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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you to everyone reading this and to all reviewers.
Please give this a chance, I promise it will get more Spuffy and more exciting!
REDEMPTION




Chapter 3: ‘Mutual Sensations’


It was near 2:00 PM, Thursday afternoon in the town of Redemption, Nebraska. Spike, Angel and Rupert Giles were at the Silver Spur Saloon, one of Redemption’s many watering holes.

The trio sat at an unobvious table, near the back of the barroom. Spike was beginning to think that the whole day had been a waste of time for them all. He was bored beyond distraction and wished he could just go and find the desirable Miss Buffy Summers. Like that could ever happen.

Suddenly, a rather tall, youngish looking man sauntered into the saloon, a smug, proud look on his face. Anyone unfamiliar with the newcomer could easily see that he ‘belonged’ here, in this place. That he was comfortable with his surroundings and the occupants of this particular bar.

“Hank Summers!” A tall, middle aged man called to the man at the saloon door. “Come, sit with us.”

This greeting caught Spike’s attention, especially. He recognized the last name as belonging to the little blond angel he had asked about for the last few days.

“Thank you Richard, I will join you,” Hank Summers called, amicably. “I’ve a reprieve from my darling daughter, Buffy’s town shopping.”

Spike, Angel and Rupert watched the fairly young Hank Summers join Richard Wilkens and some man named Ted, at their small table. After Summers ordered a beer for himself, he settled down on an empty chair at Sheriff Wilkin’s table.

“Haven’t had a chance to congratulate you Summers,” Spike heard the law man chortle. “On gaining a son-in-law, the likes of Caleb Montgomery that is. But it’s Montgomery who should be congratulated, eh? Your Buffy is the catch of the whole territory and you should be very proud of her man.”

“I am,” Hank grunted with a proud grin. “My Buffy is a peach of a girl and you are right. Caleb is a lucky man! Buffy is over at the Rosenbergs as we speak, preparing her wedding dress. My darling wife, Joyce, had to stay at home with little Dawn and Hank Jr. The boy has a cough, again,” Hank frowned in concern.

All of the men at the Wilkens’ table spoke loudly and with great confidence. This enabled Spike and his table’s occupants to overhear every word that they said.

. “Maybe you better make yourself scarce, Spike,” Angel advised his blond cousin with a wicked smirk. “I think there’s a little blond piece of skirt on the loose in Redemption, just waitin’ for you to find her. This might be the only chance you get to uhm, let’s see, connect with this Buffy before we hit the bank and hightail it out of this dusty town.”

“You just might be right,” Spike chuckled lowly as he downed his whiskey and grabbed his hat. He left the saloon as unobserved as possible and headed out onto the streets of Redemption. Buffy Summers was somewhere, somewhat alone out there and Spike had every intention of using this to his advantage.


Now, the first hurdle Spike would have to jump was just where this Rosenberg place was. If Buffy was ‘there’ at this dressmaker’s house, then that’s where Spike needed to be too.

With a quick glance about the street before him, Spike decided that the best place to start, for information that is, was probably the telegraph station. It was only about a hundred yards from the Silver Spur and if anyone knew everything in Redemption? It would have to be the telegraph operator.

Before Spike could make his way to the telegraph office, however, he spied the object of his obsession. Miss Summers, herself, headed down the walkway across the street from him. Spike slipped behind a rather large column that held up the awning above him and watched Buffy wander down the street into a mercantile shop.

“Perfect,” Spike chuckled and he hurried across the street and headed straight for the shop his little angel had disappeared into. “I’ll be sure to corner her in some shadowy nook of the shop,” he murmured wickedly. “She can’t escape me this time,” he assured himself as he followed Buffy into the Levison Mercantile.

The first thing Spike noticed when he stepped into the shop was that ‘his’ Buffy was chatting, amicably, with a short, dark haired young man behind the front counter.

