Chapter One Taking a Chance

“Coffee decaf.” He didn’t even look up to acknowledge the waitress who was taking care of him. He didn’t care. He didn’t care about a lot of things these days. Not since his wife had left him and taken their son with her. He didn’t care since he had lost his job. He didn’t care when they threatened to take the house from him. He did not care.

He had been sober for over a year and a half now. The struggle to not pick up a drink was only made more difficult by his struggle to start living again. He thought back to the days when having a beer here and there really didn’t mean anything. Then he thought to the days when a bottle of vodka was gone within an hour.

“There you go sir.” The waitress placed his coffee in front of him and asked him if he would like anything else.

He didn’t answer her.

She began to walk away as he looked up to start drinking his coffee, he watched her retreating form. He tilted his head and took her in, studied her, and wondered what was going on in that head of hers. He shook his head to clear the thought.

He didn’t care.

He sat there for the next hour reading the want ads. Something he hadn’t done in years. He’d always been secure, in his marriage, his job and in himself. Then everything got taken from him and now he had nothing.

“Bloody pathetic.”

He took a last sip of his coffee and pulled out his wallet to pay the check. The waitress returned as he laid the money on the table to pay his bill. As he stood, she came and sat down across from him.

“Sit.” She ordered.

Spike looked down at her wondering what she was up to.

“Sit. I’m on my break.”

Spike sat cursing himself for it. Why would he just listen to her? He kept reminding himself that he didn’t care. He didn’t say anything.

“You come in here day after day, well…”

Spike noticed she looked like she was thinking.

“Ok, morning after morning and three days out of the week I’m your waitress and you don’t say anything to me besides what you want. I find it kind of rude.”

“And…” He tilted his head to the side, and got a look at her name tag. “Buffy?”

“And nothing. Talk to me, tell me what’s going on.” Buffy insisted.

Spike let out an uncomfortable laugh. “None of your bleeding business, that’s what.” He stood to leave again and was stopped by her hand on top of his.

“I’ve worked here for almost five years. I know all of my customers, I even know some drifters that come through here every once in awhile. I’m friendly, I’m fast and efficient. I’m good with the talking, and I’m a great listener. I know there’s something going on with you, and I bet you’re thinking ‘Wow, there’s this girl- A pretty girl in fact and she’s interested in me. She want’s to know what’s going on in my head, in my life. Maybe I should open up to her. I mean after all, she is the one that serves me coffee every morning.’”

She finished it off with, “Yea, your life is in my hands. I’ve poisoned people before.” With that she smiled at him.

He tongued the inside of his cheek and grinned at her. “I’ll just go somewhere else.”

“Hey! We serve the best damn coffee in town, now you know there’s no denying that!”

Spike sighed. He couldn’t help it. He was drawn to this little blonde girl playing at being a woman. It was intriguing to say the least.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty and I thought you were supposed to be the one answering questions?” She smirked with the raise of her eyebrow.

“You’ve been working here since you were fifteen?”

She sighed. “Yes.”

He stared at her for a moment. He knew it was rude, but he didn’t care. She looked away and started to finger a napkin, ripping it apart and finally looked up at him.

“My parents got divorced when I was fourteen. My dad decided one day, he didn’t want to be a parent and my mother was too proud to take any child support for me or Dawn. He just left. I haven’t seen him since. Then my mother got sick and wasn’t able to work. She got checks from the government, but they only paid the bills and rarely put food on the table.” Buffy squirmed in her seat, wondering if she was saying too much to a stranger. Was it any of his business? No, but she just needed to talk. Let things out. She continued. “We have been coming here every since I was a little girl and the manager knows us. My mother calls him a life saver. He gave me a job around my school hours and that’s what kept us fed. Except for the first two weeks when he would send me home with food to feed them. And… I think I’ve said a lot. I babble. Sorry…” She looked away shyly, not sure of what he was going to say.

“Wow.” Spike leaned back in the booth, taking in her story. “Did you graduate?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“A question, now answer it.” He was curious.

“I finished high school. Barely, but I did do the whole walk across the stage thing. It was pretty cool.”

“It’s an accomplishment.”

She glanced out the side window she was sitting near. She wanted to know what it was like to be out there. She knew what it was like to be ‘out’ there, but really out there. To be able to go somewhere, see something. She’d been stuck in Sunnydale for twenty years. Twenty years too long.

“If you say so.”

“Oh, I do.”

“Okay, now your turn. What’s your story?”

Spike pulled out his wallet again and fished a twenty out, putting it on the table for her. She looked at the bill, then at him.

“I don’t want that. The $1.50 tip was fine by me. That’s my reward for serving you every morning.”

Spike shook his head. “Well, that’s about to change, just take it.”

Buffy started to get angry. “I don’t want your pity, nor do I need it. I just wanted to talk to … Oh excuse me, you talk to me, but I see that’s not going to happen … I have to get back, my break is up.” She stood, grabbed his coffee cup and started back to the kitchen. Spike quickly followed her and grabbed her arm before she had a chance to pass the double doors.

“What time do you get off?”

“Five.”

“I’ll be here.”

Buffy nodded and quickly went thru the double doors to the kitchen. She deposited the coffee cup on the pile of dishes, grabbed her apron and started to head back out. She stopped suddenly when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“What the hell is your problem?! I saw the whole thing!” The brunette exclaimed.

Buffy rolled her eyes and lamely replied, “It’s really none of your business, but since you must know … I find him interesting. I just wanted to get to know him, that’s all.”

Faith smirked and shook her head, “B, you could have at least chosen someone a little more…” She paused. “What’s the word? Oh how about more younger to be interested in. He’s like ancient!”

