All-chapters disclaimer: BtVS does not, by any means, belong to me, it belongs to Joss Whedon, ME, and Fox studios. Not me. Ever. If they belonged to me, it would have ended a LITTLE bit differently lol

Well, this is it. I've decided to try my luck at TSR. I hope you like my first story. Thanks for all of my spuffy friends (lol) that helped me throughout the process of writing this one. Special thank yous to Vampgirly for beta-reading all chapters. Love ya, girl!

Prologue: The big "BUT"

Buffy Summers stared at her step-father’s attorney, Wesley Wyndham-Price, with her mouth wide open. Buffy was, as she had been for the last hour, in Wesley's office discussing her late step-father's will.

“Ummm… Ms. Summers, are you okay?” he asked.

Buffy shut her mouth and stared at him like he was nuts.

“Yes… yes, I’m perfectly fine, but… could you repeat what you just said?” Buffy was confused with the news Wesley had just given her, to say the least. She was touched that Giles had made provision for her in his will, but she was very confused…

“Well, it seems that when your step-father recently updated his will, he left you the pent-house where he used to live before he married your mother…” that was the part that made Buffy touched: that Giles had thought to leave her the pent-house “BUT, he specified in this clause here” he pointed to said clause with his finger “that to get the apartment, AND the share of the money he left you, you must share the apartment with his other beneficiary, his nephew William.” and THAT, was the part that created confusion.

Buffy sighed, **Why would Giles want me to share an apartment with someone I’ve never met? Why can’t I just get my things and live in peace?**

Buffy was still dealing with her dear step-father’s recent death, and to add the fact that she was going to have to share the apartment with a total stranger was just plain distressing.

“Isn’t there any way that we could get around that clause?” she asked, hopefully.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Summers, but the will has already been legalized, and there’s nothing we can do.” Wesley replied, looking at her with understanding in his eyes, he, too, didn’t understand what Rupert Giles’ intentions were when he'd created the clause.

Poor Buffy was still grieving for her step-father, and with the mysterious clause, she couldn’t even take what he had left her and continue to heal her heart. Instead she was now having to make even more changes to her life by preparing to negotiate sharing the rights on the penthouse with someone she had never even met.

Buffy sighed and looked at Wesley with a tired look in her eyes “Well, what do I have to do?” she asked, infuriated by this whole situation.

“Well, we have already contacted William, and it seems that he completely agrees with the arrangement…” Wesley suddenly remembered something he should have told Buffy from the beginning, something really, rather important.

He proceeded with extreme caution “Well, Buffy, I just remembered something…” He lowered his eyes to the paper in his hands that contained her father’s will. She looked at him strangely, he had called her by her first name, and knowing Wesley, that meant that he was trying to lessen the weight of his next words.

“The clause also defines the sharing of the apartment as “'living with William', for the next month and a half.. also, if either of you refuse to fulfill the clause, the house and the share of the money that belongs to you, will pass either to the beneficiary that doesn’t give up –That would be you, or William--, or, if both of you give up, the money will go to charity centers in Sunnydale.” Wesley lowered his eyes once more to the piece of paper “There’s nothing specifying who takes the apartment after the deadline, so I assume that he wants you to get to an agreement on who keeps the house, or if you’re going to sell it”

Buffy stared at him, and repressed the urge to smash her head repeatedly against a wall.

**Why couldn’t he just leave me the money, and leave the house to William, or viceversa? Well, he just likes to be complicated, doesn’t he? Why, Giles? Why did you do this to me?** Buffy was frustration personified.

Wesley looked at her sympathetically. “I’m really sorry that I can’t do anything, Ms Summers…” said Wesley.

Buffy smiled lightly at him “Don’t worry, Wesley, it’s not your fault, Rupert just likes to play bad jokes on me” she said, while looking at the ceiling **Don’t you, Giles? You just like to see me suffer; just like that time you made me read “Macbeth” and said one of the teachers told you that they were going to make us write a paper about it… All lies… one of your attempts to introduce me to English literature…** Buffy smiled at the memory. She remembered Giles’ face when she had discovered his intentions. He had cleaned his glasses frantically, as he laughed nervously. He was so adorable that she couldn’t do anything but hug him.

**I miss you, daddy… I don’t know why you did this, but I trust you…**

Buffy sighed again, feeling defeated, a sensation she got a lot since her step-father’s loss. After all, he was the loving and supportive father she had never had.

She looked at Wesley and planted a small smile on her face.

“So, when do we start this whole deal then?” she asked, and wondered what this clause was going to bring into her life.
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Well, that was it. Hope you liked it. I have more chapters already written, so updates will come quickly. Hope you liked it =) Let me know what you think, so do your thing and review, you guys!

Love ya, see ya soon =P

A/N: I really hope you liked last chapter =) I was kind of nervous
Thank you sooo much for your reviews! they make me incredibly happy and make me wanna write more!
Love y'all! Hope you enjoy this one!

Chapter I: Meeting your new roommate

Last week had been Buffy’s worst. Having to bury her father was bad enough. But she'd also had to listen to gold-digging sluts cry over Rupert’s death on her shoulder the day of the funeral. She'd had the talk with Wesley about Giles’ will; and now, she was meeting the man who would be her new roommate for the next month and a half. All thanks to good ol’ Giles.

Buffy was sitting in a little booth in the Espresso Pump waiting for the mysterious William to appear while drinking a cup of hot chocolate.

She sat there, watching people walk around her. Buffy was nervous- something she would never care to admit to the world- but she was. It was normal, she was just worried because she was going to live with someone she had never met before. She just hoped that William was at least a bit polite. She didn’t want anyone meddling into her privacy.

She watched a guy with platinum blonde hair step into the cafe; he was dressed in black-on-black attire, with a leather duster that flowed behind him as he walked. He appeared to be looking for someone. He asked one of the waitresses for something, and when the waitress pointed at her and he just stared directly at her, she almost spit her chocolate all over the table.

He was GORGEOUS! He had to be the most handsome man she had ever seen. His cheekbones looked like they could cut glass; he had pouty, pink lips and the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Add to that the punk look gave him an edge that Buffy found incredibly attractive. He just oozed sex-appeal.

He started walking toward her, and Buffy started fidgeting in her chair like a nervous schoolgirl. Who could this stranger be, and why was he walking toward her?

When the man stood in front of her, and she just stared at him with her mouth slightly open. She ogled his chest, his face, his mouth…. Huh? Was he talking to her?

“Huh?” **Good one, Buff. Now he’s gonna think you’re an idiot**

The guy smirked at Buffy and sat in the stool in front of hers.

“I said, that maybe you should clean the drool that’s drippin’ from one side of your mouth.” Instantly, Buffy proceeded to clean her mouth quickly, and lifted her eyes to his face when she heard him laugh.

“Why are you laughing?” she asked, embarrassed. Ok, so the smirk was kind of annoying her,

“You are just too naive, luv”. And also, was he British?

“Who are you, anyway?” yes, the smirk was definitely annoying her.

“You're Buffy Summers, right?” asked the man, with the smirk still firmly in place.

“Umm… yeah, I’m Buffy… but that’s not what I asked. Who the hell are you?”

“If you’re Buffy Summers, I guess that makes me your new roommate, pet”

“You… you’re William?”

“Yes, I am… William… but I prefer Spike”

“Spike? What kind of name is that?”

“I wouldn’t throw stones, Buffy.” he smirked.

“Hey! My mom gave me that name!”

“Well, then let me tell ya’, she had an awful taste for names, luv”

**Oh, God, I feel the sudden urge to strangle him**

“Oh, yeah? And how did you get your nickname, Mr. arrogant?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, pet?” he said with a leer

**Oooohhh, no… that’s unsafe territory.. back off, Buffy, back off!** Buffy was having an inner battle. He was incredibly handsome, but also, he was annoying as hell, and the fact that he was going to live with her, just added a new detail to think about.

“So, Spike…” well, this was a desperate attempt to change the subject, so Buffy just didn’t know what the hell she was going to say “Uhmmm…”

“Nervous, Summers?” At the violent shook of her head, he chuckled **So she IS nervous, then…**

“Umm.. I just wanted to talk about the apartment…” he raised an eyebrow and took interest in the conversation. He reclined into his seat, and crossed his arms, gesturing for her to continue “Well, Wesley told me you agreed to what the clause said…”

“I did.”

“Yeah, well, I just wanted to make sure that you were up to it.”

“I am always up to anything, luv…” said Spike, with a lust-filled look

“You’re such a pig, Spike” answered Buffy, rolling her eyes “I meant that maybe you thought about it better, and there could be a small possibility that you would want to… give up?” well, hope is the last thing you lose…

He snorted. “Do you think I’m crazy, pet?” sighing in defeat, she shook her head “I thought so. I mean, do you think I would throw away the chance to have Rupes’ old apartment, AND the money he left me, just ‘cause you’re a dumb girl that’s afraid to live with a man? Give me a break, Buffy”

Buffy looked at him with true dislike in her eyes “So the only thing you care about is the money? You didn’t love Giles!” Buffy’s voice was starting to raise, and people were looking their way.

“Well, if that’s what you want, then whatever. I will make you quit the deal. You don’t deserve anything of Giles’.”

She started gathering her things, and put something in Spike’s hand.

“This is the key to the apartment. Hope you enjoy it while you can.” and with that, she left the café, leaving a very stunned Spike sitting at the table, with a look full of regret.

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Well, here's it. Hope you liked it (Spike was an ass lol)

Chapter 2 will be up soon. Possibly tomorrow. Even later today if you're good and review some more lol

See ya later!

A/N: Well, people! here's anotehr update! You were very, very good readers and left reviews =) Reviews make me a happy K_E_M lol

Well... short chapter ahead, but I promise chapters will get longer with time lol =D Hope you enjoy it, my beautiful people =)

Chapter II: Home is where your heart is

When Buffy arrived at what would be her new home for the next month, she couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the penthouse was. The living room was almost as big as her old apartment and it had windows that went from the floor to the ceiling. The apartment was already furnished, and Buffy was thankful for it. There was no need to worry about bringing hers and Spike’s things here. There was a big couch in front of a huge TV, complete with a Home-theater set. **It seems that Giles had very good taste in decoration, it's very nice, and all, but… as they say, home is where your heart is… I wish you were here, Giles…**

Buffy explored the house slowly. She went through the kitchen, the bathrooms, the rooms, and the apartment’s little terrace, which Buffy discovered, had a little Jacuzzi hidden in the far corner amongst some plants.

After seeing almost the entire house, she went to the room she had now claimed as hers to put away the clothes and cosmetics she had picked up at her house after her little “meeting” with Spike.

**At least the house is big enough, so we don’t have to see each other that much…**

Her room was quite spacious, with cream and light green colored walls, it had a four poster bed that was the focus of attention for the room, two bedside tables and its own bathroom. Buffy entered the bathroom to discover that it had a huge shower, and a bathtub that could easily accommodate five people.

Later, she took a shower, and when leaving her room, she noticed a door at the back of the hallway that led to the terrace that she hadn’t seen before. Curiosity got the best of her, and she stepped through the threshold.

It was a library.

There were five or six bookshelves on the walls that went from floor to ceiling, all of them packed with books.

Buffy started to go through the books.

There were many of Giles’ favorites: Edgar Allan Poe, Jane Austen, and finally, Shakespeare.

Going through the Shakespearean part of the library, Buffy tried to hold back tears.

Othello, King Lear, Hamlet, A Midsummer night’s Dream….

Grabbing the next book in the shelf, she slid down to the floor.

Macbeth...

And then, with the book clutched to her chest, she started to sob.

With a week as busy as the one she'd had to go through, she hadn’t had time to really cry over her father’s death. She thought that she had to stay strong, not for anyone else, but for herself. In fact, she had no one else for whom she had to stay strong, so she just had to do it for herself; but seeing that book, it brought back memories of happy times with her beloved dad and it just caused her to break. The wall she had formed around her heart had crumbled, and she couldn’t do anything else but to sob her heart out.

And that was how Spike found her. Lying face down on the floor crying, with Shakespeare’s Macbeth firmly clutched to her chest.

“Buffy? Pet, are you okay?” She obviously wasn’t, because, for starters, one didn’t cry that way while being okay, and second, she hadn’t even acknowledged his presence in the room. He proceeded cautiously toward her, trying not to scare her. “Buffy?”

