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Chapter 25


Willow sprinted to the door grabbing Buffy's arm. “I told you we should have come together,” she whispered once she pulled her away from the stunned hostess. Buffy looked behind her and Fred gave her a little friendly wave and shrug of her shoulder. As Willow rushed her to the back of the house, Buffy caught glimpses of vaguely familiar faces. The guy she sat behind in Biology, that girl who for a whole summer ate only mayonnaise sandwiches, and if she wasn't mistaken she saw good old Michael Mountcastle over in corner talking to Xander. It was like some demonic version of 'This Is Your Life'. Her eyes jumped from person to person till they came to rest a shock of white blond hair. Until that moment Buffy believed that seeing Spike after all this time would be heart wrenching and angst filled.

It wasn't.

Actually, she felt a small smile pull on her lips at the sight of him. Before Willow spirited her away Buffy believed she saw him smile in return. “Oh sweetie,” Willow exclaimed once they arrived in the kitchen. “Are you alright?” Buffy replayed the last moments over in her head. Was that a ghost of a smile on his face or was it wishful thinking? “Huh, Buffy, hello?” Willow placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder “Did she say anything to you? You know, nasty?”

“No she was very pleasant. That whole knowing who I was the whole time, kinda freaks me out but other then that.” Buffy trailed off.

Willow waited for Buffy to finish her thought and when it became apparent that she wasn't, she said, “what about umm Spike?”

Buffy looked up at her friend as if just noticing her for the first time. “No really, I'm fine. Go back to Oz. I'm just going to sneak up the the bathroom.” After Willow slipped out of the kitchen Buffy made her way up the stairs to the second floor. At the top of the landing she came upon voices behind a closed door, just as she was going to step away she heard her name.”

“--Buffy had done? Why would you do that?” she heard Spike ask.

She leaned in to hear Fred's response. “I just wanted to talk to her before she knew who I was. The ex is always different around the current.” There was a pause as the duo moved around behind the closed door. “She seemed very nice. Not at all what I expected.”

“And what would that be, Pet?”

“Oh, I don't know. More calculating, I guess. I mean it does take a certain kind of teen to seduce a grown man. Lolita, anyone?” Buffy closed her eyes to the words that were being thrown so casually around about her character. But God help her she couldn't walk away.

“Don't be so hard on the girl. She was very young and I am a right sexy beast .”

“Well, as long as she knows that you are my right sexy beast we'll have no problems.”

“Am I now,” he mumbled before silence over came the room.

Buffy stepped silently away from the door. Suddenly coming to the party, coming to California, everything was a stupid idea. “I gotta get out the hell out of here.” She thought rushing back to the kitchen. Buffy made a beeline to the back door.

As Buffy stumbled downstairs the couple once again started talking. “So what happened to you tonight. You were suppose to be here hours ago.

“I'm sorry I'm so late.” Fred said as she stepped away from the Englishman. “I had a meeting with one of my Professors tonight.”

Spike eyes flinted as he responded, “Let me guess, Professor Wyndam-Price?” Spike turned away from Fred and ran his hands through his short hair. “You know how I feel about you spending time with that Git.”

Fred's took a deep breath and said nervously, “I know how you feel about Wesley—err Professor Wyndam-Price. But what choice do I have?” She tentatively reached for Spike but he stiffen under her touch. She lower her hand. Fred knew that she was going to have to handle this very carefully. If Spike was upset about her meeting with Wesley, when he found out what they met about he was going to hit the roof. Maybe she'd tell him when they got home.

“How would you feel if I was spending my free time with my ex?” Spike spun and said with a smirk, “Maybe I'll go downstairs and Buffy and I can have a go at it!”

Fred folded her arms and after a cleansing breath said slowly, “Wesley and I are done. We can't keep having this same argument over and over again, Spike.” Spike lower his eyes and mirror her posture. “Hey, I'm with you now.” This time when she reached for him he didn't pull away. Fred knew it was a truce and a tentative one at that. And although they were holding each other tight they were both miles away.

Meanwhile Buffy took a deep breath of fresh air as she stood in the back yard. She looked up at the window of the room she left Spike and Fred in.

Sighing, she checked for her mother's car keys. “That was quick.” Buffy spun around to see a tall black man smiling at her.

“Can I help you?” she asked curtly.

“No,” he took a step towards her. “I just came out to get some air. Seen your big entrance in there. Feeling pretty special to be a witness to your slinking away.” Again with the friendly grin.

Buffy stood dumbfound. After a tense moment she sputtered. “Who the hell are you? You don't even know me.”

He took another step towards her. “Please forgive me. I've heard so much about you that I feel that I do. My name is Professor Woods---Robin.” He extended his hand and for a minute it seemed Buffy was going to let it hang there. Then she tentatively shook his hand.

