"So, how'd your not a date go?" Wesley asked Angel as casually as possible. The other seemed to be very much in thought, and Wesley wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. It had been a few days since Angel went to the park with Connor and Cordelia, and Wesley had not heard from him. According to Lilah, Cordelia had been MIA from their little group of friends every so often lunches together, and hadn't even been answering her phone. Mobile or home. Lilah thought this to be blatantly odd behavior, and demanded that Wesley find out what had or had not been transpiring between the two for her from Angel's perspective.
"Hmm? What?" Angel asked, totally oblivious as to what Wesley was talking about.
"I asked how are things coming along with you and Cordelia? Have you spoken to her at all?" Wesley watched Angel's face carefully for signs of a reaction. There was a flittering smile, before he reverted to his usual brood mode. Wesley was confused, yet intrigued by this.
"Angel?"
"I honestly don't know Wes. We had a great time that day. Connor's taken an extreme liking to her. Watching them together, it- it makes me feel this fondness for her, you know?"
"Yes." Wesley waited patiently for his friend to continue.
"And these past few days, we've been together. The three of us, I mean. It all felt, I dunno, full circle I guess. But last night, Fred baby sat for me, and we finally got to enjoy each other's company." Angel said with a furrowed brow.
"So, is that good or bad?" Wesley asked hesitantly.
"See, that's the thing. I really like Cordy, and... But somehow it all feels... odd." Wesley noticed the endearing nick name he used for her. Taking a mental note, he made no verbal comment about it.
"What's odd, exactly?"
"It's like- like I'm betraying Darla's memory. I loved- love her so much Wes." He confessed.
"I know. But don't you think she'd want you to be happy?"
"But isn't it too soon? Or what if, things work out with me and Cordy, and I lose her too?" He asked worriedly.
"Angel, you can't go through your life playing the 'what if?' game. I think that, if you and Cordelia can make each other feel happy, then don't pass that up. Don't let your fears consume you. I think that Darla would want you to live- as happily as humanly possible." Wesley said reassuringly. "How does she feel about you?"
"I don't know, Wes. I just know that, when she smiles at me, it warms my heart." Angel said with a slightly bashful smile. For the first time in a long while, Wesley thought his friend had let go of his demons and finally allowed himself to be happy.
*********
"So I noticed the Dawnster spent the night at our house. I take it you had a successful evening last night?" Xander asked as he easily shot a ball into the corner pocket.
"Successful meaning what?" Spike asked as he watched Xander line up his next shot. He slowly took a swig from his beer as he waited for his friend to go into further detail for the question. Spike debated on how truthful he should be with his answer.
"I mean, did you score?" Xander asked as he made his next shot.
"Well, I did have her in my enticing embrace for awhile. Only not in the way you think." He finished. Spike began chalking up the pool cue so as not to have to look Xander in the eyes.
"So, in what ways did you... embrace her?" Xander asked, using his hands for emphasis.
"Actually, we had this quaint lil' heart to heart, and then she hugged me. Hugged me for a long while." In fact, it had only been about ten to fifteen minutes, which, could be considered a long time... But it became late, and the silence, which initially started out as comfortable became in fact uncomfortable as un-kosher thoughts and hypothetical broken hearts drifted in both their minds. They broke apart simultaneously and walked in silence to the SUV. Tempted to kiss her goodnight, he instead opted for a lingering glance, which she returned in kind. God, I'm such a git. Spike thought to himself on the drive home.
Feeling the after effects of not have gotten laid in the past several days, he decided that a good wank-off would be just the trick. What started off as a steamy thought of a ménage et trois of Halle Berry and Jennifer Garner, mysteriously evolved into the petite blond he had shared his evening with.
"Fuck, Buffy!" He yelled right before he came, stroking his hardness vigorously as he envisioned Buffy riding him at a gallop, making him pop like warm Champaign.
"Wait, so you guys just hugged? That's it?" Xander asked, giving Spike a very much bewildered expression.
"We... had an understanding."
"Uh huh. An understanding as opposed to getting some. What, she resisted your killer abs and dashing good looks?" Xander asked in a slightly sarcastic voice. He really was confused, and slightly frightened. My god, if Spike can't get laid... He decided to not finish that train of thought.
