Buffy sighed as she looked at her grocery list for what seemed like the millionth time, picking up various items from the shelves and dropping them in the trolley. She hated doing grocery shopping, but it had to be done. Buffy had chosen to go to the supermarket early that morning, so she wouldn’t have to stand in the long lines at the counter when she’d finished working and just wanted to go home. Also, she was half convinced that the supermarket became cursed in the late afternoon, crazy old ladies running around, waving their canes in the air and making rude comments for no reason.
She groaned when she realized that Hannah’s favorite cereal, the last thing on her list, was mocking her from the top of the shelf, and looked around in desperation for someone who could help her. Of course, there was no one around. Wasn’t there a law against discrimination of short people? For a moment she considered just forgetting about the cereal, but she knew how disappointed Hannah would be if she wouldn’t get her favorite breakfast.
Rolling her eyes, she looked around again, this time to make sure no one saw her, and grabbed hold of the shelf as she started climbing. An exultant smile appeared on her face as she reached the precious box. That’s when she slipped. She let out a cry as she fell backwards, then two strong arms caught her before she’d hit the concrete floor.
Gasping in surprise, and shock, Buffy found herself looking into the bluest pair of eyes she’d ever seen. Swallowing, she realized that they belonged to the same man that had walked Hannah home safely the day before, who she’d thanked for it by being rude and acting like a bitch. Now he’d saved her as well, and words couldn’t describe how bad she suddenly felt.
The man gave her a concerned look. “You okay?”
All she could do was nod, suddenly feeling as if her tongue had grown into twice its size. By the look in his eyes, he recognized her as well, and it seemed like he wanted nothing more than to get away from her. Not that she could blame him, he probably expected her to start yelling again. He nodded too, mumbling something that sounded like ‘good’, and turned around to leave.
Suddenly Buffy panicked. “Wait!” The man stopped, looking at her in confusion. “I was afraid I’d never see you again. I…” She hesitated, not sure of what to say. ”Thank you.” He opened his mouth to say something, but she hurriedly went on. “Not just for this, but for bringing my daughter home yesterday. I… I really appreciated it, even though it probably didn’t seem like it at the time.”
He smiled at her then, but the smile was a bit strained. “Was nothing. Anyone would’ve done the same thing.”
Buffy stared at him in disbelief, shaking her head firmly. “Are you kidding? What you did was amazing! Most guys, finding a young girl all alone like that, would’ve just ignored her, or…” She swallowed, not able to finish that sentence. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to stop thinking about what could’ve happened. “Do you have kids of your own, Mr…?”
The man closed his eyes for a moment, then he looked at her again. “Name’s William. William Pratt. But I prefer Spike. And no, I don’t.”
Buffy nodded. “Hannah’s my only child. I guess I can be a bit over protective sometimes, but that’s just because I’m terrified of losing her. Sunnydale might be a small town, but horrible things happen to kids every day. I’ve read about these awful things in the paper, and…” She realized she was babbling, blushed, and looked away.
Spike tried to hide his amusement, suddenly finding the young woman’s behavior adorable. It was like she was a completely different person today, and if he didn’t know better, he’d say she acted almost nervously around him. “I understand. It’s okay, really.”
She snorted. “It’s not okay! I was so rude yesterday, and after what you did, I can’t believe I didn’t even say thank you.”
He smiled at her again, and this time the smile reached his eyes. Buffy had never seen a pair of eyes so beautiful before. For a moment, they just stared at each other, like hypnotized. Then Spike cleared his throat, and the moment was over. “I’m sorry too. I said some things I shouldn’t have.”
Buffy just waved her hand in dismiss. “No, you were right, I shouldn’t have yelled.” She smiled a little. “Hannah says yelling is mean. She was very angry at me for being so rude to you.”
Spike couldn’t help but chuckle. “You have a bloody smart daughter, Miss…?”
Buffy’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh my God, I can’t believe I forgot to introduce myself. I’m sorry. My name’s Buffy. Buffy Summers.” She reached out her hand in greeting, and blushed again as he took her hand gently, brought it up to his lips, and kissed it softly.
“Nice to meet you, Miss Buffy Summers.”
She giggled, before answering with the same teasing note in her voice; “You too, Mr... Spike?” He cringed at the sound of that, and Buffy giggled again. Then she became serious. “Why don’t you come over to our place tonight for dinner? You know, as a thank you for what you did yesterday. And today.” She went on before he could object. “I know Hannah would love to see you again, she’s been talking about you non-stop since yesterday.”
Her words made him feel strangely touched. “Really?” Buffy nodded. “I don’t wanna impose…”
Buffy rolled her eyes, interrupting him. “Don’t be ridiculous! I just invited you, how could that be imposing?” She went on, her eyes twinkling; “In fact, turning down an invitation like that would be quite rude.”
He shrugged, helplessly, then chuckled again. ”Wouldn’t wanna be rude.”
She gave him a bright smile. “So, you’ll be there?”
“Yeah. I’ll be there. What time?”
Buffy looked at her watch, then bit her lip thoughtfully. “Around seven? That okay with you?”
Spike pretended to be thinking about it for a moment, before nodding. “I think I’ll be able to make it.” It wasn’t like he had anywhere else to be, but she didn’t need to know that.
“Great!”
The happy smile on her face made him feel all warm inside. He smiled back at her, realizing that he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d smiled this much. “So, I guess I’ll see you tonight then.”
She nodded eagerly. “Yeah, seven o’clock, you know the address.” Then she looked down at the box of cereal she was still holding, and remembered that she had to be at work in less than twenty minutes. “Oh my God, I gotta go! See you tonight, don’t be late!” With that she grabbed her trolley and rushed towards the cash register, leaving Spike to look after her with a grin on his face.
TBC
Saving You by Pet
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chappie, enjoy! And thank you, all of you who have reviewed my story so far! :)