Chapter 11: Kinda Dating
The days passed, and soon, a month had gone by, and Buffy was feeling much more like her old self than usual. Except for the fact that her old self wouldn’t have let her sneak down to the basement each night with Spike for a little after hours…training. Nor would her old self have let him sneak into her room on occasion, especially since neither one of them were particularly quiet in the throes of passion. Despite the fact that Dawn knew her sister and Spike were secretly a couple, Buffy didn’t exactly want her sister or the rest of the household to hear their escapades. Their wild, raw, completely erotic escapades.
Everything had pretty much gotten back to normal. Giles was officially moved back to Sunnydale, Xander and Anya were making wedding plans, and Willow and Tara were happy and in love, well, when they weren’t privately arguing about Willow’s increasing use of spells. Buffy heard them arguing until three in the morning once. That was a long night. A long night of waiting for the house to grow silent so she could slip down to the basement and be with him.
It was mid November, and the air was significantly cooler than it had been a month ago. Dawn was breaking out the light sweaters, and Buffy was pulling on her heavier leather coat when it came to patrolling.
Lucky for her, she was in better shape than ever, thanks to training with Giles. She hadn’t gotten hurt once since the night before Giles’ return, and it was nice to know she could go out, do her job, and come home with plenty of time to spend distressing with the only man who’d ever been able to make her…relax so many times in the course of a half hour.
Money was growing thin, and Buffy knew she was going to have to go out there and get a job before too long. She had no qualifications, unless being able to stake a vampire in 3.2 seconds was worthy of putting on a resume.
“What do you think of light blue for the bridesmaid’s dresses?” Anya asked thoughtfully as she thumbed through a bridal magazine. Buffy and Willow looked at each other.
“Light blue’s pretty,” Buffy said quietly, “but I’m not sure how good it would look on all of us.” She looked at Willow with the flame-colored hair.
“Ugh. Willow, won’t you let us dye your hair for the wedding?”
“Yes, because that’s the gift I want to give you for your wedding. My fried roots,” Willow said bitterly. Buffy raised an eyebrow at her tone. Well, she wasn’t really surprised that Willow’s mood wasn’t so fantastic, considering last night, she’d overheard Tara telling Willow that if she continued using spells for the little things, she was going to move out.
Buffy thought about it. Willow had been using her powers quite a bit lately. She’d come home late one night last week and whipped out an amazingly tasty meal with just the flick of a finger and a few foreign words. She’d also used her powers to help her study for a test, which she passed with flying colors. Sure, it seemed harmless, but Buffy could understand where Tara was coming from. It was a little ridiculous, especially since Willow used to be happy to study all by her lonesome without any help from a spell.
“Well, green might work better,” Anya said with a shrug. “Buffy has green eyes, and Willow…yeah, I think green.”
“Whatever you want, Anya. It’s your wedding,” Willow said with a shrug, turning back to her computer screen. “I’m never gonna get this done.”
“You’re right. It is my wedding. Why am I asking for opinions? I should take my own advice and get whatever I want. That’s what human women do, right? They become similar to demons when it comes to wedding planning. Except demons don’t get quite as pushy at a bridal outlet.” Anya was in her own little ex-demon world now, and Buffy took the opportunity to get some solo training in while Willow worked on typing up a paper that was due tomorrow.
Buffy shut the door to the training room and started out easy with a hundred sit ups and crunchers, and then she began her stretches. After a few minutes of good stretches, she got up and moved toward the punching bag. Only about halfway through her sixth swivel-kick did she feel his eyes on her from the shadows near the far wall of the building. She stopped, turning to see him leaning against the wall, a smirk on his face.
“How long have you been here?” she asked casually, hands on her hips, sauntering across the room, her hips swinging a little more than usual. She saw him smile in approval.
“Snuck in through the tunnels,” he admitted. “Don’t mind me. I like to watch you train.”
“What are you doing? Here? I thought you had a poker game with…who was it?”
“Clem and Erg.”
“OK, the fact that you know somebody named Erg is enough to give me the creeps.” Spike chuckled a little. “How’d it go?”