“S… Spike?” she lifted her head from the floor and looked directly at him

Spike stared at her. She was quite beautiful, even with her eye makeup smeared, and her eyes swollen from crying. “Buffy, luv, what’s wrong?”

“Go away, Spike, you and I know that you don’t care about anything!” she resumed her crying, and Spike felt that her tears were all his fault

“Umm… I’m sorry for what happened back at the Espresso Pump, luv… I was just trying to annoy you. I’m sorry if that made you feel offended”

“Offended? Spike, you don’t know the half of it. My step-father just died, and the only person that seems to really care about him is ME! At his funeral, a flock of hypocrites from his job were just searching for any chance to get a part of his money. In the streets, everyone that knew him just came to me and gave me fake condolences, only to ask me later about his inheritance. And then, I meet you. His only living relative, and, as it turns out, you only care about his money too!” When she'd finished her outburst, Buffy broke down again, and bawled into her hands.

“Buffy, I didn’t mean it sound the way it came out! Of course I loved old Rupes! He was like a father to me!”

“Well, he was like a father to me too, and let me tell you, you didn’t seem to care too much. You weren’t here for his funeral, and you never called or visited him before…”

“I’m sorry, Buffy, I know I fucked up everything, but I had my reasons, you know? Besides, I was in England. No one told me he was ill or anything till a few days ago when they called me to tell me he had included me in his will”

“That’s not an excuse, Spike…”

“I know it’s too late for excuses, Buffy, but the thing is that I’m sorry for what I said and how I said it…”

“I miss him so much…”

“I know, pet, it will go away with time…” **It doesn’t hurt to lie a little bit, does it?**

When he felt her sobs die away, Spike pulled away from her and cleaned the wet tracks her tears had left on her cheeks.

“You okay now?” she nodded lightly, and suddenly pulled away, stood up and started for the door.

“Listen, Spike, this doesn’t mean that we’re friends or anything… I’m still really mad at you for not calling dad or anything, so don’t expect me to go all soft with you from now on, okay?” her back was to him, and she was sporting a totally serious face.

Spike’s smirk was back on his mouth in less than a second

“Wouldn’t want it any other way, luv”

“Good” And then, she smiled and went to her room for a good night’s sleep.

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Hope you liked it, people! I wanna know what u think! And remember! Reviews keep the updates coming! lol

A/N: OMG!!!! Almost 40 reviews with only three chapters! I feel soooo honored, guys! For my first story, this is just great! You make me feel so happy! =) I hope you like this updatey =P Love ya!

Chapter III: What’s my age again?

Saturdays… Oh, God bless them.

Buffy was grateful it was Saturday. She loved Saturdays because it was the one night a week when she didn’t have to worry about going to work the next day.

**I just wish the gallery could take care of itself** The gallery, was another inheritance Buffy had received, but that one, was given to her after her mother’s death. Joyce had wished for the business to stay in the family, so she left it to her husband and daughter.

Sitting on a stool at the local club, The Bronze, Buffy was debating between just going home, or getting completely drunk.

She considered that maybe the first option was the best one, since alcohol and Buffy Summers were definitely of the non-mixy.

She was about to leave when she heard someone calling her name. When she turned around, she saw it was her best friend and co-worker, Willow Rosenberg.

“Hi Buffy! What are you doing here?” she asked, as soon as she got close enough for Buffy to hear her over the loud music currently playing

“Hey Wills! I was just leaving, I was so bored here. But now since you’re here I guess we can have a drink or something? Maybe chat a little?”

“Definitely. Let’s go to that table over there” Buffy and Willow sat in an empty stall near the pool tables and ordered a pair of cokes.

“So, what have you been up to since last time you were in work?” said Willow with a semi-sarcastic tone. Buffy had been absent from work for three days. She knew that she had been busy with all the things concerning her father’s burial, but she was a little mad for her not calling her at least to tell her she was okay.

“I’m so sorry I haven’t showed any signs of life, Wills, is just that my life the last few days have been pretty chaotic”

“Really? What’s wrong? I have been calling your house to see if you were ok, but no one answered”

“That’s the thing Willow, I moved out of my apartment… at least temporarily”

“You moved out? Why? Was there something wrong?”

“Nope. Giles left me his old apartment as an inheritance. You know, the big one he never let us visit?”

“Oh, yeah, the big pent-house? So, why is that ‘chaotic’?”

“Well, in his will, there was a little clause that said that I have to share the apartment with his nephew, Spike. Either we share, or we don’t get anything… he’s a big pain in the ass, to put it lightly”

“Oh, God, you should have told me! I could have given you moral support or something…”

“Too late for that, Wills.” Buffy sighed “I’m gonna go get some drinks. Want anything?”

“A pina colada, if it’s not too much of a bother, Buff”

“Great, give me a second. I’ll be right back”

Buffy went through the multitude of people to get to the bar. She signaled the bartender to come over,

“A pina colada and a Cosmopolitan, please”

“Should’ve known that you would prefer fruity, girly drinks, pet”

Buffy shivered in distaste. That accent, that mocking voice… could only belong to one person

“Well, hello, Spike… what brings you HERE tonight?” Buffy emphasized the word ‘here’ as in ‘how the hell do you dare being in the same place as me on my SATURDAY night out?’

“I was just here for a couple of drinks. Seems that this is the only decent place in Sunnydale where you can get a good taste of alcohol”

Buffy hated to agree, but it was true “Yeah, pretty much…”

“So, what brings YOU here tonight, luv?” he asked, smirking

“I was having a chat with a friend of mine who just happened to come here tonight too”

“And before that?”

“Ummm…” ok, so she couldn’t tell him she pretty much had no social life whatsoever. She’d be seen as a total idiot.

“You tend to get speechless around me, Buffy. Why would that be? You get all sixteen-year-old-girl with me.”

“I do not! Why would I do that?”

“I asked you that first, pet”

Steam almost flowed out of Buffy’s ears. Sarcastic idiot.

“You… I… You act as if you were five, Spike! Grow up!”

“Oh, so now we are gonna start with the age games, pet? Well, I’ll tell you my age if you tell me yours…”

“Forget it! I’m not gonna tell you anything…” Buffy tried to leave, but Spike grabbed her hand, and she instantly swung her hand in the general direction of his face…

“OW!!! YOU BITCH!!!”

…and got his nose.

“Umm… you… deserved it?” said Buffy, in a small voice

“That HURT! I was only trying to be friendly!”

“That’s not friendly! It’s annoying!”

“You only get annoyed because you have no sense of humor whatsoever”

“I have a sense of humor! I have a whole… bunch of it!”

“Oh, really? Well, it doesn’t seem like that! To me, you’re a bitter, annoying, spoiled brat!”

“Yeah? Well, then you’re a big asshole!”

And with that, she stormed off, and to her table.

“Buffy, what happened? You took an awful lot of time.”

“’The Big Jackass’ was here. We fought… AGAIN”

“Oh, that’s too bad…”

“It’s not bad… I don’t care about it… In fact, I don’t care about HIM.”

“Oh, Buffy, do you think it best if we leave?”

“Maybe… ummm… so, I’ll see you at the gallery on Monday? Maybe we could get some coffee tomorrow night?”

“The coffee thing… I can’t. Oz invited me to have dinner at a restaurant”

Immediately, Buffy felt her humor go better. Oz was Willow’s boyfriend, and had been for the past three years. He had been acting suspiciously the last few months. Taking discreet measures of Willow’s finger, investigating about birthstones and reading wedding magazines when he thought no one was watching… Willow, being the clueless little person she was, hadn’t noticed anything, but Buffy, of course, had. She felt really happy that her friend was probably going to have the moment she had been secretly hoping for since she and Oz had became a couple.

“Oh, that’s ok, Wills, if you can’t, don’t worry, we can take coffee after work on Monday”

“That’s great, Buffy. So, see ya soon!”

“Bye, Willow! Take care!”

Willow took off. It was then, that Buffy remembered a little detail. She didn’t have anyone to take her home **Dammit! I should have asked Willow if she could give me a ride…**

It was not that late. 10:15 pm, her watch read. But in a small town like Sunnydale the streets emptied pretty early, leaving nothing more than badness out there.

Letting out a big sigh, she took her purse and went to the exit. **I guess there’s no other option but to walk** she thought.

The streets were empty, of course. Normally she didn’t walk home after a night at The Bronze. She had her own car, a 2002 Toyota Yaris she had bought after saving for more than two years, but currently it was on the parking lot with a flat tire, and she didn’t have a clue how that had happened. Speaking of which, she had to fix it tomorrow. Walking was so not an option…

Buffy tried walking fast, and tried not to look scared. If some of those nasties that were out there saw she was scared, they would consider her easy prey.

The Bronze was about four blocks from her new house, which was relatively near, so she continued walking.

When she was about two blocks and a half away, she heard the distinct sound of steps.

Buffy didn’t show any signs of being scared, but internally, she was trembling. **Oh, my God… please, please, don’t come onto me… I’m so close to being home…**

Suddenly the sound stopped. **Ok, I guess that’s good**

Buffy continued walking, and when she was two blocks away and could clearly see the building, the steps continued. **Damn! Leave me alone, would ya’?**

Then, there was a laugh. Buffy turned around, only to find the street completely empty. Ok, so now she was getting a little bit scared. She scanned her surroundings for a moment, before turning around…

“Boo!” Buffy flied back from the scare and landed square in her ass. The laugh she had heard before echoed through the street. “That was soooo funny, luv!”

Spike.

“Goddammit, Spike! You scared me! I thought you could be a thief, or even worse, a rapist! You can’t fucking play that kind of game, Spike! You just can’t!”

Spike’s laugh slowly came to an end, and he looked at her with a smirk. “Oh, well, you didn’t seem very scared before, Miss ‘I-am-not-scared-of-walking-home’” he said, with a raised eyebrow.

“Whatever, Spike… Just leave me alone.”

“Don’t be a bitch, Summers. I’ll walk you home”

“I don’t want to walk home with you!” then, something occurred to Buffy, and she smirked. “Were you following me home?”

Spike’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. “Of course not! Why would I do that?”

Buffy’s smirk was still firmly into place. Spike sighed in defeat.

“Okay, so I saw you get out of The Bronze, and, well, a lady can’t walk home alone at night…”

This time, Buffy’s eyes narrowed. “How did you know I was going to walk home? I could have gone out to get my car… You couldn’t have known I didn’t have a car. You left the house before me, and the tire didn’t pop till sometime this afternoon…”

Again, Spike smirked. “Well, luv, I thought that maybe you were not gonna go out if you found you had a flat tire, so I kind of… flattened it”

Buffy’s eyes widened. “You popped my tire just to annoy me?”

“Yup. You looked sooo happy this morning… and I heard you talk to someone on the phone about going to the local club… so I decided to spoil your fun. But it seems to me that no one can spoil Saturday-Buffy’s fun”

“Aaarrrgghhh! You’re an IDIOT! Can you grow up? That was so fourth grade, Spike! You are so childish! First you scare the crap out of me, and now this!”

“Well, it was fun”

“You know you’re gonna pay for the repairing, right?”

“I dunno, luv… I’m kinda poor…” he said with a teasing smile.

“Spike…” she said, with a menacing tone.

“Don’t worry, luv. I planned to do it anyway… I did it, I'll pay for it.”

“It’s the least you can do…”she said, between gritted teeth.

“That’s right. So… walk you home?” Spike said, with a surprisingly friendly smile.

Buffy stared at him for a moment, before smiling slightly.

“Okay”

Both of them with a small smile on their lips, walked home in silence and without looking at each other. That's, until Spike broke the silence.

“I knew you weren’t gonna resist my manly charms, and you’d let me walk you home” he said, finally looking at her, with a mocking expression.

“Shut up”

And then, both laughed, and shortly got home safe.

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Yup, a very childish chapter for all of you people's enjoyment xD
Hope you liked it =), let me know what you think. Your reviews make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. You guys are the best! =D Hope to see more of those reviews coming! Love them!

See ya on the next update! =D Bye-bye!

A/N:THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! Your reviews just make me too happy to be true! =) Remember! many reviews=faster updates! xDD It just makes my ego go bigger and bigger lol, just kidding. It makes me very happy =D Thank you! And now, here's the chappie!

