Tonight was her seventeenth birthday; surprisingly it was very uneventful for a 'hellmouth birthday.' There were presents, cake and music; also dancing but that was a given.

None of the Slayer's friends knew but she had a secret plan for the night; she was going to tell Angel that she loved him and wanted him to be her first. Curiosity for sex had gotten her attention when she met the souled vampire. He was mysterious and rugged and she couldn't help but get aroused. It wasn't so much of a feeling where she had to jump his bones-because she hadn't-but a slight fluttering in her gut whenever he was near.

He cryptically ventured into Buffy's life a year ago; having been together for most of that time, she considered it the natural thing to do and move to the next step. Now that it was her birthday, she couldn't think of a more perfect night for such festivities.

Angel had shown up at the last minute but she didn't think much of it. He was always coming and going when it came to Scooby hangouts. The important thing to her was that he came and got her-he hadn't forgotten her birthday.

As she followed him into his apartment she didn't feel nervous. She had the thought on her mind for weeks; she was ready. He poured a glass of wine and then proceeded to poor her a glass of coke. She asked why she wasn't able to have the wine and his response was she was too young. Fine, she wouldn't let that ruin her night. However, she preferred diet coke and it would have been nice if after a year being together he remembered that.

Buffy went to sit on the couch that sat in front of the fireplace. The vampire followed her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. They sipped their drink as he rubbed small circles on her back. Everything seemed to be going as she imagined-minus the kissing. As if he read her mind, he bent down and pressed his lips to hers in such a soft way that it made her heart melt. In the midst of their tongues dancing, she reached to the top of his silk shirt and tried unclasping the button.

The moment ended when he snatched her hands and held them steady on her lap.

“Buffy, what are you doing?” He sounded like a father talking to his daughter.

“I thought we could take our relationship to the next level," she said shyly, now unsure of herself.

He released her hands and moved to stand in front of the fireplace. For a few minutes he didn't say anything; the silence made her uneasy.

Finally he turned to her, a stern look planted on his features

“Buffy, we can’t do that. You are too young.”

The slayer rose from the couch to stand in front of him. She tried to look serious and intimidating but it was hard to do. After all, she was barely five foot nothing.

“I’m seventeen, Angel that is not too young. This is what people do when they love each other.” She cursed her word vomit trait as soon as she said it. She wanted to tell him in a different way but she was relieved it was now in the open.

“You love me?” His hands dropped loosely to his sides, his voice coated with astonishment.

“Yeah…is that okay?”

“Buffy sweetheart, it’s wonderful.” His hand cupped her chin and brought her eyes to meet his.

“D-Do you love me?” Buffy choked the question out, afraid of his response.

“Of course I do.” He said, completely avoiding actually saying the words that she desperately wanted to hear.

Thinking everything was alright, she reached up again to start unbuttoning his shirt. She couldn’t have been more wrong.

Angel once again batted her hand away.

“Buffy, you’re still too young. We’ll wait until your eighteenth birthday.” He walked over to the fireplace and put his arm on the mantle to lean there.

“Angel that’s in a year! I’m not a child!” Her whining only disproved her statement but she didn’t care. She was embarrassed because she had been planning this night for weeks. She thought it was what guys wanted; she thought it was what couples did when they cared for each other. Buffy was ready for sex and wanted to share it with the man she loved.

“Compared to me, you are Buffy.” He walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. She shrugged to brush his offensive touch off of her.

“Then why are you with me if I am such a child, Angel?”

“Because I was sent by the Powers That Be to watch after you and that is what I am going to do.” He said it as if it wasn’t the most hurtful thing he could have said. Without even realizing it he admitted that the only reason he was with Buffy was because the stupid “powers that annoyingly be” told him it was the thing to do.　

Tears formed in her eyes, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry over him. “Fine, Angel. It’s getting late so I’ll just go home now.” She desperately wanted to get out of there, she wanted to crawl under a rock and never come out.

He reached a hand up to lightly brush the side of her face with his finger tip. “Happy Birthday, baby.”

With a forced smile plastered on her face, she stood up and kissed him on his cheek. As soon as she turned heel, she scowled and didn’t look back.

**___**

Buffy was frustrated and irritated. She needed to burn off some of it so she did what she said she wasn’t going to do on her birthday-patrol.

