Chapter 27 An Untimely Conversation
Buffy woke up from her bed feeling very relaxed and energized. She had a total blast last night. After she went with Scott, he had introduced her to all his friends. There were a good bunch of fellows there was this one girl who looked kind of dorky sort of like Willow but was totally cool and all game. And this guy named Lorne who was obsessed with karaoke; they ended up finding a small den inside the beach house and singing along, even if she wasn’t much off a singer. They were really a cool group of people to hang out with. In the end even Xander, Cordelia and Willow joined in though they can’t seem to get a hold of Oz the whole time ‘cause he was with his buddies from the band rocking it on by the beach ground.
All in all Buffy felt like last night she was finally free and a totally different person. It was like she was in another world, having nothing to worry about, no bills and no work. She was almost able to forget about everything…almost.
Buffy looked up at the clock above the kitchen cabinets, “Damn!” she cursed, ‘I’m gonna be late for work.’ Finishing her cup of coffee she ran out of the house grabbing her bag from the side table beside the phone as she rushed out of the apartment and into the road leaving a red light blinking on her answering machine.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
William was shuffling through the mounds of paper atop his desk; they have just finally settled everything and he was preparing to get back to Los Angeles. “Will,” a voice called from behind the doors as it flew open. “There you are, I already called Giles. He said he’d have the jet back here by tomorrow morning.”
“OK,” he answered as he stuffed the papers in his briefcase, “Thanks, Dru. If you don’t mind I’m gonna be turning in today, I’ll see you tomorrow.” William walked pass her and made his way out.
“Wait.” He turned back to her.
“Is there something you need?”
Drusilla shook her head, “No.” she walked closer, “I was just thinking maybe we could look at the city. This is my first time here and I thought we could have a look around explore the sights before you go back to work in LA.”
“I don’t know…” William ran his hands through his hair, “I’m sort of tired, I don’t think I’m up to it.”
“Oh,” she jutted her lip out in a pout, “But don’t you want to take a look around? Come on, when did you have time to enjoy the place since we arrived here, you have always been busy with work. I’m sure you need some time off, get your mind to relax…” she looked at him expectantly.
William opened his mouth to object but closed it again. Drusilla was right, he had been busy with work all this time. He was even surprised himself he got it all done in matter of three days, especially when his mind was worried about something else. Scratch that, what the hell a little lunch and coffee maybe some window shopping never hurt anyone, “Where do you wanna go, pet?”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Where do you wanna go for lunch?”
“Hmm… I don’t know,” Buffy answered the redhead not raising her head from staring into the monitor of their trying to make sense of the numbers and figures staring right back at her. “Anywhere would be fine with me.”
“Oh,” Willow poked her head out of the back curtain, “there’s that new café down Crawford street that I’d been dying to check out.”
“I guess that’s fine…” she absently replied. “Willow! Come out here for a sec.”
“Yeah.” Willow stood beside Buffy by the computer. “What’s wrong?”
“Okay, I’m not that good in math, actually to be more precise I’m never good at math, but does this make sense to you?” she asked pointing at the monitor.
“Hmm,” Willow wondered, tilting her head to the side, “let me take a look.” She sat on the chair as Buffy moved aside to give her friend room to examine the figures. According to her calculations, if she’s not mistaken, they haven’t been earning enough to keep the agency going since that last three months. “I think they’re okay, pretty much right on the dot.”
“But that means that we’re not earning…” realization dawned to her, “Willow! Have you been messing with the funds and putting in more than your two cents?” Willow just replied with a sheepish smile. “Willow…!”
“Well…” she blushed the same color of her hair, “I was just trying to help, Buffy.”
Buffy closed her eyes, trying to think, “You know you shouldn’t be doing that and I thought we have been doing well?”
“We are.” She insisted. “We just needed a little help this pass few months it’s really no big, nothing you should worry about.”
“Where have you been getting the money, Wills?” Buffy interrogated, crossing her arms over her chest. Willow fell silent. “Wills! Where did you get the money!”
“Umm… my mother,” she answered in less than a whisper.
Buffy gave out a heavy sigh, she understood that Willow was just trying to help. But she already owed Willow and Mrs. Rosenberg more than enough gratitude she could pay with her entire life. “Wills, you should have told me.”
“But- there was no need to tell you because everything would work out sooner or later.”
“More on the later,” Buffy said in frustration. “Never do that again Wills,” she warned. The redhead nodded in response. “Now what am I suppose to do.” She held her head in her hands.