Chapter IV: Sunday Morning, part 1

Buffy woke up the next morning to find that it was raining. Something that was really rather unusual in Sunnydale, being as it was in sunny California and all, rainy days were really scarce. The weather reports hadn’t shown any abnormal rains approaching. She got out of bed and decided she was going to stay home and be a couch potato for the rest of the day.

She went into her bathroom and brushed her teeth, took a quick shower and got dressed. She chose some simple slobbing about the house clothes, a pair of loose blue sweatpants and a white t-shirt.

She was in front of her vanity brushing her hair when she heard a knock on her door. Knowing that there was no one else in the house but her and Spike, she sighed in annoyance knowing she was going to have to talk to the bleached wonder.

She opened the door and found him leaning on the doorframe with a towel slung over his shoulder.

“What do you want?” asked Buffy, a little bit too grumpily.

“Good morning to you too, pet, I’m glad you’re happy to see me” he snapped back.

“Cut it out, Spike. What do you want?”

He sighed, “Well, I was just wondering if I could use your shower. Mine doesn’t work.”

She considered for a moment, and was about to say no, when she thought it was best to play civil. “Yeah, okay, go ahead”

"Thanks” He entered quickly, and scanned his surroundings. “Seems like you've already given this room the girly touch”

Buffy observed the room. He was right, she had tried to warm up the cold environment of the room and give it a touch of herself, hanging pictures of her, Giles and her mom in the walls, and putting some flowers and other decorations in the room.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t want it to be all empty forever”

“It’s nice…” he answered quietly, almost as if he didn’t want her to know he was complimenting her.

“Thank you. So… were you going to use the shower or not?”

“Oh, yeah, right” and he disappeared in the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

Suddenly, the phone in her night table rang, and Buffy went to pick it up.

“Hello?” she said, and was answered with Willow’s gentle voice

“Hi, Buffy" I was just calling to say hi” she chuckled “And to tell you the offer of coffee tomorrow is still standing”

“Oh, that’s great, Wills; So, are you going to have dinner with Oz?”

“Yup! He says he has a surprise for me… Maybe it's that cute puppy I told him I wanted?”

Buffy laughed. How could Willow be so clueless? “I hope it’s a puppy, Wills”

She heard the shower switch off in the bathroom.

“Oh, it would be so cute. Well, I gotta go, Buff, See you tomorrow"

“Kay, Wills, see you”

As soon as Buffy hung up, the bathroom door opened and out came Spike, clad only in a midnight blue towel that hung low on his hips.

Buffy stared at him with her mouth slightly open **Who would have thought someone that stupid could have such abs?** He was hot, she had to admit…**Oh, come on, Buffy, he’s the hottest guy you have ever seen** yeah, she was starting to hate that little voice in her head… the voice that was partly right.

“…ur shower” Yeah, Spike was talking again, she hadn’t heard him again, all because she was checking him out again, and she had responded with “Huh?” again…

Her life completely sucked.

With a raised eyebrow, he repeated what he had said… “I said ‘thank you for letting me use your shower’” she nodded dumbly and he smirked. “Kinda distracted today, aren’t we?”

She blushed “I’m just sleepy… I didn’t sleep very well”

"Uhum… well, I’ll see you downstairs…I’m gonna make some breakfast… Do you want pancakes?”

“You cook?”

“Don’t you?”

“Well… not exactly… I’m kinda bad at cooking”

“Well, then thank God you have me” he winked. “So, pancakes?”

“Sure” she answered. “I’ll go watch some TV. Is that ok?”

“I’m not your mother. You can do whatever you want to.”

“Oh, well, it’s just that since you’re making breakfast…”

“I offered to cook. Don’t feel you need to pay me back or anything”

“Okay, thanks”

“Don’t worry” and with that, he left the room and headed for the kitchen.

Buffy went to the living room and plopped down on the couch, turning on the giant TV. She searched for something to see, and found some re-runs of ‘Charmed’, so she laid there and watched for the fiftieth time how Phoebe, Piper and Paige lost one of their senses due to some demonic monkey’s spell.

“Bloody awful show, that one is” it was Spike, cleaning his hands with a napkin “Breakfast is ready”

“Okay” She stood up and headed to the kitchen right behind Spike

There in the breakfast table were two plates, with a pair of pancakes, two glasses of orange juice and a bottle of maple syrup.

Buffy sat down in front of her plate, and Spike did the same, so they were eating face to face.

Buffy took a bite of her pancake, and, seeing that Spike was smirking, she swallowed slowly and narrowed her eyes

“You didn’t poison my pancakes, did you?”

“Oh, come on, luv… I didn’t poison anything”

“Then why are you smirking?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh, well…”

“So.. do you like the pancakes?”

“Well, yeah, they’re pretty good”

“Knew it…That was why I was smirking, pet”

“Ego much?”

“Oh, luv, it’s not my ego… I’m just confident of my… abilities”

“Ugh… let’s not get into that… don’t be a pig while I’m eating, please”

“I wasn’t saying anything inappropriate, luv… I was referring to my cooking skills, but now that you mention another kind of skills, I must say...”

“Shut up, will you?”

“Oh, well”

Buffy desperately wanted to change the subject. Specially after seeing that hot body of Spike’s, she didn’t have any doubts of any skills he could possibly have.

Of course, she pushed that thought out of her mind.

“Uhm… so… if you were saying that ‘Charmed’ is a ‘bloody awful’ show… what do you prefer to watch, then?”

“I definitely have a taste for ‘Passions’, that one is bloody brilliant”

For a moment, Buffy thought he was kidding. Then, seeing how excited he was talking about it, she decided he was nuts.

“’Passions’? That dumb show?”

“Oi! It’s good, It definitely deserves awards”

“Riiiight”

The rest of breakfast was eaten in silence. When they finished, Buffy stood up, thanked Spike, washed her plate and went to the living room.

The rain was still falling heavily. Buffy could see through the big windows the grey sky, and the small amounts of people out, trying to cover themselves.

“I abandoned rainy London, and came here for this? I can’t believe it” Spike stood next to her, looking through the window.

“London’s always like this, right?”

“Yeah, pretty much”

“Oh, that must be a little boring after years of living there, you must get tired of so much rain”

He shrugged “You get used to it.”

Buffy go away from the window, and laid down on the huge couch, watching TV again. Spike sat down next to her feet, and stared at the TV.

Both of them were silent for a long time, and when Spike spoke, his voice was rough from lack of talking.

“Ummm.. do you want to… maybe go out and take a soak in the jacuzzi?”

“It’s raining, Spike.”

“There’s a little sunshade… or more like a rainshade” Buffy giggled at that “That we could use to cover the Jacuzzi while we’re in it. Wouldn’t you like a soak in the hot water? It’s cold, after all.”

“Okay. That sounds good. I’m gonna go put my swimsuit on. You install the sunshade thingy. I’ll be back in a second”

Buffy ran to her bedroom and shut the door, leaving Spike alone to put the awning over the hot tub.

He ventured out in the rain, and installed the little sunshade quickly, then went back in, and realized he was soaked to the bone. He was going to his room to put on his swimming trunks, when Buffy got out of her room wearing only a skimpy black and red bikini **My favorite colors** he thought fleetingly.

“Uhm… so, are you going in the tub, or not?” Buffy felt nervous because, this time, he was the one checking her out.

“Yeah, just a mo’, I got soaked.”

“Okay, I’ll wait in the Jacuzzi”

“See ya’ there”

As soon as Spike closed his bedroom’s door, he could see his reaction to seeing Buffy’s body on display like that. He was sporting a hard-on. So what? He didn’t like the chit. That didn’t mean he was blind. She was hot. Very hot. Definitely hot, and seeing her like that sure made him want to get laid.

When was the last time he'd had sex? Oh, yeah, almost a year ago. An amount of time that sounded almost inhuman to him after having sex almost on a daily basis. After Drusilla’s death he hadn’t had the spirit to share such an intimate moment with anyone else. After all, she had been the love of his life...


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Yippeee... Hope you liked it... some jacuzzi fun in the next chappie...
Hope you liked the out-of-shower scene, Crystal Pegasus! =)
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See ya!

A/N: Yipee! I'm so happy you guys are liking this
! Your reviews make me sooo proud lol, I'm very happy. I hope you keep reviewing, and I'll, of course, keep updating =) Love y'all. Enjoy!

Chapter V: Sunday morning, part 2

Buffy was waiting for Spike in the hot tub. He was taking an awfully long time just to dry himself and put on a pair of swimming trunks, to get wet again.

She didn’t know why she was doing this, watching TV, having breakfast, and taking a soak in the Jacuzzi with him. After all, she didn’t like him, and he didn’t like her. He was arrogant, immature, sarcastic, and a bleached-thick headed-punk pig. **Yeah, big with the words, huh, Buffy?**

He was being a little bit nice today. Maybe he was in a good mood, or he was trying to make some peace with her. Who knew. He was as unpredictable as the storm that Sunnydale was currently experiencing.

Suddenly, she heard the terrace’s door open and close, and saw Spike run to the Jacuzzi through the heavy rain.

“Sorry I took so long, pet. I had to make a call” **Liar** Spike’s annoying mental voice piped up. The truth was that he had to free himself from some tension in certain parts of his body that wouldn’t go away voluntarily.

“Okay. So… what do you wanna chat about while we’re here?” Buffy asked.

“Umm… maybe we can get to know each other a bit better. We are roommates now, after all”

“Okay, so… What’s your full name?” **Oh, what a dumb question, Buffy**

“My name’s William James Giles”

“Giles told me you were his sister’s son. Why do you have her last name?” Buffy immediately realized that was a private question. He suddenly tensed “I’m sorry.. I shouldn’t have asked that”

“Don’t worry, luv. It’s all in the past… My father… well, his name was Ethan Rayne, and he got my mother pregnant… she was 18 at the time. When she told him, he stayed with her for obligation, but didn’t let her put his last name on my name, he left us when I was five”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Spike”

“Nonsense, pet. Never loved him anyway”

“Oh. Well, something similar happened to me… My father divorced my mother when I was 10. He ran away with his secretary… I met her once… she was 19 at the time. My dad was 42. After the divorce my mother was destroyed, and wanted to start a new life, so we moved from LA to Sunnydale. She opened an art gallery here, and in an art show she met Giles. They fell in love, blah, blah, and then they married almost a year later.”

“The only time I talked to Rupert after he married your mother he told me he was very happy with her. I was 15 when I spoke to him… I never talked to him again after that…”

“How old are you, Spike?” Buffy asked

“I’m 26, why?”

“You didn’t speak to him for eleven years? Wow…”

“Yeah… well, as I said, I had my reasons” Spike’s tone told her that that was the end of that particular topic of conversation.

“You haven’t told me how old are you, luv. I’m not going to be the only one revealing ages here”

She chuckled lightly, before saying “I’m 25”

“Oh, so you’re younger than me? I can’t believe it, pet”

Buffy didn’t get mad like he expected her to be. She actually smirked

“Well, I thought you were in your mid-thirties… I can’t believe you’re older than me by only a year.”

“Ha bloody ha, Summers”

“It’s what I think… You can’t kill me for voicing my opinions, can you?”

He glared at her, even though he had to admit that her response was not the easily-annoyed-Buffy would give. This was more like spitfire-Buffy.

Buffy laughed a little at his expressions and then sobered up. “So, are you going to ask any more questions?”

“Yeah, but only if you promise you’ll answer anything I ask, okay?”

Buffy didn’t think, and just said “Okay”

Spike pushed back a smirk, as he made the question that would clearly bother her the most

“So, Summers, are you a virgin?”

Spike could have sworn her eyes got two sizes bigger than what they really were.

“I’m SO not going to answer that” she said, blushing and crossing her arms over her chest.

Spike couldn’t help noticing the way her breasts pushed together when she crossed her arms. “Ah, ah, ah, Summers… you don’t get away that easily.. You promised you’d answer anything I asked.”

Buffy looked torn. Okay, so she had promised. But that was her intimate business! Well, maybe if she just answered and went back into the house… it wouldn’t be so bad… She wouldn’t have to give any details, so…

Spike heard Buffy murmur something under her breath. “I didn’t catch that one, luv”

“I’m a virgin” Spike didn’t even had time to smile his Cheshire Cat grin, when Buffy was out of the hot tub and running to her room.