“Well, why don’t you come out with me tonight, and I can show you?”
“What?”
“I won. Three hundred dollars.”
“Wow. That’s…impressive.”
“You really should let me show you how to play. You might win enough to keep the bills paid another month or so.”
“I’d rather earn my money the normal…legal way, thanks.”
“Alright then,” he shrugged. “You’re missing out.”
“I think I’ll live,” Buffy replied, stretching out a little more.
“Go out with me tonight.”
“What?”
“C’mon. I’ve got money to spend. Let me take you…”
“On a date?”
“Yeah…that’s generally what it’s called with a man takes his lady out for drinks, dinner.”
“You don’t eat.”
“C’mon, Slayer. I’m trying to be romantic.” Buffy couldn’t help but giggle at that. She moved toward him. “Let me take my girl out for a night on the town.”
“What part of town are we talking about? Your part of town? Something tells me your buddies at the demon bar wouldn’t be so thrilled that you brought your Slayer girlfriend.” Spike raised his eyes at the term she’d just used.
“Girlfriend? Is that what you are to me?” Buffy rolled her eyes and closed the gap, pulling her arms around his neck, as his hands rested on her waist. “That’s what you said, right?”
“Mmm…yeah,” she said with a shrug.
“Your friends out just outside that door, luv,” he warned, as she stood on her tiptoes to shut him up with a kiss.
“Mmm...hmm…” She pulled back, and he eyed her warily.
“What’s going on? You’re Buffy, aren’t you? Do I need to check you for a computer chip and…”
“Shut up,” Buffy said, swatting his arm. “Of course it’s me.” He felt as if the room was spinning. She’d never referred to herself as his girlfriend, but that’s basically what she was, even if they hadn’t exactly come out to her friends about it.
“So…you wanna tell me what’s got you calling yourself my girlfriend and not punching me in the face when I suggest taking you out on a date?” He watched as he leaned back a little, cocking her head to the side like he often did. Her fingers laced together behind his neck.
“Maybe because I’m tired of sneaking around.”
“What?”
“Well, we kept things quiet just to see what happened, and so far, well, I’m enjoying myself. And I know you are, Mr. Sneaks In My Room At Three In the Morning.”
“Did you have a stroke?” he asked, eyes narrowing. “Or did something hit you in the head? I’m not entirely convinced that you’re really you right now.” Buffy rolled her eyes and leaned into him again, her lips pressing against his, her tongue flicking out to tease him, as her fingers traced seductive trails down his neck and his chest.
“Convinced yet?”
“Mmm…might take a bit more…” Buffy gave his lower lip a little bite. “Ow! Bugger….Alright, woman! You’re the bloody Slayer.” Buffy smiled, satisfied. “So…you want to tell your friends about us?”
“The other night, I lay in bed listening to Willow and Tara argue for hours, and all I wanted to do was go downstairs, but I couldn’t without somebody hearing me. I might be Chosen, but they have ears like you wouldn’t believe.” Spike smirked a little. “It’s getting harder to sneak around. Dawn already knows. I’m not sure my friends will be as accepting as she was, but I’m sick of having to wait until the middle of the night to have sex with my boyfriend.” She placed her hands on her hips, stomping her foot in frustration. “I wanna have sex at home in the middle of the day without having to sneak around, like normal people.” Spike chuckled, shaking his head.
“Alright, pet. How do you suggest we tell them? Might want to tell the Watcher in a public place where there are witnesses. Preferably, for me, at night. If he wants to kill me, I’d rather have the advantage, pet.”
“He’s not gonna try to kill you.”
“Oh, no? He’s the closest thing you’ve had to a father in years, and you’re the daughter he never had. You can’t tell me he ever approved of any of your boyfriends.” He watched her shift on her feet.
“He didn’t mind Riley that much,” she said quietly. “But he didn’t throw a party when I started dating him either.”
“See. Now, I’m thinking a bar with no wooden tables. Walls made of cement. No wooden fixtures. Not even toothpicks in the appetizers. Sound good?”
“Wow. I think I’ve finally found something that scares the Big, Bad Spike.”
