[Reviews - 610]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 5762 times

- Text Size +



Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you so much, all of you who have reviewed my story so far, I really appreciate it! :)
Buffy had just finished cleaning up in the kitchen, when Spike came back down. “It took five stories, but now she’s finally asleep.”

She laughed. “Told you so, didn’t I? Consider yourself her slave for life.” Putting what was left of the food into the fridge, Buffy took out the bottle of wine she’d opened earlier. “Want some more of this? Or maybe you’d prefer a nice glass of milk?” She raised her eyebrows, a teasing note in her voice.

“Ha bloody ha. Got her to drink her soddin’ milk, didn’t I?” He pretended to be offended, and Buffy giggled. She grabbed two new glasses from the kitchen cabinet and gestured for him to follow her into the living room.

They sat down next to each other on the couch, sipping on their wine, and Buffy suddenly felt shy. It had all been very nice and innocent when Hannah had been around, but now it was just the two of them, and that made it all feel less like a formal dinner and more like a date. She cleared her throat, desperate to start a conversation. “So…”

He looked at her, and she realized that he seemed to be just as nervous as she was. “So… This was really nice, I’ve had a great time tonight.”

Buffy nodded in agreement, relieved to have something safe to talk about. “Me too! And I know Hannah did too, you should’ve seen her when I told her you were coming over tonight. I’ve never seen her more excited about anything, she practically adores you.”

Spike looked a little surprised, but at the same time pleased. “Well, I like her too, she’s a really great kid.”

Smiling a little, Buffy took another sip of her wine. “The way she acted tonight was totally off character for her. She’s usually kind of shy around new people. She always has been. I practically had to drag her to school the first day, she was terrified of meeting all those new kids. I promised her that once she’d gotten to know them, she’d love being there, but…” She became quiet.

Spike waited for her to go on, but she seemed to be lost in thoughts. “You said something earlier, about Hannah getting to hear she’s different?”

Buffy sighed. “You know how kids can be so cruel sometimes. Hannah’s the sweetest little girl, and they’re just so mean to her. That’s why she took off yesterday, by the way. Another girl pushed her, and everybody laughed. And it wasn’t the first time.”

“What about the teachers? What are they doing about it?” Spike had a concerned look on his face, clearly not liking what he was hearing.

Shrugging, Buffy let out a frustrated groan. “They claim to be completely unaware of that anything’s going on in their school. Hannah came home last week, crying because some older boy stole her lunch money. Of course, no one had seen a thing.” She blinked away a few tears that threatened to fall. “I just feel so helpless. They’re hurting my baby, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.”

Spike hesitated for a moment, then took her hand, squeezing it gently. “Have you tried talking to the other parents?”

“Of course I have. But they refuse to believe that their precious little angels could be doing something wrong.” She rolled her eyes as she recalled the phone call she’d received earlier that night. “Some of them even have the nerve of blaming Hannah for getting their kids in trouble. It’s ridiculous!”

“I’m sorry.” Spike looked down at the small hand he was still cradling in his, amazed at how soft it was. “I wish there was something I could do.”

Buffy gave him a small smile. “You already did something. You have any idea how happy you made her, just by coming here tonight?”

Spike smiled back at her. “I’m glad to hear that, but it was nothing. You make it sound like I’m some kind of hero, but I’m not. I’m the one who should be thanking you for inviting me over tonight. It was really nice of you, and I appreciate it.” Seeing that she was about to object, he went on before she could say anything; “In fact, I’d like to take you out tomorrow, both of you. If you don’t mind, that is.”

She did her best to hide her excitement; Spike wanted to see her again! It wasn’t like he was asking her out on a real date or anything, since Hannah was going to be there as well, but still. She tried not to sound to eager. “That sounds really nice. What time? And where are we going?” Then she realized that he was still holding her hand, praying that he wouldn’t feel how sweaty it had become. Gross!

“Actually, it’s a surprise. Ten o’clock, that okay with you?” Spike tried not to let it show how relieved, not to mention happy, he was. Buffy had agreed to see him again! Not that it was a date or anything, but still.

Buffy frowned. “I assumed you meant tomorrow night. I have to work, and Hannah’s got school.”

Spike gave her a smile that made her knees go weak. “Can’t you just take the day off? And I bet Hannah won’t be missing out on anything, after what you told me, I’d say she could use a day off as well.”

“Well…” Buffy thought about it. She hadn’t been away from work for a single day, all year. And Hannah would be thrilled. “I guess. Sure!” She returned his smile. “But I really wish you’d tell me where we were going.”

He chuckled. “Told you it’s a surprise, didn’t I? What part of that didn’t you get?”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Fine.” Their eyes met, and suddenly, all she could think about was how it would be like to kiss him. It was crazy, because no matter how nice Spike was, or how well they were getting along, they really didn’t know each other. She realized that even though they had talked all night, he’d hardly told her anything about himself. Nothing personal, anyway. She'd learned that he was currently between jobs, that he had an ex girlfriend who was allergic to animals, and that he didn’t have any kids of his own, something that he seemed to be somewhat sensitive about for some unknown reason, but that was about it.

She really didn’t know anything about him. But that didn’t scare her. She was determined to find out as much about him as she could, and tomorrow would be a perfect opportunity to start.


TBC





You must login (register) to review.