So she was a virgin? Huh. Who would have known… Spike was slowly discovering that Buffy could be a very interesting girl that kept hidden many secrets behind those pretty, brilliant hazel eyes.

Pretty? Brilliant? Where the hell had that come from?

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Buffy was now locked in her room, her breath coming out in short gasps. Her face red in mortification.

He was such an ass!

He was just going to make fun of her the rest of his life, wasn’t he? She knew that most girls weren’t virgins at 25 this century… But that was no reason to make fun of her because of it… she just wanted to wait for the right guy…

Was that a bad thing?

She was made fun regularly for being a virgin. Every guy she went out with made fun of her for being a virgin. Of course she knew they just wanted to get laid, but still…

She felt so embarrassed…

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and she wondered if she should open the door or let Spike rot in hell for irritating her.

She decided that the second option was childish, and she didn’t want to be like Spike, so she just opened the door.

Surprisingly, his face wasn’t one of mock. His eyes were lowered, staring at the carpet, and he was wringing his hands while shifting from one foot to another.

He almost looked like a child that had just been punished.

“What do you want?” It was the second time that day that she answered her door with that sentence. This time, the difference was that she had a reason to use the harsh tone in her voice.

“I… I just wanted to apologize for what I said, Buffy…”

She couldn’t believe it. Spike apologized! Big, arrogant Spike had apologized to her…

“It’s not a bad thing that you’re a virgin, Buffy. In fact, it’s a very admirable thing to be. You’re pure, and untouched and that’s a quality many girls your age don’t have, so… I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Buffy stared at him, still incredulous. He looked at her expectantly, and she smiled.

“You’re being sincere, right?”

“Of course. I’m sorry… really.. I shouldn’t have said that”

“Who would have thought you could be a decent guy?”

“Oi! I’m always a fucking decent guy… it’s just I don’t show it all the bloody time”

“Oh, yes, now let’s cover the fact that you apologized to me with unnecessary swearing” she raised an eyebrow. “I’ promise I won’t tell anyone you did the right thing, bad boy”

He glared at her. Maybe she was a sweet, pure virgin, but she sure had a big mouth. **Imagine all the different uses that mouth could have…** Aaaarrghhhh… that voice in his head was driving him nuts! It was always with the annoying comments that shouldn’t pass through his head.

“Yeah, well, I just wanted to apologize, but since you’re being a right bitch about it, I guess I’ll just go. No need to stay and be insulted, believe me.”

“Whatever. I don’t have any time for you”

Buffy knew this was not the best way to accept an apology, but this was the way things were between them. He said something nice, only to ruin it five minutes later. He sure had a big mouth!

She closed her door and went to lay down on her bed. She stared straight to the ceiling, and then at her walls.

She saw all the pictures she had hung there. Of her, Giles and her mom when they all used to be happy.

Joyce Summers had been a very sweet and good mother. Always concerned for Buffy’s well being. When Hank had divorced her, she had been devastated, and had wanted to leave LA in search of a new life, Hank-free.

Within a few months, Joyce had opened her own art gallery. Making her dream come true. She had got paintings and sculptures from the best artists in Sunnydale, and had organized her first showing.

There, she had met Giles.

Apparently he was a close friend of one of the artists showing their work at the gallery, so he had been invited. They had immediately hit it off, and in a year’s time, they were married. Buffy, at the tender age of 10, understood perfectly what her mother had been going through with her dad, so she was happy that she had met a wonderful man like Giles.

As it turned out, Rupert Giles was a very powerful and wealthy man in Sunnydale. He lived in a pent-house on the most expensive building in the entire city, but he was a very simple, and down-to-earth man. As soon as he and Joyce married, he moved to the small Summers’ residence in Revello Drive.

Giles never spoke much about himself or his family. He only mentioned he had a sister, who had a young son called William.

Nine years of happiness quickly passed in the Summers’ household.

Then, Joyce started having constant headaches and getting ill constantly. She went to many hospitals, and saw countless doctors, but none knew what was wrong with her.

That was until she died. It was then that the doctors gave them the answers they’d needed. She’d had an aneurysm. She had died while taking a nap on the couch, and no one could have stopped it.

Or so had said the doctors.

Buffy had been destroyed by it all. Luckily she’d had Giles to support her, even though he was even worse than her. He cried a lot for his beloved wife, and he needed all the love he could have. He was a good man, and he didn’t deserve to be so sad.

So Buffy kept strong for him, and didn’t cry.

For years she kept her feelings locked up inside her. Giles wanted her to let go and cry, to show her heart, but honestly she didn’t want to be weak.

She loved her father very much. That was Giles. Hank, her real father, had only been a sperm donor for her, but Giles had loved her more than Hank could ever have.

And when she thought maybe he was going to be with her for a long time, he had died too.

He’d had brain cancer. She hadn’t known anything about it, and she wasn’t sure if he knew. The doctors hadn’t said anything about him knowing. She had felt horribly knowing that an awful illness like cancer had been eating Giles from the inside for such a long time…

He had left her money, a house… but the only thing she wanted was her dad.

**Daddy… I want you back…**

Buffy looked at the ceiling, not noticing she was crying until the tears that fell tickled her cheeks. She burrowed her face in her pillow and started to cry for her father once again, hearing the rain falling heavily outside of her window… She just hoped the horrible pain in her heart would eventually go away…

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Well, no smutty jacuzzi fun for now, but... I hope you like it anyways!
As always, thank you for your reviews! I hope you leave me some more for this one! Thanks, people! See ya soon!

N/A: Hi guys! I'm sorry I didn't update sooner! I've been kinda busy going to the doctor, getting tested and all lol, so I haven't gotten any time =) Hope you like this chapter! And thanks for your support and your reviews! I really, REALLY love them!

Chapter VI: Curious

Buffy awoke slowly, hearing a piercing sound coming from somewhere beside her.

The alarm clock.

It was 6:30 in the morning, and Buffy felt like crap. She had cried herself to sleep last night, so her eyes were red and swollen. Her eyes tired from shedding so many tears.

She turned off the alarm and went to take a quick shower. Today, she was going to go in to work after not going for three days.

After taking her shower and putting on a white blouse and a knee-length black skirt, she walked to the kitchen, planning on making some breakfast for herself, only to find that Spike had made her some toast and orange juice.

“Mornin’ luv, I made some breakfast. I assumed you were going to work today.”

Spike watched her cautiously, he had heard her sobbing all afternoon in her room after he had gotten out of the Jacuzzi, and now her tired and swollen eyes were the proof that he hadn’t imagined it. Was it because he had offended her or something?

“Good morning, Spike… Thanks for all of this… I really wasn’t keen on making breakfast today…”

“Dun’ worry, luv, it was a pleasure… So, you going to work today?” he watched her with concern.

“Yup, at last…”

“That’s good. Where do you work?”

“I work at an art gallery… It was my mother’s…” She toyed with the glass, not looking at him.

“Oh, that’s great… You’re like… the manager then?”

“Yeah, pretty much. I search for new artists and organize showings…”

“Really? Oh, that’s very good” He then stood up and went to get the newspaper on the door. He sat down again and immediately opened it.

“What are you doing?” Buffy asked curiously

“I’m looking for a job”

“Really? Oh, what kind of job are you looking for?”

“I was hoping for a job in some club… I kinda like to sing, and all. It’s not much, but it’s a start”

“Oh, that’s good! I hope you find something” He could tell her wish was sincere and he smiled at her

“Thanks, pet”

Buffy then looked at her watch and her eyes widened “Oh, God… I’m late! I’ll be back at 5, Spike!”

“Buffy, pet, some packages are going to be shipped here this afternoon… They’re mine… Could you please sign for me if you’re here? I’ll be out job-hunting”

“Of, course. If I’m home, I’ll gladly do it”

“Thanks”

“You’re welcome, bye!”

Buffy went down the stairs to the parking lot, unlocking her car, and that’s when she realized she still had a flat tire. “Arrrrghhh! Dammit, Spike!”

She locked the car again, and headed to the street to get a cab. No way she was going to walk 9 blocks to work! When she was in the cab, she got her cell phone out, and dialed home, waiting for Spike to pick up.

“Hello?” For a moment, she felt shivers run up and down her spine. She hadn’t heard that tone of Spike’s voice… It almost sounded… bedroom-y.

“Umm.. Spike?”

“Buffy?”

“Umm… yeah… look, I just remembered that my car still has that flat tire, so could you go and repair it like you said, please?”

“Yeah, sure, I promised”

Buffy was grateful she wasn’t going to have to beg him to do it.

“Okay, thanks. Bye!”

“Bye, luv”

Buffy hung up, and stared out of the window, thinking how Spike’s moods were more unpredictable than she had thought.

When she got to work, she was immediately rushed to her office by a very frantic and excited Willow, who didn’t stop to worm her fingers in front of her.

“I’M GETTING MARRIED, I’M GETTING MARRIED!!!!!”

“Willow! That’s awesome! He proposed last night?”

“Yeah! Isn’t that awesome? He’s the sweetest man on earth. I love Oz so much!”

Buffy was very happy for her friend. She was finally getting what she wanted, but she was also very sad because she didn’t have anyone like Oz. Someone who cared unconditionally for her… who pampered her and made her feel special.

Buffy and Willow stayed almost all day inside of Buffy’s office, discussing Oz’s proposal. Even the coffee break they had planned was dedicated to Willow’s new “engaged” status.

As soon as the end of the day came, working hours at Summers’ Art were over, and Buffy headed home.

She got into a pair of comfy shorts and a white tank top and laid down on the couch, grabbing a pile of papers from her study, that constituted a list of new artists that wanted to show their work at the gallery. She had to call them, check their work and decide.

Some time later, there was a knock on the door, and Buffy went to open it, seeing a tall, black man on the door.

“Hi, Miss… I’m Charles Gunn, from MRW, and I’m here to make a delivery… Is this William Giles’ house?”

“Yes, that’s correct” She stared at the different packages on the floor. All of them were wrapped in brown paper.

“Oh, that’s great… If you could sign right here, please?” he showed her a little chart

“Sure.” Buffy signed and smiled at him. He smiled back “Thank you” He put the packages inside, and turned to leave.

“Thank you for using MRW… Have a nice day, miss”

Buffy closed the door and stared at the numerous packages in the door.

There was a big, square-shaped one, and the rest were thin and squared too.

The big one looked like it could be a chest, maybe a box containing something.

It was very heavy.

The others, seemed like paintings, and Buffy, being the owner of an art gallery, wanted to know what they were.

So she “accidentally” ripped open the wrapping of one of the packages, and saw it was, in fact, a painting.

A painting of a very beautiful, raven-haired woman.

The strangest thing was, that it was signed by Spike, who was currently at the doorframe staring at her with eyes full of anger.

“WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING?” Oh, yes, being nosy sucked.
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Yup, it was kinda short, but that means my next chapter will be up sooner! =D LOL, Don't forget to leave a cute, lil' review! See ya! =D

A/N: YIPPEEEEE!!! You guys are awesome! Thank you sooooo much for your wonderful feedback! You really blow me away! It means the world to me this one has such a great response! Thank you very, very much! Hope you enjoy this chapter! =) So... here's it!!

Chapter VII: Dancing with myself

Spike was happy he was getting home early. His job interviews had gone well, and he was almost sure he was going to get a steady job in The Bronze. The manager, some guy called Lorne had said he was a nice guy, and had told him that the job was pretty much his, since he had sung so well in his audition.

He was in front of the apartment building, after having gone to get Buffy’s car fixed. Now that he thought about it, that joke HAD been pretty lame. He was not a child, for God’s sakes… He didn’t know what it was about Buffy that made him want to annoy her.

When he got to the apartment’s door, he started wondering if his packages had arrived.

He got his answer as soon as he opened the door and saw Buffy staring at one of the paintings.

One of HIS paintings.

“WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING?” Why the hell did everyone always meddle in his private life?! He didn’t go prying on other people dammit!

Okay, so that wasn’t entirely true. Maybe he liked to meddle into Buffy’s personal life a LITTLE bit. He didn’t know why. Maybe all about her seemed like a mystery to him.

