The banner was made by Karyn. She's such a sweetie, and really enjoys making them. Thanks, Karyn

February 1, 1999 Saturday.

Buffy woke up slowly. She stretched her arms above her head, and she opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling. Her mind swirled around the events that had happened in the past few months. It was mind boggling how much everyone's love lives were changing.

First there was Spike's aborted attempt at getting a love spell to get his ho-bag undead girlfriend back. I don't even want to ponder on why this upset me. Then there was her own total breakup with Angel, followed by Cordelia and Xander's breakup and Willow and Oz's near breakup. It seemed that their entire group was having the worst of luck with love this year, and why had she just included Spike in their group? He wasn't one of them!

Buffy decided to switch off that line of thinking, and she rolled over. She came face to face with a stuffed animal. It was a female pig shaped stuffed animal that matched her very own Mr. Gordo. Around the animal's neck was a beautiful silver charm bracelet with a cute little pig charm already attached. A satiny black colored envelope with blood red writing on the front leaned against the pig.

Buffy sat up before she reached for the envelope. She caressed the glossy paper taking in the deep rich colors, and she caught her mind drifting to her peroxide pain in the ass mortal enemy vampire. Buffy mentally slapped herself for that line of thought. Why can't I get him out of my mind? She ripped the envelope open and pulled out the card. It was also black with the same blood red lettering.

Even a pig needs a mate. Your secret admirer. Interesting with the underlining and quote marks, Buffy thought to herself. She grabbed up the two stuffed animals, and she sat them facing each other.

"Mr. Gordo meet Mrs. Gordo." Buffy unclipped the bracelet from around Mrs. Gordo's neck. "I believe I will keep this for myself, Mrs. Gordo."

"Buffy, I need to go in to the gallery for a few hours," Joyce's voice sounded from the hallway. She knocked gently on the bedroom door.

Buffy rushed to open the door, "Mom, thanks for the stuffed animal and the bracelet, but the note sounded kinda weird."

"I didn't give you anything, honey. What are you talking about?" Joyce asked. She spied the bracelet Buffy was swinging by one finger. Joyce put her hand out and examined the jewelry after Buffy gave it to her. "It's beautiful, though. Let me help you put it on."

Buffy held out her arm to allow her mom to fasten the bracelet to her wrist. While her mother secured the clasp, Buffy studied her face carefully. Well, there's one person marked off my so far nonexistent list.

"It is quite lovely, isn't it?" Buffy sighed softly. "I have a secret admirer." She chewed her lip, and her body was infused with a sense of happiness. "I think I am going to call Willow and have her come over. We can go over all the possibilities of who it could be."

Joyce smiled and nodded as she watched Buffy bounce around the room getting dressed. Her daughter pulled some clothes out of the closet and put them on. Joyce realized that Buffy hadn't even noticed that she was dressing exactly like a certain blonde vampire more every day. Buffy had pulled out tight black pants, a black spaghetti strap shirt and a filmy red overshirt. Joyce chuckled to herself, Maybe Buffy's secret admirer wont have as hard of a time winning her heart as he thought as he would.

"I'm off to the gallery, honey. You and Willow have fun, okay?" Joyce didn't wait for Buffy to answer as she rushed around getting ready to leave. She was out the door and gone before Buffy even had a chance to get downstairs.

Buffy swept through the foyer towards the kitchen. She grabbed the portable phone off of its cradle. She quickly dialed up Willow's number and talked to her friend while she bustled around the kitchen making herself some toast and juice.

"Willow, you'll never guess what happened." Buffy barely paused a moment before she continued, "I have a secret admirer. He, well, I assume it's a he, left a girlfriend for Mr. Gordo and a charm bracelet for me. Wanna go over the possibilities with me?" Willow's eager agreement echoed in her ear. "Okay, see ya in ten minutes, Wills."

By the time Willow arrived, Buffy had finished her breakfast, and she was putting her dishes in the sink. Willow examined the bracelet, which she oohed and aahed over. The two girls raced upstairs to look at the stuffed animal and the note.

As soon as Willow saw the handwritten note, she exclaimed, "I can do a spell and find out who did this."

"Really?" Buffy pondered this idea for a moment. "No, let's do this the old fashioned way. It'll be more fun that way. Grab the notebook out of the nightstand, and let's go to work."

Willow opened the drawer and pulled out a pen and a notebook. She sat on the edge of Buffy's bed, one leg curled up under her body. Willow flipped open the notebook to a blank page, and she poised the pen ready to write. In about 15 minutes the two girls came up with a list of 15 names, all male.

"Great," Buffy drawled, "I think I need to get out and meet some new guys. Every male I know is either older than dirt, undead, evil, so not my type or any combination of the above."

"Well, I'm pretty sure you can cross my boyfriend off the list, Buffy," Willow giggled. She crossed Oz's name off the list before putting the notebook aside on the nightstand.

"Yeah, you're right. No Oz as my secret admirer. So, you two have big plans for Valentine's day? Diss the dirt, Wills." Buffy crossed the room to settle herself next to her best friend.

"He keeps telling me he has a big surprise for me, but he won't spill any of the secrets. He just told me to go to the mall and buy a nice dress." Shopping made Willow a little nervous. Heck, being around that many people made her nervous. "Wanna come with? We can get some of that coffee you like from the Expresso Pump on the way." She wasn't above bribing her friend to get some help shopping.

"Sounds like fun. Let's." Buffy practically bounced out of the house with her best friend Willow for a little shopping goodness.

February 2, 1999 Sunday

Buffy woke up slowly again, but this time she took the time to glance around the room for any special surprises before she stretched her arms. She laid there with her eyes closed, going over the shopping goodness that she had participated in the day before with Willow. Not even running into Cordelia at the mall had brought down the two girl's spirits. Buffy had several new beautiful outfits including a sexy, short, deep blood-red dress to show for it.

Of course Buffy had felt like her every move was being watched, which for some strange reason hadn't freaked her out. Even stranger still, Buffy seemed to know when whoever was watching her approved or disapproved of her fashion choices. The tinglies hadn't been Angel. In fact, they had felt alot like ...

No, no, he promised. Didn't he? Buffy shook that thought out of her head. There was no way she was going to think about HIM. He was totally out of the equation, and there was no way he was going to enter her mind again. Even as she vowed that to herself, she knew he would find his way back into her thoughts again.

"Buffy, breakfast's ready," Buffy heard her mother call up the stairs, "I fixed your favorite."

The thought of her mom's famous chocolate chip pancakes made Buffy leap from the bed. She hurriedly got dressed in one of her new outfits, and put her new charm bracelet onto one slim, tanned wrist. Buffy sprinted down the stairs to the kitchen. The yummy smell of the pancakes hit her. Buffy's mouth watered.

"Sit down, Buffy. I almost have a plate ready for you," Joyce urged her daughter. The table was already set with silverware, plates, placemats and small pitchers of syrup.

Buffy picked up the pitchers to sniff the different kinds. Mmmm, nothing like pancakes with warmed syrup on them. Then she noticed a package setting on top of a black envelope next to her fork. Buffy picked the gift wrapped box up carefully. She turned it over and over in her hands. "Mom, what's this?"

"Not sure, honey. It was sitting on the table when I came down to start breakfast," Joyce answered. She hid her smile as she transferred the last of the pancakes onto the serving platter. When Joyce turned to take the plate to the table, she saw that Buffy was very carefully removing the paper off the present.

Once she got the paper removed from the gift box, Buffy neatly folded it next to her plate. She gasped when she opened the present. There, nestled in a bed of two-toned black and red velvet, laid a stake. It was handstakenly, no pun intended, carved and sanded smooth to the touch, right down to Buffy's initials etched in the grip. Buffy knew this was a stake to be proud of.

"That's certainly a thoughtful gift," Joyce exclaimed, and she put several pancakes on Buffy's plate. She put a couple pancakes on her own plate and poured syrup over them. Joyce chuckled when Buffy only hummed an answer, and moved on to the note.

Buffy picked up yet another satiny black envelope with blood red lettering. She brought the paper to her nose and sniffed. She attempting to get a clue to her admirer through any scent she could pick up. It was then Buffy noticed a lump inside the envelope. No longer able to contain her curiosity, Buffy tore open the letter. Peeking inside, she saw another small charm. This time it was a small stake, exactly like the wooden one still lying in the gift box, right down to the initials.

"What are you looking at, honey?" Joyce asked between bites of pancake.

Buffy tipped the envelope, and the charm dropped out onto her hand. She held it out to her mom who took it from her daughter. Buffy pulled the note out of the envelope, and she read it out loud as her mom graciously attached the newest charm to the bracelet on Buffy's wrist.

My feelings for you stake me through the heart from their intensity. Your secret admirer. P.S. I had this stake blessed so it will not disintegrate when you slay.

That poor boy and his poetic tendencies, Joyce thought to herself.

Buffy tapped the note against her mouth for a moment. She laid it down on the table, smoothed her hand over the stake one more time. and then poured syrup onto her pancakes. Buffy dug into her breakfast with gusto. She even took a second helping.

When breakfast was over, Joyce was surprised when Buffy offered to wash the dishes for her. Buffy said that the older woman had made breakfast. So, it was only right that Joyce did something pleasurable for a change instead of washing dishes. So that's how Joyce found herself calling Rupert Giles to see if he would like to accompany her on a tour of a museum just outside Sunnydale.

Once Buffy shooed her mother out the door, she picked up the telephone to call Willow. The two girls once again made arrangements to meet. This time they headed to the Bronze where Oz and his band were practicing for an out of town gig scheduled for the upcoming weekend. Buffy picked up a diet coke from the bar and slipped into the seat beside Willow.

"Hey Buffy. Let me see the bracelet," Willow exclaimed. She grabbed Buffy's arm to study the newest charm. "That's so cute. I love it. I told Oz about what was going on. He decided he wasn't going to be outdone by your secret admirer. So, he invited me to go with the band next weekend. Isn't that so exciting? Oh and we can mark Devon off the list, too. He's dating Harmony again. You would think he learned from the last time they dated. Boy howdy, I got to put up with her next weekend because she's going, too." Willow finally ran out of breath after her string of exclamations.

"Well, two down and many more choices to pick from," Buffy said laughingly.

The two girls listened to the band until it was time for lunch. They decided to try a new restaurant just down the street that Joyce had raved about for the past month. Buffy and Willow both ordered huge hamburgers, huge plank French fries and a diet Cokes. After the waitress left the two teenagers alone, Buffy decided to tell Willow about the strange tinglies she felt the day before at the mall.

"I felt like someone was watching me yesterday, approving or disapproving of all my fashion choices," Buffy informed her friend.

"Wow, was it creepy?" Willow asked. She smiled at the waitress who delivered the diet Cokes at that moment.

"Strangely enough, not really," Buffy answered. She took the wrapper off the straw, and she sipped her drink.

Willow looked at her friend with speculation before she said, "Looks like your secret admirer is secretly admiring you."

February 3, 1999 Monday

Buffy was up bright and early on the sunny Monday morning. She dressed quickly in anticipation of another present from her anonymous beau. So her disappointment, when both her room and the breakfast table were both lacking in a gift, was palpable in the air. Buffy quickly finished her breakfast, and she said good-bye to her mother.

Buffy opened the front door to find her sister Slayer, Faith, with her fist poised to knock on the door. Buffy followed Faith's eyes down to the welcome mat. Lying there was a small jewelry box resting upon another black envelope. Both girls' eyes popped up at the same time, and they found themselves staring into each others eyes.

"So B, what's the what with the little gift?" Faith asked, and she dropped her hand back to her side.

"Seems like I have a secret admirer," Buffy said. She bent over to pick up both items. Buffy tucked the note into her armpit so she could immediately open the little box. She gasped when she saw the contents.

"Let me see, B." Faith moved in closer to spy into the velvet covered box. Then it was her turn to gasp. "Wow, girlfriend. Those are some choice diamond earrings you got there. Do you think they are real?"

"Oh yeah. The box is from Grabow's over on Hudson street," Buffy announced. She noticed a little piece of paper sticking out from under the piece of cardboard that the earrings were pierced through. She looked the paper over before handing it over to Faith.

"Oh yeah. They're real, alright. This here is the certificate of authenticity. Damn, you're lucky," Faith gasped out. "Let me take a gander at those while you read the card."

Buffy handed Faith the earrings while she untucked the card from under her arm. She tore the envelope open. She was careful not to lose the charm that she knew was housed inside. Buffy shook the charm out onto her palm, and showed she it to Faith, too.

