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Chapter 25: Lie to Me (Part 1 of 2)

A boy was sitting on the jungle gym waiting for his mother in the encroaching night.

"C'mon, Mom. She's always late," he complained to the darkness.

A woman in a white gown walked slowly up behind him.

"Are you lost?" Drusilla asked the boy.

He looked at her. "No. My mom's just supposed to pick me up is all.

He climbed down off the gym.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" she asked.

"No, thank you."

She touched the gym as her eyes lost focus. "My mummy used to sing me to sleep at night." She began to walk slowly around the gym, letting her fingers trail over it as she sang, "Run and catch. The lamb is caught in the blackberry patch." She stopped. "She had the sweetest voice. What will your mummy sing when they find your body?"

"I'm not supposed to talk to people," came the boy's nervous reply.

"Oh. Well, I'm not a person, see, so that's just. . ."

She was interrupted by Spike who stepped out of nowhere, between her and the boy.

Keeping his eyes on Drusilla, he told the boy, "Run home."

After a moment's hesitation, he ran off. Drusilla watched him run away.

"Don't suppose there's any point in asking you to leave?" he asked his Sire.

"Why should I? Will you hurt me?" she asked excited. Then she looked up as if someone was whispering in her ear. "No. No, you can't. Not anymore."

"You'd be surprised what I can do, Dru."

"No," she said sadly. "My dear boy's gone all away, hasn't he? To her."

"That's right, luv. And if you aren't scared of me, you should be scared of her. She did Darla. She'll do you and Angelus, too."

Drusilla giggled. "She has no idea what's in store." She leaned forward, as if to kiss him. "This is just the beginning," she whispered in his ear. Then she pulled away without kissing him and gave him an evil smile.

Slowly she walked away. Neither vampire noticed the Slayer who'd stood on a nearby roof, watching the whole thing.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next morning at school, Buffy walked dejectedly through the halls. She hadn't slept well the night before, wondering who the woman was who had been with Spike.

Other people's love lives were so much less complicated she thought as she saw Ms. Calendar and Giles talking.

When Ms. Calendar walked off, Buffy greeted Giles. "Hey."

"Hello," he replied, still looking after Ms. Calendar. They headed toward the library. "Um, did we hunt last night?"

"I did a couple quick sweeps downtown."

"Any encounters?"

"Nothing vampirey."

Which, she told herself, was not a complete lie. Spike didn't really count as a vampire, and she couldn't be sure if the woman he'd been talking to had been or not. Then again, only a vampire would have worn a dress like that on so cold a night.

"Uh, I've been researching your friend Angelus. Uh, the profile is fairly unappetizing. But I-I still haven't got a bead on why he's here. It's possible that it's revenge for Darla's staking. But we shouldn't rule out the possibility that something more diabolical has drawn him to the Hellmouth."

"You'll figure it out."

"You alright? You seem a little glum," noted Giles.

"I'm fine," she said, unconvincingly.

They stopped outside the library's door.

"Why don't you take the night off?" suggested Giles.

"Okay. That'd be nice," she replied with a complete lack of enthusiasm.

"Yes. You could spend some time with Spike."

"I don't know. He might have other plans," she answered as she walked off to class.

During her history class, she told Willow what had happened via the time-honored tradition of note passing.

Willow passed her a note which asked: Do you know who she was?

A boy in the class answered the teacher's question. "Well, it seems like Louis XVI was just sort of a weak king."

Buffy and Willow glanced at each other. Buffy started to write an answer on the note.

"That's fair enough. Uh, any other impressions?" asked the teacher.

"I just don't see why everyone's always picking on Marie Antoinette," said Cordelia. "I can so relate to her. She worked really hard to look that good, and people just don't appreciate that kind of effort."

Buffy finished her answer to Willow and passed back the note: No Dark hair Old dress pretty

"And I know the peasants were all depressed. . ." continued Cordelia.

"I think you mean 'oppressed'," corrected Xander.

"Whatever." Cordelia dismissed him. "They were cranky."

Buffy folded the note and handed it back to Willow.

"So they're, like, 'Let's lose some heads'. Uhhh! That's fair. And, and Marie Antoinette cared about them. She was gonna let them have cake!" pointed out Cordelia.

Willow finished another note.

"Yes, well, that's a very interesting perspective," said the teacher.

Willow handed Buffy the note.

"Um, would anyone else like to comment?" the teacher asked hopefully.

When Buffy opened the note and read, 'Vampire?' she sighed.

Just then the bell rang.

As they walked out of class, Buffy verbally answered Willow's note, "I don't know. I don't think so. They seemed pretty friendly."

