“No, it’ll be like two adults who have overcome a misunderstanding… a difficulty even… who are not going to let it effect their friendship.”
She smiled then, a half smile but a smile nonetheless.
William felt a wave of calm sweep over him. He was getting through to her at last.
“Yeah. I like the sound of that.” They stood staring at each other. A few moments feeling like an eternity. “You’ve released your hostage, William.”
The door clicked shut behind her.
~~
A Week Later…
“You’ve got to be bloody kidding me!”
“What’s up bleach boy? Are you to old to engage in what we young people like to call fun?” Faith prodded Spike’s shoulder.
It was late Friday afternoon and they were sat in a coffee shop in the Sunnydale Mall discussing the up and coming event that was the Dress To Impress Night at The Bronze. It was a fancy dress gimmick night to relaunch the local nightspot and to promote some local bands.
“It’ll be full of lairy teenagers is what it’ll be!” He spluttered. “Besides…”
“Yeah, yeah – you don’t really know anyone around here. I mean how long have you lived here now?”
“Few years.” He mumbled into his mocha as Faith shook her head.
“Then maybe it’s about time we changed that. Besides, I’m your guest and you should be showing your guest a good time.” She waggled her eyebrow suggestively, winding her ankle around his under the table.
William couldn’t help but laugh. They hadn’t been together for six years now but amazingly, their friendship hadn’t diminished, it had only strengthened. He was aware that some people may be confused by their interaction but the top and bottom of it was they were just that comfortable with each other. “Fine, fine…”
“And it won’t be just teenagers – look!” She pulled the flyer out of her bag and pushed it across the table. “3 for 2 on all shots. Now that’s gonna attract those over 21’s is it not? It screams hot and sexy singles night.”
“I wouldn’t go that far – and since when –” William about to take a sip of coffee, paused with his cup midway to his mouth. “Oh come on, you’re not seriously thinking of pulling a bloke are you?”
Faith tsked and waved her hands giggling. “Perhaps!! But I was more thinking of you… you must get awful lonely in your little house with your little students and no friends or woman shapes to keep you company.”
“Now I know you’re soddin’ trippin’.” He knew Faith had his best interests at heart but despite his numerous flings he had no real desire for company of the woman or friend variety. And even then, the closest he’d been to getting laid in the past three months had been Buffy… and he didn’t really think he could count that given the circumstances.
He nodded along as Faith continued her ‘set up William’ plan as he let his mind wander to Buffy. He’d seen her twice since they cleared the air last Friday – once on Sunday when they had bumped into each on the drive. He had been out to get milk and she was on her way to Willow’s. It had been a brief and awkward exchange about the weather but at least they had communicated instead of hiding or running away from each other.
The next time they had met had been Wednesday morning. She was waiting at the curb for her lift to school. He had asked her if she was ok and she had said she was fine. She had enquired about Faith and he had given her an update on Faith’s plans (which currently were to spend the next month hanging out in the ‘Dale as she called it).
He had asked Buffy about rescheduling her tutor session and they had agreed that the tutoring would continue the following Monday and every Monday from then on. Before he could ask her about school, Angel had pulled up on the drive. He had given William a lazy wave and a lazy smile. Buffy, rather awkwardly, said her goodbyes and hopped into the ’67 Plymouth. As Angel had leaned over to kiss Buffy, he had turned away – his stomach knotted inside. What the hell was wrong with him? He tried to suppress the excitement that welled inside him when he conjured the image of her in a skirt that he would have thought too short to wear for school…
“So? You up for it?” Faith kicked him in the shin.
“Sorry – what?”
“So nice to see that I have your undivided attention. Pray tell what does distract you so?” She mocked.
“Nothing – really. Just tired, that’s all.”
“Hmm, sure. Whatever – you missed my grand plan.”
“What’s that then?” He looked at her, challenging.
“Well – if we’re gonna go to this thing we are going to have to Dress To Impress as the name suggests… so I say we take advantage of the two and a half hours of shopping time we have left and track down some costumes!”
“Woah woah woah – I didn’t even agree to go yet – let alone dress up!”