"Nice," Faith drawled. She took the charm from Buffy and placed it in the earring box.

Buffy pulled the note out of the envelope. She dragged her fingers over the words, noticing for the first time that they were embellished. The words seemed to raise themselves off the paper towards her fingers. Now that's a ridiculous thought. She read the words out loud for Faith to hear.

Like a diamond in the sky, your brilliance shines down upon me, your lowly servant. Your secret admirer.

"Dang, B, I think you need to drop a few hints to the Xan-man about how to woo a girl," Faith chuckled.

Buffy stopped studying the note to stare at Faith, "You and Xander are getting serious?" Cordelia and Xander broke up a short while ago, but she'd seen the looks Faith sent Xander's way from the moment she had arrived in Sunnydale.

"Oh yeah, sure thing. Last night he grabbed some take out and a movie and came over to my apartment. It was nice," Faith announced shyly. She appeared nervous and shifted from one foot to the other.

Buffy smiled slightly as she thought more about what had happened in the past few months after Spike's visit. It all started with Spike's little jaunt down memory lane. There was such a sadness in his eyes when he spoke of how Drusilla had played him for a fool. Even Willow commented on that fact. Then the little 'Love's Bitch' speech he had given her and Angel at the magic shop which sent her thoughts in a flutter.

After thinking about what Spike said, Buffy had to break it off with Angel. When Angel tried to protest, she had arched her eyebrow at him and told him that things could never be as they were before. Then Joyce suprised Buffy by casually asking how Drusilla could have treated Spike so nonchalantly when he appeared to care for her so deeply. Buffy's only reply was because the dark haired vampiress was a big ho. Buffy missed the funny look that crossed her mother's face at the comment. The last thing that happened was that the next time Buffy saw Faith, she realized that the dark Slayer had the same look of loneliness that crossed Spike's face. This knowledge had spurned her into motion.

Buffy went to Giles to have him call the Council and get Faith money for someplace to live besides a hotel room. Then Buffy took her sister Slayer apartment shopping, telling the other girl that the hotel room made her too vulnerable to vampires. The two girls were able to find a small studio apartment that suited Faith's needs perfectly. All of the Scoobies got together to help furnish the apartment, even Cordelia. Faith was so astonished with everything that she even cried a little. Later she totally went into tough girl mode and denied it. Now the two Slayers were as close as ... well, sisters.

"Guess that means I can mark Xander off my list of potential secret admirers, huh?" Buffy smirked at the dark Slayer as she stepped inside the foyer. She placed the envelope on the small table, took the earrings she was wearing off, and put on the diamond ones.

"Yep, you sure can, B," Faith replied happily. She helped Buffy put the charm on the bracelet. Faith was elated to see the smile on Buffy's face. She'd been worried the past few months because the blond Slayer never seemed happy anymore.

"Walk me to school?" Buffy asked. She grinned when Faith nodded her ascent, and they closed the door behind them.

The two girls walked towards the school. They were totally engrossed in conversation, and so they were unaware of how their contrasts of light and dark caused many a head to turn to watch them pass.

"So, training with Wesley after school?"

"Sure, B. Gotta break the new Watcher in," Faith laughed at that idea. "Have you seen tall, dark and broody lately?"

"No. I guess he's down in Los Angeles looking into getting some sort of business started there. I don't really talk to him all that much," Buffy answered. They continued their walk towards the high school in comfortable conversation and companionship.

February 4, 1999 Tuesday

The weather changed dramatically the next day. A cold wind poured in from the north making the Californians, who were so use to the warm, weather shiver in their beds. Buffy got up a few minutes early, took a hot shower and dug a red sweater and black leather jacket out of her closet. She put on her new earrings, the charm bracelet. She grabbed a hat to put on later.

Joyce had hot chocolate waiting for Buffy when she finally made it downstairs. Mother and daughter both had warm oatmeal to stave off the chill. Joyce even offered to drive Buffy to school that day instead of letting the Slayer walk. Ten minutes later, Joyce dropped Buffy off in front of the school.

Buffy walked down the hall to the library, but she was stopped by the sound of sobbing coming from one of the side halls that housed the senior lockers. She turned the corner and saw Cordelia standing by her locker with her head down and apparently crying.

"Cordelia, what's wrong?" Buffy asked, her voice filled with concern. She approached the dark haired girl in time to see her dash the tears from her eyes.

"I'm not crying. Why would I be crying?" Cordelia turned to give the Slayer a big fake smile.

"Cordelia Chase, I've known you long enough to know that is a total and utter lie. Are you really still upset about Xander and Willow?" Buffy slowly moved towards the other girl as if she was approaching a spooked animal.

"What? No! I am so totally over that loser. Hell, I don't even blame your boyfriend Spike for kidnapping Xander," Cordelia exclaimed.

"What? No! Spike's not my boyfriend," Buffy blustered. Her cheeks flushed crimson red.

"Sure Buffy. Why do you blush every time anyone mentions his name? Spike!" Cordelia crowed with delight as Buffy's blush deepened.

"Cut that out," Buffy whispered. She swatted the air in Cordelia's direction. "Now tell me why you've been crying. I won't tell anyone, I promise."

Cordelia chewed on her lip as she glanced up and down the hallway, "All right, since you promised." She might think Buffy was a bit crazy, but she knew the Slayer could keep secrets. "Dad's accountant came over last night. It seems Dad's been swindling the IRS and now they want to take everything. Everything, Buffy."

"Oh God. I am so sorry, Cordy." Buffy put her arms around the other girl, surprised that the standoffish Cordelia let her. "I'm meeting the gang in the library in a few minutes. Wanna come with? I promise they will be nice, or I will go all Slayerish on them."

"Sure, I guess," Cordelia replied. The two girls moved down the hall towards the library. "Hey, prom's in a few months. You want to run against each other, again?"

Buffy laughed, "Nah. Someone might kidnap us, again. I think there's been enough kidnapping this year."

The two girls reached the library doors, but Buffy came to a sudden halt. She sighed, and held her hand to her temple. When Cordelia quirked up an eyebrow, Buffy just nodded towards the door.

Cordelia peeked in the window and saw that Angel in the library talking to Giles. However it wasn't the vampire that caught Cordelia's eye She was more interested in the handsome brunette man standing next to him. "Who's the salty goodness with Angel?" Cordelia asked. She glanced back at Buffy, who moved forward to peer into the window, too.

"Have absolutely no clue." Buffy's eyes wandered to the research table in the middle of the library. "Oh, there's a package on the table. I wonder if that's for me."

"Why would you think its for you?" Cordelia asked, her eyes lighting on the brightly wrapped gift.

"I have a secret admirer. Saturday I woke up to find a Mrs. Gordo and a charm bracelet." Buffy showed off the bracelet. "Sunday I got a stake and another charm for the bracelet at the breakfast table. Yesterday, there were earrings and a charm on the welcome mat." Buffy showed the earrings she was wearing to Cordelia.

"Wow, those are nice earrings. Real, too. You're so lucky. All the guys I've tried to date since I broke up with Xander have been total losers. Some idiot college guy named Parker tried this stupid sensitive guy routine on me at the Bronze. He so needs a taste of his own medicine," Cordelia informed Buffy.

"That sucks. Let's go in and see who the hottie is." Buffy latched onto Cordelia's arm, and she pushed open the door of the library. "Hey gang, look who I found wandering the halls. Hey, Angel. Hey, um..."

"Allen Francis Doyle. My friends call me Doyle." Doyle put his hand out to the cute blond girl. "You must be Buffy, and who is this charming young woman?"

Buffy shoved Cordelia towards Doyle, "This is Cordelia Chase." Her matchmaking duties done, she wanted to find out if her secret admirer had remembered her again today. "Now is that package on the table for me?"

Xander and Willow were both quiet when the two girls entered the library. They were're sure why why Buffy was being so nice to the usually stuck-up cheerleader. The two old friends nodded in answer to Buffy's question. They had both been eyeing the package and accompanying note for the past 15 minutes. Their curiosity was palpable on the air.

Buffy grabbed the envelope off the top of the gift, and she tore it open. She removed the note and the candy shaped charm. She read the note to herself, grinning like a Cheshire cat the entire time. Nothing is as sweet as you but enjoy these sweets for the sweetest of the sweet. She grinned before she threw the envelope on the table. Buffy grabbed up the box to gently remove the paper to save for later. She cooed with delight when the box of expensive chocolates came into view.

Buffy opened the box, took one out, and put it in her mouth. She moaned with delight when the rich confection melted on her tongue. Buffy moved around the library offering everyone a piece of candy. Angel declined, but everyone else indulged.

"Such treats are allowed every so often, Miss Summers, but I certainly hope you don't yield to the temptation daily," Wesley intoned solemnly as he peered into the box, carefully making his selection.

Buffy rolled her eyes at the young Watcher. She knew that since became the Slayer her metabolism skyrocketed through the ceiling. It would take more than one little box of chocolates to fatten her up. "Yes, Wesley," she said with fake innocence.

Willow caught Buffy's eye, and winked. Oh yes. Wesley was definitely out of the running for Buffy's secret admirer. He seemed too stiff and stodgy to plan such a romantic gesture as a gift a day leading up to Valentine's day.

February 5, 1999 Wednesday

Buffy grimaced when she realized she was out her favorite perfume. She had forgotten this fact, and so she hadn't picked any up at the mall over the weekend while shopping with Willow. Buffy decided to forgo being scented that day rather than use a different perfume that she didn't love quite so much.

Unfortunately the weather was still chilly. So, Buffy had to bundle up again. Luckily, she was planning on meeting Willow, Cordelia and Faith at the Expresso Pump before school to discuss Valentine's Day plans. Buffy got to the coffee shop a bit earlier than the others. She wanted to order the drinks. She knew that Cordelia would be embarrassed if she couldn't order one herself, and the other girl was too proud to ask someone else to.

Buffy sat at the small table, watching the early morning foot traffic. She smiled when the others entered the coffee shop. She waved them over to the table, and she handed them each a cup of coffee. Buffy looked back out the window to the magic shop just down the street.

"What are you thinking about, Buffy?" Willow asked in an attempt to get Buffy's attention.

"Oh just thinking that the next time I see Spike, I need to thank him," Buffy turned back to her friends, "Turns out the magic shop owner was a demon employed by the Mayor to keep tabs on all the magical goings on here in town. It was in one of those reports Mr. Finch gave us last week."

"Go Spike. Even though at the time I'm sure he wasn't helping us in any way, shape or form." Willow raised her fist in the air with a little punch of triumph.

"So what are we doing for Valentine's day? I have a date with Doyle, Willow's with Oz, Faith's with Xander, and you have your secret admirer. We need to do something special," Cordelia announced. She took a notebook out of her backpack, and she flipped it open to the first page. Although she wouldn't readily admit it, she enjoyed being a part of the group again.

"Well, Giles is taking mom to L.A. for a big art show that day. She went ahead and closed the gallery for the day. If we promise to not destroy anything and clean the place up really good, I bet she would let us have a little dance there. With the nooks there, we could set each of us up a table for two away from the others. Let me give her a quick call," Buffy announced. She hopped up to make a quick phone call, and she came back smiling happily.

"I take it from the smile, we're a go, B?" Faith asked.

"Yep. So, everyone brainstorm, and the day after tomorrow we'll get together to finalize our plans," Buffy answered.

"Sounds great." Willow glanced at her watch. "Oh, we better get a move on it if we don't want to be late."

The teenagers scooted out their chairs. They were moving towards the door when something caught Willow's eye. She quickly told the others she had to use the girl's room, and she would catch up with them in a couple of minutes. Willow turned back towards the restroom while the other three girls went outside. In a few minutes, she came back outside, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Hey, what's up, Wills?" Buffy asked when she saw the grin on her friend's face.

"Nothing, Buffy. Nothing at all. Let's get to the school. We need to eliminate someone from your secret admirers list." Willow giggled at Buffy's perplexed look. She and the others discussed the options left on the list while they continued on to the high school.

Once they got into the school, the girls decided to hit the bathroom before going to class. It wouldn't do for Snyder to catch them going to the restroom so early in the day. The four teenage girls entered the rarely used south wing bathroom. In this bathroom, the stalls were doorless, and this made most of the girls uncomfortable. However, this also made the room more useful for private Scooby conversations.