"Who's friendly?" asked a confused Xander.

"No one," Buffy evaded.

"Spike and a girl," supplied Willow.

"Willow, do we have to be in total share mode?" Buffy asked.

The last thing she wanted was to involve Xander in anything that might look like Spike was losing interest in her.

"Hey, it's me. If Spike's doing somethin' wrong, I wanna know. 'Cause it gives me a happy!" Xander smiled.

They headed into the lounge and Willow sat down on one of the couches.

"Mm, I'm glad someone has a happy," said an annoyed Buffy.

"Aw, you just need cheering up. And I know just the thing!" Xander tried his best, if silly, dance move. "Crazed dance party at the Bronze!"

"I dunno. . . " sighed Buffy, crossing her arms.

"Very calm dance party at the Bronze?" suggested Xander. Buffy gave him a glum look. He sighed with resignation. "Moping at the Bronze."

He sat dejectedly on the couch next to Willow. A student neither he nor Willow recognized walked up the steps behind Buffy.

"I'd suggest a box of Oreos dunked in apple juice, but maybe she's over that phase," said the boy.

Buffy uncrossed her arms and turned around.

"Ford?" she asked, wide-eyed with surprise.

"Hey, Summers!" he greeted her as they hugged. "How ya been?"

"Oh, my God! What are you doing here?" she asked, excitedly.

They let go, but continued to hold hands.

"Uh, matriculating," he replied.

"Huh?" she asked.

"I'm finishing out my senior year at Sunnydale High. Dad got transferred," he explained.

"This is great!" Buffy was almost jumping up and down.

"I'm glad you think so," Ford said, smiling.

Xander, however, was scowling on the couch.

"I didn't think you'd remember me."

"Remember you?" Buffy asked. "Duh! We only went to school together for seven years. You were my giant fifth grade crush."

"So! You two know each other," Xander broke in.

"Oh!" Buffy gasped. She'd completely forgotten her friends. "I'm sorry. Um, this is Ford! Uh, Billy Fordham, this is Xander and Willow!"

Buffy and Ford sat together on the other couch opposite Xander and Willow.

"Hi," said Xander.

"Hey," Ford answered back.

"Nice to meet you!" Willow spoke with far more enthusiasm than either of the two guys could muster.

"Uh, Ford and I went to Hemery together in L.A." Buffy explained to her friends. Then she turned back to Ford. "And now you're here. For real?"

"Dad got the transfer and boom, he just dragged me outta Hemery and put me down here."

"This is great!" Buffy exclaimed. Then, remembered her own fears when she moved to Sunnydale. "Well, I mean, it's hard, sudden move, all your friends, delicate time, very emotional, but let's talk about me!" she put her hand on his knee. "This is great!"

Willow noticed the hand, and smiled. "So, you two were sweeties in fifth grade?"

"Not even. Ford wouldn't give me the time of day."

"Well, I was a manly sixth-grader," Ford joked. "I couldn't bother with someone that young."

"It was terrible," Buffy said in a self-mocking tone. "I moped over you for months. Sitting in my room listening to that Divinyls song, 'I Touch Myself'." She suddenly realized how that could be misinterpreted and looked nervously at Xander and Willow. "Of course, I had no idea what it was about."

Ford gave his forehead an embarrassed scratch while Xander just smiled at the thought and nodded.

Buffy turned back to Ford. "Hey, are you busy tonight? We're going to the Bronze, it's the local club, and you have to come."

"I'd love to!" he said. "But if you guys already had plans. . . Would I be imposing?"

"No, only in the literal sense," Xander said sarcastically.

"Okay, then! I, I gotta find the admissions office," Ford got up. "Uh, get my papers in order."

"Well, you know what?" Buffy also stood up. "I'll take you there, and I'll see you guys in French!"

She took his arm and lead him away.

"It was good to meet you," Ford called out to her friends.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Xander, Willow and Ford were playing pool at the bronze. Ford made his shot and set up for another as Buffy arrived at the table.

"Ford! You made it," she greeted him.

"Wasn't hard to find," Ford told her.

"Buffy," Willow teased. "Ford was just telling us about the ninth grade beauty contest, and the, uh, swimsuit competition."

"Oh my God," said Buffy, horrified. "Ford, stop that! The more people you tell, the more people I have to kill."

"You can't touch me, Summers. I know all your darkest secrets," he joked with her.

"Care to make a small wager on that?" Xander challenged him.

"I'm gonna go get a drink. Ford, try not to talk." Buffy turned to go to the bar.

As she got near, she saw Spike nursing a beer.

"Hi," she called to him.

"There you are, pet."

"You drink! I mean, drinks. Non-blood things," she stuttered.

