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Author's Chapter Notes:
Hey guys, hope everyone had a great Christmas. I know I did... (now I just have to figure out what to do with all the new toys...)

Thank you guys so much for all the reviews, you guys are awesome, as always. Here's the next chapter guys, enjoy!
The days coming up to Wednesday seemed to drag by for Spike. He couldn’t stop thinking about Buffy. It was Wednesday and Spike kept staring at the clock. It was still an hour before he could even leave to pick Buffy up for their date. He’d made reservations at a lovely, but cozy little Italian restaurant. Spike could feel his nerves getting to him already. It had been a long time since he’d been out on an actual date, and he didn’t want to mess this up. Because if he did he knew that he’d lose Buffy forever. She was skittish around him, and for good reason. He had left her to fend for herself for two years, when he’d promised her once that he’d always be there for her.

Spike rubbed the ring that had taken up residence around his neck since the day she had left it for him. He knew the contours of each word by heart. His fingers subconsciously sought it out every time that he’d thought about Buffy over the past two years. And that had been a lot.

Spike heard a knock on his apartment door. He’d since had to find a whole new flat, since the one he’d shared with Cecily was on the market.

Confused as to who it could be, Spike went to open the door, only to find Cecily staring at him from the other side.

“What the bloody hell do you want?”

Cecily wormed her way past him, into the apartment.

Spike scowled at her, but shut the door behind him.

“Nice place you got here.”

Spike scowled at her. “I know you’re not here to discuss m’ living arrangements. What do you want?”

“I wanted to congratulate you on a job well done at the trial. You won.”

Spike tried not to let his surprise show. There was no way that she had come over here just to congratulate him on his win. Knowing Cecily, she had a completely ulterior motive.

“You look nice. Going somewhere?”

“No. What do you want?”

“Oh just checking up on my favorite husband.”

“Ex-husband.” Spike corrected. “Now that you’ve checked up on me, you can leave.”

“I just want to know one thing. How did you change those medical records? Because I know they’re fake.”

Spike smiled at her smugly. “I didn’t have a thing to do with that.”

“So it was Buffy.”

Spike shrugged. “I’m not answerin’ either way.”

Cecily shrugged. “You know I’ll figure this out William. I’ll know how you did it, but I will make sure you pay for it.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Get over yourself, you bloody bint. You’re just pissed off ‘cause I’m not you’re soddin’ lap dog anymore.”

Cecily huffed and turned to leave the apartment. But before she made it to the door, she stopped and turned around to look at Spike. “Oh and just to let Buffy know. Her friend Willow isn’t so friendly after all. The little birdie told me a secret.” Cecily chuckled and left Spike staring at the closed door.

* * *

Buffy paced her room, checking the clock for what seemed the fiftieth time. It was only two minutes past the time it was when she last looked. Buffy shuffled through her closet looking for the perfect dress to wear. Wait. Should she even wear a dress? Where was he taking her? What if she was to dressed up?

Faith chuckled at her from across the room, staring at her magazine. “I can see the gears turning in your head right now. And wear the dark red dress.”

Buffy turned around to look at Faith, biting her lip out of nervousness. “You think so?”

Faith nodded, looking up at her. “It’s hot.”

Buffy turned back around to pull the dress out of her closet and threw it on her bed. She didn’t want to put it on yet it would get all wrinkled. Buffy took several deep breaths trying to calm her nerves. Over the course of the day she had gotten increasingly more nervous as the day went on, and now that it was so close to the time that, the butterflies in her stomach seemed to be doing jumping jacks.

“I don’t know if this is a good idea. I mean, its been two years, what if I’m not what he’s expecting? And I can’t just jump back in bed with him, because that would make me even more confused than I already am, and I don’t know if I can handle being that confused. And what about-”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down, B. Everything will turn out fine.”