“Well, yes, the wedding is in September, Johnathan,” Buffy explained to Mr. Levison’s only son, Johnathan. “I know that’s only a few months away, I just haven’t sent the invitations out yet and…”

Johnathan Levison took that opportunity to look up at the strange, blond man that had entered his shop. Buffy noted that her friend had become distracted and glanced in the direction that Johnny was looking. That’s when she saw the mysterious young man from the church social of last Sunday. For some reason, Buffy’s cheeks became instantly inflamed and she had to take a deep breath.

“May I help you?” Johnathan asked the blond man with a raised brow.

“I don’t mean to interrupt you and the lady,” Spike lied easily. Of course he meant to interrupt both of them. He had his sights set on Miss Buffy Summers and this Johnathan was rather getting in the way of his plans.

“No problem,” Levison smiled widely and nodded at Buffy. “I’ve got some business to attend to, in the back of the store. “I’ll have Amy stop in and visit with you, soon, Buffy,” Johnathan exclaimed. Amy was Johnathan’s young wife.

“John, I…” Buffy stammered as she nervously watched her friend’s husband scurry out of the front of the shop. This left Buffy and this William entirely alone in the front of the mercantile.

‘Now why would John Levison leave not one, but two customers alone in the front of his father’s shop?’ Buffy mused, a little perplexed by her old friend’s behavior.

Spike slid up to within a foot of Buffy and spoke gently, “sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt you and your mate, luv.”

Buffy’s green eyes flew wide open in shock. “No, not my mate, sir,” she stammered with a flustered blush. “Johnny’s my friend, his wife, Amy and…”

“Mate’s my way of saying friend, luv,” Spike chuckled softly, never taking his eyes from hers. “If you didn’t notice,” he added with a smirk, “I’m not really from around here. I was born in England. Just got to town.”

I know,” Buffy snapped, a little more harshly then she intended. “My best friend, Willow Osbourne is Daniel Osbourne’s wife. I believe you and your cousin have done business with him. At the bank,” she finished shyly.

‘Great Buffy,’ she chided herself, ‘let him know you’ve asked about him. You are such a nimrod, girl.’

“You’ve asked about me?” Spike inquired with a raised dark brow.

Buffy noted that this man’s almost silver hair did not match with his dark brown eyebrows. Along with the all black clothing this Galvaston man wore? He looked some outlaw from a surreal painting.

“NO! No questions about you at all. Not at all!” Buffy exclaimed defensively. “Daniel just pointed you and your cousin out, at last Sunday’s social. I cannot imagine why he would mention you two, but he did.” She shrugged her slim shoulders, indifferently. At least she hoped this man thought she was indifferent to him.

“Too bad,” Spike purred as he took just one step closer to the little blond angel. “Because I’ve asked everyone in this town, that I could think of, about you that is.” He stared deeply into the tiny woman’s emerald green eyes.

He was rewarded with a bright red blush by Miss Summers. Spike got the feeling that the lady before him had to fight the urge to slap his face a good one.



Instead, Buffy merely backed up a few steps, right into the cashier’s counter behind her. This caused her to actually fall forward, right into this William’s strong arms.

After the stranger had righted her, Buffy pulled herself out of his arms and smoothed her emerald green dress. Suddenly, she was almost sorry that she had worn her new dress that day. Buffy was different then the other ladies of Redemption and her time. While even the single young women chose to wear more practical, almost dull colored day dresses, Buffy would not follow their suit.

All the ladies of the area wore lovely, proper dresses, of course, but not any that were special. Buffy liked to feel special and she wore bright or pastel dresses on most occasions. Even for just a trip into town to shop. It was her way and always had been which was probably one of the reasons that she caught so many of the male populations’ eyes. Young or old.

However, Buffy noted with slight regret, perhaps today was not a good day to wear the new emerald green dress. She knew for a fact it was one of Caleb’s favorites on her and that it brought out the emerald in her eyes. The last thing that she, Elizabeth Summers, needed to be doing was catching the eye of a strange man like this William Galvaston.

‘I cannot believe he has been asking about town after me,’ Buffy silently gasped. She was past stunned, well, kind of past stunned and not in the least bit flattered by this man’s unwanted attention.