“I’m not afraid of the old man,” he argued. “But I don’t think he’s as willing to keep me from turning to dust as you are, luv.” Buffy shook her head, standing on her tiptoes and kissing him once more.
“We’ll tell them all at the same time. We can shock them all at the same time.”
“No offense, luv, but those friends of yours are pretty dense. If they paid any attention at all…they’d have picked up on something weeks ago.”
“Well, they didn’t. And we’re telling them.”
“Tonight?”
“Well…we could do that, or you could take your girl out for a night on the town.” She watched the smile curl up on his lips.
“We’ll tell them tomorrow, then.” Buffy nodded in agreement and kissed him again, this time, letting him deepen it. The door opened suddenly, and Buffy and Spike both turned to see Dawn walking in. She made a face, closing the door behind her.
“Get a room,” she complained.
“Dawn! What are you doing here?”
“Hello? You promised to help me pick out an outfit for the dance Friday night.”
“Oh,” Buffy murmured. “I forgot. Um, alright, sure.” Buffy turned back to Spike, blushing a little. She leaned in, whispering. “We’ll go after patrol tonight.”
“Sounds like a plan, luv,” he whispered. He leaned down, pressing his lips against hers, tasting the sweetness of her kiss. Both of them heard Dawn audibly force a gag, and they broke apart. Buffy shot a glare in her sister’s direction.
“See you tonight, Spike.”
“Tonight,” he said with a nod, watching her walk away.
***
“So he actually asked you on a date?” Dawn asked, as they walked around the mall. Dawn had already found her dress for the dance, but now they were taking their own sweet time window shopping.
“I guess it’ll be a nice change from patrolling. Of course, we’re still doing that tonight.” Buffy shrugged. “And…big news.”
“You’re pregnant!”
“What?! No!” Buffy exclaimed. “Vampires can’t make babies…I don’t think. I hope not, because we haven’t exactly thought about having to be care…oh, why am I telling you that?” Dawn rolled her eyes and shrugged.
“Well, you might want to look into that, because it’s not like that many women have had sex with a vampire and lived to tell about it. Well, except for you, that is.”
“Thanks,” Buffy muttered. “Anyway, the big news is that we’re telling everyone tomorrow.”
“Really?” Dawn asked.
“Yep. No more secret keeping.”
“Why tomorrow?”
“Well, things have been going alright, and we’re sick of sneaking around. So…”
“Xander’s gonna freak. You do realize that, don’t you?”
“Well, it’s not really his business. He’s sleeping with Anya, and we all know that not everybody’s crazy about her. I mean, she used to be a demon, and she was evil. I mean, vengeance demon, hello? She was a demon for a lot longer than Spike, so she’s probably killed way more people.” Buffy furrowed her brows. “Did I just say that?”
“Yeah. You really did just compare how many people your boyfriend has killed with the number Xander’s girlfriend has.”
“This might be the most disturbing conversation ever.”
“So? What are you gonna wear tonight?” Buffy smiled at her sister, grateful for the change in subject.
“I don’t know. Whatever I wear to patrol in.”
“Oh, come on! It’s a date. It’s special!”
“Why am I taking dating advice from a fifteen year old?”
“I’m just saying…he wants to take you out. Wouldn’t it feel nice to get something new…something he’d really, really like?” Buffy couldn’t deny the fact that that sounded great, but she shook her head.
“We can’t afford that right now, Dawnie.” Dawn sighed, her shoulder slumping, but she grinned evilly at her sister a moment later.
“It’s not like he’s gonna really be that interested in what you’re wearing…it’s what’s underneath that counts, right?”
“Dawn!” Buffy yelped, as her sister responded with a fit of giggles. “That is so wrong.” But oh…so right. Dawn sobered up for only a second before cracking once again. Buffy caught on to her sister’s contagious giggles, and the two spent the rest of the afternoon talking about each of their upcoming dates: Buffy’s with Spike and Dawn’s with, as Buffy referred to him, Mr. ‘Can’t Keep His Hands to Himself.’”
