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Chapter 18

Spike and Buffy walked in behind Willow and Oz, Anya and Xander having taken an unknown detour before they had hit the double doors. Spike took a look around him, cringing as he took in the obscene amount of crepe paper, cardboard and doilies that littered the joint. What the bloody fuck was this supposed to be? A glittering sign over the far wall gave him a hint. A Night in bloody Paris? There was nothing that resembled Paris whatsoever that Spike could make out, just a truly distastefully decorated room.

He did note all sorts of gits puffed up and pimply in rented tuxedos with giggling dates by their sides. It was absolutely bloody ridiculous. But it also made his girl happy, so for that, he would sit and endure. And try to disregard the sheer volume of potential victims filing into the gaudy room. A strenuous effort was made to ignore the heady call of the mass amounts of fresh youthful blood. Christ, it was deafening, even over the pulsing crap that the borrowed speakers were currently spewing. Pure exquisite torture, this was. Spike had intentionally raided the fridge and gorged himself on pigs blood, in anticipation of feeling a bit of extra bloodlust tonight. Feel it? Yes. Act on it? No.

They found a table to sit at and watched as people paraded through the cardboard Eiffel Tower that loomed menacingly over the door. Willow and Oz went to find Xander and Anya, which left the vampire and slayer alone at the table. Spike must have had a hungry look on his face because Buffy leaned over and whispered, "No eating people tonight. These are my friends." A slightly sad thoughtful look came over her face. "Ok, maybe not friends so much, but they are my classmates."

Spike gave her a pained look. "Luv, have I given you cause to worry since I've been with you?"

Buffy shook her head slowly. He was right, he hadn't. They had never even talked about it, Spike had just taken it upon himself to keep himself stocked up with pigs bloods, never being Mr Complainy Guy. Well, maybe a few snide comments here and there, but that was just Spike. He had just rearranged and gone against his entire nature for the sake of her and their son. That's all. No big. And to be honest, she had just taken it for granted.

But now seeing the way his hungry eyes were sweeping the crowds, she tried looking at it from his point of view. All these young girls with their little up-do's and their bared necks. The slight hint of sex in the air. It must be quite a tempting array of food for a vampire. Suddenly she was stuck with a high degree of guiltage. And also the fact that she willingly brought someone to her prom who had no qualms over killing, doing so as a means to survive.

"Is your, uh, stomach making with the rumblies?"

Spike pulled away and looked down at Buffy curiously. "Don't have to worry about me, luv. Told ya, not going to go eat your chums. Ate before I came."

Buffy let out a sigh of brief sigh of relief. "Ok, good. Because this is me with the guilt here."

"I'm ok."

"Well still. If things get to bad, will you let me know?"

Spike grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle reassuring squeeze. "Buffy, I'll be ok." He took the opportunity to look around again. "So, what exactly does one do at the Prom?"

Buffy gave him a teasing smile, trailing her index finger slowly up his arm. "Well. They drink punch. They eat little appetizer thingies. There's even been known to be a little dancing going on."

"So like a soddin rip roaring time to be had. Ok, let's take care of those first two things, then we'll get to the dancing."

"You want to dance?" Buffy couldn't help the surprise in her voice.

"If it means I can have my hands on you, then yeah." He got to his feet and looked down at Buffy. "I'll go get you something to drink. Be right back." Swooping down, he crushed his lips to hers before heading for the refreshment table.

Standing behind the table he saw Buffy's Watcher, and an amused smirk came over Spike's face. "Well, Rupert. Don't you make quite the dashing picture."

Giles shifted uncomfortably in his tuxedo as he gave Spike a nasty look. "I don't think you are in any position to cast stones, Spike."

Spike shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Doesn't bother me any. I always cut a dashing picture." Spike ignored the look of disgust that was tossed his way as he filled a cup full of some fruity concoction from the huge bowl on the well laden refreshment table. Taking a quick whiff, he turned his nose up. "This rot doesn't have a lick of alcohol in it. Bloody waste, if you ask me."

"This is a high school dance, Spike. We try not to encourage alcoholism in our students."

"Won't hurt 'em to loosen up and have a good time."

"I hope you are not planning on spiking the punch, er..Spike."

The look of outrage that flooded Spike's face was almost comical. "I'm not bloody wasting my stash on a bunch of zit faced morons!" Then he added as an afterthought. "Why? You want some, Rupert?"