Buffy and Willow went in first, followed by Faith and Cordelia, who slammed into the first two girls. Even the more jaded Faith and Cordelia were totally flabbergasted by what was going on in the one of the stalls.

Tucker Wells was sitting on the commode. His shirt was unbuttoned, his eyes were closed, and his hands were on the hips of a half-naked Anya Jenkins. Tucker groaned loudly while Anya writhed around on his lap. Her unbound breasts bobbed in his face.

Buffy and the others slowly backed out of the bathroom. Once they were back in the hall, they scrambled towards their first period class, full bladders totally forgotten. Half way down the hall, Buffy began to giggle. By the time they made it to the classroom all of them were laughing their heads off.

"Hey, Buff, what's so funny?" Xander greeted the laughing blonde girl. He and Oz were sitting in their seats already.

"Oh God, we just caught Tucker and Anya getting it on in the girls room. I think he can be eliminated off the 'Buffy's secret admirer' list. Thank God," Buffy informed her friend. It was then she noticed the roses, note and gift box on her desk. She smiled and bit her lower lip. She had actually been worried when she hadn't recieved a gift yet that morning.

Buffy crossed to her desk, where she put her books down on her seat. She sniffed the roses before she picked up the note, and she felt for the charm she knew was inside. Buffy tore open the note carefully, removed first the rose shaped charm and then the note.

A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet. Your secret admirer

As the other girls gathered around to smell the flowers and giggle over the note, Buffy tore open the present. When she opened the box, she was pleasantly surprised to find her favorite perfume nestled inside. Buffy wondered how her secret admirer knew it was her favorite, or how he had known she was out? This is so sweet, she thought to herself, This guy better hope I like him. He's a keeper.

February 6, 1999 Thursday.

Buffy's day started with a bang when she ran into Jonathan Levinson and knocked him down. She helped him up and apologized profusely.

"I'm so sorry, Jonathan. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Buffy. Are you?" Jonathan took Buffy's offered hand, and he allowed her to pull him to his feet. Before Buffy was able to answer, a quiet voice interrupted the duo. They turned to see a petite brunette girl standing a few feet away from them.

"Hi, My name's Trish. I'm new and I'm suppose to find a..." Trish looked at the paper in her hand. "Jonathan Levinson to help me find my way around."

When Jonathon didn't answer right away, Buffy shot him a glance. She found the male teenager standing there, eyes glazed and mouth open. She elbowed him gently to break him out of his trance.

"Yes, that's me," Jonathon finally said while he moved towards the girl. He took the paper from her hand. "Hey, we have our first class together. I'll show you how to get there. Bye, Buffy. See you later."

Buffy smiled as she watched Jonathan and Trish walk down the hall. Guess we can cross Jonathan off the list.

First period went without a hitch. The class had been partnered up for a project that day. So, Buffy slipped into the seat next to Cordelia, effectively cutting off Harmony's descent on the brunette teenager. The rumors of the elder Chase's misfortunes were hitting the hallways, and the scathing remarks from the vapid blonde towards her one time friend were really starting to piss Buffy off. Buffy was getting to the point where she was going to put some Slayer moves on Harmony if the stupid girl didn't shut up.

Second period came, and Buffy was thrilled to see the familiar looking envelope sitting on her desk. She felt a twinge of disappointment when she realized there was no package this time. At least until she opened the envelope to find along with a ruby charm for her bracelet there was a coupon for a massage at the local spa. Buffy glanced at the note.

You are a golden goddess, meant to be pampered. Your secret admirer.

At four in the afternoon Buffy found herself standing at the entrance of 'Serenity Springs', an exclusive beauty spa just outside Sunnydale. She went inside, and she handed her coupon to the bored gum-snapping receptionist who gave Buffy instructions to the massage area. Buffy was half way down the hall when a woman stepped out of the rooms and called her name.

"Miss Summers, I'm Marcy. Let me show you to your room," Marcy announced and ushered Buffy into a room complete with massage table, a folding changing screen, a bench and a bathrobe. "Just disrobe and lie on the table. In the basket there are cool eye masks if you so desire. Your masseuse will be in momentarily."

The woman left Buffy alone. So, the petite blond Slayer got to work removing her clothes. She took all of her clothing off except her thong panties. She then grabbed an eye mask out of the basket, laid down on the table, draped the robe over her butt and slipped the mask over her eyes. She sighed when the coolness began to soothe her. Buffy heard the door open and close.

"Good day, Miss Summers," the room filled with a smooth velvety British voice.

"You sound just like Mr. Giles, the librarian at my school," Buffy said quietly. She could hear the man moving around the room preparing himself. "You know my name, What should I call you?"

"How about Will?" The man stood next to the massage table. "I have several different scented oils here for you to choose from: mint vanilla, sweet pea and raspberry."

Buffy heard Will pick up and set down each of the bottles as he read off the fragrances. She thought for a few moments before she asked if she could sniff each bottle. After she had smelled them, she decided on the mint vanilla.

"Shall I start at your head or your feet, Miss Summers?" Will asked quietly with his very proper British accent. It amazed him how naturally the fine gentlemanly accent still came to him. He was delighted to see that the Slayer gave no indication that she had any clue to his real identity.

"Mmm, my feet, please," Buffy answered. She wiggled around on the table to get comfortable.

"My hands are going to feel a little cool, but the oil is nice and warm," Will informed her, "I'm going to be touching your right foot now. I don't want to surprise you."

Buffy still let out a little gasp when Will touched her foot, but it quickly turned to a groan as his strong, talented fingers confidently massaged her foot. When he got to a particularly sensitive spot, Buffy twitched and squirmed.

"Ticklish, S... sweetheart?" Will asked. He set that foot down and moved on to the other one.

"Oh god, yes. I'm ticklish absolutely everywhere, but don't tell anyone. A girl's gotta have a few secrets." Buffy giggled sweetly and squirmed a bit more before Will moved to massage her leg.

"Hmm, small talk. It's been awhile since I've chatted up a pretty girl," Will muttered, almost to himself as he switched rubbing Buffy's legs.

"Oh why is that?"

"I was in a long term relationship until just a few months ago. I ..." Will paused in his speech as he bypassed Buffy's bottom to rub her lower back, "I caught her cheating. I left, but then I went back. It wasn't the same as it was before. So I left again."

"I'm so sorry. I have a friend in the same situation. I wonder how it's going for him ..." Buffy sighed when her thoughts wandered to the bleached menace.

"Maybe you should ring him up and ask," Will replied.

Buffy moaned as Will added some warmed oil to her back and began rubbing harder and more firmly. "Well, it's not that kind of friendship. More like a 'mutual hatred' friendship. Only after his last visit, I can't find all that much hatred for him anymore. It's really wiggy, if you know what I mean."

"I understand completely, Miss Summers. I am in the same situation myself."

February 7, 1999 Friday

Buffy's third period was actually a study hall slash free period for the blond teenager. In fact, this was the only class the Scooby girls had that the Scooby boys did not. Buffy knew having a free period pissed Principal Snyder off to no end. Luckily that day, another group of the troublemakers on the principal's list raised a ruckus on the other end of the school. So, instead of being stopped and harrassed, making her late for class, Buffy was able to slip into her seat just as the final bell rang.

"Hi. I'm John, and this is Missy. Is Miss Summers here?" asked a male voice. Standing in the doorway was a man and a woman holding a cooler between them.

Buffy jumped up, and she raised her hand. A little grin crossed her face when John held out yet another familiar looking black envelope. Buffy walked over to take the note. She opened the envelope to remove the ice cream cone shaped charm, and as she read it John and Missy put the cooler on the teacher's desk.

It's hard to keep my cool when you melt my heart with your fire. Your secret admirer.

When Buffy looked up, the desk was covered with pints of ice cream, and the couple had departed already. There was enough ice cream for each student and the teacher, Mrs. Butler. Buffy grabbed a spoon and made her choice first. Mmmm, chocolate chocolate chunk with fudge ripples. This is a chocoholics dream. Buffy went back to her desk, sat down and opened the ice cream. Her eyes rolled back in her head at the first bite. It was so good.

In a matter of minutes, Faith, Cordelia and Willow joined her. The four girls decided it was time to discuss the little get together they had planned at Joyce's gallery. Willow grabbed a notebook from her backpack, and she flipped it open to a page where she had already drawn a diagram of the gallery floorplan.

"While you were getting your massage, I dropped by and looked over the gallery with your mom. I think these nooks would be the best for our idea of private tables of two, and this area would be perfect for a little dance floor." Willow indicated different areas on her diagram. "Your mom already has a stereo system there. So, all we have to do is provide romantic music."

"That's great, Willow. What about tables?" Buffy asked around the spoon in her mouth.

"Oh, your mom has some small tables and fold out chairs she said we could use. So that's covered, and I thought we could go over to the party supply store after school. How about themed tables coordinations? Like, Buffy's could be black and red to match her envelopes?" Willow informed the other girls. She was really getting into this now. Willow flipped the page, and she began making a shopping list.

"That's a great idea. We could just get the supplies in black, red, white and pink and each of us decorate the table the way we like," Cordelia said. She was starting to feel more comfortable with the others; something she hadn't thought was possible.

"What about food? You know Xander eats like a horse." Faith smirked happily. When she had come to Sunnydale she had no family, no friends, and nothing to her name. Now she had everything, including a boyfriend who appeared to actually enjoy her company.

"I was worried about that, too, but Mrs. Summers put a call into the catering company that she uses for her gallery parties. As a favor to her, they said it wouldn't be a big deal to make a little extra while they were fixing the food for a party they are already doing that day. One of us can go by and pick the food up after school that day. All we have to worry about is hor'derves, so I contacted the manager at the Bronze. Those will have to be picked up, too."

"Wow, you are on top of everything, Willow," Buffy giggled, "Oh, make sure you get one of those onion flowers at the Bronze." She thought about how much she enjoyed eating those lately. "Okay, we got decorations, entertainment, and food covered. Now the important part... clothes. I bought a new dress last week that I'm going to wear."

"There is no way I'm wearing a dress, B," Faith declared vehemently, and she shook her head wildly.

Buffy laughed, "Never asked you to, Faith, but I did see a white leather vest and pants combo at the mall that would look awesome with your complexion. We can hit the mall after the party supply store."

"I'm going to wear a dress that I know Oz gets all googley eyed over," Willow announced. She remembered fondly the last time she wore the dress in question. She loved anything that made Oz drop his usual stoicism and become primal and growly. God, what a turn on, she thought.

Cordelia looked down at her ice cream. She didn't have money for a new dress, and the shame of lording her money over the other girls with her before made Cordelia feel small and useless. Then, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You know, Cordy, Doyle hasn't seen any of your not brand new dresses. We won't tell him if you don't," Buffy murmered as Faith and Willow nodded in agreement. The four of girls grinned at each other in solidarity.

"What's going on in here?" Principal Snyder's voice boomed through the room. His eyes glanced over all of the assembled students. "Ah, Miss Summers. I should've known you were in this class. What do you think you are doing?"

"It's my fault, Mr. Snyder." Mrs. Butler broke in. "The kids have been so great that I thought they deserved a treat. I didn't think about asking for permission."

Principal Snyder glared at Buffy before he turned to Mrs. Butler, "I'll let it slip this one time, Mrs. Butler, but don't do it again." He swept out of the classroom, and slammed the door behind him.

The students all laughed when the teacher grumbled under her breath about overbearing little troll Nazis. Most of them had no idea that the teachers of the school shared their opinion of the principal.

"God, he's such an ass. He makes Wesley look like a sweetheart." Buffy rolled her eyes. "So glad he didn't make the secret admirer list," Buffy whispered.

February 8, 1999 Saturday

Buffy sat smiling softly as she watched Faith and Cordelia gyrate around the dance floor with their dates. She knew that Doyle came up to Sunnydale on the pretense of going over business with Angel. However, Buffy and the rest of gang knew that the Irishman had really come to see Cordelia. Buffy was thrilled to see the little looks increase between Faith and Xander to the point where you could actually see fire between the two.

"Buffy, can I speak to you for a moment?" Angel interrupted Buffy's internal pondering.

"Oh, hi, Angel. Sure," Buffy answered. She flipped her hand towards one of the other chairs at the table, and indicated that the vampire could sit with her. "It's still a few minutes till the Light's Out dance." She tried not to look around the room for anyone who fit the bill of her secret admirer.

"I'm planning on leaving for Los Angeles as soon as the fight with the Mayor is over," Angel announced quietly. The decision weighed heavily on his mind, but he felt it was better this way.