"Look, I know you're my best cheerleader and all," Xander scoffed at that with a roll of his eyes. Spike merely smirked as he continued. "But I think it was for the best. Buffy just may help me overcome my relationship-phobia. Plus Dawn like, really likes her. It's kinda weird, actually." Spike said thoughtfully.
"Actually, Willow likes her too. In spite of what she said at Wes' party. But it's so not fair. I get put in the dog house cause of what Buffy said. That's just not right." Xander groused.
"Well, how's bout you make it up to Red and shag her until she passes out. Go get laid for both of us, Harris."
"You're going cold turkey? No visits from your little female friends? No more booty calls?!" Xander asked, completely flabbergasted.
Spike merely shrugged his shoulders before replying.
"I could always go back. Just, uh... trying something different. But Xander, don't forget bout what I said."
"Um, which part?"
"Bout Willow. Make her really happy." He said with an arch of his scarred eyebrow. Xander gulped slightly in response.
**********
"Wow. So after all of that- the whole incident of which we know nothing of at my house, all you guys did was hug?" Lilah asked, incredulous. Their whole clique was assembled at the restaurant; except for an elusive Cordelia. Her presence was being occupied by a contrastingly quiet Willow.
"I know. But it's like I could really... ya know. Like 'like' him." Buffy said shyly as she stared into her pink lemonade.
"He made me feel like my old self again- though, I'm not so sure that's a good thing exactly. And Dawn is just the sweetest little thing..." she absently trailed off.
"Man, B's finally got it bad." Faith said playfully. Buffy tossed a piece of breadstick at her in response.
"I so do not. He's just... intriguing."
"Well, give it time, Buffy. Don't rush, but don't dawdle along either." Lilah advised. Buffy knitted her brows in concentration as she nodded absentmindedly.
"Has anyone heard from Cordelia? At all?" Faith asked. It had been nearly four days since anyone had heard from the chatty brunette.
"According to my Wes, she's been spending all of her free time with Angel. I take it they're hitting it off quite well."
"Oh! That's so sweet. Angel's finally seeing someone. I hope they get a happy ending." Willow said wistfully. All heads automatically swiveled to her.
"So, she can speak. For a minute there, I thought you had laryngitis or something, Red." Willow smiled at the nickname.
"That's funny you should call me that. I mean, not funny 'ha ha' cause it's an obvious observation, but Spike's the only one who calls me that. That and you never called me that before- in high school." she rambled.
"So what does Xander call you?" Faith asked- temporarily oblivious to Willow's sudden discomfort.
"Faith!" Buffy said in admonishment. Lilah merely took another sip of her water.
"Oh! I didn't mean anything by it. I wasn't trying to be bitchy I swear."
"It's alright." Willow said.
"I'm just so used to being blunt with everyone, ya know? This is the place where we usually divulge are girly secrets and stuff. Questions, fantasies, tips, etc. I was just treating you like everyone else."
"I get that. No offense taken. But um... we don't really do the whole 'pet name' thing. Actually, in the past week, we haven't done much of anything. But that's more or less my fault."
"How's that sweetie?" Lilah asked. Just as well. Buffy thought. She had planned on having a one on one conversation with Willow about the personal aspects of her life, but this was probably good too. Different input from different women. Willow seemed comfortable enough about it all.
"Well, I'll admit that I was pretty pissed at him for like- a day. But lately I just... we used to have like, a routine almost. We were in a rut, ya know? I just haven't really felt like the 'same ol', same old', and I didn't plan on doing anything until some changes were made. Except, I wasn't too sure what changes should be made. I guess we have the sort of relationship where he feels there are certain things he can't do with his wife, but, I wouldn't mind trying." Willow confessed.
"Oh, like oral sex and stuff?" Faith guessed.
"Um... yea. And stuff."
"Xander isn't exactly a take control of guy, I'm guessing. You'll probably have to make the first move." Buffy added.
"Okay. Well, that sounds simple enough, but I've never... ya know. Xander's the only guy I've ever been with."
"And yet ya still haven't gotten your nasty on after all these years."
"Now Faith, we're here to advise, not criticize." Lilah said.
"I wasn't. Just an observation." Faith replied with a shrug of her shoulders, leaning back in her chair.
"Well my observation is that no matter what you do, it'll catch him off guard, confuse him at first, and then make him incredibly turned on." Buffy said.
"Confidence is key. Know that you're in control, and embrace that knowledge." Lilah added.