The temptation was clearly there, Spike thought with amusement. "Perhaps later, Spike. If this event gets any worse, I fear it may lead in that direction."

"Right." Spike nodded with understanding. He turned his back on the Watcher and surveyed the crowd. He noticed that he was the object of scrutiny from various directions. With a scowl, he turned back to Giles.

"So do you know why this was so bloody important to your Slayer?"

"I can only assume it was in defiance to her calling, and all that she has had to sacrifice over the years." Giles surmised.

From across the room, Cordelia and her little band of wannabe Cordettes were studying the room to get the sitch on the party goers.

"Oh my god, look at Mary Katherine. Is that dress supposed to be flattering?" Harmony observed, her tone loud and disbelieving.

"Uh, hello. I think someone needs to go over there and give her the 411 on appropriate prom attire. Last I knew, muumuu's weren't on the list." Cordelia revealed in a snotty tone. "But when you wear a size 50XXX, I guess your choices might be a bit limited."

There was a tittering that accompanied Cordelia's cruel remark, as the group roved hungry eyes over the crowd for their next target. "OH MY GOD." Cordelia squealed, eyes big with exaggeration. "Check out the major piece of hot meat at the grub table. Who is THAT?"

Six pairs of eyes were immediately drawn across the room where Spike and Giles were engaged in conversation. "I don't know." Harmony admitted wistfully. "But that is one fine side of bacon. Major drool worthy. I just wish he'd turn around though."

"I wonder who he's with." Cindy pondered.

Cordelia gave the other a girl a look of disdain. "Please. It so doesn't matter who he's with. Because he'll be leaving with me." Her face gleamed with decisive mischief.

"What about Scott?" Harmony asked.

Cordelia shrugged. "He just can't compare to that piece of salty goodness over there. Come on baby, turn around. Let's get a look at your face. Come on...."

As if on cue, Spike turned around to gaze over the crowd. He could feel the keen inspection from across the room and snorted with derision when he saw the pack of she-wolves making 'come-hither' eyes in his direction. Stupid bints. Like they could ever even hope to compete with his Buffy.

Harmony almost fell out of her chair when presented with the full frontal onslaught of the guy talking to the freaky librarian. "Ok, now words cannot even describe the fineness that is that guy. Can we just HELLO."

Cordelia and friends nodded enthusiastically in agreement. Cordelia stood with determination, a competitive glitter shining brightly in her eyes. Her friends eyed her with more than a hint of envy. Their friend had spent copious amounts of money to look her best tonight, and it had been money well spent. Cordelia looked amazing.

"Watch me and learn, girls." She called back, and with confidence in excess, Cordelia glided across the room towards her intended prey. The fact that he was obviously here with someone from her school made no difference. She was the hunter, and he was her just reward.

Spike was just turning to return to Buffy when a stunning brunette sidled up to him. "Hi." The girl greeted, her body language informing him exactly what her intentions were.

" 'ello." He replied, finding himself amused.

" I'm Cordelia. I was sitting over there." She gestured across the room where her friends were watching with avid interest. Cordelia took a step closer, invading his personal space. " And you looked a little lonely, and so I thought I'd save you and treat you to a dance."

Spike offered her a polite bored smile. "No thanks. I'm here with someone."

Cordelia looked up at him coyly through her eyelashes, practically melting at the sexy timber of his accented voice. "So am I. Doesn't mean we can't enjoy a little dancing, does it?"

Spike's eyes hardened a fraction. "Yeah, actually it does, pet." Turning his back on her, he walked away from her, practically feeling the searing heat of her glare. Stupid girl has a lot to learn, he thought bitterly. He wouldn't even let his thoughts wander to the good ole days, because a girl like that would have been his dinner in a heartbeat.

Cordelia could feel the rage pour through her at being dismissed so curtly. How dare he? She was the most popular girl in school, he should be... GRATEFUL for the attention, dammit!! Giving in to the urge, she stomped her foot in a juvenile display of anger. Cordelia watched the bastard make his way through the now crowded room, weaving his way in and out, waiting to see who he zeroed in on.

Cordelia's jaw dropped with shock as she watched him stop at a table and set the punch in front of someone. BUFFY??? That guy was with BUFFY??? In what alternate reality does the hottest guy Cordelia had ever seen choose Buffy Super Freak Summers over HER???? Life was so unfair!!

