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Chapter 14

"OhmyGod,OhmyGod,OhmyGod,OhmyGod!" Buffy paced back and forth across her bedroom clenching her cell phone. "What am I gonna do, Willow?" She whispered fiercely, "and if you say ‘tell him the truth’ so help me God!!"

"Calm down Buffy," Willow said in a soothing voice. "This isn’t really a problem."

"This isn’t a problem?" she yelled. Buffy cut her eyes to her door and, after a minute, continued in a whisper. "Please explain to me how me getting out of school, making it across town, and navigating a campus that I know nothing about all before noon, is not a problem?!"

"Wow, you’ve never even been on the campus?" Cordelia cut in. "You didn’t plan for this at all."

"Why are you even on the line Cordy?" Buffy moaned as she fell back on her bed.

"Mine, is the cold harsh voice of reality," Cordelia said. "While Willow is willing to play Ethel to your Lucy, I’m the one who will pull your butt out of the fire. Just tell him your teacher has cramps and your morning class was canceled."

"B-but what if her teacher is a man?"

"It’s a made up class, Willow!" Cordelia snapped. "Buffy, call him tomorrow at like ten and tell him you will meet him at a safe place, the library or the cafeteria. But make him take you out, cause cafeteria food, yuck!"

"How am I going to get out of school?" Buffy asked.

"Leave that to me," Cordelia answered smugly.

The next morning Buffy made her way across the parking lot to Cordelia’s red convertible. "OK enlighten me, oh wise one." She sat down in the front seat of the sports car and lifted her sunglasses. Cordelia paused momentarily taking in Buffy outfit. She had a white sleeveless polo, with a pink mini and crisp white tennis shoes. Buffy looked down at herself and looked back at her pouting, "I figured I would be doing a lot of walking, what with the public transportation and the wandering around the campus aimlessly.

"Cordelia sighed and looked at Buffy shaking her head. "I told you, I had everything covered. She reached behind her and pulled out a notebook. "This is for you." She handed her a piece of paper. "This is a basic map of the campus. You should have had this done already. I mean, really."

"Yeah, yeah next time I tell a lie so big I can’t see around it, I’ll be sure to remember that," she replied sharply. "Get on with it"

"I’m feeling ubergenerous today, I’ll drive you over to the school so that you have some time to get yourself acclimated to the campus. We wouldn’t want you to look like a total idiot." Buffy gave her a look that Cordelia chose to ignore.

Buffy looked up from the paper in her hand. "What about here," she pointed over her shoulder at the high school. "When I don’t show up for homeroom, Mary Ellen is going to call my mom. Joyce is gonna remember me sitting across from her this morning complaining about a history report due. Oh, that reminds me." She reached in her notebook and handed her the report. "Give this to Mr. Davis for me please."

"Give me that," Cordelia place the report with her books. "This is what we’re gonna do. Actually, I’m going to sit in my lovely car while you go in to school."

"What?"

Cordelia held up her hand, silencing the blond. "You see that group over there?" Leaning against the dead tree next to the handicapped parking spaces stood a group of about thirty students. They were smoking what Buffy doubted were Marlboro. "Those bright up and comers coupled over there, with the late bus will put about seventy-five student signing in late at once. You will be in that group, sign in and just slip back out in all the confusion. Viola! You will be signed in for homeroom." She smiled proudly and shooed her away when she saw a group of kids shuffle off of a metro bus.

Ten minutes later Buffy came racing back out of the school. She jumped into Cordelia’s car and the two took off, laughing. However by the time they made it across town, Buffy was subdued. Cordelia pulled into the parking lot and waited for Buffy to get out. "Get out," she said unlocking the door.

"What if I screw it up, Cordy. She whispered. "I mean I’m totally out of my element here!"

"You won’t and you’re not. Now get out of my car."

Buffy gave her friend an annoyed look and continued, "I’m looking for a little support here, maybe an encouraging word or two, Cordy!"

"OK, I support your need to not make a fool out of yourself and I encourage you to get out of my car!"

Buffy looked at her friend sharply. "I hate you." She opened the door to the car and stepped out. "Hopefully I won’t get lost and get attacked by a group of Beta Kappa Kappa pledges."

"Don’t be ridiculous," Cordelia said putting her car in drive, "pledge season is so over."

"Bu-" Buffy started as Cordelia took off. "OK, bye," she finished lamely. Buffy sighed bravely and turned towards the campus. All around her people were hustling off to classes; it seems everybody had a place to be except her. She reached into her bag and pulled out her hastily drawn map. She smiled softly at the little red ‘you are here square’. Looking over her shoulder, she found her first landmark. She made her way over to the athletic center and said to her herself, "I guess this is where I start."

Buffy spent the next two hours wandering around the vast campus peeking into all the buildings on the map and adding a few of her own. She quietly sat in on part of a lecture, flirted her way into the weight room, and watched some students practice for a play in the theater. All in all she had a great morning, but despite all the guys who wanted to make her feel otherwise, she was kinda lonely. She was walking with her head down, rewriting the name on one of the buildings when she bumped into someone. The next thing Buffy knew she had fallen down heavily on her bottom. "I’m s-s-sorry," the brown haired girl said bending down to help her up. "Here, let me help you. A-a-are you all right?"

Buffy took the hand that was offered to help her up. The young woman picked up the map, just as the wind was about to blow it away. "Thank you." Buffy took the map, folded it and put it in her bag.

"I’m sorry, my name is Tara. Are you l-l-lost?" She looked at the map sticking out of the bag.