***
Buffy stared at the clock, as she put away research books in the back of the shop. Only another hour or so before she headed out to patrol, and she was certain it would be a quick one tonight. Though, she had no idea what Spike had in mind for their date, but the thought of not having to hide after tomorrow was a relief. However, she wasn’t certain how things would be between her and her friends once the news was out. She figured Tara would be very supportive and that Willow would also be supportive, if not a bit cautious and overprotective. Xander, on the other hand, would be shocked and probably disgusted, not to mention a hypocrite, considering the woman he was about to marry used to be a demon, and was certainly far from being a normal human even now.
“Giles?” Buffy asked, moving toward the research table. He looked up from his reading material. “Any word from the Council about a new Slayer?”
“I’m afraid not. The Council doesn’t appear to be very cooperative…”
“Since I stooped cooperating,” Buffy said with a slow nod.
“I wouldn’t worry. If there is another Slayer out there…”
“She’ll need to be trained,” Buffy insisted.
“Or maybe she’ll hate the whole Chosen thing, and she’ll ignore it.”
“It’s kind of hard to ignore demons and vampires coming at you every single day. Believe me. I tried. They find you. It never fails.” She made a face. “I don’t see why nobody else thinks this is a big deal.”
“I honestly don’t know what you’re worried about, Buffy. If another Slayer was Chosen when you died, which we aren’t certain even happened, we’ll surely hear about her eventually, when the Council is desperate enough to ask for our help.” Buffy shrugged her shoulders.
“I guess.”
“I was reading about locator spells to track Slayers. Even potential Slayers,” Willow said eagerly. All eyes turned on her. “It’s true. I guess some watchers hire powerful witches to help them track down potential Slayers to train just in case something happens to the current Slayer.” Buffy shivered.
“Well, that makes me feel all good and tingly.” Of course, with a job like hers, one wasn’t exactly going to be handed life insurance. She’d once read about Slayers being killed within hours of being called. It wasn’t a pretty job, but somebody had to do it.
“Well, they do want to prepare them in case one is called. Maybe she already had a watcher, and she’s trained. I could do a locater spell and find her if it’d make you feel better.”
“Do you even know how?” Tara asked a bit sharply. Willow turned at the tone of her voice.
“Well, no, but I could learn. There are a few translations I need to work out, and a few supplies I’d need.”
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Giles said with a shake of his head. “The only Slayer we need to focus on right now is the one that’s standing in this very room. We just want to make sure we keep her safe, so I think it’d be better if we all keep researching. I believe it’s almost the season for some species to start laying eggs.”
“Demon eggs,” Xander shuddered. “Sounds all cute and fluffy, but when they hatch, watch out!”
“Yeah. Getting demon slime out of leather isn’t of the fun,” Buffy muttered.
“Speaking of clothes…” Xander said, eyeing Buffy’s ensemble. “Aren’t you a little dressed up to go hunting vampires?”
“What? This?” Buffy looked down at the black, leather pants that went with the shimmery red and black halter tied around her neck. To top it all off, she was wearing heels.
“Yeah, Buff,” Willow said slowly. “You look like you’re getting ready to go on a date, not crack demon skulls.”
“I’m not going on a date,” Buffy said immediately, getting an eye roll from Dawn, followed by a mouthed ‘smooth’ from her lips. “All of my patrol clothes are dirty.” That wasn’t a lie. She hadn’t done laundry in over a week.
“Isn’t that a new outfit?”
“Oh…I…well, yeah,” Buffy said slowly.
“That’s it. I knew it! Who’s the guy?” Xander asked with a knowing smile. “I’m surprised at you, Buff, keeping him a secret like that. What? Aren’t we good enough to meet him? Or are you embarrassed by him?” Buffy felt her cheeks grow hot.
“I’m not…shut up, Xander,” she finally said, crossing her arms.
“So,” Willow said teasingly, “when do we get to meet his mystery...” Suddenly, a look crossed her face, and it wasn’t one that Buffy was particularly fond of. It was one of those realizations, as if something had just clicked into place. And at that moment, in Willow’s head, it had. Her mind flashed back to watching Buffy willingly go out on the dance floor with Spike at the Bronze. Then there were the nights she could swear she heard more than one voice in Buffy’s room, but chalked it up to the TV in Dawn’s room. “Oh my God…” Buffy’s eyes widened.
