Pulling up into a nearby parking lot, Buffy nervously fidgeted with her
t-shirt as Angelus parked the car.
“You okay?” he asked, brushing her hair off her shoulder as he looked at her
with eyes filled with concern.
“Fine,” Buffy said with a smile that was clearly forced.
“You’re sure?”
”Yeah,” she replied, grabbing her bag and getting out of the car before the
questioning went any further. She didn’t know why she was so on edge with
the idea of Angelus meeting her friends, but she couldn’t seem to calm down.
They were from two different halves of her own personal world, and the idea
of bringing them together wasn’t settling her nerves.
Walking toward the beach, Buffy felt Angelus’ hand on her back and had to
fight the urge to shrug it off. She was standing out in the open and a
sudden claustrophobic sense was surrounding her. Wanting to settle her
fears, Buffy reached back and clasped his hand in hers, closing the
distance.
Several girls were giving Angelus appreciative glances, and Buffy felt a
small sense of pride, but it quickly vanished when she saw Spike with his
arms around Dru.
‘It’s been months- get over him!’
Tightening her grip on Angelus’ hand, Buffy tore her gaze away from the
other couple and walked over to Willow and Oz, giving them each a tentative
smile as she made introductions.
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Angelus said with a charming smile, shaking
Willow’s hand.
“Yeah…you too,” she replied, quickly pulling her hand away and taking a step
back.
“Hey, man,” Oz said with a slight nod before wrapping an arm around Willow’s
shoulders.
Oz’s stoic nature didn’t surprise Buffy, but Willow’s uneasiness wasn’t
settling Buffy’s nerves at all.
'She never seems skittish of people,' Buffy thought, a little surprised. 'I wonder if something's wrong.'
Before Buffy could ask, Angelus' voice interrupted her thoughts.
“You want to go swimming, babe?”
Buffy nodded, slipping out of her shorts and pulling her shirt over her
head, blushing when she saw Angelus’ strong gaze perusing her body with a
smirk on his lips.
“Wh-“
Before the question was even past her lips, she gave a muffled squeal when
his mouth crashed down on hers in a brutal kiss.
* * * * *
Spike’s eyes trailed over Buffy as she walked toward her friends, speaking for a
few moments before stripping down to a navy blue string bikini. He felt his
mouth go dry and his cock harden at the sight of her bronzed skin and toned
body exposed to every hungry gaze on the beach. His eyes narrowed in anger
as he watched the overgrown ape that she was with crush his lips against
hers, only feeling a small sense of satisfaction when he saw how rigid her
reaction was. The satisfaction was short-lived when he realized that she
shouldn’t have that reaction with a man she wanted to be with.
Watching her carefully for several moments as Buffy extracted herself from
his arms, Spike felt a mild sense of relief. Something about this guy
rubbed him the wrong way, and Spike didn’t like the feelings he was getting.
“Would you like to go swimming, my Spike?”
Subtly glancing at Buffy as she walked toward the water's edge with Angelus
following behind her and checking out her ass, Spike turned toward his
girlfriend as she removed her clothes, revealing a black one-piece.
‘I used to tell Buffy she didn’t need to diet,’ he thought, looking at
Drusilla’s gaunt frame. ‘And then I break up with her for someone who
doesn’t even eat.’
“You go,” Spike said softly, brushing a kiss along her cheek. “I’ll find
you later.”
Dru shrugged before walking with a few of her friends toward the water.
Spike’s eyes drifted further down the beach, seeing Angelus scoop Buffy into
his arms, splashing water around both of them.
‘That’s supposed to be me…that should have been me.’
Closing his eyes against the thoughts that were assaulting him on a more
regular basis, Spike sighed and began walking down the beach, seeing Willow
and Oz talking a few yards away.
“Hi, Will…I mean Spike,” Willow said with a smile.
“Red, Oz.”
Oz nodded a greeting as Spike turned toward the ocean again. “So you met
the great poofter?”
“Angelus?” Willow asked. “Yeah.”
“What do you think?”
“He gives me the creeps,” she replied, shooting a nervous glance in Buffy’s
direction. “There’s just something about him that makes my skin crawl.”
“Is he good to her?”
“I really wouldn’t know,” Willow said softly. “The only time I see Buffy is
at school. She’s cutting herself off from everyone, hanging out with that
Faith girl and spending the night with Angelus whenever she gets a chance.”
“What does Joyce say?” Spike asked in surprise.
“She’s been out of town a lot more. I don’t even think she knows that
Buffy’s seeing anyone- she just knows about the makeover. And whenever
she’s in town, I think Buffy’s using Faith as an excuse at night, but that’s
just my opinion.”
“And I’m betting Joyce hit the roof with the new wardrobe.”
“That would be my guess,” Willow said. “It’s not exactly in Buffy’s comfort
zone. At least, not the Buffy I knew,” she added in a wistful tone.
“Do you think she’s doing drugs?” Spike asked, looking out at the water
where Buffy was swimming.