“Umm… I’m sorry, Spike… I’m….” he hadn’t realized that Buffy was trying to explain herself to him. He tried to get past his fury and listen to her.

He wanted to see what kind of excuse she had for this.

“I… saw that this were paintings… and since I have an art gallery, I was curious… these are really good… I’m…”

“Oh, so they’re pretty good?” Spike said in an irate and sarcastic tone, which Buffy completely ignored “So... what do you plan to do? Make a showing of my paintings in your gallery?”

“Well, since they’re so good… maybe… I thought…” Buffy looked like a deer caught in headlights. She still hadn’t got up from the floor, her eyes were wide in fear, and her mouth was slightly open.

“NO”

“Why?”

“Because they’re mine, and they’re private. I made them for myself”

“But they’re so good, you could…”

“I said NO, Buffy. It’s not any of your business, so stop trying to make it happen”

Spike finally moved from the doorway, and proceeded to get his paintings from the floor, starting with the one that was uncovered. He got as many as he could in his arms and started for his room.

“What are you waiting for? Get up from the floor and get away from my bloody paintings, you stupid bint!”

Buffy got up slowly, her eyes starting to tear up. She ran for her room, passing beside him, murmuring a quick apology and closing her door behind her.

Spike heard her start to sob as soon as she got into her room. And it made him feel bad about himself. He had made her cry… again

And why did he care? She was the one that had been sticking her nose in his things. He didn’t know what he felt anymore.

He went to his room, deposited the paintings on the floor and went to get the rest. Locking himself in his room as soon as he had finished.

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Buffy didn’t know why she was crying. He had yelled at her, so what? She could take more. She was strong! Lately, she cried at anything.

That same morning in the cab, her eyes had teared up because she had seen a little girl and her dad playing in a park. Then, while walking back home, she had passed a bookstore and had decided to go in, only to find many books that had happy families in the cover.

Once again, she had been blinded by her tears.

She had walked home slowly after exiting the store, trying to get herself together. She was not weak. She was not weak…

By the time she had gotten home, her feelings had been calm again.

She really was living an emotional roller-coaster…

She got in her bed after laying on the floor for about ten minutes, and continued to cry into her pillow.

She wanted to know why the hell she was crying. It wasn’t because of the yelling, or because of Spike being mad at her, God knew she didn’t care.

**Maybe because you saw another woman in those paintings?** That little voice was definitely not helping… not at all, all because it was wrong.

So totally wrong…

Well, she had felt disappointed in herself, because she had broken the number one rule she had mentally set before moving.

Do not meddle into anything to do with Spike.

Maybe she could… apologize? She had opened his painting, and without his permission. He didn’t want her to see them. They were his. She didn’t have to be a nosy roommate and see it. It was not hers.

Yeah, maybe she should… apologize.

He always did, after all…

Well, she had to be decent, and civilized.

It was her fault, actually, so… yeah, apologizing. She was going to go to Spike’s room and apologize, sincerely to him.

Why wasn’t she getting up from the bed? Was it that difficult? Was her pride that big?

Well, yeah…

Even if it had been her fault, she didn’t want to apologize, just because she didn’t want to admit her mistakes.

“You have to be responsible for your actions, Buffy” Giles and her mom had always said it. She had thought they were right, so… she had to do it. For them. She was gonna make them proud.

She left her room, with her head down looking like she was being led to her execution.

Spike’s room was only a few steps from hers, but it seemed like a million.

She was being childish and stupid again. She knew it, but she couldn’t help it. It was Spike’s fault. He made her act this way.

She knocked on his door, and a few seconds later, Spike opened it, looking clearly surprised. He got only his head out, and raised his eyebrow.

“Anything you wanted, luv?”

“I… ummmm…” Buffy stuttered. She was STUTTERING. Buffy Summers didn’t stutter. EVER.

“Well?”

“I just wanted to tell you that… I’m… sorry, Spike… I shouldn’t have gone through your paintings… Those were private… It was very disrespectful of me”

Immediately, Spike’s eyes softened, and he came out from behind the door, opening it half way.

“Apology accepted, pet… and since you apologized, I’m sorry for yelling at you…”

“Oh, no, I deserved it… you don’t have to…”

“No, Buffy, you don’t deserve anyone treating you like a dog… that’s what I did, I’m sorry. I overreacted”

Buffy knew he hadn’t, she would have reacted the same way if someone had been messing with her personal belongings…

She hadn’t realized Spike had his door almost completely open until now, so she just COULDN’T help to sneak a peek at what was inside. She just loved sticking her nose in other people’s business, didn’t she? Well, more like she liked Spike’s business… She was debating between moral or curiosity…

Obviously, curiosity won.

She discreetly watched Spike’s room. While he had said that her room had a feminine touch, his room was completely masculine. His walls were of a deep blue color, just like his eyes. **Wait a minute. When did I realize his eyes were blue? And more importantly, what SHADE of blue they were?** She mentally shook her head and continued spying. The bed was the same as hers, just that the sheets were a light blue. He had his bathroom, which she assumed he had not fixed yet, and a big window, almost completely covered by curtains, the walls were empty, except for a painting he had just in front of his bed. He could distinguish a man and a woman, but no faces. The dark didn’t let her see anything else.

“Luv?”

“Huh?” Oh, great. Was that the only word of her vocabulary when it came to Spike-related issues?

“You know, I’m getting tired of you not listening to me. Maybe next time I’ll e-mail what I say to you, so I don’t waste my voice, repeating it over and over…”

“I’m sorry! Jeez! You don’t have to be all cynical about it…”

“Yeah, well, I was wondering if I could borrow your shower again? I called the plumber this morning… He said that…”

“I’ll fix it”

“What?”

“I said I’d fix it.”

“Uhmmm… you know about plumbing, luv?”

“Of course! I used to do all the plumbing in my old house!” Okay, that wasn’t entirely true, but… she wanted to see who were the two people in the painting. Badly. She didn’t know a thing about plumbing, but… Spike didn’t know that, right?

“Okay… If you wanna… Do you wanna do it now?”

“Yeah, okay”

Spike let her in, and immediately her nostrils were invaded with a very masculine, musky scent.

A scent that obviously belonged to Spike. And she liked it.

She walked across the room, watching the painting in her way to the bathroom.

A man and a woman. They were posing very close to each other. Not like friends, but neither like passionate lovers. She could recognize Spike in it, and the woman, was the same as in the painting she had uncovered when getting home.

The same beautiful raven-haired, green-eyed woman.

Now that she had seen her painting, she continued walking almost mechanically to the bathroom. **Who could that woman be?**

When she got to the shower, Spike pointed out the problem.

“See, the showerhead doesn’t work. I open the water, and the damn thing doesn’t drip a single drop of water”

Buffy didn’t have a clue what to do, so she decided to improvise.

“Uhhmmm.. you got tools?” She begged that he didn’t but no such luck

“Yeah, I wanted to see if I could fix it, but nothing.”

“Okay” Buffy took the tools and started looking at the showerhead as if she had a clue of what she was doing. She grabbed some tools and started to dismantle the whole piping system.

Unexpectedly, Buffy opened the water, and said. “Well… this thing clearly doesn’t w…” Her words were cut out by a sudden burst of water from one of the pipes that drenched her from head to toe.

Spike instantly laughed out loud.

Buffy glared at him “It’s not funny! This thing is messed up!”

Spike opened his eyes, and prepared to answer, but his mouth was left closed by the sight before him.

Buffy’s white tank was totally drenched, which left her pink, pebbled nipples on display. He openly stared at her chest, with his lips slightly parted.

Buffy started to wonder where Spike’s snappy comeback was, instead the muted blonde, was just staring at her…

Or more like at her chest….

She looked down, to find her tank clinging to her skin, see-through, and showing her breasts completely.

“Eeeeeep!!!”

It only took a second for her to cover herself with her arms and run out of the room.

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Spike was left standing in his bathroom, staring at the place where Buffy had been only moments ago.

He went to close his room’s door, that had been left open by Buffy in her hurry to escape, and laid down on the bed. He stared briefly at his crotch and sighed.

He now had to relieve himself, all thanks to the bloody chit…

At least he was starting to admit that she made him hot…

And with that, he started stroking his cock, images of a naked Buffy in front, beside, under, and over him, flooding his mind.

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Yum!!! Nekkid, hot and bothered Spikey! (lol)
Well, hope you liked this one! Please, tell me what you think! =D the more reviews there is, next chapter comes sooner! lol
Love y'all! Thank you for your support!

OH, MY GOD! More than a hundred reviews! I'm about to faint! **faints** lol Thank you sooooo much!!! You are the BEST!

Chapter VIII: It’s oh, so quiet.

Three weeks passed in the penthouse, and surprisingly, Buffy and Spike hadn’t had any major fights, only minor disagreements on silly things. They had, in fact, fallen into a routine. They woke up, Spike made breakfast, they ate in silence, sometimes they talked, then Buffy went to work, leaving Spike alone all day. She came back at six, he made dinner, they ate again, and then he went to work at The Bronze as an MC and singer at nine. She watched TV or did any work she had brought home from the gallery, and Spike came back at midnight. They said their goodnights and Buffy went to sleep, and so did Spike. Yeah, pretty boring.

It was on a Thursday morning on the third week of the agreement when the routine was broken. The day had passed as uneventfully, as any other. At nine, Spike had gone to The Bronze, and Buffy had stayed on the couch checking over some paperwork for the gallery. There were some new artists that Willow had discovered, and she wanted Buffy to look at some of their stuff. Hours passed, and at just gone midnight, Buffy was ready to go to sleep. The thing was Spike wasn’t home yet. He never got home late, and she was worried. Sometimes he came home early, and the latest he had come home had been at a couple minutes past twelve… and she wondered how was it that she paid enough attention to him to know that.

She got up from the couch deciding she really needed to go to bed.

When she laid down and wrapped herself on the covers, she closed her eyes.

Sleep never came.

Buffy tossed and turned in bed, surprised that Spike not being back from The Bronze was keeping her awake.

She tossed the covers off her, and stared at the ceiling.

Spike had been friendly to her the last few weeks. She didn’t know if it was because he had gotten tired of them fighting all the time. Or if he’d figured that they only had three more weeks in the house before the clause was accomplished, or if he was just starting to like her.

She knew she was starting to like him, but that was in no way a thing she’d discuss with him…

He was a nice guy once you got to know him. Yes, he was arrogant, and cynical sometimes. But Buffy saw that it was just a façade. Some days he just let his sweeter side out, with little gestures that demonstrated that he DID care.

Like earlier today he’d made breakfast, and he had put maple syrup and chocolate chips on her pancakes. Something she had mentioned randomly to him one day while they were talking about what they liked to eat.

He had remembered it, and that had made her smile. He paid attention to what she said, contrary to what she had thought of him up to that day.

She had started seeing him through different eyes. Now, she couldn’t see a reason why he would stop talking to Giles so abruptly. He cared for the people he loved deeply, that she could assume, seeing as he kinda cared for her without knowing her very much.

So why hadn’t he spoken with Giles for so long?

Buffy’s musings were interrupted by a loud crash in the living room. Sitting up quickly in bed, she looked at the clock. It was 1:02… Had she been laying in bed thinking all that time? It had seemed like minutes… Oh, well, that wasn’t important right now… the fact that someone was inside her house… and it didn’t sound like a friendly visit, was.

She grabbed a candlestick from her dresser as a weapon, and padded to the living room as quietly as she could. She could hear groaning from behind the couch, and someone muttering something, and she started to tremble.

What if it was a robber… or a rapist? Or a member of the mob… or a drug dealer that had chosen her house as a hiding place from the police? Or… ok, she was rambling… she was nervous… Why did these things happen when Spike wasn’t home to protect her?

She moved around the couch slowly, and seeing a figure dressed all in black moving on the floor, she immediately released a war cry and slammed the candlestick down on the intruder’s head.

“OWWWW!!!! BLOODY….” Then, the head of the intruder, now quickly identified as Spike, fell to the floor, unconscious.

Buffy’s hands flew to her mouth, and she got on her knees next to Spike. He reeked of alcohol.

“Spike?” She got his head on her knees and moved him so it was looking to the ceiling. “Spike…? Wake up, Spikey…Wakey, Wakey…”

She slapped his cheek lightly, and seeing that he didn’t respond, she slapped it harder.