Buffy let out a breath. “I know I’ve just been waiting for this for so long…”

Faith nodded, and went over and hugged Buffy. “It’s okay. Everything will be fine. You’ve waited for this for a long time. And believe me you’ve passed up plenty hunks of salty goodness waiting for it. So stop worrying and get finished getting ready so you can knock his socks off. Kay?”

Buffy smiled. “What would I do with out you?”

“Wither and die probably.”

Buffy smiled. “Probably.”

Buffy hurried to go get ready for her date, finishing up in the bathroom when she heard a knock at the door.

“Don’t worry B, I got it!”

Faith opened the door to a very nervous Spike. Faith smiled at him ruthlessly. “Hello Spike. Buffy will be right out, she’s just finishing up.”

Spike nodded to Faith nervously, and entered. So Faith was Buffy’s roommate.

Faith stared at him as she shut the door behind them. “I just want you to know that if you hurt her again, I’ll cut your spleen out with a plastic spoon. Got it?”

Spike’s eyes widened slightly as he saw the menacing look on Faith’s face. “Don’t worry, pet, I don’t plan on hurtin’ her again, ever.”

Faith nodded, satisfied with his answer.

Spike’s eyes turned to the bathroom as Buffy stepped out and his breath caught in his throat. Her halter top, dark red dress fell just above her knees and flared out, swaying as she moved. Her long tan legs ended in strappy black heels that as soon as Spike saw them, his mind imagined them wrapped around his waist. Her long golden hair was perfectly curled to frame her face, nothing adorning it’s perfection.

Spike pulled out the bouquet of yellow tulips he had hidden behind his back. “These are for you luv,” Spike managed to get out.

Buffy smiled her hundred watt smile. “They’re beautiful.”

“Here, I’ll put them on water, you two crazy kids get outta here,” Faith said, taking the flowers from Buffy.

Buffy smiled at Faith and grabbed her clutch.

“Thanks.”

Spike led Buffy down to the parking lot and to his DeSoto.

“You still haven’t gotten rid of this hunk of junk?”

“Hey, don’t insult the car! ‘Sides she’s a classic beauty.”

Buffy just smirked at him as she got in the car. The inside did seem to have been refurbished. The leather seats looked new.

“Nice.”

Spike just smiled at her.

The drive to the restaurant was made in silence. Spike kept glancing over at Buffy, trying to gage her mood, but her face wasn’t telling him anything. What should he talk to her about? Should he avoid talking about the past, or should he come out and ask questions?

Meanwhile, Buffy was busy trying to calm her nervous stomach, but the butterflies had elevated from jumping jacks to flips flops. There was just no taming them. She hoped she wasn’t the only one that was nervous about this. Because she had some real fears. She’d changed in the two years since she’d seen Spike. She’d had to face reality even more than when her mom and Giles had died. She’d actually been alone while she was at school, and that had hardened her to the world, made her a little more weary of everything. She wasn’t the naïve little girl that she had been.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Spike hurried around to the passenger side to help Buffy out. Buffy graciously took his hand and let him lead her inside.

When the hostess led them to a table in the back, Buffy felt her stomach go into overdrive. Oh god, what was I thinking, I can’t do this, we’re gonna be practically alone!

Buffy swallowed convulsively and let Spike order a bottle of wine. Maybe a little alcohol would calm her nerves.

“So pet, have you picked a major yet?”

Buffy took a deep breath. She could do this. This was just Spike. She’d talked to him a million times about stuff like this. Except that was before. Before her whole life went to hell.

Buffy shook her head. “I’m still not sure what I’m going to do. I’m leaning towards art though.”

Spike smiled. “Like your mum, huh?”

Buffy nodded. “When she managed the art gallery she used to bring me in and have me help her unload shipments. As we were unloading the pieces she’d tell me about each piece and where it came from, and asked me what I thought it meant.”

“Do you like your professors?”

“They’re nice. Well except my Art History teacher, he’s actually pretty heinous. He started the class out telling everyone they were going to fail. Gave us a syllabus as long as my arm, and said he expected us to already know half of it.”

“You doin’ okay in there?”

