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Chapter 4
 
Angel snapped his cell phone shut with a curse. "What’s wrong, you git? Finally met your match, Huh?" Spike yelled from the basement.

"I don’t know why I even bother. She’s nothing but a tease. I mean, sure she’s gorgeous, smart and confident. But she’s also rude, spoiled, shallow, high maintenance--- very high maintenance," he finished quietly. "But I can’t stop thinking about her."

"She’s gotten under your skin, mate," Spike said carrying up a basket of warm clothes. "I know the feeling. The smell of her skin, the curve of her neck, the way the light makes her hazel eyes sparkle like diamonds." Spike mused staring off into the distance. Spike had only been in a few relationships, no one serious since coming to The States. The closest thing to a long term relationship that he had was with an airhead he had met in school.

Harmony’s four year old son was having problem adjusting to being away from mom all day. Spike had requested a meeting to tackle the problem, but somehow ended up with a phone number and a date for the following weekend. Halfway through their first rendezvous he knew he never wanted to see the busty blond again. Somehow, two years later Harmony was asking to co-habituate. There were many days, that he would watch her zipping through his house, panicked, because he didn’t know how to get rid of her.

Then the most wonderful thing happened. One day Harmony came bursting through his front door and while he was wondering how the hell she got a key to his apartment, she told him about her job transfer. He held her while she cried about how cruel fate was. He was very proud of himself, he didn’t crack a smile until well after they were in bed and she was sound asleep. Spike knew why he let that relationship go on as long as it did. He was lonely, plain and simple, although Harm was a scatterbrain she was a loyal one, unlike his previous girlfriend Dru.

Spike shuddered thinking about his dark queen. That was a relationship that was dysfunctional right from the beginning but he was young and believed that love would conquer all. Dru cured him of that romantic fluff really quickly. Towards the end it just became about keeping it out of his home. It was at that point that he realized that London wasn’t big enough for both he and Dru. Hell, England wasn’t big enough for them. Before he knew it, he was on a plane to The States to finish school.

So now he kept himself busy by working in one of the risk school’s in the district. He knew he wasn’t the stereotype that sprung to mind when picturing a teacher of small children. But little kids have the ability to keep you honest. And truth be told it was very relaxing to finger paint and take naps all day. He also took pride in the fact that a lot of this small children didn’t have positive male role model other than him. Some of them, because of circumstances out of their control, were being raised in a environment of women. It was an epidemic he had noticed when he was student teaching. It was at that point that he changed his focus from high school to early development.

"Why don’t you just call her," Angel asked, pulling Spike out of his thoughts.

He turned to his house mate and smiling sheepishly said, "That would be great but I didn’t get it. Actually she wouldn’t give it to me. I don’t know. I thought we were getting along smashingly, but when I asked to see her again she got real skittish.." He frowned at the memory. "I gave her mine and I just hope she calls me, mate. What if I never see her again?"

"That my friend, isn’t a problem," Angel said waving a yellow post-it. "You want it?" Angel smirked at his friend as he moved his hand slowly back and forth. "Don’t worry it’s real, the ‘homecoming queen’ gave it to me. It’s Buffy’s cell.

"I’m not in bleeding 8th grade, you git--"

Angel’s eyes narrowed as he whisper, "But. Do. You. Want. It?"

"Give it to me," Spike said holding out his hand. Angel barked out a laugh and stuck the post-it to Spike’s forehead.

"So Angel, Huh? What was he like? It’s your turn to spill," Buffy said.

Willow stood and stretching said, "I’m going to jump in the pool. I’ll be right back." She hurried to the water’s edge and dove in, barely causing a splash.
Cordelia took a long sip of her diet tea. "I don’t know, he’s nice I guess." She flashed on Angel’s soulful eyes and warm smile and sighed. "I mean if you like big bear chested men---"

"Which you do."

"Which I do," she conceded. "He’s 21, a Taurus, and he’s finishing up his senior year at that real ritzy school downtown. He’s actually comes from a very wealthy family. He would have been perfect."

Willow leaned over the edge of the pool and questioned, "Would have been perfect? What’s the problem. He’s cute, he’s rich, and he’s in college. What’s not to like?"

"Unlike Miss Summers here, I don’t want to date the nutty professor." Buffy rolled her eyes to the sky. "A--a science geek!" Now it was Willow’s turn to look heavenward. "I always imagined myself marrying a senator or the governor. I would give fabulous parties, wear expensive clothes and have an affair with my hot Latin pool boy when I turn forty. Not watching my man grade salt maps."