"Okay, enough words of empowerment. Let's get down to the nitty gritty. Let's talk techniques blow by blow." Faith said.
"I'm guessing the pun is intended there, right?" Willow asked sheepishly. Change is necessary. Willow thought. It's up to one of us to take a step forward. Might as well be me. Just hope I can pull it off...
*********
The past several days, Dawn felt almost as if her family unit was complete. Buffy was almost always around one way or another- especially since she had become friends with Willow. Dawn simply couldn't help herself from practically bouncing off the walls with happiness. Though she had to admit that Buffy was more like a big sister than a motherly type. But she didn't mind. Her dad seemed to really like Buffy too.
"Buffy is just so cool you guys. You have to come over some time when she's over, which is like almost always." Dawn said on the slight side of giddy as she washed her hands. Her friends Tara and Janice listened attentively, prolonging their bathroom break so as not to be back in class too early. After all, gym was next.
"D- do you think they'll get married?" Tara asked, happy for her friend. Dawn shrugged her shoulders as she silently pondered the question.
"It sounds like she'd make an awesome step mom though." Janice said.
"Yea. But I don't see myself calling her that. She'd still just be Buffy."
"Too bad she's not your real mommy." Kiersty said as she approached the threesome, backed by her two lackies. Kiersty was the type of girl who thought she was better than everyone, and spent most of her time making fun of the other kids in class. She more or less thought she was god's gift, with her expressive (though sinister) hazel eyes and long, flowing blond hair. Though she was popular, a lot of the kids still didn't like her. Dawn narrowed her eyes at the girl.
"Shut up. It's none of your business." Janice said defensively. Tara looked at Dawn with a worried look on her face. Kiersty held up her hands in mock defense.
"It's not my fault if her mommy didn't love her." All of the girls in the wash room stopped whatever it was they were doing to listen then. Everyone had a look of shock on their faces at the statement. Except for Dawn. She looked crushed.
"What are you talking about?" Dawn asked tentatively, feeling her blood rush. She just knew she was blushing from impending embarrassment.
"I heard my parents talking before. Your mother isn't dead. She just simply left cause she couldn't stand you anymore." she said snottily.
"Shut up, Kiersty. That's enough." Tara said firmly.
"Yeah. You would stand up for your band of freaks, wouldn't you Tara?" Tara just stared at the other girl. She didn't know what else to say.
"She said shut up. And if you don't, I think I'll have to make you." Janice said, stepping in front of her two friends. It was more or less a staring contest until the bell rang. The girls began to disperse and head to the gym, all except Dawn, Tara, and Janice. Dawn watched Kiersty leave, her pony tail swinging behind her as if it was mocking her too. How she hated her.
"You okay Dawn?" Tara asked. Dawn just nodded her head. She followed her friends out of the wash room as she continued to think of what was said about her mother. The more she thought, the more she saw red...
********
"Mr. Giles, some kind of punishment must be executed. I'm afraid, Dawn will have to serve two week's detention." Ms. Li, the principal explained calmly.
"I understand." Spike said, thinking that Dawn got off kind of easy.
"What?" exclaimed Mr. Hawthorne, Kiersty's father. "She cut off my daughter's hair! A few days detention is all you can do!" he exclaimed, turning red in the face from all of his yelling.
"Well I've gotta say, your daughter did provoke the incident to occur. She really shouldn't have said that." Spike said. He had heard the story, from Dawn, Janice, Tara, and a few of their classmates. After gym, Dawn came up with the clever idea of waiting for Andrew, the boy who sat behind Kiersty to leave his seat during the health movie. Evidently, his going to the bathroom was like clockwork because of his weak bladder. Dawn quietly slipped into his desk behind the girl with a large pair of scissors borrowed from the teacher. In one swift, cutting motion, Kiersty's long, golden braided pony tail was gone.
"It was just words! She never touched her." Mr. Hawthorne exclaimed, jumping up from his seat and looking down at Spike and Ms. Li. Spike rolled his eyes before looking at the man.
"They were fighting words. Maybe your daughter should learn to keep her thoughts to herself." He said calmly. Mr. Hawthorne stood up to his full height, which was about a good three inches more than Spike's, locking his eyes on him.
"I think what would be fair is if your daughter's hair was cut too." He said in a loud voice. Spike stood up then.