"I got that impression when you went down to L.A. to check out business opportunities." Buffy eyed Angel evenly. Did he think she was a complete airhead? "Before you even ask ... I'm not bothered that you're leaving. I figured it was happening sooner rahter than later, Angel," Buffy said airly. She took a sip of her drink, and then she waved at Faith and Cordelia.

Angel was at a loss for anything to say. He never expected Buffy's dismissal of him from her life would come so easily for her. His soul berated his demon for mucking things up so badly. He assumed it was the appearance of Angelus, his demon half, that destroyed his relationship with Buffy. Angel sighed, stood up, nodded tersely at Doyle, and left the nightclub.

The four dancers made their way to the table, and they dropped tiredly into their chairs. Each one grabbed their drink for a sip, even as they each scanned the crowd for any sign of vamps. When the gang heard about the Light's Out dance planned for one of the songs that night, they knew it would be a perfect time for vamps to attack the unsuspecting clubbers. When they located no possible threats, they turned their attention to the blond Slayer.

"So B, tell us what you got today," Faith said. She flipped her hair out of her face, and she leaned back into her chair. Faith was about to put her foot up against the table, and tip her chair back, when she felt Xander's arm around the back of her chair. She jumped a little before she sat up straighter.

"Mom and I were out all morning picking up supplies for the house. When we got back home for lunch there was a package on the kitchen table. Inside the package was a walkman and a CD of Stupid Things by Nickel. The note read: The only truly Stupid Thing I've ever done so far is not fall for you sooner. You were dancing to this song the first time I saw you. Your secret admirer.. There was a cute little musical note charm, too." Buffy held out her arm so that everyone could see the newest charm.

Asking about Buffy's secret admirer, and his gifts, was quickly becoming a Scooby event. Every day someone else asked about what she received. They were all amazed at the variety and care of each of the gifts Buffy recieved. They usually brainstormed a bit over each gift to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. So far no one spoke up about a clear choice from the list.

Before anyone was able to say anything, the manager of the Bronze jumped up on the stage and began to speak, "Ladies and gentleman, tonight we're having our first ever Light's Out dance. This is for one dance. Grab the person closest to you and dance with them, regardless of what sex they are. Here's Sonic Boom, playing Stupid Thing by Nickel for Buffy Summers from her secret admirer." The manager jumped off the stage, and he was replaced at the microphone by the lead singer.

"Light's out," he shouted, and the nightclub fell into darkness, "Now grab the hand of the person next to you."

"Faith, you feel anything?" Buffy asked as a cool hand grasped hers in the darkness. She smiled when the hand squeezed hers gently. Buffy's eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she could see the exit signs above the doors.

"No, B," Faith said before the music started, "But Xander is. Watch where you're putting that hand, Xander."

"Miss Summers, we meet again." Will's proper British voice poured into Buffy's ear, and his cool breath swept along her forehead. He tugged on Buffy's hands to pull her closer to him. Will's hands slid up her arms, over her shoulders, and down again to rest on her lower back.

"I should have recognized those hand after how good they made me feel the other day." Buffy allowed her hands to run up Will's chest to his shoulders, and said, "I think you can call me Buffy, Will." It felt nice to dance with him. He didn't overwhelm her like so many of her other dance partners had in the past.

The song began and the couple swayed back and forth. Somehow, they deftly avoiding the other couples in the darkness.

"Have you talked to that girl we talked about the other day yet?" Buffy asked.

"No, not yet. I am still attempting to work up the courage. Whenever I think about talking to her I get all tongue tied like a stupid git," Will answered, embarrassment apparent in his voice. "She's so beautiful, and so far above me, that I know I don't stand a chance."

"Don't say that, Will. I thought it was really sweet how you talked about her the other day. How about you practice on me?" Buffy sighed as she clutched Will's shoulders tighter and laid her head on his shoulder. Her head felt like it naturally belonged there. Something in her heart flipped to hear his confessions of love, even if she was only his practice dummy.

"Are you sure? I have no idea what I should say to this girl," Will mumbled.

"Just tell her what's in your heart. If that doesn't win her affections, you come back to me and I'll go beat her up for you," Buffy answered vehemently. An overprotective streak surfaced towards anyone that would hurt the tender masseuse.

Will's deep chuckle echoed in Buffy's ear. "Here goes, then. 'I love you. You're all I think about; dream about. You're in my gut and in my throat. I'm drowning in you, S ... sweetheart. I'm drowning in you. Give me something even if it's just a crumb or a barest smidgen that someday, maybe there's a chance.' How was that?" He feared the rejection from yet another woman he cared about. "I know I'm L ... I mean that I wear my heart on my sleeve, but I hope she doesn't crush me too badly.

"Oh, that was so wonderful, Will. I'm sure she will love what you say. I hope I'm as lucky as your girl someday." Buffy was interrupted by Will's beeper going off.

Will grabbed the offending object out of his pocket and looked at the incoming number. He muttered, "I have to go, Buffy. A friend's mother is calling. The mother hates to bother her child with petty little things. So, I go over every so often to help. Maybe next time we meet up we'll actually get to see each other."

"Thanks for the dance. You're a good friend, Will." Buffy felt alone in the darkness once Will moved away from her, but the song ended. The lights popped back on before she could take any of her feelings into consideration. She smiled as she found her companions took advantage of the darkness, and both couples were kissing.

February 9, 1999 Sunday


The package, and accompanying note, arrived just after lunch by special courier. Buffy gasped with astonishment when she opened the gift to find the necklace her grandmother had given to her when Buffy was just a little girl. It was the necklace she had last worn on the fateful Halloween where everyone had turned into their costumes. After she gasped, Buffy ripped open the envelope and almost dropped the bright green emerald charm on the floor in her haste. She scanned the note in an attempt to find any clue as to how her secret admirer had found the necklace.

It would be a shame for something as beautiful as this necklace to remain lost. Your secret admirer.

The day after Buffy lost the necklace, she and Willow went back to comb every inch of the alley where the Slayer had wrestled with Larry the Pirate and the warehouse where she had fought Spike. The piece of jewelry was no where to be found, and Buffy tried to hide her sadness at the loss of her precious keepsake.

Later in the afternoon, Buffy called Faith to let the other Slayer know that she wanted to go ahead and patrol alone that night. She informed the other girl that she needed some time alone with her thoughts, but that everything was fine. After dark, Buffy changed into patrol clothes, said good-bye to her mother, and left the house twirling her newly acquired stake in her right hand.

Buffy strolled through the cemetery with her mind a million miles away. She absent-mindedly staked a newly risen vampire as she asked herself some tough questions.

Do I know who my secret admirer might be? Yes!

Do I care that it might be him? Not particularly.

Should I shoot first and ask questions later or let him seduce me to his way of thinking? Hmmm, seduction sounds wonderful.

Is everyone gonna freak when they find out? Probably. It might be a good idea to sound them all out first.

With that goal in mind, Buffy cut her patrol short and swung by Willow's house. When she knocked on the door, she was not surprised that Oz answered it.

"Hey Oz. How was the gig?" Buffy greeted the werewolf with a little wave of her hand.

"Fine," Oz answered. He stepped back to allow the Slayer to step into Willow's house. Oz closed the door behind Buffy, and he followed her into the living room where Willow sat on the couch watching a movie.

"Buffy, I'm so glad you stopped by. The gig was so much fun, even though Harmony was so cranky the whole time. She complained about everything. I almost slapped her on several occasions, and you know that's not me. How was your weekend? What did your secret admirer give you?" Willow finally ran out of air, and she received a small smile from Oz when he sat down beside her.

Buffy flopped down on the couch on the other side of her best friend. She grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl in Willow's lap. Buffy stared at the television screen while she tried to come up with a way to approach bringing up a new identity for her secret admirer.

Willow and Oz both turned their attention back to the movie. They could tell something was on Buffy's mind, but Willow learned a long time ago that pushing the Slayer wasn't a good way to find out what was up with her.

"You know, Wills," Buffy spoke casually, "We forgot to add one name to the secret admirer list." She grabbed another handful of popcorn

"Who's that, Buffy?" Willow asked. She glanced at her friend, but she found Buffy's face unreadable.

"Spike," Buffy answered. She kept her eyes glued to the television. So, she missed Willow's 'deer in the headlights' expression, but she couldn't miss the sharp intake of breath from Oz.

Willow quickly glanced at Oz, "W-what made you think of Spike?"

Buffy finally looked at over at Willow and Oz. She noticed that they were trying to silently communicate with each other. Hmm, Mom's been all sneaky with her comments all week. Now, Willow's getting all stuttery at the mention of Spike. Oh yeah, something's going on around here, Buffy thought to herself.

"Lots of little things, actually," Buffy replied. She fingered her necklace before she continued, "I got this necklace as my present today. We both know that the last time I wore it was on the Halloween that Ethan Rayne was in town. I've already eliminated Angel, Xander and Larry from the list."

"I knew about Xander, but Larry and Angel, too? How? Why? What made you think of Spike?" Willow demanded. She really wanted to hear the reasoning behind Buffy's conclusions. She chewed her lower lip nervously.

"Well, going over that night in my mind, I only came into contact with four guys. Larry's vibe has been off lately. So, I asked him if he was giving me the gifts. You should have seen his face, Willow. He was totally aghast that I would even consider him in the running. That's when he told me I wasn't his type." Buffy rolled her eyes. "Whatever that means. Xander's eliminated because he's serious about Faith. Angel once told me that Whistler showed me to him in L.A., and one of the notes said that my admirer first saw me dancing to a song that didn't come out until last year. Plus, Angel's leaving Sunnydale when we get the Mayor defeated."

"Angel's leaving? Aren't you upset?" Willow asked. She knew Angel was thinking about the move but not that he had actually decided to go through with it.

"He told me last night at the Bronze. No, I'm not upset. We can't be together. It's too dangerous, and I won't do that to all of you, again," Buffy answered.

"What makes you think Spike isn't as dangerous as Angelus?" Willow asked. She got up from the couch and paced back and forth in an poorly concealed attempt to show that she was unpleased with Buffy's line of thought.

"I never said that, Willow." Buffy smirked and rolled her eyes. "Spike is just as dangerous as Angelus was, but there is more to him than murder and mayhem. He doesn't need a soul to be in love." Buffy chuckled at a thought before she spoke again, "He's Love's Bitch, and he's man enough to admit it."

"Where the heck did you hear that from?" Willow stared at Buffy. That last sentence sounded like a very odd comment from the other girl.

"From the horse's mouth," Buffy answered.

February 10, 1999 Monday

After the revealing talk about Spike with Willow and Oz the night before, Buffy was more than ready to confront the next Scooby on her list. The Slayer's next target was going to be Cordelia Chase.

Buffy recalled how the dark haired girl had teased her the week before about the peroxide blond vampire. Cordelia appeared not to hold a grudge against him for the kidnapping of Xander and Willow, even though she and Oz had caught the other two teenagers smooching. During third period study hall, Buffy slid into the desk next to Cordelia.

"Hey, Cordy. Where's Willow and Faith?" Buffy asked. She settled herself in the chair, and she fiddled with her bracelet. She touched each charm as she remembered each accompanying gift.

"Off doing an errand for Mrs. Butler," Cordelia replied. "You rushed off so fast the other night you missed finding out about Doyle."

"Watcha mean?" Buffy's curiosity was definitely piqued. She knew that Cordelia and Doyle were hitting it off, and she hoped it would work out for the two. After the breakup with Xander, Buffy noticed that Cordelia had been almost vengeful towards the male teenager. So, it really came as no surprise that the girl, Anya Jenkins, claimed to be a vengeance demon that lost her powers because of Giles in another dimension. That Cordelia blamed the breakup on her unsettled Buffy so badly that she had gone to talk to the other teenager. As the two girls talked about their breakups, a tentative truce was forged that had only strengthened into real friendship in the past week.

Cordelia looked around to ensure there weren't any eavesdroppers nearby before she told Buffy the news. "Well, we got to talking about Angel and what he is. Then Oz told Doyle about his you-know-what."

Buffy arched an eyebrow. "How did Doyle react?" She knew that Doyle had discussed business several times with Angel. However, she also knew from expereince just how much the vampire loved being cryptic.

"Actually, he was totally cool with it. It turns out he's half demon himself," Cordelia answered. She carefully watched Buffy's face to guage the other girl's reaction. Cordelia was happy to see that Buffy didn't 'wig out', and she appeared pretty cool with the idea.