“Spike, wake up, dammit… Come on, don’t be a baby… I didn’t hit you THAT HARD to be lethal, so wake up…”

Buffy was starting to get desperate. Her eyes tearing up and her hands shaking **Oh, God… I killed him… I killed him… Dammit, Giles is going to hate me… He’ll think I killed him to get the apartment for myself, and he’ll tell God to send me to hell when I die… Oh, God, Oh, God….**

Buffy continued slapping Spike, and calling his name desperately “Spike, Spike… wake up, wake up!!!!!” She let out a sigh of relief when Spike’s eyes fluttered open and he groaned loudly in pain.

“Dammit…. You bloody chit… shut up… my head…”

“I’m so sorry, Spike… I thought you were a robber… I’m so sorry…”

“Shut up… My head… you’re hurting me…” it was then that Buffy realized she had Spike’s injured head lying in her leg, and that she was hurting him with it. She turned him, so his left cheek was on her lap, and the back of his head was facing her eyes. She inspected the wound. There was a little blood in it, but it was mostly a big bump.

“Stand up… Let’s go to your room and get your head bandaged.” She helped him stand and led him to his room slowly. He was a little dizzy, partly because of the alcohol, but largely because of the blow to his head.

When she opened the door to his room, she felt a strange sensation in her heart at seeing that now all of his walls were covered in the paintings the mailman had delivered. Now, the unfocused but beautiful eyes of the black haired woman stared at her from all angles.

It made her shiver.

She tried to ignore it, and put him in the bed, face down, with his cheek on the pillow.

Buffy then went to her room’s bathroom, and found some bandages in her medicine cabinet.

When she got to Spike’s room she sat down on his bed and made him sit up, wrapping his head in the white fabric.

When she was finished, she caressed the top of his head lightly, and murmured an apology, before laying him down again, he closed his eyes instantly, falling asleep, and she stood up to leave.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard Spike muttering “Stay…”

Her eyes widened. He wanted her to stay?

“Don’t leave me… Dru, don’t leave me…”

Dru? Who the hell was Dru?

“Dru… please… I need you… Drusilla…” Buffy had heard enough. She ran to her room, closing Spike’s door on her way out, needing to block the woman’s stare and Spike’s voice out of her head.

As soon as she got to her room, she started to cry, and this time, it was not because of Giles, or her mom.

It was because she was jealous. Jealous of someone she didn’t even know. She assumed that ‘Dru’, as Spike called her, was the woman in all of his paintings. The woman that got his attention, even in his dreams. The woman he had adorning all of the walls in his room. The woman that most definitely had his heart in her hands.

Why wasn’t she with him now? By his desperate pleading, she presumed she had abandoned him.

Why would a girl abandon someone as wonderful as Spike?

**Ok, maybe I’m starting to put Spike in a pedestal… we don’t even talk that much… he could be acting, for all I know.**

The thing was, she knew he wasn’t acting. His eyes were a window to his soul. She could see the feelings he was experiencing just by looking in his eyes. And when he said good things to her, she only saw sincerity.

She just didn’t want to admit it. Nor did she want to admit that she was falling for him.

It was all too much and with her mind churning everything over, she laid down in bed again. This time she fell asleep, into dreams plagued with visions of Spike, not giving her the love she so desperately wanted, but giving it to his beloved ‘Drusilla’ instead…

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When Spike woke up the next morning, he felt like a Mack truck was running repeatedly over his head. He was laying face down on his pillow, and when he turned over, he jumped up from the white hot pain in the back of his head.

It was then he remembered that Buffy had hit him, thinking he was a robber. She had led him to his room, and that was all he could remember.

He touched his head tentatively, seeing as how he was bandaged. He assumed that was Buffy’s doing too, since he sure as hell hadn’t been in any sort of condition to wrap a bandage around his own head.

He stood up, glancing at the clock. It was 9 am. He was surprised he had woken up that early, especially after a night of getting completely pissed at The Bronze.

Since he’d been living with Buffy, he had found a strange comfort in knowing they had a routine for every day. She’d wait for him at night just to say goodnight. Or at least he thought so, since most of the time, when he got home after work, she was watching TV, barely keeping her eyes open. When he ambled into the living room, she’d pop her head up from her place in the couch and say ‘good night’ to him, before going to bed.

Such a ‘domestic bliss’ kinda feeling made him think of earlier years of his life, when he’d had Dru at his side.

He wished she had been as giving as Buffy was, even when she didn’t realize it. He had never had a homey kind of life with Drusilla, she had a very wild lifestyle that just didn’t fit in such a description.

A lifestyle that had ended up killing her.

Shaking that line of thought out of his mind. It had been those very thoughts that had made him want to get so drunk last night, he opened his door, and looked at the hallway. Buffy was probably at work now.

He sighed. His days passed so slowly when she wasn’t there…

During the first days of their ‘contract’, he’d wished for her not to be home all day.

When a week had passed, he’d been unable to resist her company, and now, he felt empty at the mere lack of her presence in the house.

He went to the kitchen, and grabbed some orange juice and some Tylenol. He swallowed them, wishing the headache would go away soon.

He started making some toast, all the while wondering if Buffy had eaten a proper breakfast that morning.

When his bread was ready, he went to the table, and sat down to eat.

He stopped mid-bite, seeing Buffy appear in the doorway, looking positively drained.

“Morning, luv…” He watched her closely. He could see the usual light in her eyes wasn’t there this morning. Her eyes were a dull green, and her steps were short and slow.

“Good morning”, she murmured, without looking at him.

“You didn’t go to work today?”

“I called in sick” She answered. She grabbed a glass of milk from the refrigerator and made to head back to her room.

“Buffy, luv, are you alright? Don’t you want breakfast? I could make some toast for you too” Buffy stopped mid-stride and closed her eyes, keeping the tears at bay.

That was the kind of thing he did that made her feel so loved, and wanted. He said that, but she knew he didn’t really care.

“No… I’m fine” she croaked, her voice rough because of her tears.

Spike looked at her, concerned. She was going to cry, he knew it. Her voice gave her away.

“Pet, is this because of Giles?” he asked softly, walking towards her and putting a hand in her shoulder.

Buffy let out a choked sob, **Giles is the last thing on my mind right now, you stupid dork…**

Spike took her sob as a sign that his assumptions were correct, so he turned her around, and looked directly into her beautiful hazel eyes, that were now puffy from so much crying.

“It’s going to be okay, pet. I know it’s hard. I know it feels like your world is going to end, but… really, it goes away…”

**Oh, yeah? Then if it goes away, why do you call for Drusilla in your sleep? She went away and you haven’t got over it…**

He then took both her hands and hugged her to his chest, caressing her back in soothing, circular motions.

“Everything is going to be fine, luv. I promise. You have me here”

Even though Buffy had thought she had no tears left to cry, she soon knew she was wrong, she started to weep, burying her head in Spike’s chest.

They both thought that each other’s smell was intoxicating. And even though the two of them were feeling a little awkward, neither pulled away for a long time, wishing that the strong need that was pushing them to hold onto the other was real enough for them

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Well, hope you liked it! It's a bit longer than last chapter =) Hope it pleased your wishes, my beautiful reviewers! Now, let me know if you liekd it! Love y'all! See you on the next update!

Chapter IX: What I like about you

That same day, in the late afternoon, Buffy called Willow to find out how things were at the gallery. Willow assured her that everything was fine.

The redhead was worried about Buffy, but when she asked her what was wrong, she got no answer.

Buffy said her goodbyes and hung up before heading back to her room.

Spike was in the library, reading a book that had caught his attention before.

Buffy felt the need to take a bubble bath. She felt exhausted. She really was crying too much these days… It was all Spike’s fault. She knew it. Only because he didn’t pay enough attention to her. Only because he faked his concern and gentleness.

She hated that he held so much power over her. She was starting to realize that her feelings for Spike were deeper than she had first thought. She liked him very much. Like a man. She just didn’t want to study the implications of that…

Buffy heard a knock on her door, and went to open. Spike was standing there, worry etched on his features.

“Buffy, can I come in?”

She thought about it for a moment before letting him enter. He smiled softly at her, and she felt her heart beat faster. **It’s a lie. It’s not for you… he doesn’t see you as anything more than a house mate.**

He motioned her to sit down in her bed, and he sat down next to her. “Buffy, I need to know what’s wrong… I’m worried about you… You’ve been in here all day. It’s not healthy for you to be locked in your room for so much time…”

Buffy lowered her head. If only he knew…

“You have to try and let go of Giles… It’s not healthy for you to do what you’re doing.. he wouldn’t want that.”

That made Buffy snap. Who was he to be giving her advice if he wasn’t even prepared to follow it? She needed to confront him about it, and she was going to. “Spike, you don’t have any right to tell me that. You’re the one that’s still moping for someone that obviously is not with you anymore”

Spike frowned “What are you talking about, pet?”

“Who’s Drusilla?”

This time, his eyes widened. “How do you know her name?”

“Oh, maybe because you call for her in your sleep? Because you beg her to stay with you… to not leave you.”

His eyes were full of rage in a second. “Don’t you dare talk to me about her. It’s NONE of your business”

“It is when you’re giving advice you won’t follow yourself!” She watched as her paced in front of her.

“Well, you know, losing Giles because he was ill is one thing. He died because it was HIS time to go, but to lose your wife knowing you could have stopped it, seeing her dying and knowing it’s all your fault, THAT is difficult to forget.”

Buffy looked at him, her eyes wide and questioning. Wife? He had been married to that woman? He had loved her enough to want to live the rest of his life with her? **And to think he made a big deal about living with me for a month…**

“Why didn’t you tell me?” in reality, she now wished he hadn’t told her anything. Living in ignorance was definitely better than knowing that…

“Because I had no reason to.”

“You could have at least told me you missed her… I cried on your shoulder for my dad… and you couldn’t have trusted me at least a little to make you feel better?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you… It’s…” he looked down at his clenched fists.

“What?”

“I don’t want to get hurt… I don’t want to trust and then be betrayed… I don’t want to…”

By then, Spike had started crying, and Buffy moved toward him and hugged him.

“I’m sorry, Buffy… I’m a bad man…” She stroked his hair, freeing it of the gel and leaving his curls free.

“You are not a bad man, Spike… Sometimes you seem like you’re too good…”

He lifted his head and looked at her. “You think so?”

“Yes” She stroked his cheek and smiled softly at him.

“Thank you”

“If you ever need anyone to talk about… anything… you can come to me, okay?”

“Yeah, just… not now…”

“Anytime, Spike…”

------------------------------*************----------------------------

A couple of days passed after their talk and things had become more than a little awkward. Especially as far as Buffy was concerned. She now knew openly what Drusilla meant to him. She felt hopeless. Now the only man that genuinely cared for her had someone he couldn’t forget… It was just her luck, really. Plus Spike was avoiding her and it hurt.

Never having been the girl that got other guys’ attention, she now wanted someone to care for her. To want her for who she was, to cherish her… To love her… and now she just couldn’t have it…

She definitely needed to talk to someone. She grabbed her purse and her keys and got out of the house.

Buffy drove without a precise destination for hours, finally picking a place to go, where she knew she could feel protected. She hadn’t been there since the day of Giles’ burial.

Restfield Cemetery.

She walked slowly to the place where her mother and father were buried, side by side. Even in death they had wished to be together, and Buffy had no doubt that even in death, their love hadn’t died.

She sat down in front of the two gravestones and left a flower on each one.

“Hi mommy, hi daddy…. I’m sorry I haven’t visited you since the other day… It’s just that I’ve been really sad about everything…” she sighed “I know you wouldn’t want me to be like this, but is just too much for me… I still don’t understand why you put that clause in your will to get me to live with Spike, Giles. I really don’t get it” Buffy’s eyes welled up in tears “I don’t know why I cry so much these days… Well, I do… and that’s why I came to see you today… I’m confused… I don’t know why I’m feeling what I’m feeling… I have never felt anything like this… It’s Spike” Buffy took a deep breath before continuing. “Since this whole ‘living together’ thing started, I’ve been having trouble getting along with him. He gets kind of annoying sometimes, and I know that maybe it’s my fault many of those times, but… It’s driving me nuts, specially the fact that I’m starting to like him. In his annoyingness, his pigheadedness… his out-of-place comments… I’m liking it all, and it scares me… I have never liked anyone that much to ignore their defects… It scares me… I have always felt that having those feelings makes you vulnerable, and I’m starting to see that I was right. I cry for everything that doesn’t go the way I want it. I now cry because Spike will never like me that way, and it makes me hurt to think that I will have to go on, behaving as if we’re just friends knowing that we’re going to end up going our separate ways, once we’ve honoured your will. I know it sounds pessimistic, but I really want him to see me.”