“No,” Willow replied, shaking her head. “But I know she’s drinking a lot
more…a lot more.”
“What happened?” Spike whispered to himself. ‘She was fine after we broke
up…as fine as could be expected, and then months later, she turns into a
completely different person.’
“What’s with the sudden interest?” Willow asked, looking at him curiously.
“I’m just worried about her,” Spike said quietly. “I was with her for
years…feel like I need to take care of her.”
“You still love her,” Oz said in a casual voice, not making eye contact with
the other man as he waved at someone down the beach.
“Love’s a strong word,” Spike replied as Oz turned his gaze back to him.
“Yeah…it is.”
* * * * *
When Angelus and Buffy emerged from the water and returned to the sand to grab their towels, Spike couldn’t help but look at her, noticing the droplets of water falling from her hair and rolling down her skin.
‘God, I miss her,’ he thought, sighing. Dru looked at him, sitting beside him on a blanket.
“Spike, I’m cold,” she said, getting his attention. He looked at her and frowned, instantly wrapping his arms around her, trying to generate heat for her. It was around then that Buffy noticed the two and frowned.
‘He used to do that for me,’ she thought. Angelus ran his hands up and down her arms, trying to keep her warm and she tried to give him a grateful smile before sitting with Willow and Oz. Angelus put his watch back on and looked at the time.
“Sorry, babe, but I have to go,” he said, trying to sound as apologetic and sincere as possible. Buffy looked at him, confused. “Remember? I have that meeting to go to tonight at the frat house.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Buffy said, frowning and standing up again. “Well, have a good night. Maybe I can see you tomorrow.” He nodded and leaned down to kiss her. “Bye, Angelus.”
“Bye, beautiful,” he replied, smiling at her before grabbing the rest of his stuff and walking towards the parking lot.
At the same time, Dru began to get dressed again and packed up her stuff.
“Want to leave, luv?” Spike asked, looking at her. She stood up and brushed the sand off of her clothes.
“Some of the girls and I are going out soon,” she answered, smiling as several of her friends walked over to the blanket. Spike frowned, not remembering Dru telling him about her plans.
“Do you want me to drive you?” he asked, standing up. She looked at him and shook her head.
“No, I’ve got a ride,” she answered. “But thank you.” He nodded and folded up the blanket. “I’ll see you tomorrow, darling Spike.” She kissed his cheek and followed her friends to their cars in the lot. He took a deep breath before looking at Willow, Oz, and Buffy about one hundred feet over.
‘What happened to Captain Forehead?’ he thought, surprised. ‘He already left?’
Willow noticed Spike looking at them and waved at him to come over. He hesitantly did, worried about how Buffy would react to him joining the group. As he sat down beside her, she visibly flinched and looked down. ‘I wish she’d be comfortable around me again. It would make things so much easier.’
“Hey,” Willow said, smiling at Spike. “A few people are coming soon to start a bonfire. Do you want to stick around?” He noticed that Buffy was watching him out of the corner of her eye.
“Sure,” he answered, shrugging. “Sounds like fun.” Buffy looked away, frowning. “Unless I’m not wanted.”
“Of course you are,” Willow replied, looking at Buffy for a second. “Right?” Oz nodded, and Buffy sighed.
“Sure,” she answered. “Why not?” Spike was surprised at her dreary tone.
“Well, then I guess I’m staying,” he said. She looked at him, and when he looked back at her, their eyes locked for a moment before she scowled at him and looked down.
‘Yep, she’s still the new reformed Buffy,’ he thought sadly. ‘I wish I could change her back…I wish I could change it all back.’
* * * * *
As the sun began to set, Riley, Sam, Cordelia, and Xander showed up, and all four guys began to build the bonfire. The girls sat back and watched them, starting a conversation amongst themselves. Spike was surprised that the guys were so inviting towards him, considering he hadn’t really talked to any of them since he broke up with Buffy and began dating Dru.
‘Can’t say I blame them,’ he thought, building up a pyramid of logs with Oz. ‘They were just being loyal to their friend. I would’ve done the same thing.’ He looked over at Buffy and quietly sighed.
“So, what’s the deal with you and Spike tonight?” Cordelia asked, looking at Buffy. “Are you two starting to patch up your friendship?” Buffy shook her head.
“No, he was here with Dru, and I was here with Angelus,” she began to explain. “Both of our significant others left, and now it’s just us left. We’re not hooking back up, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Cordelia looked at Willow for a moment, and Willow nodded to affirm what Buffy said.
“Did you meet the infamous Angelus, Willow?” Sam asked, and Willow nodded sheepishly. “What’d you think of him?”
“He seems…cool,” she said, trying to carefully choose her words while not giving away how she really felt through her facial expressions. Buffy looked at her. “He seems like a good guy.”
‘She’s got to be able to tell I’m lying,’ Willow thought. ‘I suck at lying.’
“Yeah?” Buffy asked, surprised. “It seemed like you got a bad vibe from him or something.”