"Wow, didn't see that coming. Are you okay with it, Cordy?" Buffy was quickly learning that not all demons were bad. Her experiences with Oz, and a few harmless demons around Sunnydale, contributed to those thoughts. Wesley wasn't happy with her theories, but he hadn't forced the issue with her yet.

"It makes fitting into the group a bit easier. Everyone in the group is either supernatural or dates the supernatural themselves," Cordelia whispered. She felt a little bit nervous about talking in the middle of a group of others who didn't know about Sunnydale's issues. She decided to change the subject with her next question. "How's that secret admirer thing going for you?"

"Great. It's been so romantic," Buffy murmured dreamily. Her eyes got a faraway look to them. "I wonder who it is."

"Who do you hope it is?" Cordelia asked.

Buffy opened her eyes wide in apparent innocence, "What if I told you I hope it's a relative of Angel's?"

Cordelia gasped, "You know I was only teasing you last week, don't you?"

"Yes, I know that." Buffy rolled her eyes in mock exasperation, and then she grinned at Cordelia. "Would you be wigged if it was him?"

"Maybe a little. Although, if it is him, I have to say the vamp's got taste," Cordelia assured Buffy when she indicated Buffy's bracelet and earrings.

"Well since I can't eliminate him, let's see who else I can from my list instead. I have the perfect cantidate. He is old, not my type, and in my opinion, evil." Buffy pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. She had ripped the list of the notebook the night before. Buffy pointed out a name on the list to Cordelia.

"Quentin Travers? Why does that name sound familiar?" Cordelia muttered to herself. She noticed Buffy's grimace at the name, and she put two and two together. Cordelia shuddered when she remembered the arrogant Head Watcher who had visited Sunnydale the month before for Buffy's birthday.

Willow and Faith returned to the classroom bearing news that they heard the school secretary signed on the delivery of Buffy's next gift. The gift was to be waiting for her at the start of her next class. The four friends spent the remainder of the time speculating what the present was going to be this time.

Buffy rushed to her next class, eager to discover what her next gift was going to be. She smiled brightly when she spied the now very familiar black envelope on her desk. Buffy slipped into her chair. She grabbed the note up, and she ripped it open.

When the charm, in the shape of a pair of ice skates, fell out into the palm of Buffy's hand, she began to feel nostalgic. Buffy remembered how much she had loved skating as a child. The most pleasurable part of the memory was how gliding over the ice had made her feel free. Buffy thought about the last time she had been skating. Between the interruption by Spike's assassin, and the awkwardness of her vampiric companion, the day hadn't gone exactly as planned.

Buffy pulled two pieces of paper from the envelope. She glanced at the first, and she saw it was a coupon to the local skating rink dated for that day. Oh fun! Now how to convince Wesley it's Slayer business and get out of his boring training. The note was on the same black paper as before with the same blood red lettering.

You move like an angel and tempt me like the devil. You dance and fight with such grace. The rink is all yours. Nothing will get in the way this time. Your secret admirer.

Later, as Buffy glided across the ice, she felt the same presence that shadowed her at the mall. This feeling, coupled with the overwhelming feeling of freedom, caused the Slayer to show off just a little. The more she skated, the more her body and mind recalled the feel of the ice beneath her feet. Soon she was completing more and more complex spins. At long last she moved to the side of the rink tired, but her face was agolw from her exertion.

"Why don't you come out and dance with me?" Buffy whispered. Even though her Slayer senses weren't registering it, Buffy had a feeling that her secret admirer was able to hear her whispered words.

"I have, luv, and they were the best nights of my life," The secret admirer whispered back to himself.

February 11, 1999 Tuesday.

Buffy hated Tuesdays with every fiber of her being. Bad things always happened on Tuesdays, and this one was turning out to be a big, fat doozy.

Buffy broke a nail and snagged her last pair of nylons while getting dressed. During breakfast, she accidently knocked her cereal and milk into her lap, which caused the Slayer to have to go upstairs to change her clothes. On the walk to school, she tripped over an uneven sidewalk, and she broke the heel off of her favorite pair of boots. Once Buffy got to school, she dropped by the library to pick up her workout shoes. She was immediately trapped there by Wesley, and she didn't escape until Giles told the younger Watcher to leave 'the poor girl alone'.

Once Buffy got to class her luck wasn't any better. During first period, she accidently broke all of her pencils. She had to borrow one from Willow after promising she would be more careful. During second period she knocked over a beaker of acid. Fortunately the only casualty was the science room counter. Third period was a no-go when Buffy accidently used her Slayer power on her stubborn locker. After it broke, she had to wait for the janitor to come repair it.

Fourth period was better. Buffy didn't break anything, knock anything over or spill anything. She sat quietly at her desk, and she looked at no one. She felt that if she didn't speak to anyone, and didn't look at them either, maybe nothing else would happen that day.

However, on the mad dash across the school for fifth period, the gang ran into Scott Hope. More specifically, Buffy ran into the boy. She felt bad about knocking him down. When she tried to apologize to him, he wasn't as gracious about it as Jonathan had been several days before.

"I see you're still too distracted, Buffy. You really should watch where you're going," Scott replied. He ignored both Buffy's apology and her helpful hand. Scott heaved himself up off the floor, and he returned to his group of friends where he laughingly told them that Buffy was nothing but a klutz.

Buffy's feelings were hurt. She hadn't knocked Scott down on purpose, and she did try to apologize. Tears filled her eyes before she was able to stop them from forming.

"Are you okay, B?" Faith quickly went to Buffy's side, and she flung her arm over the other Slayer's shoulders. "I can go thump him for you."

Buffy rubbed the tears from her eyes and leaned into Faith's shoulder. "I'm okay. I just hate it when I turn into Danger-prone Daphne. My secret admirer said I'm graceful, but today I feel like a clumsy idiot."

"Well, we are the Scoobies, 'Daphne'," Xander snarked. He put his arm around Buffy, too. "It just makes you fit in better with us all. Besides, unlike Daphne who is always being rescued by the gang, it's you who does all the rescuing."

"You're just having a bad day, Buffy. We all have them. It's bound to get better. Look on the bright side, we can take that nasty Scott off your list now." Willow consoled the Slayer. "Just think, when we get to class there should be a gift waiting for you."

Buffy looked at Willow. A smile appeared on the Slayer's face that looked like the sun breaking through a cloudy day. She eagerly nodded, and she pulled away from her friends. Buffy hurried down the hall towards the classroom. So, she totally missed the smirks her friends gave each other.

Buffy slipped into her seat. Her hand automatically reached out to caress the large package as she waited for her friends to get seated. When they were all settled, she picked up the gift, and she ripped the paper off. Inside was a toy drum. Buffy tilted her head to study the drum.

"What an odd present," Willow commented, "Read the note, Buffy."

Buffy grabbed the black envelope, and she quickly tore it open. She smiled slightly when she held the tiny drum charm up for the others to see. Buffy read the note aloud to her rapt audience.

My Little Drummer Girl. You are Hell on the old skins. Your secret admirer.

"What an odd note," Xander muttered. His attention turned quickly to Buffy as she made some sort of snorting and coughing noise. "Are you okay, Buffy?"

"Water fountain." Buffy continued to cough. She jumped to her feet. When the teacher waved her out of the room, she fled to the water fountian down the hall. Buffy took several big gulps of water as she tried to compose herself.

What the heck is he doing? Does he want me to figure it out early? Is he hoping if I figure it out now I won't give him a smackdown later? Buffy asked herself as she walked back towards the class. She was almost to the classroom when she heard Willow whispering.

"What is he doing? That wasn't what we told him to send her today. If he messes this up, Mrs. Summers will take that axe to his head again."

"He'd better not screw it up because it is taking me a lot to stomach the thought of the two of them together," Xander whispered.

"You promised, Xander," Willow started to scold Xander.

Xander held up his hand towards Willow. "I know, and I'm keeping my promise. If she wants him, I won't fight it."

"Shh, she's coming back," Cordelia whispered, and it cut off any more discussion amongst them.

Buffy giggled quietly before she composed herself to enter the classroom. It seemed her suspicions were right on the money. Now all she had to do was get spoken approval from Faith and Xander. From what was being said, Buffy somehow thought that wouldn't be a problem. She slipped into her chair again, and she sat there in quiet contemplation until the end of the class. The bell for lunch rang, and Buffy found herself pulling Faith and Xander aside to speak to them.

"So B, what got you all hot and bothered about your present toda? Did you figure out who your admirer is?" Faith asked. She had a grin firmly planted on her face. Faith grabbed Xander's hand, and she leaned into his shoulder.

"Maybe," Buffy said mysteriously. She was happy to see the two brunettes getting along better and better every day. "So, guys ... if my secret admirer turned out to be kinda not human, how upset would you both be?"

"As long as he makes you happy, Buffy, I don't care if it's Spike," Xander answered. He received an elbow in the ribs from Faith.

"As long as whoever it is doesn't hurt you, I'm down with it," Faith added her thoughts to her boyfriend's outburst.

"Thank you both." Buffy turned and walked away with a smile on her face.

February 12, 1999 Wednesday

Buffy spent the day floating on cloud 9. When she got home from patrolling with Faith the night before, there was a surprise waiting for her on her bed. While she was busy with Wesley after school, the rest of the gang went to the toy store to get her a present. There on her pillow were stuffed animals of the entire cast of the Scooby Doo cartoon show.

Little notes attached to each figure told Buffy exactly who gave her each doll told her who got which doll. Cordelia bought the Daphne, while Willow picked the Velma doll for her. Xander and Faith gave the Slayer Shaggy and Freddie. Oz rounded it out with Scooby. The coolest thing, in Buffy's opinion, was the added surprise of a black envelope stuck behind the dolls. Inside, along with the note, was a Scooby Doo charm for her bracelet.

The note made Buffy chuckle as she read it. Your legs look better than Daphne's in short skirts, my darling and graceful klutz. Your secret admirer.

Buffy's thoughts wandered back to the present as she entered sixth period class. She wasn't surprised at all to see a gift bag sitting on her desk. She had been expecting and anticipating her next gift all day. The bag is so beautiful. I wonder if he got them at the same store? Buffy asked herself. She stroked the glossy bag, and her fingers traced the raised red heart.

Buffy couldn't resist the pull of discovering what was in the bag a moment longer. So, she peeked inside the bag. There she found several canisters of gourmet hot chocolate, a bag of mini marshmallows, and several items from the Bath and Body works store in the mall.

Buffy pulled out a bottle of bubble bath to check out the scent. The name of the scent was Moonlight Path, and she was quite pleased with how it smelled. She noticed that she also received some salt scrub and body lotion. Buffy couldn't wait to get home for a cup of hot chocolate and a bubble bath.

I didn't need a spell to fall in love with you. All it took was for the sunlight to pass into the path of the moonlight, and I was lost. Your secret admirer.

Buffy finally made it home several hours after a workout session with Faith and a stop by the mall for candles that matched the scent of her bubble bath. She found her mom fixing dinner in the kitchen, and she immediately plopped herself down in one of the kitchen table chairs. Buffy studied her mom for a few minutes while she decided how to approach the older Summers woman about the identity of the secret admirer. Compliments first is always a good approach, Buffy thought to herself.

"Thanks for letting us use the gallery for our little romantic get together, Mom," Buffy said. She pulled her gift and purchased items out of the bag, and she placed them on the table in front of her.

"You're welcome, sweetie." Joyce turned from the stove to look at Buffy. She noticed the things that Buffy was putting on the table. "Is all that from your secret admirer?"

"Everything, but the candles. I bought those myself. I thought I would have a steamy bubble bath and some hot chocolate before I go to bed," Buffy announced. She put her gifts to one side of the table, and then she went about setting the table for dinner.

Joyce ladled the spaghetti onto dishes as Buffy pulled the premade individual salads, the salad dressing and parmesean cheese from the fridge. They each put the food on the table, and then they sat down in their chairs. It was quiet for a few moments while they put salad dressing on the salad, parmesean cheese on the spaghetti, and took their first bites of dinner.

"Did you eliminate someone from your list today?" Joyce broke the silence.

"Yep. I marked Owen off my list," Buffy answered, "He's with this really weird goth girl that kinda reminds me of Drusilla. He's gone all goth and punky, and the look is terrible on him. He just doesn't carry it as well as another we both know." Buffy's eyes flickered to her mom and back as she tried to determine Joyce's reaction.