“That’s the whole point of the damned do! Come as you aren’t. So that’s exactly what we’re going to do.” She winked.
“Oh bugger, I’m screwed aren’t I?”
“Not yet but you may well end up that way!!”
They both laughed. William was surprised at how good it felt to be in Faith’s company. She was a cure for his ills. Maybe he’d get over Buffy after all – with a little help from his friend!
“Hey, Buffy isn’t it?” Faith said, looking over his shoulder.
He span round to see Buffy stood behind him, her arm wrapped around Angel’s waist. They were both laden with bags, clearly in the throes of a successful shopping trip.
“Hello, Buffy. Angel.” He used every ounce of willpower he had to urge the corners of his mouth upward. To see them together like this made something inside him twist, painfully.
“A girl after my own heart you are – look at all the goodies!” Faith laughed.
“Yeah, there’s at least three shoe sales on at the moment – and I’ve taken full advantage!” Buffy giggled.
“And so you should – a girl has to have good shoes! And besides your timing couldn’t be better – I’ve been trying to persuade William here to come to the shindig at the Bronze tomorrow night.”
Buffy looked at William playfully. “Is it not going to be past your bedtime?”
Angel chuckled and squeezed Buffy’s hip.
Faith covered her mouth to hide her smirk. “That’s exactly where I’m coming from.”
William frowned. Unhappy at Buffy’s jibe and the fact that he was clearly being ganged up on, he did what came naturally. He pouted.
“Aw, shucks – did we upset your delicate disposition?” Faith asked, rubbing her leg against his to reassure him she was kidding.
Buffy saw the intimate touching and coughed. Feeling a stab of guilt at her discomfort he decided to swallow his pride and his common sense. “Nah, I’m just jestin’ with you. Maybe you’re right – we should go.”
“Hallelujah!” Faith stood and bowed before him. “Now before you change your mind, I am taking you shopping for a costume.”
Angel snorted. “What are you going to go as? Billy Idol?”
Before he could turn to respond to Angel’s insult, Faith sat back down and linked her hand through his. “You know what – that aint a half bad idea.” She smiled up at Angel to defuse the tension emanating from William. “What are you going as Buffy?”
“Not sure yet – we’re grabbing some snacks before we hit the costume shops.” She eyed their interlocked hands with jealousy.
Misconstruing Faith’s comforting gesture for a brazen display of intimacy, Buffy rested her head on Angel’s shoulder. She knew that it was for the best – that friendship was the flavour of the menu forever more but if she’d really only wanted to jump his bones, why did her gut gurgle at the sight of a girl holding his hand? Not girl. Woman.
She eyed Faith as her and William continued their banter over a Billy Idol costume, realising that she had never really stood a chance. Not when William could attract women like Faith. Faith was practically her opposite – brunette, pale skinned, ultra curvy and ultra confident. She was also damned likeable and despite her envying Faith’s relationship with William, she felt at ease in her company. Double dammit.
“Right, we’re gonna go order – we’ll see you round!” Buffy said, all too cheerfully.
“Sure thing, B.”
“Bye Buffy.” William smiled and turned back to Faith.
Guiding Angel by the waist, Buffy led him to a booth on the other side of the shop. William screwed his brows together as he watched Angel squeeze her ass as they slid into the booth.
“Are you ok, honey?” Angel asked as they arranged their bags under the table.
“Hm.” Buffy nodded distractedly.
“That Faith is certainly something isn’t she?” He looked at her carefully.
“What?” Buffy said sharply.
“She’s a breath of fresh air in this stale old town. I reckon she’ll do stuffy old Willy some good.” He laughed.
“Yeah, I’m sure she will. Can I have a Latte and a Blueberry Muffin?”
“Whatever you want, darling.” He kissed the top of her head before stepping up to the counter.
Across the room, Faith tapped William’s foot with her own. “Earth to bleach boy?”
“Sorry, love. Just watching that Angel ponce.”
“Switching teams now are we?”
“Ha bloody ha. No, it’s just he’s a soddin’ prick and Buffy could do so much better.”
“He seems just dandy to me.” She mused.
“Oh, he’s a charmer alright.”