Buffy walked past her. “And like I said, it’s none of your business.”

“What’s his name?” Faith asked suspecting that Buffy had no clue whatsoever.

Buffy stopped walking, shook her head to think up some lame comeback and continued through the double doors.

Spike spent the rest of the day at home, mainly at his computer looking again at the want ads. Something. Anything. Anything that would take him away from this house. Just for eight hours a day. Although, pretty soon it wouldn’t matter. The house would be taken from him. It was just a matter of time. He spun his chair, looking around his study out of boredom and rests his eyes on a picture of his son. Mathew. Or Mattie as he would call him. He hadn’t seen him in two years, has no idea where he is.

That was one thing he did care about.

Looking at his son brought tears to his eyes and as he sat there, his thoughts drifting back to a time when he could have made a change. If he had, his son would be home with him instead of out there. Where? Only God knows.

Buffy waited outside for the mystery man to return. She figured he wouldn’t show, that she would see him in the morning from eight until ten. Buffy heard an engine coming up into the parking lot and smiled a little. He showed up.

Spike pulled up beside her, his intention to turn the car off and go to her, but she had other plans. She was already in the car before he had a chance to take his keys out of the ignition.

“Someone’s eager.”

“Someone wants to get out of here while the offer still stands and not have to wait for the bus.” She countered.

Spike grinned as he pulled out of the parking spot, “Oh, I see. You’re using me for my transportation.”

“Damn right. Wait!” Buffy held up her arm and Spike stopped the car in the middle of the parking lot.

“What’s your name?”

“You can call me Spike.”

“Spike?”

“Yea?”

“Let’s get out of here.”

“Okay.”

Spike drove out onto the street and asked her where she wanted to go.

“How about your place, I can call my mom and tell her ‘I found the man of my dreams, he has money and fame and he’s going to take me away and show me the world, so that means I won’t be home …’” Buffy sighed. “Means I won’t be home until ten.”

Spike contemplated that for a second and found he was thinking that if he could he would show her the world. That is, if he wasn’t an out of work pathetic ponce. What was he thinking? He couldn’t offer her anything, and since when did that matter?

Ever since she showed interest.

“Would … would you like to come to my place? It’s not far …”

“Yes. I mean … sure.”

“Okay then. Do you need to call your mum?” Spike asked.

Buffy looked out the window. “I guess I should, just to make sure she knows I’m okay.”

Spike handed her his cell phone and paid attention to the road as she talked to her mother.

The two women talked briefly and Buffy ended the conversation with “Yes, Mom. I know Mom, I’ll be home later. Yes, I know the guy, I’ve been serving him coffee for the past six months!” Buffy sighed and leaned her head back against the chair rest. “Mom, I’m twenty years old, I do what I want.” And with that Buffy hung up.

“Take it she’s not to happy that you’re going to a strange man’s house?”

Buffy shook her head and crossed her arms. “She’ll get over it.”

“So now I’m strange?”

“You know what I mean.”

Five minutes later they arrived at his house. He lived in one of those cookie cutter subdivisions where the houses were too close together and about every other car you saw was a Lincoln Navigator or a little red Porsche.

“Oh, so part of my little made up world was right. You have money.”

“Not that it’s any of your business …”

“I know it’s not. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s … well, I’m running out.”

“Oh, somebody’s opening up.” She smiled knowingly at him.

“Yea, well it’s the least I can do for bringing you here. You know I’m expecting a good shag, right. I just don’t bring ‘any’ girl here just for tea and conversation.”

Buffy grinned. “Ooh, I get tea?”

Spike pulled into the driveway and hit a button on his cars visor making the garage door go up.

“Do I get a shag?”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “You know, you are kind of out of place here. I see all these nice cars, yet you’re riding, or rather driving this hunk of junk?”

“Don’t fuck with the Desoto. She’s my baby.”

“Men and their cars,” Buffy muttered.

“Damn straight.”

She glanced at him and smiled.

To make Buffy more comfortable about being here in his home, Spike showed her around the house. He was mentally hoping that he would get that shag; she was kind of growing on him. Granted it was a short time, but there was something about her. That’s how it always worked right?

Buffy looked around the house and gave it her stamp of approval. Didn’t even look like a typical ‘man’ house. Things were in order and by the looks of things, he did like nice things. She thought at first that maybe he was gay, but that thought got pushed out of her mind quick when she caught him looking at her ass.

“Take a picture it will last longer.”

Spike just smirked. “I don’t make you feel uncomfortable in anyway?”

“Not really. You’re a man. They’re all the same. Hasn’t even been four hours and you’re wanting to get …” She grinned. “Shagged? Geez, what kind of word is that for the act itself.”

“Oh, and what do you call it? Making love?”

“How about just fuck?”

Spike smiled at her. “You know? I really do like you.”

“Well, duh. I’m blonde, petite and I have tits. Of course you would.”

Spike’s face fell. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant … friends or whatever. Never mind.”

“No, its ok.” She smiled. “Where’s the tea?”

“You really want some? I have soda also, and water. Some chocolate milk.”

Buffy gave him a look then picked up a picture that was on his mantle and examined it closely. Spike, a brunette woman and a little boy. She turned and looked at him.

“Who’s this?”

“Oh …that’s uh … My wife and kid.”

Buffy put the picture down and continued to look at the other ones. Some more pictures of the little boy and some of she was guessing friends and family.

“How old is he?”

“He’ll be eight next month.”

“That’s nice.”

Spike leaned on the back of the couch watching her, awaiting more questions. Only one came out.

“Tea?”

Spike led her in the kitchen.

“I got tea.”

Tbc…