Buffy toyed with her mother’s gravestone, tracing the inscription at the bottom with her finger.

Beloved mother, wife and friend, you will always be in our hearts.

“You know, mommy, you had it all. I always considered you the luckiest woman in the whole world. You found the love of your life in Giles, you were a mother… I’m not ready to be a mother yet, but… I wish I had someone to love me like Giles loved you”

**I wish SPIKE loved me, even just a little bit…**

Buffy shook her head. No, love was too much. For the moment, she didn’t want that. It brought too much pain if it wasn’t strong enough, and with Drusilla casting a shadow over her, she was sure that Spike’s love was destined to be a painful one.

“He’s like a Rubik cube. So difficult to figure out… and I’m sure that when you do, you discover many faces of different and pretty colors. Colors that you see and then you feel proud because you got to decode them… Spike is still an unsolved Rubik cube to me… and it makes me mad… and I wish I could just…” Buffy stopped her tearful rant when she heard her cell phone ringing in her purse. She fished for it and saw Spike’s name flashing on the display.

She picked up immediately “Hello?”

“Jesus, Buffy, where are you? It’s eleven o’ clock, you didn’t tell me where you were, I was worried!”

Buffy frowned at that. “Are you my mom or something? It’s still early, you know?”

“Well, I was worried! You’ve been out for hours!”

“Well, I wanted some time away from you!”

“ME? What did I do now?”

“YOU made ME feel bad!”

“And how did I bloody do that?”

“You… you…” she couldn’t tell him the truth. She couldn’t tell him she was angry because he had been ignoring her the last few days, she couldn’t tell him what she was really feeling, she couldn’t tell him she was jealous… she just couldn’t. “Ummm… because you were a hypocrite the other day, that’s why”

“WHAT? I wasn’t!”

“You SO were! You tell me I should forget about Giles, and then you come and tell me…”

Spike stopped her. “Didn’t we discuss this the other day, pet? I told you why, you kinda forgave me, we were all happy…”

Buffy knew he was right, but she just couldn’t change the subject abruptly, could she? “I’ll be heading home now”

…Or maybe she could

Spike’s face in the other side of the phone was one of confusion “Buffy, I know that’s not why you’re angry, so maybe we can talk about it when you get home?”

Buffy closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, and then she got an idea. “I will tell you but only if you tell me about Drusilla”

A moment of silence passed, and then Buffy heard the dial tone.

He had hung up.

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(Edit) PLEASE READ THIS:
A/N: MY GOD!!!! I skipped a chapter! Please FORGIVE ME!! I'm such a KLUTZ!!! I made a bit of a mistake with the posting, since I've been posting at a forum, where I've already posted a couple more chapters I was A BIT clueless. I'm so sorry, guys! I confused the '10' from the spuffy realm with the ten in my chapter lol. The prologue is 1, 1 is 2, and so on, sooo... I confused a bit. Please, dun' forget to read chapter 9 before reading chapter 10!

A/N: Hi guys! I'm sorry it took me so long to post this! Specially because it was already written =P To those who have read my LJ, I had a surgery last monday, and I've been in bed these last few days lol. Also, before that, I've been having a BIG writer's block, and I didn't wanna post this without at least having started chapter 13, which, even though I haven't started writing, I already know what It's going to be about, and that's an advance. Hopefully I'll be able to write it in this couple of days, maybe sooner.

And before I leave you guys alone, well, I just wanted to say... THANK YOU SOOO MUCH for your reviews! They're AMAZING! I love them! I'm really happy that you like the story!

Now, on with chapter 10!!

Chapter X: All about us

Buffy was in the car, driving back home.

He’d hung up on her! How rude could he be? He could have just said ‘no’!

Arriving at the buildings parking lot, she prepared to get in and thoroughly kick Spike’s ass.

Opening the front door she was greeted with loud music and the sound of things slamming against the wall.

His door was wide open, so she walked in.

He had ‘The Sex Pistols’ on full blast in his stereo, and she immediately moved to turn it off, stopping the angry sounds of ‘Bodies’ from continuing. Drusilla’s stare from the paintings made her feel nervous, and with a weak voice, she called his name.

He looked at her, his eyes dark. “Why the hell did you do that?”

“Spike, we have neighbors, and those neighbors can SO get us thrown out if they want! And also, they’re millionaires, so they ALWAYS get what they want!”

“Well, I don’t fucking care, because when this shit is over and you leave? I‘ll be a millionaire too!”

Buffy reared back, hurt. “It’s nice to see this doesn’t mean ANYTHING to you.”

“Well, yeah, what did you expect me to feel? I’m sick of you trying to barge in my life and I’m tired of you trying to make me feel guilty for not talking to Giles!”

“Well, I’m sorry! But I feel like I’m the only one telling you what I have been through here! You just close off from me! You hide your past, and then make me tell you mine!”

“I haven’t forced you into telling me!”

“I know, but…” she was cut off by Spike, who had started talking in a low, controlled voice. “You want to know about Drusilla?” he turned his back on her and waited for her answer.

“I… I do... But it’s your decision to tell me”

He sighed, and finally looked at her. His eyes were heavy, dark and depressed. He sat down on his bed, and so did she. “I met her when we were fifteen. I was a geek back then, and she was a very beautiful, Goth princess. I had always had a crush on her since my freshman year in high school, and thought she was out of my reach. That was until she spoke to me one day during the lunch period. She seemed a little strange to me. She spoke in metaphors, and rambled about stars and little fish all the time, but it didn’t matter to me. In my eyes, she was perfect.”

Buffy was silent, so Spike continued “I started changing a lot after meeting her. I became who I am now. She called me her Spike, so I’ve gone by that name ever since. Giles was already married to your mum at the time, if I remember well... He told me he had never been so happy”

There was a moment of silence, and then Spike went on with his story. “So… where was I? Oh, yeah, well, I started dating Drusilla, and well, she was a wild bird. She was into heavy partying, and alcohol. That’s something that everyone knew, and in no time, Giles found out about Dru’s crazy ways through my mother. He warned me about her. Told me to stop seeing her, but I refused. I continued to date her, and some time before we were both sixteen, she started to take heroin”

Buffy let out a slight gasp, and couldn’t help but asking “Did you do it too?”

“I did, sometimes. I just didn’t become addicted to it.”

“Oh. Well, go on…”

“Well, Giles found out about the heroin too, and he said that I had to break up with Drusilla. I basically told him to go fuck himself and never spoke to him again.” Spike sighed, and continued. “We continued dating, and I fell in love with her shortly after we both turned sixteen”

“Our relationship continued till we were eighteen, and the day we finished high school, I asked her to marry me” Buffy lowered her eyes, trying not to break down. He was destroying her, but she had asked for it. Literally. He was just telling his story because she had asked. “We got married, and looked like the perfect couple. Even though she was a little crazy, she said she loved me, and that was enough for me. We got a small apartment. I didn’t want to live with my mother. She was the one that had been telling Giles all about Dru, and she bothered me everyday telling me that he had called, that he was concerned… I just didn’t care, so I moved out. I left the drugs alone, because now that I was married, I considered myself an adult, and knew I didn’t need them because I had my wife and a new life, but Dru… she was another story. When we had been married for a year, I heard the first rumor that she was cheating on me. I didn’t accept it. I didn’t want to, so I blinded myself from the truth. The signals were there… Maybe it had been a one time thing, maybe she had been high… maybe… I was making too many excuses. The rumors didn’t stop. It wasn’t a one time thing, well, the guy had been, but not the cheating. Dru slept with loads of different guys behind my back, and I accepted it because I loved her. When I was 25, I saw that it was enough, even though I loved her, she was humiliating me. I reluctantly broke up with her, even with her threatening me saying that if I left her, she’d kill herself. I didn’t believe her, so I left, and then, the next day they called me from the hospital, telling me that she had overdosed on heroin” At this point, Spike was crying, and so was Buffy.

“I went to the hospital as fast as I could, and when I got there, she was still alive, just unconscious. I begged her not to die, I told her I needed her… But she died anyway… she left me…”

Spike’s words from the last days echoed in her mind. Like a curse.

Don’t leave me… Dru, don’t leave me… Dru… please… I need you… Drusilla…

“She died, and the doctor told me she had been pregnant, but had lost the baby due to the drugs some weeks before... The baby was young, so her regular drug habit had killed it. Dru had been carrying a corpse inside of her… a BABY’S corpse. I was devastated. Even if the child hadn’t been mine, she had killed it just because she needed the fucking drugs. She needed them more than me. I knew I wasn’t that important to her... I wasn't ENOUGH. I was a fool to think she could love me… I was a fool to think anyone could love me… I’m love’s bitch”

“Don’t say that about yourself, Spike… If she didn’t care about you, she was heartless”

“You don’t mean that. You hate me”

“I don’t hate you… You are the most caring, sweet man I have ever met. I don’t know how anyone couldn’t care for you! God knows I do!”

Spike’s eyes flied to meet hers, wide and confused at her slip.

“What did you say?” Buffy was speechless. She stuttered and looked away, embarrassed

“I said that I… I... like you, very much…. And I don’t know how… anyone could not do it… like you, I mean…” She was blushing, her eyes downcast, and her heart and mind racing **Did I say… I care for him? What’s wrong with me? I’m not ready… I’m…**

“I... ok… so… yeah, that’s my story. I lived in London till now, when they called me to tell me about Giles”

Buffy nodded, and then dared to ask him what she was dying to ask since the beginning. “Do you ever regret being with Drusilla?” and then, another question, to make it seem that she was not that interested in the woman “Do you regret not talking to Giles in all these years?”

He was silent for a minute, and then looked at her.

“No, and maybe.” Buffy was disappointed that his first answer hadn’t been a ‘maybe’ too, but she knew that expecting anything else was ridiculous. She looked at him when he started to talk again. “I kinda regret not speaking to Giles because I lost the father-son connection we had. I didn’t enjoy it the way I should.” Buffy nodded, thinking that that was the end of the conversation, then he surprised her by continuing. “And about Dru… well, I don’t regret it, because if I hadn’t lived all of those years of suffering and love with her… I wouldn’t appreciate what I have now since I met you” Her eyes snapped up to his, wide in question. Unfortunately for her, Spike had decided that was the end of their conversation. He stood up and left.

Leaving her sitting on his bed, full of doubts that she wasn’t going to try and find answers to.

At least, not yet.

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Well, that is it! It's a bit short, but chapter 11 is long, so I hope I can make up for this one with it =)

I wanna see what you guys think (You can be mad at me for dissapearing after regular updates xD)

Hope to se I didn't lose any readers! (That would make me very sad! xD)

Love y'all! See you VERY soon! (I promise!)

A/N: Hi people! I'm sorry for the lack of updates! I've been a bit busy, and have been a victim of lazyness lately. Thank you sooo much for your comments on the last chapter. They're wonderful! I hope you like this new chapter, and that you don't forget to review! Love ya!

Chapter XI: Broken

Things had been pretty tense in the house the week after their discussion of Spike's past. They fell back into their routine, but this time, no talking unless it was simple, short sentences. “Good morning”, “Good night” ,”What do you want for breakfast?”, “Hello” and “goodbye” Those were the only words they dared to say to each other.

On Friday night, Spike was getting dressed to go to work. Buffy was in her room, her door closed, just like it was every night since their 'chat'.

She locked herself in her room as soon as she got home from work, and she didn’t come out till dinner. Afterwards, she went to her room again, and didn’t reappear until the following morning.

Tonight, though, he knew was going to be different, because as he was opening the front door to leave for work, she appeared in the hallway.

She looked absolutely beautiful.

She was wearing a dark green lacy top that brought out her eyes, and a black leather skirt that went to mid-thigh. To compliment her outfit she'd chosen knee length brown stiletto boots. Her make up was light, a bit of green eye shadow, and her hair looked more blond than ever, and was in waves around her face.