‘Okay,’ she mentally took a deep breath and swallowed hard, ‘so you are a little flattered by this William’s attention at that. That’s okay, right?’

“You have asked about me?” Buffy finally broke the ‘tension’ between her and the blond man. Her voice sounded like a small child's whine, she felt.

“All over town and then some,” Spike responded sincerely. “For instance,” he continued, “I know you are Elizabeth Summers, called Buffy. Which by the way suits you to a tee, I think,” he added with another chuckle.

“You parents are farmers and you have a little sis and brother. You, Miss Summers, are well thought of and loved throughout the territory and especially by one Caleb Montgomery.” Here Spike frowned, unhappily.

“Although why a catch like you would waste your time on a ponce like Montgomery is beyond me,” he muttered through gritted teeth. “I sized the man up and well, frankly Buffy I…”

“How dare you!” Buffy squealed in disbelief. “How dare you call my fiancé that ‘ponce’ name! How dare you address me by my nickname and most of all? How double dare you ask all over town about me?” She was so angry that she forgot to slap this brazen man, just for good measure.

‘What the heck does ponce mean anyway?’ she asked herself, puzzled.

“Now don’t be cross with me, Miss Summers,” Spike nearly whimpered. “A bloke like me can’t help it if he sees a beautiful vision like you and just falls immediately. Can he?” He did his best to give Buffy a nice, sincere pout.

Buffy felt more hot words come to her lips, but she was instantly taken aback by this man’s sincerity. Besides, the term ‘beautiful vision’ that he used did not go unnoticed by her.

She blushed, profusely and bit back the next words of chastisement she had threatened to use on him.

“You think I’m pretty?” Buffy asked William, meekly.

“I think Miss Summers," William murmured tenderly, “that you are beautiful, gorgeous and a true vision on earth. I mean that, honestly.” He reached out his left hand and sought out a stray blond strand of her golden hair.

Buffy fought the urge to flinch when William reached up and gently tucked a long strand of her hair behind her right ear. She felt those ‘tingly’ sensations from the other night, sweep over her once more.

Spike felt a jolt, similar to a lightening bolt he supposed, run through his whole body. And that was just when he lightly touched Buffy with his left hand. Of course he had felt those same sensations, the chills and tingles that had coursed through his body before. The first time he’d seen Buffy, at church last Sunday and just now, when he spied her in the shop. Actually, Spike had felt these pleasant sensations every time he thought of Buffy Summers since that fateful evening at church.

“I need to go,” Buffy mumbled, suddenly. “My father, he’s probably waiting for me and…”

“Your father is in the Silver Spur, Miss Summers. Enjoying a beer with friends, believe me. That’s how I knew you were here, lose in town, sweet.” Spike grinned wickedly down at the little peach of a girl.

“My father told you that…” Buffy began in disbelief.

“No, your father didn’t even notice me, my cousin or dad,” Spike shook his blond head. “I overheard him tell his friends where you were and sought you out.” Spike showed no false shame or embarrassment over his declaration.

“I should go, back to Mrs. Rosenbergs,” Buffy whispered meekly. “I need to go sir. We do not know each other. This isn’t right, for me to be standing here, chatting with you about such things and all.” Buffy tried to step past Mr. Galvaston, but he grasped her by her slim arm, gently enough.

“You feel it, don’t you, Miss Summers?” Spike asked Buffy, quietly. “You feel this ‘thing’ between us? These mutual sensations we have for each other? This heat and desire, between us, I mean. I certainly do and have since I saw you last Sunday.”

“I…” Buffy’s response trailed off as soon as it began. She was beginning to feel lightheaded and almost dizzy. It did not help that Mr. Galvaston’s strong left hand was clenched firmly, but gently on her right arm.

“Let me make this easier for both of us, Miss Summers,” Spike whispered into Buffy’s dear little ear. “My name is William Galvaston and I’m new here, in Redemption. My cousin, Liam, and I are here to ‘invest’ some time and finances into the community. You, Miss Summers, or can I call you Buffy? Please let me call you Buffy,” he purred, delighted when she blushed again.