"Guess there's a lot about me you still don't know."

"I believe that," she said, thinking about the mystery woman. "So. What'd you do last night?" she tried to ask innocently.

"Nothing."

"Nothing at all. You ceased to exist?"

"Naw, I watched some tele."

"Oh."

Buffy was angry, and a little scared. If it was nothing, if that woman he'd been with last night was no one, why wouldn't he mention it?

Seeing that Spike wasn't going to fess up to his midnight rendezvous, she gave up and headed back to the pool table, and a simpler life. Spike followed her.

"Didn't want that soda after all?" Ford asked her.

"Not thirsty," Buffy said.

"Hey, Spike," Willow greeted.

"Hi," Ford welcomed him.

"This is Ford," Buffy introduced. "We went to school together in L.A."

"Nice to meet you." Spike shook Ford's hand while eyeing him with suspicion.

"Whoa! Cold hands!" Ford exclaimed.

"You're not wrong," Xander commented.

Buffy shot Xander a look.

"So, you're here visiting Buffy?" Spike asked.

"No, I'm actually here to stay. Just moved down."

"Hey, Spike?" Willow broke in trying to ease the tension. "Do you wanna play?"

"Y'know, it's getting really crowded in here tonight. Um. . . I'm a little hot." She turned to Ford. "You wanna take a walk?"

"Um, sure. That'd be nice," he said.

"Hold on a minute," Spike said. He put his hand on Buffy's shoulder. "Did I do something? Are you mad at me?"

"What could I possibly have to be mad about?"

"Don't know, pet. But you obviously are, and I'm obviously not going to guess why, so why don't you just tell me?"

"I'm sorry, Ford, will you excuse us for a minute?" Buffy said, annoyed. She and Spike stepped away from the others into a corner of the Bronze. "You want to know what I'm mad about? I saw you. Last night. With that. . . woman."

"Dru?"

"I guess. I don't know her name. Long pretty brown hair, white dress. Ringing any bells?"

"Yeah, that's Dru, I mean Drusilla. My Sire."

"Oh? Oh." Buffy tried to remember what little she knew about Spike's Sire, which wasn't much. "You killed a Slayer for her, didn't you," she whispered.

"Yeah. I did."

He looked down at the floor as if he couldn't look at her. Buffy was surprised, Spike always seemed to crave eye contact; he always seemed to want her to look at him.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do. How I'm supposed to feel about this," was all she could think of to say.

"Well, she's not a threat. I mean, she's a vampire, so of course she's a threat, but not to us. You know that, right? All that stuff I used to feel for Dru. . . she was my Sire, and before the soul, I loved what I was. What she made me. But now, you're everything to me. You know that right?"

"Yeah. I know. I'm sorry."

Spike kissed her on the forehead. "It's all right, luv. I've been known to be jealous once or twice in my life. So why don't you walk your friend home, and I'll try not to be too jealous myself, huh?"

She smiled back at him. "Okay. Deal."

Buffy returned to the pool table and she and Ford went outside.

"So, that was your boyfriend?" Ford asked.

"Yeah. Sorry about the drama back there."

"It's all right. I'm not, causing problems or anything am I?"

"No, it's good. But-"

Buffy stopped. She could hear noises coming from around the corner that sounded suspiciously like a vampire.

"Um, my purse," Buffy made up an excuse. "I-I, I left my purse at the Bronze. Uh, could you get it for me?"

"Uh, okay." Ford turned back toward the Bronze.

"Good. Run! Thanks!" Buffy called after him.

As soon as he wasn't looking she started to run around the corner. Sure enough, there was a woman being attacked by a vampire. As Buffy pulled the vampire off of her, the woman ran. Buffy was thankful for once to be rescuing a victim that had the sense to get away. It never ceased to amaze her how many of them just hung around.

Then she forgot about the woman and focused her attention on the vampire. She ducked one of his punches. She kicked him in the face. The vampire swung at her again but Buffy grabbed his fist and held it while she punched him in the face. Then she drew out a stake and ended the fight with a clean blow to the heart.

As she was brushing vamp dust off of herself, she heard Ford's voice.

"What's goin' on?"

Surprised, she spun around to face him.

"Um. . . uh, there was a, a cat," she lied. "A cat here, and, um, then there was a-another cat. . . and they fought. The cats. And. . . then they left."

"Oh. I thought you were just slaying a vampire," Ford said as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"What? Whating a what?"

"I know, Buffy. You don't have to lie. I-I've been trying to figure out the right time to. . . to tell you. I know you're the Slayer."

Buffy was stunned, but also delighted. They started home again talking about life and unlife in L.A.





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