"You're talking about Spike, aren't you?" Joyce asked.

"Yep." Buffy made the p-sound pop. "Mom? What would you say if he turned out to be the secret admirer?"

"Who? Spike? I don't know, Buffy." Joyce's voice filled with concern. "Another vampire boyfriend is not really what I wanted for you."

"I know that, Mom. I'm not normal, though." Buffy stared down into her plate as she tried to hide her disappointment from her mother. She assumed her mother would be the easiest one to convince, not the most difficult one.

"I know that, honey. I just don't want you to get hurt. If it is him, I think he's got great taste for picking a special girl like you to shower gifts on." Joyce smiled, and then she reached over to pat Buffy's hand. "I really don't think that Drusilla woman appreciated him. I hope he finds someone who will."

Buffy's thoughts whirled around in her head. The only one left to talk to is Giles. I'll talk to him during training tomorrow, and I don't give a damn what Wesley thinks. With that decided, Buffy picked up her plates, took them to the sink, and quickly washed them up.

Buffy grimaced a little as a muscle tightened in her lower back. The workout session earlier with Faith had been strenuous due to the fact that Wesley had made both of the Slayers mad with his anti-demon drivel. Both Slayers had wanted to smack the Watcher up side the head, but they both also knew they could kill him doing that. So, they had taken their anger out on each other.

"Are you hurt?" Joyce asked, her voice laced with concern.

"I pulled a muscle. No biggie," Buffy answered, "I should be fine by morning. Go Slayer healing."

"Why don't you take your things upstairs and run yourself a hot bath. I'll bring you a thermos of hot water and a cup for your hot chocolate," Joyce said. She got up from her seat. She shooed her daughter, gift items in hand, out of the kitchen.

Buffy went into the bathroom and turned on the hot water faucet in the tub. She took the bubble bath out of the bag, opened it to sniff the scent one more time before adding a liberal amount to the running water. Buffy put the hot chocolate and marshmallows on the tubside table. She quickly undressed, and she got into the tub. She sighed as she sunk into the water and suds.

After a few minutes the tub filled up enough to cover the young woman to her shoulders. As Buffy was turning off the water, Joyce entered the room carrying a thermos, cup with a spoon inside, and the cool mask from the massage parlor that Will let her take home with her. To Buffy's surprise, her mom also had the portable phone with her.

"Here's you things, honey," Joyce announced as she put the items down on the table. She handed Buffy the phone. "A young man named Will wants to speak to you." After Buffy took the phone, Joyce went ahead and made a cup of the hot chocolate for her.

"Will?" Buffy asked into the phone, "How did you get my phone number?"

"Where there's a Will there's a way," Will punned, "Actually I looked it up in the phone book. I wanted to ask your advice about something."

Buffy snuggled into her bath. The sound of Will's voice soothed her as much as the hot water did. A near perfect end to a difficult day, she thought to herself while she listened to what Will needed advice about.

February 13, 1999 Thursday

"Miss Summers and Miss Lehane. "Wesley's pompous British voice filled the library when the two Slayers entered through the swinging doors. "Why are you planning on skipping patrol tomorrow evening?"

"Dang, Wes," Faith snarked, "They didn't hear you over in the shop class. Can you say that a little louder?" She noticed the long package on the table, and she nudged Buffy to get her attention.

"We have a romantic date with our admirers," Buffy stated absentmindedly. She drifted towards the research table and the package that rested there. "Tell him, Giles." She was tired of dealing with Wesley's attitude, judgements and lack of care for her feelings and desires.

"Both Buffy and Faith have worked hard the past few months. They both deserve a well earned break," Giles informed the younger man. He had tried time and time again to make the official Watcher understand that neither girl would bow to Wesley's authority, but Giles had a feeling it all went in one ear and out the other.

"We could ask Angel to patrol," Faith said. She followed Buffy to the table, and she flung herself down in one of the chairs. Faith ignored Wesley's attempts to get her warm-ups started.

"That sounds like an excellent idea, Faith. When we are done here why don't you girls go ask him?" Giles replied. He moved behind the checkout counter, and he began to go through a pile of returned books.

Buffy ignored the conversation. She unwrapped the long and narrow package, and she was amazed at how heavy it felt. She opened the box carefully. Buffy's eyes opened wide, and she gasped.

"What, B?" Faith's attention immediately turned to Buffy when the other girl gasped.

"It's beautiful," Buffy murmured. Her hand appeared to have a mind of its own as she reached into the box. Buffy gripped the handle of a sword. She removed it from its scabbard with her other hand, and she reveled in the sound of the steel sword being drawn.

"Oh My," Giles muttered. He rounded the counter to move closer to Buffy for a better look. Even from a distance he could tell the craftsmanship was superb. He was an admirer of fine weaponry, and the sword seemed like a finely crafted piece of workmanship.

"It feels so good, like it was made just for me. It fits my hand perfectly." Buffy opened her hand to examine the hilt of the sword. She peered closer at the hilt, and she noticed her initials were engraved into the hand guard along with some delicate scrollwork designs. "This isn't a manly weapon at all."

"I've got to read what your secret admirer says about this," Faith exclaimed. She grabbed the black envelope off the table, and she tore it open. Faith carefully removed the sword shaped charm. She slipped the note out of its holder, and she read it aloud.

A fine sharp blade to go with your fine sharp wit. Both designed to keep me on my toes. Your secret admirer.

"May I examine the sword, Buffy?" Giles asked. He held out his hand so that Buffy could give him the weapon. Giles carefully studied the blade and hilt. He came to the conclusion that the sword could very well have been forged just for Buffy. The weight and length were comparable to someone of her stature and style.

Faith handed the note and the charm to Buffy. Then she moved to Giles's side to examine the sword more closely. She ran her fingers over the blade, being careful not to cut herself. Faith was amazed at how the sword actually felt alive under her hand. She wondered if it was magical. "B, do you think your secret admirer could get one for me?" Faith asked, her voice filled with awe.

"You betcha," Buffy answered. She finished attaching the sword charm to her bracelet. "I'm sure who ever he turns out to be will be happy to. We'll ask him tomorrow."

After Giles handed the sword back to Buffy, she slid the blade into its scabbard. She took careful mental notes while Giles showed her how to wear the scabbard and how to use a sword maintenance kit. Buffy, Faith and Giles each heaved a sigh when Wesley interrupted the weapons lesson.

"I have been looking through the papers that the Mayor's man gave us. I really think we should locate this minion, Lenny," Wesley announced. He was seething inside about the way the two Slayers practically ignored him, but they hung on every word the older ex-Watcher said. He was the Watcher now, not Giles.

"Lenny? Hmm, that name sounds familiar." Buffy closed her eyes as she racked her memory for some little piece of information. Her eyes snapped open, and she replied, "Oh, pissant minion. He's dust in the wind, Wes."

"Are you quite sure, Miss Summers?" Wesley asked. He wondered where the Slayer had heard the word pissant. It wasn't a word he would have associated with her Valley Girl vocabulary.

"Yep. Spike dusted him when he was in town," Buffy informed Wesley. She wasn't going to give him anymore information than she had to. Besides, if he wanted to know what had happened he could easily ask Giles.

"Spike? Are you talking about William the Bloody? You've personally spoken to William the Bloody recently?" Wesley was gobsmacked. He was sure Giles's notes hadn't mentioned anything about Spike being in town recently.

"Mom did, too. He stopped by the house. They shared hot chocolate and romance war stories," Buffy answered. She rolled her eyes at Faith, which caused the dark haired Slayer to snicker behind a hand.

"Your mother invited him into your house? What was the woman thinking?" Wesley blustered. He wondered just how stupid the Slayer's mom could be. Luckily for him, he didn't say it out loud, or he would have found out exactly what a brassed off Buffy would look like.

"No, my mother didn't invite him into the house. I did it last year when we made a truce to take down Angelus," Buffy answered smugly. She was getting angry with Wesley. Buffy was so tired of his whole attitude. It was so concise with its black and white. She was fairly certain that Spike fell into a shade of gray. Maybe he was a very dark shade of gray, but he was there nevertheless.

"Have you at least revoked his invitation?" Wesley's ire rose when Buffy shook her head in denial. "How can you be so lax in your duty? He could come into your house to kill you and your mother as you sleep." He was surprised when Buffy burst out laughing and when Giles smirked.

"That is so not Spike's style, Wes. That would be cheating. He fights dirty, but always in a totally fair way." Buffy continued to chuckle. She smirked at both Faith and Giles. Buffy knew they would understand what she meant.

"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard you say, Miss Summers. I have half a mind to report your tendencies to associate so closely with the enemy. It's one thing to fratinize with a souled vampire, but an unsouled one, too?" Wesley was beyond his breaking point with the girl's audacity and what he felt was a lack of respect for her position and his.

"You know, Wes, when you came to town I told Giles we should send you back home to the Council. He talked me out of it, but now I'm not so sure I wasn't right in the first place. Report what you want to the Council. I quit." Buffy grabbed up her new gift, and she stormed out of the library leaving three flabbergasted people behind her.

"Well, I never ..." Wesley gasped.

"Maybe you should have, Wes. I quit, too," Faith announced.She only put up with the stodgy man because Buffy had talked her into giving him a try. If Buffy was through with him, she was, too. She turned to speak to Giles, "See ya later, G-man. Guess with the three of us no longer in the employment of the Council we can have you as our Watcher Man, again."

Faith hurried out of the library to catch up with Buffy. She found Buffy standing outside the front of the school. Faith put her arm through Buffy's, and the two girls decided to go drown their sorrows in ice cream.

Back in the library, Giles shook his head at the younger British man. He marvelled at how fast Wesley lost control of the situation. "Wesley, I am sorry." Giles smirked at himself as Ripper tried to thrust himself to the surface. "I was very remiss in not informing you of Spike's visit when you took over the Watcher duties for Buffy. Also, there is nothing that makes her madder than someone trying to tell her who she can and cannot associate with."

"But ... but how do I rectify this situation? The Council will be so unhappy with me." Wesley sat down in one of the chairs. He had a dazed look on his face.

"It's time you learned how to be a Watcher." Giles moved towards the library doors. "You will have to figure out a solution on your own. Now, I have a meeting with Mrs. Butler. I will leave you alone to figure it out." Giles pushed open the doors, and he left the younger man alone in the library.

As soon as Giles left, the library was filled with a low, viscious growling sound. Wesley jumped to his feet in fear. His voice trembled as he spoke, "Who's there? Come out and face me like a man."

"You're not a man, you stupid sod, and neither am I.. My Slayer is neither lax nor stupid. Her mother has a heart of gold. If I catch you saying such things about either of them again, there will be hell to pay."

Wesley looked around as he tried to ascertain where the voice was coming from, but whoever it was wouldn't reveal themselves. Finally he got up the courage to grab a crossbow, and he searched the entire library. However, Wesley found no sign of his mysterious visitor, even as the threat continued to rattle around in his head.

February 14, 1999 Friday Valentine's Day

Buffy met the other Scooby girls outside the high school directly after school. Each had their own assignment. Buffy was going to the Bronze to pick up the hors d'oeuvres. Faith and Willow were off to the gallery to set up the tables and chairs. Cordelia was going to the caterers to pick up the dinner food. Both Buffy and Cordelia had heat insulated packs to keep the food warm until later. They had borrowed them from Joyce and the gallery.

Buffy arrived at the Bronze, and she knocked on the kitchen door. It was answered by the cook who ushered the Slayer inside. Between the two of them they had the hor d'ouerves packed into the insulated bag in a matter of minutes. Buffy took some cash out of her pocket to pay the bill, and she gave the cook a nice tip on top of that. She set off towards the gallery, humming as she walked.

When Willow and Faith arrived at the gallery, they were pleasantly surprised to find that Joyce had her workers leave the tables and chairs out where the girls could easily find them. The area that was to be used as the dance floor had been cleared. The two girls went to work setting up the tables in the chosen nooks. Then, they unpacked the paper supplies. Next, they unpacked the champagne flutes they had bought in the store next to the party supply store.

Cordelia arrived at the caterers to find she hadn't needed the insulated bag after all. They already had the food packed in three seperate bags for her. The head caterer helped her put the bags in her car while he explained that Joyce already had heat and cold insulating blankets at the gallery to further wrap the bags. Cordelia nodded as she took in all the information. Then, she climbed in her car, and she headed to the gallery to meet up with the others.

