Chapter 12
The next morning, Buffy was back to walking to school. Since she’d broken up with Riley, she’d lost her morning ride. Being the gentleman that he was, he had offered to continue driving her, but she had decided that it probably wouldn’t be such a good idea.
He had taken the break-up well, which surprised Buffy a little – she’d at least expected him to fight for her. But he’d just told her that if that was what she wanted, then he wasn’t gonna try and change her mind.
And then he’d asked the question she’d been dreading, the question she’d been hoping he wouldn’t ask. Who was this other person that her heart belonged to? For a moment she considered lying, but she knew that if she and Spike did end up getting together, Riley would see them and he’d probably put two and two together. She didn’t know whether they could still be friends after this, but she did know that if she lied to him now and he found out later, there would be no room for recovery. As it was, he might not forgive her for having lied about sleeping with Spike.
So, she’d bit her lip and told him the truth. As she’d predicted he’d been angry about her deceit over the true nature of her relationship with Spike and annoyed that she hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him the truth.
But she was glad that she’d plucked up the courage to do it. It was kinda like ripping off a band aid – better to do it quickly and get the pain over with.
As soon as Riley had gone, Buffy had gone over to see Willow. She really needed to talk to someone impartial, someone other than Riley or Spike. She had had to tell Willow about what had really gone on between her and Spike and to say her best friend was shocked was an understatement. But Willow was as supportive as she always had been where Buffy was concerned and understood exactly why Buffy had felt the need to keep it a secret.
Since her new single status also meant she had deprived Willow of a ride to school, she had arranged to meet her friend at the corner where they had always met pre-Riley.
She had not long since left the house and was on her way to that very corner when Spike pulled up beside her, driving his father’s jag.
“Hey, pet. Can I give you a ride?”
She stopped and turned to look at him, smiling at the buoyant grin on his face. “Sorry, Spike, but I'm supposed to be meeting Willow.”
“Not a problem, luv. She can hitch a ride too.”
Buffy was more than a little shocked by his offer. Spike, Sunnydale High’s Mr. Popular was offering to give Willow Rosenberg, geek to the core, a ride to school? She knew he was trying to impress her, but she liked his tactics.
“Are you sure?”
“Course I’m sure. Now get in.”
Smiling, she walked around to the other side of the car and slid into the passenger seat. “So where’s your Desoto?” she asked.
“I rang the garage this morning and they're gonna come and pick it up today. Dad’s away on a book tour at the moment so I’m borrowing this, which is great, but nothing beats my baby.”
Buffy felt a little mischievous. “Not even me?”
Spike grinned at her. “Except you.”
When they reached the corner, the look on Willow’s face was priceless and it didn’t change even when Buffy motioned for her to get in.
“Hey Red,” Spike said in greeting.
“Er, hey…Spike…”
The rest of the drive was spent in relative silence with Buffy rolling her eyes at Willow when Spike started singing along to the Sex Pistols on the radio.
When they approached the school, Buffy began to worry. What would people say when they saw Spike turn up in the same car as her and Willow? It wouldn’t be good for his image. “Look,” she said, turning to Spike. “Maybe you should let us get out here.”
“Why?”
“Well…I mean…do you really want everyone to see you driving me and Willow to school? People are gonna talk.”
“We’ve been through this, pet. I’ve spent years trying to impress the people I thought mattered because I liked the status it gave me. Only now I’ve discovered that those people don’t really give a damn about anyone but themselves and so there’s little point in worrying what they think. Now I promised you a ride to school and that’s what you’re getting. Let people talk.”
Buffy smiled. He didn’t appear to be worried about what the other students and particularly his friends would think, even though as far as high school was concerned he was at the other end of the social scale to her and Willow. Even so there was the nagging thought that it was still only words. He knew all the right things to say no doubt, but action needed to be forthcoming. Would he really be able to ignore all the comments that would no doubt arise from their combined arrival?
Still singing along to the radio, he drove through the school gates and into a convenient parking space. Buffy remained in the car as he got out, still a little apprehensive and was surprised when he came round to her side and opened the door for her.
As she emerged from the car, the people milling around the parking lot and the front of school seemed to stop in their tracks to look at them. For a second, Buffy felt the urge to turn tail and run, until she felt Spike’s hand grasp hers. Instinct told her to pull away, but then he leaned over to whisper in her ear.
“Relax, pet. I’m not about to jump you. But you’re doing a good impression at the moment of a deer caught in headlights and I thought you could do with some support.”
She didn’t really want to admit it, but he was right. Having her hand clasped in his helped to slow her heartbeat, though the almost imperceptible stroking of his thumb across her knuckles was doing nothing to stop her temperature from rising.
Steeling herself against the sea of faces all with the same astonished looks on them, Buffy walked with Spike and Willow towards the entrance, ready to face the day ahead.
Drusilla emerged from the back seat of Angel’s car, her eyes narrowing when she saw her prince holding hands with sunshine. She had waited a long time for her Spike to come and collect her this morning, but he had failed to show and so she had had to call Angel, who had stopped on his way to give her a ride.
She knew she had upset him by playing with his friends – the pixies had told her so. She thought he’d understand, like he’d understood her other little sexual quirks. She knew he loved her – he’d told her so many, many times. But now sunshine had got to him and pulled him away from the dark where he should be. He was meant for the dark, just like she was and she wouldn’t let him leave – once he tasted it again he would remember, but sunshine had made him forget as well.
She needed to act…soon, before sunshine completely took him over and he was lost forever. Miss Edith had been quiet of late but she would soon see how upset her mistress was and she would talk. Miss Edith and the pixies would show her how to get her prince back and how to rid him of sunshine forever.
[Reviews - 721]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | 
Chapter or Story
Has been viewed 8031 times
- Text Size +
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | Chapter or Story - Text Size +
Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry I've taken so long updating - thanks to those you who read my PWP and gave me positive comments about my new fic idea. I have had a very busy weekend as I am starting to teach in my new school this week and have been up to my ears in lesson plans. But I couldn't end the weekend without posting the next chapter so here it is...