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Chapter 15 – Long Night


Standing in her room a few days later, Buffy surveyed her final dress decisions as the seconds ticked away, bringing her closer to the time she was supposed to leave.

It was the night of the annual Christmas party at the O’Shea residence, and she knew it
would be a formal occasion. Choosing a crimson silk, floor-length gown with two spaghetti straps on each side that split into a V-shape on each shoulder and came together again on the back of the dress, Buffy studied the sweetheart neckline. She couldn’t decide if it showed off too much cleavage but finally decided that it was fine- there would be plenty of women there who would be showing more skin than her.

The slender fit of the silk hugged her curves in a sensuous manner without being too risqué. The skirt flowed out away from her body, leaving her with enough freedom to move comfortably but leaving it to brush around her legs when she was moving. Pinning her hair away from her neck, she left a few soft tendrils framing her face before pulling on her stockings and heels.

Turning her attention back to the mirror, her eyes were drawn to the garnet earrings that she was wearing. The beautiful stones were outlined with tiny diamonds, perfectly complimenting the dress. It was her birthstone. Her birthstone, sent to her from Spike on her previous birthday.

‘Will he get the wrong idea if I wear them?’ she asked herself, narrowing her eyes on her reflection. ‘Is there a wrong idea to get?’

Shaking her head to attempt to clear it, Buffy shrugged as she walked out the door. They were meant for her to wear them and she would wear them. And it wasn’t like she and Spike were ignoring each other- it would be a nice gesture on her part.

Grabbing the matching shawl from the doorknob, Buffy wrapped it around her arms as she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Smiling when she entered the room to see her sister trying to steal bites of the Christmas cookies that were left cooling on the counter, Buffy suppressed the giggle each time Dawn tried to sneak past her mom and was promptly rewarded with a slap on the hand. Clearing her throat to make herself known, she spread the shawl to show off her dress when the two women turned to look at her. With a playful spin, she laughed at the round of applause she received.

“You look beautiful, dear,” her mother said.

“You don’t look half-bad yourself,” she teased, walking over to give her mom a kiss on the cheek before standing back and critiquing the simple black dress.

“Do I meet your approval?” Joyce asked.

Buffy gave a firm nod. “Definitely not mommyish.”

“And why is it okay to not look like a mom? That’s what I am, after all.”

“Come on, mom, there could be single guys there, and you haven’t been on a date for years.”

“Buffy!” Dawn screeched.

“What? I can’t help it if I want my mother to be happy.”

Joyce smiled at her daughters as they laughed together.

“You do look nice, Buffy,” Dawn said, looking at her older sister with a wistful expression.

“Thanks, Dawnie. You, on the other hand, are in need of a big sister makeover,” she said, tossing her shawl on the kitchen island. “Come on,” she said, grabbing her sister’s arm.

“Buffy…”

Hearing her mother’s warning tone, she turned around to face her with an innocent smile.

“What? Again, mom, there could be single guys there. Only this time, they could be closer to Dawnie’s age. She is almost sixteen, after all.”

Dawn looked at her mother with a hopeful expression, offering her a tentative smile.

“Oh, alright, but we leave this house in fifteen minutes!”

With a squeal, Dawn grabbed her mother in a hug. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.” Leaving the room, the sisters ran up the stairs as fast as their shoes would allow.

Dawn began to head down the hall to her room, stopping when Buffy grabbed her arm and pulled her into her own. Situating her in front of the mirror, Buffy quickly ran to her closet while Dawn surveyed her appearance. Studying the black skirt, white blouse, and flat shoes, she let a pout play on her lip. “It is babyish,” she decided.

“It’s not babyish, Dawnie. Mom just wants to keep you from growing up too fast. It just isn’t dressy enough for this party,” Buffy said, pulling dresses from the back of her closet. “Ah hah!” she cried triumphantly.

Laying out the emerald green dress on the bed, Dawn had to bite her lip to suppress the excited giggle. The dress had a modest square neckline with capped sleeves, and the velvet material fell down to the floor from the empire waist, creating a sophisticated, yet innocent, appearance.

“Okay,” Buffy began, tilting her head in consideration. “First thing’s first- hair and make-up.”

Sitting her sister in front of her dresser, Buffy pulled the elastic band out of her hair that was holding her ponytail, letting the ringlets fall around her shoulders. With careful and quick precision, Buffy turned the mass of curls into an elegant upsweep before lining her eyes with dark green eyeliner and shimmery pale eye shadow. Finishing off the look with a pale lip-gloss, Buffy handed the dress to Dawn and shooed her off to the bathroom. “We have five minutes. I’ll find some shoes.”

Digging around in her closet, she finally came across the matching shoes and ran to meet Dawn as the bathroom door swung open.

“Perfect,” Buffy said with a bright smile when her sister emerged.

“You’re sure?”

“Absolutely,” she said with an affirmative nod, handing her the shoes.

“Girls! We have to leave!”

“Coming, Mom!”

Heading downstairs, the girls were greeted with a huge smile when Joyce saw them. “My babies are growing up,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Buffy raised an eyebrow at her sister. “See what I mean?”

The sisters shared a laugh when the doorbell rang. Each woman exchanged a glance before Buffy stepped forward to open it. Shocked when she saw Giles and Spike, each in tuxedoes with matching sunglasses, she had to laugh at the picture they made. Joyce and Dawn came up behind her, and before long, even the men were laughing.

“You guys do realize it’s nighttime, right?” Dawn asked between giggles.

“Well, what kind of an entrance would that be, Nibblet?” Spike asked, walking into the house, taking the sunglasses off. “Besides, can’t see a bloody thing with those on,” he continued after giving Joyce a kiss on the cheek. “You ladies look lovely, by the way.”

“Yes, quite,” Giles agreed after offering Buffy a kiss on the hand. “We’ve come to offer you all a ride to the soiree.”

“That’s so thoughtful,” Joyce said, greeting Giles with a kiss on the cheek.

Turning to face Buffy, being able to see her for the first time since he set foot in the house, Spike felt his throat close at the vision that stood in front of him. Trying as hard as he could to swallow, he continued to stare at her.

“I hope that’s a good look,” she said with a nervous smile. All he could do was nod as he swallowed, trying to catch his breath. “Well, I need to grab my shawl, if you’ll excuse me,” she said, walking into the kitchen.

Reaching for the silky piece of fabric, she turned away from the island, nearly screaming when she was met with a solid chest.

Grabbing her arms to steady her, Spike loosened his grip, but instead of letting go, he found his hands trailing down her bare skin to rest on her hips before leaning close and kissing her cheek. “You look stunning,” he whispered.

Shivering at the feel of his hands wrapped around her, she felt her breathing speed up as she ran her hands up the smooth expanse of his chest, her arms finding their way to the back of his neck, slowly pulling him closer to her.

“Hey, guys! We’re gonna be late!” Dawn yelled from the entryway.

Spike sighed, standing up a little straighter as the mood shattered. “Guess we better be going, love.”

“Yeah,” she said quietly, wrapping her shawl around her shoulders and heading for the door, closing her eyes when his fingertips brushed against the small of her back. It was going to be a long night.





Thanks so much to: Sevvy_O, Karyn, BuffyandSpikeForever, B, txjmfan, caatje, Cordykitten, Smitten, Aseret, & Stine for reviewing!





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