“You know it's really starting to weird me out to have strangers know so much about me!” she said through clenched teeth as she dropped his hand. “So Professor, what is it that you think you know about the elusive Buffy Summers?” Buffy shifted her weight and folded her hands, waiting.

“I know she's a girl with some serious abandonment issues. And that she repeatedly gets into relationships that reinforce those issues. She should really see someone about that. I mean why else would you, I mean she start a relationship with a man 10 years her senior?” Looking at her sadly, he shook his head. “You honestly couldn't have thought it was to end well.” he whispered.

“Who the hell are you?” She breathed taking a step back.

He smiled at her and raising his hand replied, “Believe it or not, I'm a friend. Here. Let's start over. Hi,” he once again offered his hand. “my name is Robin—just plain Robin. And you?”

“Here you are.” Both Buffy and Robin turned to the red head at the door. “I've been looking all over the place for you. I see you've met the Professor.” Willow's smiled dropped. “Am I interrupting something?”

Buffy took a shaky step away and said, “No, the Professor---Robin and I were just talking.” She turned towards Robin and continued, “You never told me what you're a Professor of.”

“Psychology”

“Figures,” she muttered.

Robin threw his head back and laughed heartily. He placed his hand on the small of her back and led the ladies to the house. “Lets get back to the party, shall we?” Buffy hesitated for a moment and then let the handsome man lead her.

Once they were at the party Robin asked, “Do you ladies wanted something to drink?”

“I would like a white wine,” she said absently. She unconsciously scanned the room for Spike

“He's not here,” Robin leaned in and whispered. He walked away chuckling.

“I don't like him,” she stated matter of factly.

“Who,” Willow asked stepping up to Buffy munching on a carrot. “Professor Woods? Oh he's wonderful Buffy. Everyone just loves him. Wait till you get to know him.”

“I was just wondering how Robin knew so much about me.” Willow mumbled something incoherent around her carrot and looked relieved when Cordelia joined them.

“Look Buffy, it's Cordelia!” Willow nervously smiled. “I'm sure Cordelia wouldn't want to scene. Nope. She'd want a scene free party. Sceneless .

“Don't you dare go all Vengeance Demon on me, Buffy! You promised.” Cordelia said pointing at her. “ I told you she was going to be here.” Angel walked up to the ladies and after placing a kiss on Cordy's cheek she said to him. “I told her she was going to be here.”

“Yeah she told you.”

“Shut up Angel.” Buffy said to him. Turning towards Cordelia she continued, “It's not them, it's--”

“It's me.” Robin interrupted.

“Yeah, it's a world of him,” Buffy agreed.

“Thank God,” Cordelia breathed.

Looking very confused Angel asked, “What the hell is going on?”

“Well I caught young Miss Summers running away,” Robing began.

“You were going to leave without telling us?” Cordelia asked sadly. Willow looked on disappointedly.

“I briefly entertained the thought,” Buffy said defensively.

“Like I said, she was entertaining the thought of leaving.” Buffy glowered at Robin as he continued. “When I swooped in and saved the day. I explained that running away was not the best choice to dealing with her umm issues.” Robin paused to look over Buffy's head and said in a lowered voice, “oh look, issue One and issue Two.” Buffy turned towards where Robin was looking and once again found herself locked into a pair of familiar blue eyes. “You know to truly move on, you're going to have to confront him. Closure and all that,” he continued in a smooth voice.

“He's not going to want to –why am I talking to you about this,” she growled. “If you would excuse me, I'm going to talk to Mayonnaise girl.”

“What?” Angel watched the small blond disappear into the crowd. “Thank God. That's one chick I'm glad I never dated. She's weird,” he took his finance's hand and smiling, kissed it.

Buffy divided up the remainder of the evening catching up with everyone's life (mayonnaise girl's name was Debbie) and unconsciously watching Spike. Watching Spike talk, watching Spike laugh, watching Spike eat, watching Spike hold another the way he once held her. Maybe seeing him was going to be a little heart wrenching and a tad angst-filled. As the evening progressed Buffy found herself in a melancholy mood and maybe a little drunk. She tapped the shoulder of a blond stranger talking to a small group next to her. “I have a boyfriend too! His name is Jason.” The blond looked at her friends and snickering the group moved away from Buffy. O K, maybe more then a little drunk, she thought as she placed her empty wine glass on a passing waiters tray.

“Oh my head.” she moaned grabbing her head tenderly. Buffy sat down heavily on the nearest chair.

“Are you happy now?”

She sighed and squinted up at the man a very young girl once believed was her fairytale. “Hello Spike.”





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