Cordelia stomped back to her table, brushing aside the outraged comments. She was way beyond pissed here. Scott chose that moment to return to Cordelia's side. He and his buddies had snuck into the locker room to indulge in a little liquid refreshment, and he was feeling no pain. His favorite state to be in these days.

"Where have you been?" Cordelia snapped.

Scott just grinned at her, then grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the dance floor. Cordelia let herself be manhandled, it would do that totally hot guy good to see her dancing with someone, she thought. Maybe if he saw her with another guy, he would ditch Buffy. It was flawed logic, but Cordelia was furious and her brain had stopped sending signals to the rest of her. She was acting on pure emotions and hormones.
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Buffy sipped the punch, finding it too sweet for any thirst quenching capabilities, but it tasted good. When she set it down, Spike asked, "You ready for plan two, luv?"

At Buffy's puzzled look, Spike got to his feet in a fluid sinuous move and pulled her up. "Dancing, pet. You did say that is what you do at a prom."

"You two kids going to boogie down on the dance floor?" Xander asked.

"Yep. I'm all for a bit of the boogie right about now." Buffy replied with a smile of anticipation.

Spike didn't reply, just hauled Buffy away in the direction of the dance floor. Xander watched Buffy being dragged by the impatient vamp and sighed in mock exaggeration. "That Spike. Always a go getter."

Sitting down at the table that was just vacated, Anya announced, "Spike is very different. He's a vampire. They are supposed to kill people. Instead he goes to the prom. "

Her volume was of concern, and Xander found himself looking around cautiously to see if anyone had heard his date's blunt remarks. "Ok, Anya. Here's how things work in Sunnydale. We do an X-Files and Deny Everything, and that includes the existence of vampires. Cos just gotta say, people really don't want to know. "

Anya looked confused. "But that's ridiculous. You know he is a vampire. Your friend is sleeping with a vampire. Why would you try to deny that?"

Xander turned a helpless look to Willow and Oz. Willow merely shrugged. "The world is a wacky place, Anya. Nothing is as it should be."

"This place sucks."

"Aw, cheer up, Anya. Look, even Spike likes it now. Maybe you should give it a try." Willow tried being supportive.

Anya looked unconvinced. "I suppose I could try." Xander was looking more and more uncomfortable the longer Anya spoke. He had a choice of prom dates. Anya or........ Anya. Not wanting to go alone, he accepted her invitation, and was now in the throes of regret.

On the dance floor, a slow song was crooning over the borrowed speakers, the sound echoing slightly in the large gym. Spike and Buffy were pressed as close as two people could be, her arms wrapped around his neck to further cement herself against his lean frame. Spike had his hands dangerously close to her ass, and could sense the disproving looks he was getting from various authority figures.

"What's with the bloody hands police?"

Buffy giggled, a sound that sent a shiver of delight through Spike. "Don't think they want the students doing the grope-age thing on the dance floor."

Spike snorted. "Tough shit."

"Teah." Buffy sighed as her eyes slid shut and she pressed her face against his solid chest comfortably, the soft silk of his shirt cool beneath her cheek. Now this was a tiny slice of heaven, she thought, being in Spike's arms, feeling his gentle guidance to the lulling tune being played.

"Wow, Buffy. I'm just curious where you found this guy. Escort service, perhaps?" A snide slightly metallic voice intruded on Buffy's happy moment and her eyes opened against her will. Cordelia. Gee, big surprise there.

It took a moment for her date to identify who Cordelia was talking to, but when Scott managed to put it together, his face immediately contorted with fear. While that should have made Buffy smug, now it just served to piss her off

"What do you want Cordelia?" Buffy asked in a weary tone.

"I just want to know where you found this guy, is all." Cordelia ignored Scott's frantic attempts to draw her away, just pushed herself from his side. "Because he is so obviously way out of your league."

That was it. Buffy was so not putting up with anymore of Cordelia's snide shit on her happy night. "Oh wait, don't tell me, let me guess. Out of my league and in yours?"

Cordelia's smile was wickedness and pure intent. Spike gave the girl a look of disgust. "Buffy outclasses you in every way. Oh and you better attend to you little lap dog there, he's looking a bit queasy." Spike drilled his eyes into Scott's wide ones. "And do be careful leaving tonight. You never know what sort of nasties might await you."

With that last parting remark, Scott grabbed Cordelia's arm and pulled her away, ignoring her shrieking outrage. Spike pulled Buffy back into his arms and murmured, "now where were we?"

tbc.....





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