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CHAPTER 8 -- Skating Around the Edges

Author’s Note: I am so sorry this has taken so long. My floppy disk went kaput. (Note: please make sure all the floppy’s you use have “formatted” on them. I didn’t and my entire life’s writings are now gone.) And now, until we get our home computer fixed, I’ll be limited in computer time. Please don’t hate me and/or give up on this story. I will try my absolute best. Thanks.

Spike swung the Desoto into the Summers’ driveway. Christ, it had been a long time since he’d seen this house. He had only been inside the Summers home a handful of times, always part of a large group and usually on their way to The Bronze. Yet, warm thoughts only permeated his brain at the memories. He remembered Joyce as clear as day -- damn, that woman could make coco.

Spike jumped up the two steps onto the porch. His knocking was answered by a violent rustle behind the door -- like some one had a bad run-in with a wall. After a moment of silence, Spike started to wander if something bad had happed until the door was flung open to reveal Dawn, an impressive bruise beginning to show on her forehead. Spike couldn’t help but smile as she put on a brave front for him. “Oh, hey Spike,” she greeted coolly.

“Hey, Nibblet,” Spike answered, entering into the foyer. “You big sis ready?”

“Oh,” the disappointment evident on her face. “Of course you’re here for Buffy. Everyone’s always here for Buffy,” she grumbled as she made her way up the stairs to find her sister. But she stopped halfway, “Buffy!” she screamed, causing Spike to flinch at the shriek.

“Dawn, honey, don’t yell,” a calming voice came from the direction of the kitchen.

“Spike’s here for Buffy,” Dawn answered dully, arms crossed, lips pursed.

“Spike?” Joyce asked, approaching the room. “Why would Spike . . .” she broke off when she entered into the foyer and saw him. “Spike!”

Spike smiled as Joyce drew him into a tight hug. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to be lost in the maternal warmth. Spike hadn’t been hugged with this much love in a long, long time. In his teen angst years he hadn’t been exactly welcoming to Jenny. He had still been bitter over the loss of his mother and pitched a few fits over the idea of another woman in his father’s life. Granted, he and his step-mother were fine now, but it still all seemed so . . . formal. The polite asking of how things were at work and the like. Spike really had never taken the time to get to know her. What bonded them was a mutual love for his father, and not much else. Spike knew what was mostly at fault was his initial hatred of her. The situation between them never fully recovered. But Joyce was so much the den mother to everyone, you couldn’t help but lose yourself in the radiating love.

“Buffy didn’t tell me you’d be in town!”

“I’d imagine she wouldn’t.” Spike had to give her that. For as horrible as Spike had been to Buffy (of which he was sure Joyce knew all about), Joyce had never treated him badly. It was as if she put herself in the delusion that he and Buffy were best mates -- and that would just never be the case.

Buffy rolled her eyes as she came downs the stairs. She always suspected her mother secretly wanted Spike as her son. Her mom loved all her friends, but she especially fawned over Spike. After all the years of Buffy complaining about the blonde English guy who was put on this Earth to make her life a living hell, her mom was always the first to defend him -- like she knew something about him Buffy didn’t. At random moments she would always mention what a nice boy Spike was and asking when was the next time he’d be coming over. Even five years after he moved to L.A. her mother would ask weekly how Spike was doing and if he’d ever be visiting.

She interrupted the love fest between Spike and her mother, “Mom, he’s not going to be able skate if you squish the air out of him.”

Joyce backed off, brushing the wrinkles she created out of Spike’s t-shirt. Buffy half expected her to lick her fingers and fix his hair like she was always doing to Buffy and Dawn. “Let me get you two some water to take with you. You’ll get dehydrated out there today. Oh, Spike! You should come to dinner sometime.” Buffy looked around helplessly as her mother took over. Joyce had already pulled Spike into the kitchen in front of the calendar. “Oh I know, how about next Thursday? Buffy’s aunts are going to be in.”

“The cursed ones?” He asked good naturedly.

Joyce looked disapprovingly at her girls. “Don’t listen to them, Spike, they’re very nice ladies. They’ll love you.” Technically they were Joyce’s cousin’s, but growing up they were so close and only a few years apart they considered themselves sisters. Buffy and Dawn dreaded when they came to visit. All three older women being single, they had the ability to regress into their early twenties when they were around each other -- some of their conversations being down right raunchy. Neither daughter wanted to know about their mother’s glory days.

“Consider me there,” Spike agreed. Great, Buffy thought, why not invite snob Cordelia Chase from high school and the boy that used to pull Buffy’s pigtails in elementary school. Everyone else she didn’t want to spend a night with was already coming.

“As much as I hate to break up you party, I’d like to skate sometime today.”

“Okay, Summers, let’s go.” Spike grabbed the water bottles, handing one to Buffy and grabbing the heavy bulk of her rollerblades to carry for her -- a fact Joyce did not fail to notice -- as they walked out the door. They didn’t get off the porch without her mother giving two more hugs to Spike.

Buffy stopped short of getting in the car. Her lack of movement caught Spike’s eye and he stopped to stare at her frozen form in front of the passenger door.

“Something wrong, Summers?”

“I just can’t believe you still have this thing. You’re a successful professional Spike. Don’t you think it’s time to get a new car?” She lifted her face and the smile that was there told him she was joshing him.

“And I’m guessing this is worse than having neither car nor license?”

Buffy sobered in defeat, “Okay, shut up.”

Spike smiled as they slide into the car. He turned the ignition and addressed Buffy, “Ok, Summers, you gonna show me what you got?”

TBC





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