Buffy looked at him expectantly. She'd hoped to get some kind of reaction from him, so she had dressed like this, and from what she could tell, it had worked. He was looking at her, something similar to awe in his eyes.

“Ummm… Spike? I was going to ask you if you could take me to The Bronze?”
Spike seemed to snap out of his reverie, and answered quickly “Yeah, umm… s-sure, Buffy… come on”

They headed for Buffy’s car, which she now letting him borrow everyday for work. The journey to The Bronze was made in total silence. The hum of the engine the only noise.

When the arrived, the got out of the car and Buffy told him thank you, before walking away. Leaving Spike to watch her walk away.

Neither of them knew why their relationship had become so uncomfortable...
Buffy was sitting at the bar, drinking a martini, listening to Spike play in the background, he was currently singing a cover of one of her favorite songs.

I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away
I keep your photograph; I know it serves me well
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain

What hurt Buffy the most was that she knew the song was about Drusilla. She'd had to listen to him, going on about how much he loved her, using the words another had written, and that fit perfectly with his image of Dru.

’Cause I’m broken when I’m lonesome
And I don’t feel right when you’re gone away

You've gone away, you don't feel me anymore.


His heart was broken because he didn’t have Dru by his side, because he couldn’t tell her he loved her, and she had left him.

The worst is over now and we can breathe again
I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away
There’s so much left to learn, and no one left to fight
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain

A feminine voice replaced Spike’s, singing Amy Lee’s part in the original song, and Buffy imagined herself to be the one singing with him, telling him what the woman was saying. She wanted to ‘hold him high and steal his pain away’… If only he could open his heart for her…

’Cause I’m broken when I’m open
And I don’t feel like I am strong enough
’Cause I’m broken when I’m lonesome
And I don’t feel right when you’re gone away

As Spike sang the chorus with his co-singer, Fred, he spotted Buffy. She was sitting at the bar with her back to him. He felt... hurt, that she wasn’t watching him perform. He was scared because of what she had said that night. She'd said she cared for him, and he'd felt happy that he meant something to her. But the thing was, he really wasn’t ready for those kind of feelings yet. Buffy was right. He was still trying to recover from Drusilla’s death. That was why his song was dedicated to the two women that made him more and more confused about his feelings everyday.

’Cause I’m broken when I’m open
And I don’t feel like I am strong enough
’Cause I’m broken when I’m lonesome
And I don’t feel right when you’re gone away

’Cause I’m broken when I’m lonesome
And I don’t feel right when you’re gone away…

You've gone away, you don't feel me anymore

Spike ended his song, to loud cheering from the crowd. Standing up, he presented the next singer, as a part of his MC work.

Buffy remained at the bar, only now, she was staring at her empty martini.

“Ummm… would you like me to buy you a drink to replace that one, miss?”
For a moment, Buffy thought it might have been Spike. The voice had an accent, but then she realized it was Irish, not British. She turned around to see a very handsome man. He had short brown hair, a well-defined bone structure and beautiful, blue eyes… not as beautiful as Spike’s ocean blue ones though. He wore a white button down shirt and blue suit pants, his jacket swung above his shoulder; she assumed he was here after finishing work.

“Uhhh… sure… that would be great…” Buffy looked at the strange man with interest, waiting for him to introduce himself. He seemed to catch the message pretty quickly.

“I’m Doyle, Francis Doyle… and you are?” he extended his hand with a friendly smile, and she took it with a smile of her own.

“I’m Buffy Summers. Nice to meet you, Mr. Doyle”

He smiled at her, insisting she call him Doyle, as that’s what all his friends called him. He ordered her drink and sat down next to her.

“So, what brings you here tonight?”

“Oh, well, It’s practically a weekend now, so I wanted to have some fun here. What about you, Doyle? You don’t seem like the type of guy that spends his time going to bars and such”

“Well, the truth is, I don’t. I just got out from work, I’m a lawyer at a law firm here. I was transferred from LA… Do you know Wolfram and Hart?”

She knew Wolfram and Hart alright. Hank Summers had worked there when she was little, before he had broken up their family.

“Yeah, I know it. You work there?”

“Yeah. Well, it seems they have a small office here, and they wanted me to work here. So here I am. Lil’ ol’ SunnyD “she chuckled at his accent saying those words, and he laughed along with her. Her drink was brought to her, and he asked for a glass of whiskey for himself.

“So... what do you do for a living, Miss Buffy?”

“I work as a manager of my mother’s art gallery”

“Summers’ Art?”

“Yeah! How did you know?”

“Well, there are only two art galleries in town… and this one has your last name, so… I put the pieces together”

“Have you been there?”

“Yes, a nice redhead attended me… I was there three weeks ago, maybe…”

“Oh, that was Willow, I wasn’t there. I was fixing some things”

“What a shame. We could have met sooner”

“Yeah, well, I guess we weren’t meant to meet then”

“I guess.”

“So… It seems that you’re al little sad… is there something wrong, Buffy?”

Buffy looked at Doyle for a moment. He was practically a stranger, but she felt the urge to tell him all she had been through. He inspired trust.

“I recently lost my father”

“Oh…I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have asked…”

“Oh, no, it doesn’t bother me anymore…well, at least not that much…”

“Oh, I see. Was he ill?”

“Yes. He had brain cancer”

“Oh, that’s too bad.”

“Yeah” Buffy let her head down, and stared at the stage for a moment, where Spike was sitting, watching the band currently playing. “Do you see that guy over there?” she gestured to Spike with her head, and Doyle stared at him.

“Yeah, I’ve seen him when I have come here before, why?”

“He lives with me” Doyle’s stare was blank and he looked at her.

“He’s your boyfriend? Husband, maybe? Was I hitting on you without even knowing if you’re taken?”

Buffy stared at him and giggled. “Nope, he’s not my husband, boyfriend or anything of mine” Buffy’s look turned sad “he’s nothing of mine”

“Is he your best friend?”

“Nope. We don’t get along very well”

“Why do you live with him, then?”

“My father wanted us to live together…It was in his will, and he’s his nephew. It’s only for a month and a half, so… we both accepted” Buffy’s eyes returned to rest on Spike, who was now smiling and talking to some of the people in the audience.

Doyle watched Buffy looking at Spike. He shook his head and smiled at her. “You like him, don’t you?”

Startled, Buffy turned her eyes away from the bleached blonde and stared at Doyle. “W…what do you mean?”

“Well, you like him. I can see it in your eyes. You kind of blush when you look at him, actually. What’s his name?”

“His name’s William, but he goes by Spike.”

“Oh, yes, I remember having heard him play once. I came here and he introduced himself, it was one of his first days. You know, he seemed a nice guy.”

“Yeah, I know…” Buffy’s eyes were downcast again.

“So… do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Like him”

“Umm…”

“Come on, Buffy, I know you do. It’s obvious”

“Really? Is it that obvious?”

“Yes. You look at him as if he were a god, and let me tell you. It does hurt my ego”

Buffy smiled gently. “I’m sorry, Doyle… I can’t help it. I’m just drawn to him.”

Doyle smiled too “Don’t worry. Since the moment I saw you look at him, I knew I had no chance in hell with you. Your feelings go deep”

Buffy sighed “Yeah… I guess… I’m sorry Doyle.”

“Don’t worry, Buffy, there’s always friendship… that’s, if you want to be my friend, of course”

“Yeah! I wanna be your friend. You’re a nice… how do you guys say it…? bloke”
Doyle laughed, and Buffy giggled beside him.

“I guess this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship, Buffy”

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While he was speaking, he wasn’t focusing on the crowd in front of him.
He wasn’t focused on the cheers directed his way.

On the women screaming his name, and asking him to go home with them.
He wasn’t paying attention to anything else except for her.

Buffy.

Buffy, who was talking to some guy at the bar. And she seemed to be having fun.
She was laughing, and so was he.

They were having fun. He was making her laugh.

Not himself.

Another sodding wanker was getting his paws all over HIS Buffy.

Life was bloody unfair.

All because he wasn’t ready to give her what she needed. He cared for her too, but… he just wasn’t ready for it. A relationship at this point in his life would be chaotic for his heart. He supposed she was hurt because of his response to her declaration, but he was barely capable of admitting his feelings to himself. He felt guilty about wanting to let go of Drusilla, but he just wanted to be free and happy.

Yeah, life bloody sucked…

-----------------------*****************--------------------

Spike’s voice rang out in the club once again, and Buffy sighed. She wanted to get out of there.

He was driving her nuts!

“Buffy, he has been watching us for the last ten minutes. He doesn’t seem very happy…”

Doyle’s quiet statement brought an idea to Buffy’s mind, as well as a smile that generated a grin in Doyle’s face.

“I know what you’re thinking, Buffy. Maybe I can be of some use maybe help you get some kind of reaction from him?”

“Yeah, I was thinking that…How do you plan on us doing that?”

“We can leave, and it will seem as if we’re going to a more ‘private’ place”

Buffy tensed a bit “And where would we go?”

Doyle smiled at her reassuringly “We can go to a diner close by”

She visibly relaxed “I'd like that”

“Ok. Let’s go”

Doyle took Buffy’s hand in his, and they smiled at each other as they walked out of The Bronze.

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**Where the bloody hell are they going? Bloody ponce thinks he can go away with her…**

Spike was still onstage, trying to concentrate on the crowd.

He was having a damn hard time doing it.

You just couldn’t think right while worrying your head about some bloody chit that had now run away with her new poofter of a friend.

Or at least, he hoped he was just a friend…

He shook his head briefly and got his head back in the show.

“Okay, people, let’s make some noise and have an awesome time here!”

God knew he really, really wasn’t having a good time that night…

He discreetly checked his watch and sighed. Only half an hour more and he was out of there.

He seriously needed to talk to Buffy when he got home.

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Buffy and Doyle sat in a booth right at the back of a small diner, chatting amicably about themselves while eating some snacks. A chocolate milkshake for Buffy, and some iced tea for Doyle.

Doyle was a really nice guy. He was friendly, sweet, smart, funny…

But he just wasn’t Spike.

He wasn’t who she needed.

“So I grew up in London after we moved from Dublin. My mam wanted me to study law, so I did. My da was a lawyer too, so it was their dream right from when I was a little boy. After I graduated, I moved to Los Angeles a couple of years ago after I was offered a job in Wolfram and Hart”

“That’s really cool, Doyle, you must have been a very bright student if they asked you to work for them! Your life sounds pretty awesome”

“Well, mildly interesting, I’d call it. My life is not very exciting… and thanks for the compliment” He blushed as he thanked her, and she smiled.

“I wish I had a life like yours. You still have both your parents, and they’re still happily married.” Buffy’s expression turned sad for a moment, and Doyle looked sympathetically at her. He took her hand in his, and caressed her knuckles.

“Destiny must have wanted your parents to divorce, so your mother could marry again… to that great guy you told me about… Giles, is it?”

“Yeah, well, maybe that’s true… after the divorce, things got better… but why did they have to die and leave me alone?”

Buffy looked desperate for answers. Her eyes showed it. Doyle grasped her hand more firmly and looked at her.

“Maybe if they hadn’t died, you would have never met Spike…”

A mild sense of panic rushed through Buffy when she thought of her life without meeting Spike. Suddenly he seemed completely necessary for her to be happy, even with all the suffering he was now causing her. He was now the only constant in her life. The only person she knew was going to be there everyday. Her mom wasn’t there, Giles wasn’t there… but now she had Spike to keep her company.

At least until the contract was over.

After that, they would part, and she would be alone again.

Buffy’s eyes were filled with sadness after Doyle’s last statement, and the thoughts that it created.

“Don’t worry, you have me now, Buffy. We are friends, okay?” said Doyle, as if reading her thoughts and after seeing her panic. Buffy smiled at him, and gripped his hand. They looked at each other, and Doyle returned Buffy’s smile.
And that was how Spike found them after entering the small diner, before promptly turning around and walking out.

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Hi again! Hope you liked it =D Chapter 12 will be up very soon, I promise! hehe, also, I'll be posting a new lil' ficlet I wrote for the spuffy fantasy community challenge. I hope you read it when it's posted and that it's of your liking =D Let me know what you think! Love y'all!