Buffy and Cordelia arrived at the gallery within minutes of each other. Willow and Faith came out to help get the food inside and wrapped in the blankets. Afterwards each girl decorated their table.

Buffy spread a black tablecloth out over her table. This made the red plates, napkins and plasticware really pop out and catch the eye. Red carnations in a clear vase rounded out the look. The champagne flutes she chose had a pewter bases in the shape of a gamefaced vampire and the glass was a swirl of black and red glass. Buffy originally wondered how the maker of the glasses had known what a vampire looked like. That was until she realized the woman was a human-looking demon.

Cordelia spread a white tablecloth across her table. Like Buffy, she had picked red plates, napkins and plasticware. Cordelia mixed red and white carnations for her table's cemterpiece. She had searched the store, looking for something a bit less exotic than Buffy had picked. Cordelia finally settled on flutes with flower bases that flowed up to encase the clear glass. Now seeing them on the table she was quite pleased with her choice. Cordelia hoped that Doyle wouldn't think they were too feminine.

Faith spread a black tablecloth across her table. Unlike Buffy and Cordelia, she had picked hot pink plates, napkins and plasticware. The carnations didn't come in hot pink, but the lighter color didn't detract from the statement the table made. Faith immediately fallen in love with the flutes that stood on pewter dragon bases. She caressed the bases as she thought about how surprised Xander was going to be with the whole package that night.

Willow spread a pink tablecloth across her table. She chose white plates, napkins and plasticware. The carnations on her table were both pink and white. She sighed when she put her flutes on the table. The bases were pewter werewolves, and the mottled glass reminded Willow of the full moon. Of course they had extra special meaning to her because of Oz's werewolfism.

Satisfied with their decorating, the four girls piled into Cordelia's car and went to Buffy's house to get ready for the big night. They had dropped their clothes off at Buffy's house the night before. They took turns showering and helping each other with hair and makeup. Buffy wore the new dress she had bought two short weeks ago at the mall. Faith wore the white pantsuit that really did set off her complextion. Cordelia wore a sophisticated clingy gold lame dress. Willow was wearing a clingy lavender dress covered in velveteen daisys.

When Buffy saw Willow's dress, she asked, "Willow, where's the dress we bought while shopping?"

"Oh. I'm wearing that one tomorrow evening. Oz and I are going to L.A. in the morning for some shopping goodness, and we're gonna catch a show later," Willow informed her friend. "Besides, Oz really, really likes this one."

A knock at the door interrupted the conversation. When Buffy answered the door, she was surprised to see a man dressed in a chauffer's uniform. A long, black limowas parked in front of her house.

"Miss Summers?" The chauffer waited for Buffy to nod her head before he continued. "My name is Tom, and I'll be your driver this evening. Your secret admirer told me to fetch you and your companions to the gallery." Tom turned slightly to motion towards the limo.

"Thank-you, Tom. We'll be right out," Buffy said. She turned back to the other girls and squealed. "This is so cool. I better like this guy because I could get very used to being spoiled like this."

"I'm sure you will, B," Faith reassured Buffy, "I can't believe how totally nice all your gifts have been. If I didn't have Xander, I might be tempted to fight you for him."

"Thanks, Faith." Buffy hugged the dark Slayer. "I'm so glad you're here. I've always wanted a sister."

"Well, let's get a move on, girls. Our guys are waiting for us," Cordelia announced. She herded the others out the door and towards the waiting limo. She nodded graciously to the chauffer when he opened the back door to allow the females to slide into the back seats. She missed her family's money, but having the other girls for her friends was more important to her now.

Buffy and Faith sat one side, while Cordelia and Willow sat on the other. The four teenagers chatted idlely on the trip to the gallery. When the limo pulled up to the curb the girls waited for the driver to come around to open the door for them.

Willow gasped when she saw Oz standing there with a daisy in his hand. He looked so handsome and relaxed in his dress slacks and dress shirt. Oz held out his hand for Willow to take, and he helped her out of the limo. He handed her the daisy, and the two of them went into the gallery.

Cordelia smiled when she saw Doyle for the first time in dress clothes. He had chosen a tuxedo reminiscent of gunslinger wear. The coat was cut longer than usual, the tie was a string and the vest was a maroon brocade. Doyle held a blood red rose that he handed to Cordelia as he helped her out of the limo. They followed Willow and Oz into the gallery.

Faith was thrilled to see that Xander cleaned up so nicely. He wore the same type of casual dress clothes that Oz was wearing. In his hand was a white rose that he totally forgot about when he saw the white suede pantsuit Faith wore. She had to quietly say his name to get his attention. He shook himself and finally held out his hand to help her out of the limo. She took the rose from him. Faith sniffed it before she dragged him into the building, leaving Buffy alone.

Buffy gulped when she saw her secret admirer. He looked so incredible, not at all like the last time she had seen him. The slicked back look was gone; replaced by white-blonde tousled spikes. It made her forget the real reason he called himself Spike. He wore black leather pants that clung to him even better than his usual black jeans did. His shirt was unbuttoned half way down showing off his incredible chest. The shirt was sheer with the pattern of leapord spots on it, which made it seem like his body was playing peekaboo with her. Buffy gulped again as she realized how well her dress matched his attire. Her eyes flew to his face when he chuckled. Buffy took his hand, and she let him help her out of the limo. When he handed her the rose he was holding, she buried her nose in it and looked up at his face shyly.

"You don't appear to be surprised to see me, luv," Spike observed. He brought her hand up to his cool lips.

"I kinda figured it out when you sent the necklace." Buffy continued to look at Spike through her lashes.

"So, no plans on goin' all Slayerish on me?" Spike smirked at Buffy as they moved slowly towards the front door of the gallery.

"I hadn't planned on it, but I can if you really want me to." Buffy chuckled when Spike shook his head negatively.

"Maybe later, pet. Right now I just want to enjoy your company. Maybe we can do some dancing and get a few buffalo wings in before the Whelp eats them all." Spike chuckled as he opened the door, and he allowed her to enter the building in front of him. "Wolfboy and demonboy had a hell of a time keeping him out of the food before you ladies arrived."
"That's Xander for you. Always thinking with his stomach."

They entered the area that the girls had designated for the dance floor. The other three couples were already dancing on it. Spike pulled Buffy into his arms, and the pair began to gracefully sway back and forth.

Buffy gasped in realization, and she pulled back to peer up into his face. "You!" Her heart raced.

"Miss Summers, it's a pleasure to dance with you once again," Spike said. His usual rough accent melted away.

"Will, you are so bad," Buffy cried softly as she slapped his bicep playfully. She laid her head on his shoulder, and she marvelled at how wonderful it still felt to be in his arms.

"What can I say, Buffy. I'm a bad, rude man, but I'm all yours if you want me," Spike whispered in Buffy's ear. He was delighted to feel a shiver of desire course through her body as he continued to blow softly into her ear. Spike decided to test the waters a little further. He reached his tongue out to flick Buffy's earlobe. Spike was rewarded with a whimper.

Buffy felt her knees buckle when Spike licked her ear. She hadn't realized her ears were so sensitive, but maybe it was because it was Spike who was doing the licking. Buffy clung to his shoulders as he moved his lips to the flesh just below her ear. Everything disappeared in that moment, and Buffy forgot that her friends were in the same room with them.

"So beautiful, and so responsive. My Slayer." Spike's accent roughened back up. He saw some movement out of the corner of his eye. "Careful," He said, "The Whelp's made a break for the food."

"Be good, Spike. I overheard them talking, and he's trying really hard," Buffy whispered. She broke away from the vampire's grip, but she grabbed his hand.

Buffy pulled him over to the table where she let go of his hand, and she snatched up a small paper plate. On the plate she placed some buffalo wings, some blooming onion chunks, several deep fried mozzarella sticks, and a couple of baby carrots. Buffy drifted over to some folding chairs set against the wall.

Spike was mesmerized by the sight of Buffy walking away from him. He stood there stunned at how thrilled he was to be here with his Slayer. Well, he was stunned until the little saucy minx beckoned him over with one forefinger. Spike slid into the seat next to her, and stole a buffalo wing off her plate.

"Did you like your gifts, Slayer?" Spike asked. He fixed his entire attention on Buffy, and he ignored her smirking girlfriends gossiping nearby.

"Yes, they were wonderful," Buffy answered. She, too, ignored the others as she continued to munch absentmindedly on the food. "Did you come up with them all on your own?"

"I had help from your mum and Red." Spike finished the buffalo wing, and he put the bone on Buffy's plate. He watched as a dazed look came over the Slayer's face while he sucked the sauce off his fingers. "But I did come up with some of them on my own."

"I figured that when I overheard the gang whispering about the drum." Buffy chuckled as she popped a piece of blooming onion into her mouth. "Mmm, so good. Do you want a bite?" Buffy asked as she held another chunk out to Spike. She gasped and wiggled in her seat just a bit when Spike snatched the food from her grasp and licked her fingers clean as he did. Good lord, how does he do that to me? I thought we were supposed to be enemies, Buffy thought to herself.

Spike looked down at the now empty plate in Buffy's hand. He took it from her, and he threw it into a nearby trashcan. Spike offered her his hand, and the couple got up to continue dancing. They circled the dance floor for a couple of more songs, strangely comfortable in the arms of their mortal enemy, before the other girls pulled Buffy away to go set up the dinners.

"She hasn't punched you yet, Captain Peroxide. There's hope for you," Xander snarked. He had been hoping for a Spike smackdown, but it seemed that wasn't on the Slayer's agenda.

"Much to your disappointment, 'm sure, Whelp." Spike glanced at the teenager. "After my l'il visit before Christmas, I realized how much I care for the Slayer. That's the only reason 'm back in this hellhole of a town."

"You could just leave, again," Xander retorted. He moved towards the vampire, but Doyle and Oz intervened before he could reach Spike.

"Could. Won't, though. I've worked hard for this payoff," Spike informed the sputtering teenager. "All the presents 'n charms 'n notes."

"By the way, what was it with that drum?" Xander asked. "You were supposed to give her the bubble bath that day."

"Just something between the Slayer and myself. I planned that on purpose," Spike said, but before he could continue or be questioned any further, the girls returned. He abandoned the other males as soon as Buffy once again crooked her finger at him. Spike grabbed his duster from the coat rack. He hoped the perfect time to give Buffy her last gift presented itself soon.

Buffy lead Spike to the nook where their table was set up. She heard his grunt of approval when he saw the colors she'd picked. "I used the colors from the envelopes even before I figured out it was you. You approve?"

"Oh, luv..." Spike pulled Buffy into his arms and kissed her on the lips for the very first time that evening. He groaned deep in his throat as Buffy's lips softened under his and parted. Spike's tongue outlined her lower lip, and he felt her hands tangle in his hair when the kiss deepened.

Buffy couldn't believe how good Spike's lips felt pressed against her own. Her knees buckled with desire. If his arms hadn't been around her like bands of steel, she was sure she would have fallen down. Buffy kept her fingers buried in Spike's hair. It amazed her how soft it felt under her fingers.

Spike pulled away to stare down into the Slayer's face. "Hungry, pet?" he asked. He grinned at her dazed 'uh huh' answer. "Which do you want first, luv, dinner or me?"

Buffy shook herself out of the visions of what was definitely yet to come filled her head. She glanced from Spike's smirking face to the table. Her stomach answered the question for her when it let out a loud growl. The earlier hors d'oeuvres had done nothing to sate the Slayer's quick metabolism.

"Dinner it is, then." Spike lead Buffy to her chair. He held it out for her, and he waited patiently as she settled into it.

Spike moved to his chair, but instead of sitting across from her he moved the chair so he could sit right beside her. He put his duster around the back of the chair before he sat. He popped the top off the sparkling cider and filled the champagne flutes. Spike raised one eyebrow when he saw the design one the flutes, but he didn't say anything.

Spike picked a card up off the table and read the contents. He smirked to himself as he realized that everything on the menu for the evening had a meaning and purpose. He put the card down, reached for the two bowls marked for the first course, and he opened them.

Buffy licked her lips when she saw the fruit and dipping sauce. She reached out to pick up her fork when Spike admonished her.

"Ah, ah, ah, Slayer. Keep your hands in your lap. I'm gonna feed you." He pulled a chunk of strawberry from the bowl and dipped it in the sauce. "The card says that strawberries represent love and passion, while vanilla is for passion and sensuality."