Buffy smiled, her nerves starting to ease. “Only A in the class.”

Spike smirked. “That’s my girl.”

Buffy raised her eyebrow. “Your girl huh? Since when did I become your girl?” Buffy picked up her menu and pretended to be perusing it.

“You’ve always been my girl,” Spike said softly.

Buffy dropped her menu on the table, her ire rising. “Really? I was always your girl? Even when you were fucking us both?” Buffy didn’t have to say who the other person was for Spike to get it. “Because if I remember correctly you decided you’d rather have her.”

Spike’s jaw clenched, as he looked at her with stormy eyes. “I only did that once. After that it was only you.”

“Until I got conveniently shipped off to some school in the middle of nowhere.”

“I thought that was what you wanted. At the time I thought you hadn’t cared for me at all.”

Buffy huffed. “Well all you wanted me for was a fresh young piece of ass, so I guess we’re even.”

Spike’s mouth dropped open slightly. “Are you bloody daft?!”

“Look Spike, I’m not the same girl you saw two years ago. I’ve changed.”

“I can see that.” She was different. A little more world weary. She’d been taking care of herself for the past two years, bought her own car, held down a job, and went to school.

Buffy sighed. “I’m sorry okay? I’m just really nervous, and I didn’t mean to snap.”

Spike laid his hand lightly on top of hers, a slight shock going through him at the contact.

He understood, her being nervous. He was too. “You don’t have to be nervous pet. We’ll get these things worked out.”

Just then the waiter came to take their orders, and to fill the wine glasses sitting on the table.

Buffy wasn’t sure whether this was going to work or not. Half of her brain was telling her that she should just cut it short, and run now to avoid the inevitable heartache. Okay so it was more than half her brain, but Buffy refused to listen. She’d waited for this, daydreamed about it, wished it for two years, and now it was finally here. He was sitting in front of her, wanting to be with her. Maybe she couldn’t dive in head first, but she could sure dip her toes in the water to check out how it was.

Buffy took a sip of her wine. “We have to go slow.”

Spike nodded at her. “I can do slow.”

“Trust has to be built. On both sides.”

Spike nodded. Then he smiled. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.” Oh god, how she had missed him.

“This isn’t gonna be easy pet.”

Buffy smiled softly. “It never was easy. I don’t expect it.”

“But I promise you it’ll be worth it luv.”

“I know.”

They sat in silence for a moment, contemplating the things each other had said, and the long road ahead.

When the waiter arrived with their food, each sat in a companionable silence, enjoying the first few bites.

“So pet, tell me about the last two years.”

“Well, lets see… what do you want to know?”

“UCLA?”

Buffy smiled. “Yeah. It’s a great. I really threw myself into my home work and other non-Buffy stuff while I was at St. Catherine’s, and then got a great score on my SAT’s. So all I had to do was apply. It really wasn’t that hard.”

Buffy’s knee brushed Spike underneath the table and she felt another shock course through her body. There was no denying the fact that her body was responding to him, just as it always was. The room suddenly felt a little warmer and the heat went right to the juncture between her thighs.

Buffy wondered briefly if he would always have this effect on her. She really hoped so.

“So enough about me,” Buffy chirped, trying to swerve her thoughts away from that dangerous path. No use going there yet since she'd decided not to stick her hand in the preverbial cookie jar. Because, confusing much?

Spike brightened and kept asking her questions, about the last two years, and in turn related some lawyer things he'd been working on.

By the time they check came, they were so engrossed in each other, they didn’t even notice. In fact they didn’t notice anything but each other until the manager poliitely informed them that they would be closing up for night.

Buffy looked at her watch, noticing that it was near midnight. “Oh wow, I guess we better go.”

Spike nodded and led her out to the car. After they got in, Buffy silently grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers through his, smiling her perfect smile.

Spike looked down at their enter twined hands.

He could do slow. He would wait as long as it takes, as long as he got to see her smile like that every day for the rest of their lives.





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