached to stairs that went up the side of the building in a zig zag pattern past windows of peoples apartments. “ You’re kidding right? Your peace offering is climbing condemned stair to god knows where?”
He huffed and dragged her over. “ Look, either you trust me and start to climb or I can take you home.”
She rolled her eyes and started to climb. God he was weird. Boy was she glad that she decided on wearing low riding jeans because climbing above him with a skirt on wouldn’t have been the best thing to do. She paused on the third pair of stairs and looked at him as he stepped onto the mini platform in between stairs.
“ Can you tell me where I’m going? I’d like to know what I’m risking my life for by climbing this rust covered staircase from hell.”
“ Well…”
“ Shut up there!” A loud male voice yelled from the apartment closest to them.
Suddenly Buffy found herself pushed up against the well beside the window with Spike pressed up tightly against her.
“ Spike what the…” She frowned when his hang covered her mouth.
“ Shh pet, that guy heard us, luckily he thought it was his neighbours.” He took his hand from her mouth.
Oh god his face was so close to hers. And why the hell couldn’t she stop breathing so erratically. Stupid, stupid Buffy. Calm down he’s just a friend. Wesley, think Wesley thoughts. That did it. She gently pushed him away and kept climbing the ladder carefully. Reaching the roof of the building she turned around and held her hand out before her before dropping them.
“ Ok so what’s up with this? I went through all that just to see the roof top?” She crossed her arms.
He only shook his head smiling and went to one corner off the roof. All Buffy could do was follow helplessly. When she finally reached where she was she gasped.
“ Oh my god.”
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A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates but I went on unexpected vacation and I just got back recently, now my sister as been taking me out everywhere because she has University next year and won't have time. But hope you like this chapter please review!.