From across the room, William watched them over Faith’s shoulder. His eyes met Buffy’s and suddenly the world around them slowed. The coffee shop was a blur at the periphery of his vision – the centre of his world, those emerald green eyes.
Breathless, held at the mercy of his sapphire gaze, she felt a tingle run up her spine.
He tilted his head towards the toilet before standing up and bending down to whisper something to Faith. She nodded and headed for the counter to pay the tab whilst William ducked through the WC door.
Buffy, seeing that Angel had struck up some dialogue with Faith, slid out of the booth and headed towards the WC. The door closed behind her, trapping out the noise of the coffee shop and sealing her inside a small corridor with two doors – men’s and women’s. Before she could make an about turn and retreat, the men’s door opened and William yanked her inside.
“What the?” Buffy squawked as William placed a hand over her mouth.
“Don’t. Please. Let me say what I have to say.”
She nodded, her eyes wide, her pulse pounding in her temples. He had pushed her against the tiled wall next to the hand dryer. If she glanced sideways, she could catch their reflection in the mirror. And it was a hot one…
Leaning over her as she relaxed against the wall he took a deep breath. “I just want you to know that no matter what you saw out there, Faith and I are not together. I know it made you uncomfortable but that’s just how we are – we’ve been friends for a long time and that’s just how we interact. I don’t want you thinking that I’m trying to rub your face in it or make you jealous.”
Buffy nodded, her arms automatically reaching for William’s waist to steady herself. He hissed a little as he felt her hot hands burn through the thin cotton of his shirt. She gasped into his palm at his reaction, her mind racing to unravel what was going on.
“I know what I said on Friday. And I stand by it, I do. But please, do me the courtesy of not using Angel to get at me.”
She frowned then, eyes sparking with the beginnings of anger.
“I know you think you like him and it’s seen to be cool to be dating him in high school but Buffy, he’s a bloody tosser and he’s only after one thing.”
She pushed back from the wall, yanking his hand from her mouth. “Oh, isn’t that just ironic huh? Get over yourself! I like Angel. Like really. Sure, he fancies the ass of me and why shouldn’t he? You seem to like my ass yourself! The difference is William, I can have him. I can’t have you. So please, do me the courtesy of not luring me to scabby restrooms to feed me your unique brand of bullshit!”
Stunned at her sudden outburst, he stood slack jawed as she shoved past him and back out into the coffee shop.
“Bloody, buggering bollocks!!!!” He roared before slamming his fist into the hand dryer.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
It's been nominated again! *happy dances around the living room* I don't know which kindly person did it this time but the Cradle of Humanity Awards Round 2 have this fic listed in their Respected Adult section as a nominee!! Yippeediddlydee! The nominations are blowing me away guys - thank you SO much to all those who have been reading and to whoever it was that nommed me!!!!!
Thank you so much to the fab feedback from the last chapter - I'm so glad you are all reassured that Faith and Angel are mere conflict inciting devices but ultimately encourage the Spuffy lovin'!!!
A word of warning about this chapter... you might not like William too much, he's being a bit of a plonker and he's losing his grip on his intentions... can he leave well alone? Er, no.
And in true William/Spike style, he manages to make things worse!
Faith and Angel appear in this chapter - it's a lovely awkward four way meeting *is laughing evilly* but I have a plan folks so despite how much you may go :-O or :-s - please trust me!!!! *hugs to all you wonderful readers and reviewers*
Thank you so much to the fab feedback from the last chapter - I'm so glad you are all reassured that Faith and Angel are mere conflict inciting devices but ultimately encourage the Spuffy lovin'!!!
A word of warning about this chapter... you might not like William too much, he's being a bit of a plonker and he's losing his grip on his intentions... can he leave well alone? Er, no.
And in true William/Spike style, he manages to make things worse!
Faith and Angel appear in this chapter - it's a lovely awkward four way meeting *is laughing evilly* but I have a plan folks so despite how much you may go :-O or :-s - please trust me!!!! *hugs to all you wonderful readers and reviewers*
Chapter End Notes:
Despite my 'plan' I AM kinda nervous about this one folks so feedback would be very muchly appreciated. *wibbles behind the couch*