Buffy dropped her hands into her lap as Spike spoke. She watched in anticipation as he dipped the fruit and told her what it meant. Buffy opened her mouth. She took the berry in, nipping at his fingers as she did.

"Bananas invoke fertility. Although I don't think that counts in our case." Spike placed the slice of fruit into Buffy's waiting mouth. He put his thumb into his mouth to lick off some remaining sauce. Spike was rewarded with a small moan from his companion. He smiled at himself, and he marvelled at how easy the Slayer was to arouse.

Spike continued to feed Buffy while he told her about each type of fruit. Grapes represented fertility and sex. Papayas were for love and enhancing feminine awareness. Peaches, and of course Spike had to chuckle over this one as he remembered the hated nickname he had for his grandsire, represented love, sensuality, beauty and lust. Raspberries were for love, passion, sex, desire and sensuality.

Spike was glad he was sitting down with the tablecloth across his lap. Watching Buffy's delight as she ate the fruit and licked his fingers was making his cock hard. He could feel the arousal pouring off her in waves. When the fruit was gone, Spike put the bowls to the side, and he leaned in to press his lips against hers. Her mouth tasted sweet from the fruit and sauce. Right then and there, Spike decided that feeding her was going to become a favorite past time for him.

Buffy had never felt so pampered before in her life. She wondered how she would get Spike to feed her next time without looking like a desperate baby bird. Buffy couldn't believe how good Spike tasted. She had always thought that kissing a smoker would taste like an ashtray, but with her vampire ... Buffy pulled away to stare at Spike's face. Her vampire. That sounded right. Her vampire made smoke taste incredible. She grabbed her glass, and she took a long sip of cider.

"Ready for the main course?" Spike's voice filled with innuendo. He chuckled as Buffy blushed and ducked her head. He found her innocence refreshing, and he was glad his grandsire hadn't squelched it all out of her.

"Feed me." Buffy pursed her lips open, ready for whatever Spike had for her next.

"As you wish, luv." Spike uncovered the plate holding the main course. He read off the card, "Limes are for love. Olives are for fidelity. Avocados are for beauty, lust, love and sensuality. Lastly asparagus is a phallic symbol." Spike smirked at Buffy. "Do you know what phallic means, luv?"

Buffy shook her head, but she had a feeling Spike was going to tell her. She watched him pick up an asparagus spear.

"Open your mouth, luv, and leave it open till I say." Once Buffy had obeyed his command, Spike placed the head of the spear on her tongue. "Now close your mouth around it. No biting, pet."

Spike groaned when Buffy closed her mouth. Her pouty lips surrounded the vegetable. He gently started to push and pull on the spear, simulating a very sexual act. Spike was forced to drop his other hand down under the tablecloth to adjust himself.

Buffy suddenly realized what was happening. Was he making fun of her? Her eyes flew to Spike's face, but he wasn't laughing. She was delighted to see that his eyes were fixated on her mouth. Time to up the ante, she thought to herself. She opened her lips and firmly bit through the spear. As she chewed, she watched as Spike's eyes fluttered shut, and his face changed into that of his demon.

"Are you okay, Spike?" Buffy asked, her voice filled with concern. What had made him change so suddenly?

"'m just fine, luv. Just the thought of your teeth on my..."

"Really? You want me to bite you ... down there?" Buffy asked innocently. Nowhere in her relationship with Angel had biting really ever come up.

Spike flashed his fangs at Buffy, and he growled, "Vampires are very oral, luv. They don't mind a little pain with their pleasure. The thought of your teeth anywhere on my body..." Spike broke off as he shuddered.

"Is biting during sex painful?" Buffy's hand automatically covered the bite marks left by The Master. There was nothing pleasurable about the only time a vampire bit her.

Spike's eyes popped open, and he shook off the demon. "No, pet. It can be very erotic and sensual if done in the right way." His eyes followed the fingers on Buffy's neck.

Buffy turned her attention back to the food. "Okay. You'll have to demonstrate later because from my experience with the Master, I'd have to disagree with you." Her eyes on the food, she missed Spike's reaction to her words.

Bloody hell. 'm goin' to spontaneously combust before the night's through, Spike thought to himself, But what a way to go.

Spike picked up the fork, and he tried to distract his thoughts from throwing the Slayer down on the floor and ravaging her within earshot of her friends. He speared a piece of chicken, and when he was too slow bringing it to her mouth, Buffy grabbed his hand. How am I goin' to make it through the night. Every li'l thing is gettin' to me.

Soon it became a game between the two of them. Spike would spear a piece of chicken, or an olive, or a chunk of avocodo. Then he would deliberately be too slow bringing it to her mouth. This caused her to grab his hand to take what she wanted.

Buffy teased Spike every time he fed her an aparagus spear. She would open her mouth to wait patiently until he laid the head of the spear on her tongue. Then she would close her lips around it until he repeated his actions from before. She would finish by snapping her teeth and biting the spear in half. Buffy enjoyed watching the vampire squirm around on his chair. She knew she was in for it later, but she just couldn't resist.

Once the main course was eaten, the couple sipped some more sparkling cider before turning to dessert. Spike presented Buffy with the cinnamon-chocolate truffles rolled in Brazil nuts. He placed them in front of her as he read off the card, again.

"Chocolate is for sensuality. The cinnamon is for love and passion. The Brazil nuts are for love," Spike quoted.

"Do you miss Dru?" Buffy asked suddenly. The mention of Brazil nuts made the Slayer suddenly remember the dark haired vampiress.

Spike tilted his head to study Buffy. Was she worried he wasn't serious in his attentions?
"Just the Brazil nuts reminded me about her," Buffy said quietly. She looked down at her hands and twisted them around in her lap.

Spike used a forefinger to raise Buffy's head. "'m right where I want to be, pet."

Buffy caught Spike's hand in hers, and she pressed her lips to his knuckles. "How do you make me feel so special?"

"Because you are special, Slayer. I knew that the moment I laid eyes on you dancing in the Bronze. Every encounter since has only enforced that feelin'." Spike put his hand into a pocket of his duster, and he pulled out a small jewelry box. "I think it's time to give you your last present from your secret admirer, pet." He popped the box open and presented it to Buffy.

"Oh, Will, it's the one I told you about," Buffy gasped. She stared at the ring nestled in black velvet. The heart-shaped ruby had a diamond on each side of it, and it was mounted in a silver band.

"Be my Valentine. Be my girl, luv, and I'll treat you like a goddess." Spike watched her every reaction. "I promise that I'll never leave you."

"Put it on me, Spike." Buffy held her hand out to her vampire. "I love it. Thank you." She admired the sparkle of the ring in the low light of the gallery.

When Spike was done putting the ring on Buffy's finger, he found his arms full of warm Slayer. He purred as she laid her head on his shoulder, and her hot hands caressed his back.

"Ready to eat your dessert, luv?"

"How about we take them back to your place?" Buffy pulled away to look at Spike's face. "You do have a nice place, right?"

"Yes, pet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy assured the other girls she would be there to help with the clean-up in the morning as she showed off the ring that Spike had given her. She said her good-byes, and she happily trailed Spike out to the limo for the ride to his apartment. The pair talked quietly on the ride, the rhythm of their arousal broken.

Once inside the apartment, Spike pulled the vampire champagne flutes from his duster pockets. He directed Buffy to the living room, while he pulled another bottle of sparkling cider from the fridge. No point in making the Slayer's mum mad at him. When he joined her in the living room, Spike found her admiring the ring he had given to her.

Buffy smiled at Spike when he entered the room. She reached her hand out for a glass of cider. After she took a sip, she placed the flute on the coffeetable. Then she hungrily eyed the dessert truffles already sitting on the table before giving Spike a pleading look.
Spike was pleased when he realized that Buffy wanted him to feed her again. He sat down beside her, and he plucked one of the truffles out of its paper liner. Spike decided to change things just a bit. He took a bite out of the confection, and then he pressed his lips against Buffy's.

Buffy moaned. Oh god, just when I don't think things can get any better, he does something new. She opened her mouth, and she let his chocolate covered tongue intertwine with hers. Buffy scooted closer to Spike until she was sitting in his lap. She swallowed what little chocolate she had in her mouth.

Buffy pulled away from the kiss, and she caught Spike's wrist in her hand. She engulfed his fingers and the truffle with her mouth, sucking his fingers clean as she pulled away. Then she crushed her lips back on to his, and she stuck her tongue into his mouth. Buffy's busy little hands carefully unbuttoned Spike's shirt. She really liked the shirt and didn't want it ruined. Buffy slid her hands underneath it to push it down his shoulders.

Spike groaned at the feel of Buffy's hot little hands exploring his shoulders and chest. He couldn't wait to feel them attached to his cock, stroking him into oblivion. That thought hardened him almost painfully. Spike shrugged off the shirt, and he stood up to carry her to the bedroom. He unzipped the back of her dress. By the time, they had made it to the other room, the top of her dress was pushed down to expose her rosy-tipped breasts.

When Spike put Buffy down her dress fell from her body, leaving her only in her undies and her high heels. She stared down at Spike when he dropped to his knees to take her shoes off for her. Buffy tangled her fingers in his hair when he started to blow cool breaths on her silk-covered molten core.

Spike watched as Buffy's eyes fluttered close. He couldn't believe how responsive his sweet girl was. Spike stood up, and he picked Buffy up to carry her to the bed. He laid down beside her, pressing his body to hers. Spike nibbled at her lips, then her jawline, and down her neck to her pulse point.

Buffy trembled when Spike's open mouthed kisses trailed down her neck. She wasn't sure if it was in fear or anticipation. Before she could assess the feelings, he had moved down to take one hardened nipple into his mouth while he gently tugged and rolled the other in his fingers. All thoughts left the Slayer's head as bolts of pleasure ran down her spine from her breasts to her womb.

"Spike," Buffy cried out. Her hands stroked his shoulders and back, and her legs fell open. Buffy moaned as the vampire settled between her legs. Her hot core pressed against his stomach. She pressed her body up into him.

Spike could smell the Slayer's rising arousal. He abandoned her breasts, and he kissed his way down her stomach to the top of her panties. He hooked both thumbs into the sides of the undies. After he slid them down her legs, he automatically tucked them into the back pocket of his pants. Spike buried his face in the apex of Buffy's thighs.

Buffy gasped and writheed under the vampire when he licked her hot pussy with his cool tongue. She knew she was speaking, but for the life of her she had no idea what was coming out of her mouth.

Spike eased two fingers into Buffy's hot quim as he sucked on her clit. As her cries of pleasure rose in volume, Spike moveed his fingers faster. He felt her vaginal muscles tighten as she came undone. The smell and taste of her caused Spike's cock to harden and swell. He used his free hand to reach down and loosen the snap on his pants.

Buffy came down off her orgasm high slowly. She felt Spike's fingers in her pussy, his cheek on her thigh, and his purred with happiness. She realized he was lazily stroking himself. Buffy surprised the vampire when she suddenly sat up. As soon as he reared back slightly, she used her all of her strength to pull his lips up to hers. After another exploration of each other's mouths, Buffy broke away to breathe.

"No touching yourself, Will. That's all mine to play with," Buffy purred into Spike's ear. She flipped him over and covered his lips with hers. Soon she was licking down his jawline to his neck where she gently bit down on his undead pulsepoint.

"Gonna get yourself in trouble that way, pet," Spike growled. He fought to control his demon.

"God, I hope so," Buffy murmured. She left the neck area, and she slid down to the pecs. Buffy was amazed at how beautifully responsive Spike's nipples were. She licked and nipped at them, smiling to herself when he moaned. Buffy lapped down the vampire's stomach, paying close attention to the dips and curves of his muscles.

"Quit teasin' me," Spike growled.

"Lift up your hips, baby." Buffy slid her hands down to the waistband of Spike's pants. When he raised his hips for her, she pushed the pants to his knees. "Commando, huh?"

"Mmmmrph," was Spike's reply as Buffy abandoned his pants. All thoughts left his brain after the Slayer put her hands on his hard shaft. He twitched uncontrollably while her hot little fingers glided over the satin smooth skin.

"Spike?" Buffy smiled at the vampire when he opened his eyes and raised his head to look at her. "It was really fun trying to figure out who my secret admirer was."

"You can drop the act, Buffy, your plan worked. The Big Bad has permission from family and friends to woo the good little Slayer." Spike dropped his head back down on to the pillow. "Now please, luv, I want to feel your hot little gob surrounding my cock."

The End