“Mr. Galvaston,” Buffy began, primly enough, although her body shivered at his touch.

“Call me William,” Spike ordered her gently. “I know it’s going to sound like music coming from your lovely, soft pink lips, Buffy.”

Buffy felt her legs go to jelly at William’s poetic words and his accent only accentuated his lovely prose.

“William,” Buffy whispered in a panty little breath. He had not let go of her arm as of yet and she was fearful that she might faint from near excitement at his touch.

“I am flattered, truly, William,” Buffy continued with half closed eyes. “However,” she hesitated with her verbal come back as she gently pulled her arm from his grasp.

“However, I am engaged to be married to Caleb Montgomery this September. It is not proper for me to stand here and listen to your pretty words of flattery.”

“That in itself is a travesty Buffy,” Spike murmured sadly. “That you are engaged to this man, Montgomery. I had hoped I could persuade you to maybe meet me tomorrow evening? I know where you live, with your family, and wondered if you might meet me on the outskirts of your father’s farm? Just to talk, Buffy. Nothing more, I promise Get to know each other, better that is.”

“I cannot,” Buffy whispered sorrowfully. “It is not proper, nor would it be respectful to Caleb, my fiancé. He is a good man and deserves a truly loyal, faithful fiancé.”

She glanced away from William and tried to focus to nervous stare onto the raised wooden plank on the Levison floor.

‘Something is off with this man,’ Buffy reasoned, her sixth sense sent an alarm to her brain. ‘He is not the business man he portrays himself to be. There is a sense of danger about him.’

Spike sighed heavily and lifted Buffy’s little chin up, so her green eyes could meet his blue ones. He searched those emerald orbs of hers and felt validated when he found the truth he sought in them.

“You do feel like I do, though, don’t you?” Spike asked Buffy in a hushed tone. “I can tell, by the fire in your beautiful eyes that you feel these sensations that I do. Just by being this close to each other? At least give me that crumb, Buffy.”

“It does not matter,” Buffy replied evenly, “I am an engaged woman Mr. Galvaston.” She purposely used William’s proper last name to end this inappropriate conversation with.

“I see,” Spike muttered harshly, his mouth twisted in a perturbed scowl.

“My cousin, Liam and me, we’re leaving on business, after Saturday. I’d hoped…” he left the sentence unfinished as he searched Buffy’s cat eyes once again.

“Oh,” Buffy whispered softly, trying to mask her sudden disappointment at William’s departure from Redemption.

“Will your cousin and you be back?” she asked without really meaning to. Once again she blushed at her boldness.

Spike smiled, softly and nodded slightly. “I have every intention of returning to Redemption, Buffy,” he assured her in a deep, husky voice. “I only hope it’s before you make the serious mistake of marrying that fool, Montgomery,” he finished with a snort.

“William,” Buffy mumbled, “I cannot have you speaking about Caleb like that. As I said, he’s a good man.”

“That remains to be seen, Buffy. I mean how good of a man Caleb Montgomery really is,” Spike sighed. He took Buffy’s tiny hand in his and lifted it to his lips. As he grazed her palm with a light kiss of his lips, Spike whispered, “When I return to Redemption, Buffy Summers, pray that you have not married Montgomery. It would surely break my black heart if you have.”

Spike smiled at Buffy, warmly, turned away from her and left the shop as quietly as he had entered it.

Buffy stood at the counter, the tiny hand that William had just kissed was placed at her own lips. She tried very hard not to let the threatening tears in her green eyes spill onto her cheeks.


A/N: Okay, I split this chapter in half as it was just too long. I will try and post the next one tomorrow.

Interesting that Johnathan ‘knew’ to depart from the front of the shop and leave Spike and Buffy alone together, huh? How does Johnathan fit in here, eh?

Next chapter, Buffy has a heart-to-heart with her mother and little sister about ‘feelings’ and all. Our beloved little gang of outlaws makes a hit on the bank, where they find themselves in need of a hostage to escape the law. Guess who the hostage just might be?

Thank you for reading and please review, spufette.





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