"Don’t you think that you’re moving a little fast here. I mean, we’re only talking about dates not diamonds." Willow stepped out of the pool.

"Dear Willow, it’s always about diamonds. We are marketing ourselves and it’s cutthroat out there. We are getting older ladies and we are setting patterns. One does hang out with educators and end up marrying doctors." Cordelia shook her head sadly.

"You have trophy wife written all over you," Buffy said dryly.

"Thank you," Cordelia smiled. "I mean I wouldn’t go to the local McDonald and start macking on the guy who hands me my fries. Next thing you know, I’m 200 pounds, married with three kids. I’ll be catching the bus to my job at the Piggly Wiggly. No thank you."

"There is no Piggly Wiggly in California," Willow pointed out.

"So not the point, Willow!" Cordelia yelled.

"All she’s saying is---" Buffy was interrupted by a tinny version of ‘Harder to Breathe. She picked up her cell phone and frowning murmured. "I don’t recognize this number....Hello?" Her cheeks colored and she spun around to glare at Cordelia.

"You want me to freshen up your tea, Willow?" Cordelia asked sweetly as she jumped up and scurried into the house.

"Hello Spike," Buffy said into the phone.

"Hi, Pet," he replied. "I was thinking about last night and realized that I really want to see you again. And I know that you want to see me too. We could go for get that coffee you wanted last night." Spike smiled into the phone as he waited for her reply.

"I don’t know, you are a strange man I met at a bar...." she teased.

"And a right stupid git I was for saying that, Luv." he said quickly. "So what do you say, 7:00 tonight? I could swing by---."

"How about I meet you at Java Mountain by the school. OK? Well, I’ll see you then, bye." After hanging up the phone Buffy sat for a full minute. She silently worried her bottom lip. Willow watched her friend as Cordelia quietly came to sit back down. Cordy opened her mouth to say something and catching Willow’s look she wisely chose not to. Finally Buffy spoke. "Guys, you are going to have to cover for me."

"What do you want us to do, Buffy?" Willow asked nervously.

"Well," Buffy stood up and began pacing back and forth. "If I’m going to start seeing him there are two things we have to do. Namely, he can’t ever meet my mom, and she can’t ever know he even exists ."

"Hello, Buffy what about the fact that you are a whole decade younger than him. How are you going to keep your age difference a secret?" Willow wondered.
"I don’t know, I’ll think of something. I mean I only have to keep it from him for another," she paused to do the math, "five months." She stopped and looked at her friends brightly. "Yeah, only five months and then I’ll tell him." Willow and Cordelia looked at one another and frowned. Buffy caught the look and said, "What."

"I don’t know Buffy that’s a long time to lie to a guy you say you like. When you finally do tell him your age then
what? He forgives you and confesses his undying love to you?" Cordelia said frankly.

"You don’t think I realize that, Cordy. I don’t know how else to do this," Buffy said panicked. "If I tell him I’m not even eighteen yet how long do you think he’ll stick around? At least I have five months to make him like me enough to overlook a little white lie. I mean, this way I can show him what a great girl I am, and how mature I am for my age."

"I don’t know Buffy," Willow began. She looked at Buffy’s pleading face and fell silent. The three girls sat quietly for a moment around the pool, each in their own thoughts when Willow sighed, "What do you want me to do?"

Buffy jumped up and clapping her hands hugged her friend. "Well this evening won’t be a problem. I’m meeting him at seven. I’ll tell him I have to study so that it can be an early night." She started pacing again as her mind spun. "I may need you guys as a cover in the future though. But tonight I’ll just tell my mom that I’m going to be studying at the coffee shop. Everyone knows it’s like the new library right?" She looked at her friends hopefully.

"No it’s not!" Cordelia said after a beat.

Spike closed his cell phone quietly and went back to folding his clothes. Angel breezed down the stairs in a tee shirt and a pair of shorts. He headed for the front door and to Spike, "now aren’t you glad you called her? What did she say?"

We’re meeting for coffee in a couple of hours," he said matching his socks. "Where are you headed to?"

He smirked and picking up a towel from the basket replied, "I don’t know, I thought I’d go for a swim." Angel closed the door on his house mate's confused expression.





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