‘Or maybe my lying skills are improving,’ Willow thought, surprised that Buffy hadn’t picked up on the truth.
“Well, hopefully we can meet him soon,” Cordelia said. “Are you going to take him to Homecoming?”
“Yeah, if he’s around,” Buffy replied. “He’s busy a lot.” She saw Spike talking with the guys and tried not to smile when he started chuckling at something Xander said.
‘I’ve missed seeing him laugh like that,’ she thought. ‘It seems like it’s been forever since he hung out with the group…but it’s not like I’ve been with them a lot, either.’
Riley came over to the girls and helped Sam stand up from her spot on a towel.
“Ready to warm up?” he asked the girls, smiling. Everyone nodded and got up, following him towards the rest of the guys.
Oz and Spike threw matches on the pile of logs, and instantly, they lit up, kicking off the bonfire. Buffy saw that there were four long logs, one on every side of the fire, and realized that the couples would all be sharing one. Once everyone sat down, she hesitantly sat on one with Spike. He looked at her and smiled.
‘Maybe things are looking up after all,’ he thought. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
“What are you looking at?” she asked sharply.
‘Or maybe not.’
* * * * *
A couple of hours passed, and the couples split apart from each other, walking around on the beach or going into the water. Buffy got up eventually and walked down the beach for a while before sitting on a big rock, looking up at the sky. Spike decided to follow her, smiling as he noticed her hair and skin gleaming in the moonlight.
“Is there any room left on the rock?” he asked, stopping to stand beside her. She looked at him and frowned. “Please?” He did his trademark pout, and she smiled slightly.
‘He still knows how to break down my defenses,’ she thought.
“Sure,” she conceded, scooting over so he could sit beside her. He smirked as he sat down and looked at the water.
“It’s beautiful here at night,” he said conversationally. “I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen this place when it’s been dark outside.”
“Me either,” Buffy said. “I think the last time I was here at night was last fall. Early October, maybe.” He looked at her.
“Was that the week before Homecoming?” he asked, and she nodded. “Yeah, I remember that night.” She looked at him, surprised. “We came here and watched the sunset before walking around the beach. You stubbed your toe on a rock, and I had to carry you back to the car.” She giggled at the memory, and he smiled.
‘I’ve missed that sound,’ he thought, taking a deep breath.
“Well, maybe if you hadn’t thrown me into the water, I wouldn’t have chased you in revenge and tripped on that stupid rock,” she replied, smiling. “You owed me.” He smirked at her, and she quickly looked away, instantly regretting bringing up the past.
‘Why did I have to say anything in the first place?’ she asked herself. ‘I should’ve just kept quiet.’ She shivered slightly from the cold wind that began to blow past them. He looked at her, concerned.
“Are you cold?” he asked, and she nodded slightly, not choosing to look at him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and she tensed up. “Is this okay?” She looked at him and saw the insecurity in his eyes, something she hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Yeah,” she answered quietly. “It’s fine.” They exchanged small smiles before looking at the water together.
* * * * *
“We should probably get going,” Spike said, standing up about an hour later. She looked at him.
“’We’?” she asked, raising an eyebrow and collecting her stuff.
“Yeah,” he answered. “I’m taking you home, aren’t I?”
“Since when?” Buffy asked, not remembering anyone mentioning that to her before.
“Since everyone else is already packing up and driving off,” he answered, watching the other couples head towards their cars. “So, what do you say? Do I get to drive you, Miss Daisy?” She started giggling and walked towards the parking lot with him in tow. When they reached his car, they put their stuff in the backseat, and he started the car before taking the longer route to her house.
‘The longer she’s with me, the safer I know she is,’ he thought. She stayed quiet for most of the drive, looking outside.
“It’s such a clear night,” Spike said casually. “It’s not too often that you can see the stars around here.”
“Yeah,” she agreed, curling up in her seat and looking at him. “And the moon looks beautiful tonight, too.” He smiled at her and turned on the radio. She made a face when British punk rock music started blaring in the car. “Turn this off!” she shouted over the song. “It’s horrible!”
“It’s the Sex Pistols,” he said defensively, even though he was smirking. “You used to like a couple of their songs.”
“Yeah, that was before,” Buffy replied, and both of them looked at each other for a moment before an awkward silence settled around them.
When he pulled up in front of her house, she grabbed her stuff from the backseat and looked at him.
“Thanks for the ride,” she said quietly as Spike gave her a soft smile. “I appreciate it. So, I guess I’ll see you at school.” He nodded, and before he knew what he was doing, he slowly leaned over and kissed her, feeling his stomach flip when Buffy returned the kiss before breaking away after a moment, her eyes wide.
‘Oh no,’ they both thought, separating even more from each other.
“Good night,” she said quickly, getting out of the car and practically running inside her house. He groaned in frustration and confusion, gripping the steering wheel tightly.
“What the bloody hell just happened?” he asked himself before speeding off.
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