“Mmm, this is really good!” Buffy put her fork down and smiled at Spike, gratefully. “Thanks for inviting me over, by the way. I really wouldn’t have wanted to be alone tonight. Would’ve been too depressing.” Her smile faltered a little.
“Yeah, I figured.” Spike gave her a sympathetic look. “You gonna be okay, pet?”
She nodded, putting on another, somewhat strained smile. “Yeah, sure. I’ll be fine.” A pause. “It’s just gonna take some time.” He nodded, and Buffy was silent for a moment. Then she decided to change the subject before she would get too emotional. She turned her attention to Billy, who had been quiet so far, concentrating on his food. “What do you say, Billy? Isn’t this way better than pizza after all?”
The boy shrugged. “Still would’ve preferred pizza,” he mumbled, before – despite his words – shoving some more lasagna into his mouth.
Spike just rolled his eyes. Then he glanced at Buffy, and their eyes met. For a moment, neither of them was able to look away.
Buffy felt like she was drowning; a feeling she had become familiar with since she had first met Spike, and she realized that she was already falling for him, big time. Suddenly she remembered that Billy was still in the room, and blushed. The boy was watching them, closely; a somewhat interested expression on his face, and the spell was broken. She lowered her eyes, suddenly embarrassed.
If she and Spike had been alone, it would have been one thing, but here they were, making googly eyes at each other right in front of the kid for crying out loud! But somehow, every time Spike looked at her, she became reduced to a blushing schoolgirl with a crush. A part of her cringed at the thought; this was so not like her, at all. However, she had to admit that the feeling wasn’t totally unpleasant. And more importantly; whatever feelings she had developed for Spike seemed to be more than mutual.
Spike cleared his throat, about to say something, when he was interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. He quickly excused himself and left the room, and Buffy didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed. Letting out the breath she had been holding, she glanced at Billy again, realizing that he was still watching her. She smiled a little. “What?”
The boy didn’t answer at first. Instead he cast a look over his shoulder, clearly wanting to make sure his father wouldn’t hear him. Finally he blurted out; “Do you like my dad?”
Buffy stared at him in shock. “What?!” She let out a nervous laugh. “What exactly do you mean by ‘like’?”
“Please!” Billy snorted. “I’m not bloody stupid, so don’t treat me like I am.”
“Language!” Buffy rolled her eyes. “I know you’re not stupid, I just...” She sighed. “You just surprised me a little.”
“Right.” He nodded. “Well? Do you?”
Buffy resisted the urge to groan, thinking that the kid had a bluntness that would make Anya come out as shy and withdrawn. Instead she took a deep breath, knowing that he wouldn’t give up until he had gotten an answer. “Well, of course I like your dad. He’s...” She hesitated. “...really nice.” Okay, that sounded way too lame, even in her ears. And she could tell that Billy wasn’t too impressed by that answer, either.
But he didn’t argue. Instead he got a thoughtful look on his face. “My dad likes you.”
“Really?!” She silently cringed at how shrill her voice had become and cleared her throat. “I mean, why do you think that?”
Billy shrugged. “It’s just the way he looks at you, is all. The way he used to look at my mum.” He paused. “And he’s... different when you’re around. Happier.”
She had no idea how to respond to that. Luckily, Spike chose that moment to return, and Billy immediately closed up, turning his attention back to the food left on his plate. Seeing the troubled expression on Spike’s face, Buffy gave him a questioning look. “Something wrong?”
“No, it’s just...” Spike hesitated before turning to his son. “Looks like we have to go back to LA next week.”
“Why?” Billy suddenly looked alarmed. “You gonna see Mum? She gonna sign the divorce papers?”
“Yeah.” Spike glanced at Buffy, who quickly averted her eyes, clearly not comfortable with the turn the conversation had taken. Letting out a sigh, he went on; “I’ll talk to Principal Flutie and your teachers tomorrow, let them know you’ll be away for a day or two.”
Billy’s eyes widened and his fingers tightened around his fork, so hard that his knuckles turned white. “You promised I didn’t have to go!”
Feeling a headache coming up, Spike mentally prepared himself for the outburst he knew was coming. “No, I said you didn’t have to see her. But you’re coming to LA with me. I don’t know how long it’s gonna take and I’m not letting you stay at home all by yourself.”
“I don’t wanna go!” Billy jumped up from the chair, glaring at his father. “You can’t make me!” He turned to Buffy, an almost desperate look on his face. “Can’t I stay here with you? Please? I promise I’ll be good. I’ll be better than good!”
Buffy opened her mouth, but Spike beat him to it; “Billy, I don’t think...”
“I’m not going!” In a sudden fit of fury, Billy grabbed the closest object he could find, which happened to be his empty glass, and threw it across the room, causing it to smash against the wall and break into a million pieces. Buffy stared at him in shock, suddenly wishing she was anywhere but there.
“Hey, that’s enough!” Spike jumped up as well. Clenching his fists, he forced himself to take a deep breath. “Look, Billy, I promise; you won’t have to see her. We’ll just...” Not waiting for him to finish, Billy spun around and ran out of the room. A moment later, a hard slam from his bedroom door could be heard from upstairs.
Buffy ducked down in her chair, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her. She had never felt more awkward in her life. Then she glanced at Spike, and a wave of sympathy welled up inside her. He closed his eyes, and for a moment, it looked like he was about to cry. When he finally spoke, she could tell that he had to struggle to keep his voice steady. “I’m sorry.” His voice was barely more than a whisper. “Buffy, I hate to ask, but...”
Already knowing what he was about to ask her, Buffy quickly made up her mind, interrupting him before he could finish; “Really, Spike, I don’t mind. Of course Billy can stay with me.”
Looking beyond relieved, Spike let out a shuddering breath. “Thank you.” He was quiet for a moment, clearly at a loss for words. Then he sighed. “Look, I’m really sorry,” he then repeated, looking so lost that Buffy wanted to just take him in her arms and tell him that everything would be okay. Of course, she couldn’t make any promises like that. Not when she didn’t have the slightest idea what was going on.
“Don’t worry about it; I told you, I don’t mind.” Buffy paused. “You know what? There is one thing you could do for me.” Raising a brow, Spike remained silent, waiting for her to continue. She took a deep breath, suddenly afraid to look at him; “Tell me what’s the deal with Billy’s mom.”
TBC