“It’s gonna turn out okay, Buffy.” Buffy just looked at her like she came from the mental institute. “Maybe not… but let’s just have lunch. My treat!” Willow offered. Buffy was able to produce a small smile, sometimes she just loved Willow the redhead could always make every problem sound like child’s play.
Just as Buffy was getting her bag the phone rang and Willow answered, “Hello, Match-made in Heaven, this is Willow how may I help you?” she said through the receiver smiling at Buffy for her formality. “Uhuh, yeah she’s here.” Buffy gave her a look to ask who was calling. “Wait a minute.”
Willow handed her the receiver. “Who is it?”
“Scott. I’m guessing from last night?”
“I didn’t give him my number,” Buffy whispered as she still clutched the receiver in her palm. Willow just shrugged in response. “Hello?”
“Hey, Buffy. It’s me Scott? From last night. You do remember me right?”
“Oh yeah, of course. Oz’s friend of a friend,” she explained crudely.
“Huh?”
“Nothing,” she answered innocently. “So how did you get my number?” ‘maybe Oz’s friend gave it to him? Oh, did I give my number to him and forgot? Maybe he’s a stalker?’
“You were listed. You told me last night what you do… I hope you don’t mind,” he asked uncertainly.
“Oh, no, no. I don’t mind.” She assured him. ‘Stalker? You’re crazy Buffy.’
“Good.” There was a pause before he continued, “umm… Buffy I was just thinking maybe we could hang out tonight?”
“Hang out? Tonight,” Buffy echoed as she looked at Willow as if asking for permission. The redhead just shrugged.
“Of course if you don’t want to go out that’s Okay… I know it’s a bit short notice. You probably have plans…” He babbled on.
“No.” Buffy cut through his babbling.
“Oh. Well…”
“No,” Buffy blinked, “I- I mean yes I would love to go out with you.”
“Okay… Good.” He said in a tone like his was grinning from ear to ear from the other end of the line, “I’ll pick you up at eight, is that good?”
“Yeah, eight is perfect!” Buffy answered biting her lower lip with the look Willow was giving her. “What?” she asked innocently as she placed the receiver back on it’s rack.
“You’re going out with him?” she asked eyebrow raised.
“Yeah… but it’s not like a date or anything,” she defended.
“Huh.”
“It’s not a date!” Willow just pressed her lips together. “It might be a date, but-“ she tried to explain but failing miserably, there seems to be no excuse coming out of her mouth.
“You have a boyfriend Buffy!”
“Yeah… Who’s in God knows where with that skank.” Willow just gave her a disapproving look shaking her head. “Let’s just go to lunch okay,” she finally said indicating the end of the discussion as she grabbed her bag and opened the door off to lunch, Willow trailing behind.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
William had come to a conclusion; Chicago is not the best place for a vacation, not even remotely close to a tourist spot. You could go to a library and see more interesting sights. With of course the exception of some parks and beaches, which according to the tourist guide books were one of the best in the world, though they never saw neither one of them. There were a couple of buildings that deserved admiration but nothing you wouldn’t see in a busy city like Chicago.
He had pretty much spend the whole afternoon with Dru driving around the city looking at museums, that they have a lot of, he for one was never impressed by them. He always thought they were boring but Dru was mighty thrilled by them so he considered staying and keeping her company. The weird feeling was that, God forbid, he enjoyed the day, no matter how crowded the streets were and how rude the hurrying streetwalkers were, which he was one before when he was in LA . ‘Damn! It’s either ‘m really shallow or in big need of some entertainment.’
“Thanks. That’s all.” Drusilla’s voice broke through his revive. “So what did you think of today?”
“It’s God damn boring is what it is.”
“Really?”
“Maybe not,” he considered. Drusilla smiled. “But that’s just because I’m bleeding hell bored out of my mind.”
Drusilla giggled at that. After a pause, “So have you made up with Buffy?”
William lifted his head accompanied by one eyebrow raised as if asking where the hell that came from. He had spilled about it to her on the plane ride over to Chicago. Much to his surprise she seemed to listen and actually take in what he was revealing. Maybe the truce they made was working out better than he had imagined, though he still had no idea what it is there were suppose to do that required it. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s the ultimate mystery in the world, you women are bloody hell hard to understand.”
“Depends on who,” she told him giving him a knowing look.
He just shook his head and gave her a half smile. “I’ll just be outside. Need a smoke.” He held the pack of cigarettes up. Drusilla just nodded the same expression still on her face. William walked out the door, deciding he needed to call someone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
‘Knock. Knock.’
“In a minute!” Buffy shouted as she tried to place her hoop earring on while finding it’s pair. “Hey!” she greeted Scott when she opened the door and let him in. “Just take a seat. I’ll be right out.” ‘where the hell is that other earring?’