“Wil?”
“It’s…” Buffy’s eyes widened.
“Uh…hey, Wil! Can you help me with something in the back?” Willow immediately jerked her friend out into the training room, slamming the door shut in a non-so-discreet manner. Willow just stared at her friend, certain moments coming back to her, making so much more sense now.
“Buffy…you and Spike?!”
“Shh!”
“Why are you shushing me?”
“Because I haven’t told anybody, obviously!” Buffy hissed. “I was gonna tell you all tomorrow.”
“How long…”
“Almost a month,” Buffy considered. “Wil, I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know the right way, and I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into.”
“But Spike? Buffy, he’s a vampire.”
“Yeah, I kinda noticed that,” Buffy said with wide eyes. “He’s…he’s not…well, you spent more time with him this summer, seeing as I was dead. He’s not evil, Wil.”
“No, I guess not,” Willow considered. “But…but you hated him. Now you’re…what?”
“I’m kinda dating him.”
“Kinda dating him? What does that mean? Are you kinda dating him like…like I don’t know…like Dawnie’s kinda dating that guy you hate, or are you kinda dating him like…I’m dating Tara.” Buffy caught the tone of her voice and all that it implied.
“The second one,” Buffy squeaked out.
“You’re…you’re…”
“Yeah, Wil, I’m…sleeping with him.” She squirmed a little at that. It wasn’t so much sleeping as it was insane, passionate sex, followed by a little snuggling and then going their separate ways as to not create any suspicion.
“Wow,” Willow breathed. “Wow.”
“Yeah.”
“So…so you two…wow.”
“You said that already,” Buffy said with a half smile.
“Buff, I’m worried about you.”
“I’m fine. I can take care of myself. Besides, he’s all chipped and everything.”
“And if he wasn’t?” Buffy flinched at that but shrugged her shoulders.
“Wil, I’m not worried. I know what I’m doing.” She let out a little sigh. “He might not have a soul, but he’s far from evil.”
“Don’t let Giles hear you say that,” Willow said with wide eyes.
“Yeah…well, I’m telling everyone else tomorrow. That was the plan, and that’s what I’m sticking to.”
“Giles…”
“Giles isn’t my father, Wil. He’s my Watcher, and I know he’s gonna hate the idea. I’m sure Xander will too. But, it’s my life.”
“I’m pretty sure they’ll see it more like your death.”
“Probably,” Buffy muttered.
“Buffy, this is big news,” Willow said as if she were running out of breath, her hand clutching her chest.
“Wil, I’m not asking that you all be Spike’s best friends, but I’m asking for a little support here. He’s been…I…I don’t know…he’s been amazing since I came back. I know it sounds crazy. I don’t know what’ll happen…if it’ll last. But…”
“You love him.”
“I…I don’t know,” Buffy whispered.
“You care about him?”
“Yeah. I do. A lot. And I know he loves me, which, yeah, I know, sounds impossible. But he does, in his own way.”
“Wow, Buff,” Willow whispered again. “You…you, uh, you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“Yes, Wil.” Buffy rolled her eyes. “Just don’t say anything to the others.” She furrowed her brows. “If you want to tell Tara, you can, but…I’m not sure she’ll be surprised.”
“Why’s that?”
“I don’t know. Just…she looks at me sometimes…like she knows something. But it’s nothing judgmental. It’s…just…like she knows.”
“Hmm,” Willow said, secretly a tad disappointed that Tara had never even began to mention anything about a possibility of Spike and Buffy being together to her.
“Just…don’t mention anything to Xander and Giles. Not until I have the chance to talk to them. I just can’t do it tonight.”
“Ok,” Willow nodded, her voice still dripping with concern.
“Wil,” Buffy breathed, placing her hands on her friend’s tense shoulders, “trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
“I know. I…I just don’t wanna see you get hurt. You’ve been through enough.” With a sad sigh, Buffy hugged her friend, closing her eyes and shaking her head slightly.
“Don’t worry. I’m gonna be fine.”
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