"Are you thick or something? You must be insane if you think I'll allow that to happen." He said, narrowing his eyes at the man. Seeing another possible situation, Ms. Li walked around her desk and stood in between the two men. With her hands on her hips, she looked pointedly at Mr. Hawthorne.
"Dawn will serve the punishment that I have issued. Under the circumstances, and since this is a school, my school to be exact, I know what is appropriate. Dawn will serve out her two week’s detention for what she's done, and both girls are going to apologize to each other. That will be the end of it." She said, her tone of voice leaving no room for arguments. Mr. Hawthorne sent an angry glare at both of them before leaving.
"Thank you Ms. Li. I'll talk to Dawn about her vengeance streak. I can assure you it won't happen again." Spike said to the woman.
"I hope so, Mr. Giles. But then again, there isn't much to cut now, is it?" She said with a twinkle in her eye. Spike grinned back at her.
"Everyone should know our school policy by now: if you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all. I don't agree with Dawn's tactic, but I do believe that Miss Hawthorne will be keeping all ill thoughts to herself from now on."
Spike had been utterly shocked when the school called him for a conference about Dawn. She had never been in trouble before, and now here she was with a two week's worth of detention. As much as he wanted to be upset, he simply didn't have the heart. She was hurting and lashed out. To be frank, he wasn't sure how to handle the situation exactly.
"So, are ya mad at me?" Dawn asked quietly from the passenger side of the car on their drive home. Glancing at her briefly, he answered a mere, "No." Dawn exhaled a sigh of relief as she collected her thoughts.
"Dad, she didn't die, did she?" She asked cautiously. They never really talked about her mother. Spike swallowed hard as he thought of what to say.
"No. She left." He said quietly.
"Why?" She asked, confused and a little bit hurt and angry at the woman she never knew.
"I don't know, baby. I just think that she wasn't ready to be a mum yet. I'm sorry I lied to you sweetheart. I never meant to hurt you." Dawn looked at him then, thinking back on how their lives of just the two of them together had been. She loved her father more than anything, and her mother, whoever she was, must have been stupid miss out on an awesome family like theirs. Yea, totally stupid…
"Well, she must have been a bleeding idiot then." Dawn said with a grin, knowing that saying "bleeding" would lighten the mood. But she knew she risked getting in trouble for the profane language, even though it was a British curse word.
"Dawnie, language." Spike said with a grin of his own. He decided to let her get away with it.
"Dad, I can't help it. I learned from the best."
*******
After nearly two weeks, Willow finally worked up the courage to try something new with Xander. Unfortunately, her timing was off. Her Aunt Flow had come to town with a vengeance, so she was limited for the next week. The week before, she and Xander had the "make up" sex. Try as he might to get out of their little rut, it was more or less the usual. She was correct in thinking that the major changes would ultimately be left up to her. She decided to catch him completely off guard.
"Xander, I've been thinking..." She started. He was straightening his tie in the bathroom mirror. She glanced at his reflection briefly before looking over his attire. She began to brush off imaginary lint from his shirt, surreptitiously moving lower to his trousers.
"Bout what, honey?" He asked, completely oblivious to Willow's seemingly innocent ministrations.
"Wow, you're really linty. What will your co- workers say? Here, let me fix it with the lint roller." She said as she unbuckled and unzipped his pants, pulling them down around his ankles. Xander, still completely blind to what was going on, began combing his hair.
"As I was saying, people can grow apart." Xander stopped what he was doing and glanced down at her when she said that. He had gone decidedly pale in the face.
"Will- what... apart?" She gave him a mischievous grin at that.
"Or, they can grow closer." She stared up at him as she pulled down his boxers, licking her lips slowly. Xander had a look of confusion and anxiety on his face. It turned into one of desire as she sensuously ran the tips of her fingers up and down his muscular thighs. His arousal grew as she began massaging his sac. He closed his eyes at the contact, saying her name in a voice that resonated his want for her.
"I want you, Xander. Every drop of you. We both know its right." She then engulfed his hard member into her mouth; hollowing out her cheeks and moaning as she moved back and forth. One hand helped to caress his length as her tongue explored him as never before, while the other continued its personal massage on his balls. Xander couldn't last long, and came in a way he never had before.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks to fallen_angel, Laura Liz, Margaret, rosie, and cordykitten :D