Scott just sat there uncomfortably, looking around Buffy’s small apartment when the phone rang. ‘Ring. Ring.’ “Can you get that?” Buffy shouted from her bedroom still on the mission of looking for her missing earring.
“Hello?”
“Buffy? Luv?—“ Williams voice echoed through. “Who’s this?”
“Who’s this?” Scott answered back.
“You don’t wanna know. Who the bleeding hell are you?”
“Scott.”
First thing that came to William’s mind was ‘poofter name!’ “What are you doing there?”
“Excuse me?” he asked, this was becoming a very weird conversation, “Who are you looking for?”
“I’m looking for Buffy.”
“Well she’s busy… I think she’s looking for her earrings or something. Who is this again?”
“Spike,” he answered using his nickname. ‘Who the hell is this guy?’
“Well—Spike. Do you wanna leave a message?”
“No,” he answered wariness in his voice as the line went dead.
“Hey!” Buffy came back out of her bedroom, wearing a very impressive dress, two silver loops intact in her ears. “I’m ready to go.”
“Good.” Scott offered his hand, which she took, “Lets.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
‘Who the bloody hell is Scott?’ That was the question pondering William’s mind all throughout dinner, he kept on thinking if Buffy had a friend named Scott she had introduced to him before. ‘Does she have a brother?’ Cause God knows with a name like Scott it sure hell is somebody he’d be forgetting. ‘Is her father’s name, Scott?’
“You know, you should try eating something.” The voice of Drusilla broke him out of his reverie. “Haven’t your mother ever thought you never to play with your… Umm, are those scallops?”
Shaking his head. “What?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head. “You just looked—“
“Distracted?” he supplied. “Yeah,” she said with a glimmer of smile. “Do you mind if we go?”
“I guess not… I don’t have to eat…”
“Good.” Drusilla looked appalled, “Bill.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“So you’re a bartender?” Buffy asked with amazement. “Yeah,” answered Scott. “So you tend bars…”
“Yeah… that’s the idea.” He answered with a grin.
“That must be a very interesting job…”
“I guess you can say that.” He moved in closer to the table as if to tell a secret and Buffy mimicked his actions. “I always nick a couple of drinks for myself.”
“Your bad…”
“Evil,” he proposed. Buffy just complied with a tiny laugh. And then there was silence. “Umm… a guy called…”
“Huh?” Buffy shook her head, lightly disoriented.
“The phone I answered…”
“Oh that,” she replied clearly not interested. “Who was it?”
“A guy—the name of Spike?” he asked cautiously. “Ring any bells? He sounded very protective…”
“Spike…” Buffy echoed.
“Yeah… told him you were busy. It’s not somebody important is it?”
“No.” Buffy shook her head. “Just a friend…”
“A very protective friend…” he interred. “Buffy are you okay?” he asked, as the blonde started staring into space.
“Yeah… I’m fine…” She gave him a tight smile.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Xander!” William exclaimed as if the thing just dawned onto him.
“What?” Drusilla asked both surprised and confused.
They have been walking back to their hotel for the last five minutes in total silence. William insisted that they walk instead of taking a cab, because according to him with the traffic the roads were in they would never get back until much later that night, which he could be right. Then suddenly he stops at his tracks and exclaimed a name most familiar to her ear.
“Xander… I need… I can call Xander,” he vaguely explained. “Yeah… so what?” his companion asked.
“Dru,” he turned to face her, “pet, can you please get me a cup of coffee, black, right… there.” He pointed to the Starbucks right across the street.
“I’m not sure I should leave you like this,” she emphasized, “here, alone.”
“I’ll be fine. Just need to make a call.”
She didn’t want to be the one taking orders from him. ‘It should be him’ her mind screamed. But what the hell right, doing a little to get a little isn’t too bad a proposition plus he was acting very peculiar lately. So she made her way to the coffee shop across the street as she eyed him warily.
Just as Drusilla was out of earshot, William grabbed his phone out of his pocket and pressed his speed dial for the whelp.
“Hello?” Xander answered from the other line.
“Who the bleeding hell is Scott?”
“What?” Xander asked bewildered. “Will is that you?”
William sighed heavily, “Yeah it’s me… Who’s Scott.”
“Scott? Who’s he?”
“I’m asking you, you moron! The one that was in Buffy’s apartment.”
“Buffy has a Scott in her apartment?!”
“Xand!”
