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Chapter Four


Promptly at seven, the doorbell rang. Buffy frowned at herself in the mirror, she felt nowhere near ready. Did she go with comfy casual or diva? Then there was the option of slut wear. She shook her head, nope, no slut wear.

“Buffy, Willow and Xander are here!” Joyce called up to her.

“Can you send them up, Mom?” she called back.

The pounding of footsteps came a second later and incessant rapping was heard on her door.

She flung the door open, “Help! Do I wear these jeans or black flares? Boots or shoes?”

Her friends stared at her as if she’d gone insane.

“So . . . what’s going on Buff? You must have talked to Angel today then huh?” Xander mused.

Buffy frowned, “Yeah, I did. Why?”

“Because you tweak out like this when you know you’re going to see Angel at the Bronze,” Willow explained.

“Well, um, there’s kind of another party joining us by the way,” Buffy said carefully.

Xander’s eyes narrowed, “Who?”

“Spike.”

Willow’s eyes widened, “Really? How did that happen?”

“He came over today to see me and he asked if we could be friends like we used to . . . well, you know minus making him eat mud pies, I’m sure, and I said yes. He’s technically still kind of new and he’s a really nice guy and – I’m rambling aren’t I?”

Xander grinned, “Got a crush?”

Buffy grinned, “No, that’s you remember?”

Xander scowled and the girls laughed at him. Plopping himself on her bed, he sprawled out on his stomach and propped his head up on his hands. “I think what you have on is fine.”

Buffy looked down at herself. Flared jeans and a simple soft blue frilly top, if she put on a pair of brown boots, she’d be good to go. “I look okay?”

Willow nodded, “Divine.”

“Who says that?” Buffy laughed.

“Well, I think it’s a perfect word to describe how you look, luv.”

Three heads swiveled to the door to see Spike, standing there, leaning against the door frame with a smile on his handsome face.

Buffy forgot for a minute how to breathe. How was it that every time she saw him, he seemed to get hotter and hotter? And he still had on what she saw him in earlier – so how was that possible?

“H-hi, Spike,” she managed to get out.

He nodded, “Hello,” he greeted her and then looked at her friends who were openly staring at him.

“Oh, uh, Spike, this is Willow and Xander, Willow and Xander, this is Spike.”

Xander rolled off the bed and stuck out his hand, “Hey there, Spike.”

Spike took his hand and they shook, shortly, “Hi, Xander.”

Willow was blushing profusely, as she did with all new people, especially men. Spike, seeming to sense her discomfort, smiled warmly at her, “Hello there, Red.”

Willow’s eyes widened.

Spike grinned sheepishly and looked down, “Sorry, that just came out. On account of the red hair and all –“

“No, I like it! No one’s ever given me a nickname before,” Willow rushed out. She was bobbing her head up and down profusely, “Really, really, I like it.”

Spike smiled, “All right, then. Red it is.” He looked at Buffy then, his ice blue eyes warm as they fell on her. “You ready, kitten?”

Now it was Buffy’s turn to blush to the roots of her hair. She smiled coyly at him and nodded. Standing back into the hallway he gestured for her to go, “Ladies first.”

Buffy’s heart was thumping and all thoughts of Angel were completely out the door.

****************

All thoughts of Angel came back as soon as they entered The Bronze and she saw him across the room. He was standing against the wall, chatting with a friend, and from the looks of it, his friend was doing most of the talking.

She looked up at Spike, who was taking it all in and she wondered just what to say to him about Angel. Did she really have to say anything? They were friends, yes, but it wasn’t as if she had to go into some deep explanation about it.

Did she?

No, she didn’t, she’d just take it as it came and explain --

“Hey Buffy.”

And here it was. “Hi, Angel.” She smiled up at him and darted a nervous glance up at Spike. Spike was studying Angel intently.

“Liam?” Spike finally said.

Angel looked at him, studying him closely. “William?”

How was it that she forgot they were friends once upon a time? Not as close as she and Spike had been, but when he needed to be with the boys, it was Angel he sought out.

“Yes, it’s me,” Spike answered, “I go by Spike now.”

Angel nodded slowly, “Okay, I go by Angel now.”

“Okay, sure.”

Angel grinned, “So when’d you get back, buddy?”

“Over the summer. I didn’t know you and Buffy were friends now.”

“Well, she was free and clear after you left,” Angel told him good – naturedly. “I didn’t have someone chasing me all over the playground because I asked her to be my girlfriend.”

"That's what you get for trying to steal your best friend's girl," Spike drawled.

Buffy laughed nervously and they both looked at her oddly. Oh, how history was sometimes doomed to repeat itself.

“So. Play a game of pool with an old friend?” Spike asked him, and then looked at Buffy. “Unless the lady objects?”

Buffy shook her head, “No, no objection here. You guys should play. Catch up and all that and –“

“I was um, hoping that maybe I could dance with the lady first?” Angel asked, looking at Buffy shyly.

Gulp. This was a bit of an awkward. But . . .why? She and Spike were friends. Nothing more. She had had a life after he left, and part of her current life was crushing on Angel. And now Angel was asking her to dance, so why should she feel guilty for that? She shouldn’t.

“Yes, I’d like that,” she said, smiling up at Angel. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Spike narrow his eyes.

Thankfully, her friends came to the rescue. Xander and Willow swarmed right around Spike.

“Hey buddy,” Xander said jovially, “Why don’t we get that table and warm up? You know, Willow doesn’t look like much—“

“Hey!” Willow exclaimed, smacking him on the arm.

“But she’s a demon at pool,” Xander continued, rubbing his arm. He looked at her warily, “And, incredibly strong.”

Spike nodded slowly, “Yeah…ok.” He stalked off, without a word and Buffy let out the breath she’d been holding.

Angel held out a hand, “Shall we?”

“We shall,” she replied and took his hand. Looking over her shoulder at Spike, as Angel drug her to the dance floor, she spied him with jaw clenched, racking up a pool table.

Suddenly, everything that seemed so light and fun earlier, seemed tense and dark now. She just wasn’t exactly sure why.





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