When she set to return home she had killed three vamps and a large horned demon.

“I suppose a ‘Happy Birthday’ is in order, yeah luv?” The husky, deep and sexy English voice could never be mistaken.

Without turning around she answered him. “I don’t have time for you, Spike.” She knew that with her mind on Angel and her winded state, Spike would have a big chance in beating her.

The slayer was pushed to the ground forcefully, spun around, and suddenly had a vampire straddling her waist. Spike held her arms above her head and trapped her beneath him.

“You’ll just have to make the time, Slayer.” He hissed her given title as if it was the most disgusting thing there ever was.

She wondered if that was why Angel didn’t want to be with her. She was the slayer and he was a vampire. Did he think the thought of being her was disgusting? The tears that she was holding back came forward; her body began to rock from the force of her sobs.

Spike titled his head to the side. “Crying really isn’t your style, Slayer. Let’s have us a proper fight, yeah?”

He rose off her and held out an arm for her to hold onto as she got up. After she mumbled a barely audible 'thank you' she continued, “Don’t be so full of yourself. I’m not crying because of you.”

Spike stared at Buffy as he fished into his pocket to retrieve a cigarette. He lit it and took a slow drag, blowing it to the side.

“What are you on about, Summers?”

“I’m on about nothing Spike, because it’s none of your business,“ she wiped the tears out of her eyes with the back of her hand, sniffling slightly.

“Humor me, yeah?” He leaned against a tree, now looking smugger than ever.

“Fine! I offered myself to Angel and he turned me down.” She cursed her word vomit for a second time that evening. The statement hung in the air like a dark cloud getting ready to storm at any moment.

Spike started to laugh hysterically as he threw his half way finished cigarette to the grass. “This is bloody priceless. The poor Slayer couldn’t get her dimpled knees pried apart by her boy toy.”

“You’re a pig, Spike.”

“Wrong, Goldilocks. I’m a demon, through and through. Not some pathetic lap dog like your boy, Peaches.” He reached forward to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. “With some persuasion I may be able to help you with your…predicament. That is if you’re still lookin’ for a birthday shag.”

Buffy jerked her head away from his touch. “I would never let you touch me,“ she spat out the words.

He grabbed both of her hips and pulled her towards his erection. Buffy had never felt a hard-on before she was frozen from the shock.

“You feel that, Slayer? Thas’ from me watchin’ you fight. The way you move is bloody intoxicatin’. I could watch you dance for hours.” He bent down to kiss along her neck. She wanted to be needed tonight so much that she let him; she rejoiced in the feeling his kissing brought.

He lowered the strap of her dress so that he could kiss the top of her shoulder. “I could make you feel so good, baby. Let me show you.” His hand grabbed Buffy’s ass and brought her closer to his evident arousal.

“You-You don’t love me.” She couldn’t have sex with him. You’re supposed to love someone before you have sex with them. At least that’s what she thought. And she loved Angel. But with the way he treated her tonight and admitted to why he was really with her made her think differently.

He pulled away from her, laughing once again. “Who the bloody hell said anythin’ ‘bout love. Of course I don’ love you. You’re the bloody slayer; I’m supposed to hate you. Doesn’ mean I don’ want to shag your brains out.”

Everyday Buffy lived for someone else. She did what other people demanded of her and she was tired of it. It was her birthday and she wanted to do what he gut told her to do.
Right now, her gut was telling her to bring Spike home let him give her a…birthday shag.

“Okay.”

“Yeah? I didn’t think you’d actually go through with it.” He looked at her shocked, his hands still on her body with his erection pressed against her.

“Well I will so let’s go.” Buffy pulled away and grabbed his hand to lead her towards her house. She quickly released it, though. She didn’t need to be holding his hand like they were a couple.

“Where are we goin‘, luv?” He quickly followed, keeping up with her determined pace.

“We’re going to my house. Mom’s at a gallery show this weekend so it’ll just be us.”

“Inviting me into your home, Slayer. Not very wise.”

“Duh, I’m going to have Willow perform a dis-invite spell.”

“Right.”

Finally, they reached her home. Without turning around, she walked through the threshold and whispered softly, “Come in, Spike.”