“Oh… sorry” he apologized as he switched the receiver to his left ear. Jiggling his right one. “Scott… Scott… Scott…” he repeated trying to recall who his best friend was talking about. William waited patiently on the other line as recognition slowly broke in on Xander. “Scott is Oz’s friend of a friend.”
“Meaning?” he asked irritation evident in his voice.
“Oh, he was with Buffy the other night at the party… Devon’s party,” he explained. “Oz’s band mate,” he further explained as if the bleach blonde saw any interest. “He must be dating her… didn’t know the Buffster was dating again. Hmm…”
“Dating?” he asked in astonishment.
“Maybe… but God, man was he boring…” Xander tried to assure his friend.
“Dating?!”
“I’m not sure… maybe… I have to ask Oz to ask Willow then get back to you. But they did look mighty comfortable the other night.” He inserted the last part and then regretted it as he heard a scowl at the other line. “But I’m sure it’s nothing, man. Nothing at all.”
“Whatever, mate. Look I gotta go,” he told him as Dru neared holding two styrofoams of coffee. “Just call me back.” Was his final word as he flipped the phone shut and accepted the cup given to him.
“So, did you get what you wanted from Xander?”
“Huh?” he asked as he drank a gulp of his coffee. “Yeah… but I think I’m gonna need a stronger drink that this.” He walked off ahead of her. Drusilla just stood there her mind shrieking, ‘what?’ she might have been crazy but she’s not that crazy. ‘What the freaking hell is up with him.’
“Dru? Pet? You coming?” he asked when he noticed that no one was following him. She just answered her with a tight smile as she walked over to him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They have reached Buffy’s door, ‘a very awkward moment’ she thought. “So I had a really fun night.” Scott tried to break the silence.
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure your okay, Buffy?” he inquired yet again, he seemed to be asking the same question throughout their way home. “Ever since dinner”, ‘ever since you mentioned Spike’ her mind interjected. “You seemed…”
“Distracted?” she supplied for him.
“Yeah…”
“It’s nothing. I was just thinking of somebody…”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“I think you just had about enough, Will.” Drusilla told the bleached blonde as she rested her elbow on the bar looking pointy at him. They have been sitting here for the last hour and William had about 8 beer bottles. You’d think the bartender would have cut him off, but guess what, money talks here. He gave the bartender about fifty bucks when he was in his third bottle and he just kept them coming after that.
She had a vague idea on why he was drinking but didn’t want to speak about it; it might work to her advantage. “Come on, Spike. Let’s get you upstairs.” She half dragged him from the stool at the bar. Once he got off he muttered something unintelligent and fell into a heap onto Dru’s arm. ‘This is not my idea of it.’ She thought as he shook him a little then dragged him out and into the elevators.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Buffy shut the door on Scott after they have exchanged their pleasantries. He asked her if she would be interested to lunch tomorrow. She told him she’d think about it. After that, awkward silence fell and he said his goodbye and left with no kiss.
Not that he initiated and she declined. Not that she would have accepted if he had initiated, but she’ll never know now. During dinner when he had mentioned William she had been shocked that he had called. She would have loved to talk with him but didn’t know if it was right to call him. He was probably busy… and the one time he called he had to be the one that answered. ‘What must he think of me now…’
As she sat herself on the couch she noticed for the first time that her answering machine was blinking red. Pressing the button:
‘Sorry, I can’t come to the phone right now. I’m probably out. If you could leave a message after the beep, I promise to get back to you ASAP. Bye.’
‘Beep!’
“Hey, luv. Guess you’re not home, I just landed a few hours ago. Would have called you earlier but I thought I’ll get everything settled first. Anyway, Just thought maybe we could talk, never mind I’ll just call you again tomorrow. Goodnight...Umm…I miss you.’
‘Beep!’
It went dead as Buffy slouched back onto the couch, ‘I miss you too.’
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
‘Ding!’ the elevator sounded indicating that the machine had reached that level. Drusilla got out of it half dragging a half-conscious Spike thrown upon her shoulder. “Dru, what are the stars doing inside the hotel building?” he asked pointing onto the ceilings.
“What?” she looked up. “Those are not stars, my sweet. Their light bulbs.” She explained to him as she brushed back some of his hair that were clouding his handsome features.
As they reached his room, she positioned him beside the wall telling him to stay still until she got the door open. “Okay, come on let’s get you inside.”
“Inside… to sleep.”
“Yeah… to sleep.”
“Would you be inside sleeping with me?” asked an obviously very drunk William.
‘Huh?’ “I guess that can be arranged,” she said as the door shut close.
to be continued...
A/N: Don't hate me just yet, Believe in my love for Spuffy! And thanks for all the reviews!
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