"No--er well actually kinda," she pulled out the piece of paper and said, "can you help me find the cafeteria. I can’t believe she put down where the fraternity houses were but not the cafeteria."

"Oh, I can do that. Actually if you want, I could show you. I’m headed that way."

Tara smiled shyly at Buffy as they started walking. As the two women made their way across the campus, Buffy studied her companion out of the corner of her eye. Tara had a mother earth look to her, she had on a floor length multicolored skirt and brown peasant blouse. With her long straight hair and clean make up free face she looked like she’d stepped out of 1969. The wind lifted Tara’s hair from her face and the girl met Buffy’s eye and smiled gently at her. "Are you thinking of coming here next year, after you graduate?

"What? What makes you think that I’m not a student," Buffy snapped.

"Oh I’m sorry. I d-didn’t mean anything by it. Y-y-you just looked so lost, I guess it made you look younger then you are." Tara looked at Buffy apologetically.

Buffy instantly felt bad for her sharp words. "Hey, no I’m sorry. I’m meeting my boyfriend in the cafeteria in," she looked down at her watch, "thirty-five minutes, and I’m just a little frustrated. My map said that the cafeteria would be right over by the basketball court and it wasn’t.

Tara frowned and said quietly, "well, yeah they tore down the building two semesters ago."

Buffy bit her bottom lip and smiled weakly at Tara. "I guess it’s kinda obvious that I’m not a student here, huh? I just moved to Sunnydale from LA and I was thinking of transferring here." The two women walked in comfortable silence till Tara stopped in front of one of the newer building.

"Well," Tara turned towards the Buffy and the two women stood in the stream of students going in for lunch. This is where I get off. It was nice meeting you, Buffy. I hope that transfer works out for you." Tara turned and continued up the walk.

"Thanks a lot, Tara," Buffy said to Tara’s retreating back. She looked over her shoulder and waved.

Buffy sat on a bench outside the building waiting for Spike to show up. At 12:01 she heard a familiar voice pull her out of a daydream. "Hello Luv, I hope you haven’t been waiting long." Spike leaned over and kissed her soundly on her lips. "Do you want to stay on campus for lunch--do you have afternoon classes?"

"No it’s not an important class, let’s get out of here."

As the couple casually made their way over to his car Spike took in the students, "This takes me back, the hustle, the excitement. Not knowing what the future holds, but innocent enough to believe you’d be prepared for whatever it threw at you."

"Wow, I had no idea that you were so ancient. It’s been what? Like a hundred years since you’ve been on a college campus, grandpa?" she teased, her eyes laughing mischievously.

Spike looked at her walking next to him in the sun and felt something foreign awaken in his chest. For longer then he cared to admit, even to himself, he’d been merely existing. Work to home and back again. He’d thought taking on a flatmate, especially one as young as Angel would help him get back into the swing of things. But all it did was solidify the fact that he wanted something different. He often wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t let Angel drag him out that night. Would he have met this little slip of a girl with her wide eyes and cherry lip gloss at the supermarket? At the post office, maybe? No, he was meant to meet her that night and hopefully spend the rest of his life with her. Spike knew that he had always been love’s bitch, but Buffy was fate’s way of making the scales even.

"I wanted to talk with you about last night--the whole," she looked around making sure no one was paying attention to them, "the whole sex thing. I’m sorry I understand that you’re ready. A whole world of ready! And I come across as a tease-- what with all the kissing and the touching, and then the ‘no’." Spike tried to speak and she gently placed her fingers on his lips. "No, I need to say this." She looked down at his chest, "I just want you to understand that I’ve never been with anyone before." She raised her head and looked Spike in the eye. "I just want you to know that when I’m ready, I want you to be my first."

Spike looked back at Buffy tenderly, unable to speak for a moment. When he was ready he said quietly, "I am so honored. You know what?" She looked up at his face expectantly. "This is just the beginning of the things I look forward to experiencing with you." He reached down and brought her hand to his mouth placing a soft kiss on her knuckle. She stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Spike’s face broke out in a wicked grin as he grabbed her behind pressing her to him. Buffy visibly started. He whispered huskily in her ear, "Pet, I can hardly wait, but wait I will. And when it happens it will be the most romantic, most sensual night of your life. I’m going to worship every hill and every valley. I’m going to spend an eternity worshiping at the glorious temple that is Buffy."

She colored deeply as her body responded to his words and the warm touch of his breath on her neck. Her breath quickened as she thought about finally seeing him, touching him. Suddenly, Buffy became aware of just how close Spike was, how clean he smelled and she stepped back. "I’m ready to eat now."
Spike smiled knowingly as she hurried to his car.

"Where would you like to go, Pet?"

‘Your house,’ she thought, but she said, "Oh I don’t know let’s just go to the mall."

As the couple made their way to the food court, they walked by a photo booth. Buffy stopped and said to Spike, "Are you thinking what I’m thinking?" She turned to look at Spike and seeing him facing Kam’s Naughty Girl, continued, "I guess not, huh? Spike, let’s get our picture taken." She pulled him away from the display window and they went to the photo booth. A few minutes later they exited the booth laughing loudly. Spike pulled the photos from the feed and looked at them. Buffy smiled wickedly at Spike and said, "Wait right here." She went back inside the booth and Spike saw a series of flashing around the curtain. Buffy pulled back the curtain and picked up the new photos from the feed. She handed Spike the pictures and whispered, "These are for you." He sputtered as he looked down at them.

"These are… umm… very nice, Pet. This one here I’m going to put in my wallet, the rest, they're going to stay in a safe private place."





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