“Perfect!” Willow beamed. “Then we can sit down and talk.”
“Yeah,” Xander agreed with a goofy grin. “Feels like we haven’t seen you in weeks. So, Buffy, what have you been up to lately?”
Buffy sighed. She didn’t want to be rude, and she had missed her friends, even though things hadn’t been exactly the same between them lately. But this was a terrible time; she was already late. In less than two hours, Spike was supposed to pick her up at her place and she was in a desperate need for a shower. They were going out on their first real date tonight; just dinner and a movie, but Buffy had never been more excited about anything in her life. Sure, technically they had been out before, but still, this was their first official date as a couple.
She was determined for the night to be perfect. But for that to happen, she had to at least be home and ready in time. Xander and Willow would just have to understand. “I’m really sorry, guys, but I have to go.”
Willow’s smile disappeared and Xander got an annoyed look on his face. “What’s the matter, Buff? Will and I not important enough anymore? Can’t find the time to fit us into your busy life?”
“Xander…” Willow gave her friend a disapproving look, then turned to Buffy with an uncertain smile; “It’s just that we hardly ever see you anymore, you know? And you never called me back last night like you said you would.” She wasn’t able to hide her disappointment, and Buffy suddenly felt like the worst friend ever.
“God, Willow, I’m so sorry! I meant to call you, I really did, but…” She hesitated, not sure if now was the time to tell her friends about her and Spike. But she really didn’t want to keep them in the dark, either. So she took a deep breath. “Okay, look. The reason I haven’t been around much lately is because I… well, let’s just say I’m kinda seeing someone.”
“Buffy!” Willow grabbed her arm and bounced up and down. “Oh my God, that is so great, I’m so happy for you!” She gave Buffy a hug, then pulled back with a frown. “But why haven’t you said anything?”
“Because she’s dating Spike.” Xander practically spat the name out, a disgusted look on his face. “Isn’t that right, Buffy? That’s why you haven’t said anything and why you have been avoiding us. Because you knew how we would react.”
Willow looked from Xander to Buffy. “Buffy, is that true?”
Buffy was torn between wanting to punch Xander in the face, or simply walk away. But she had a feeling that leaving right now would only make things worse. She silently counted to ten before answering. “Yes, Willow, it’s true.”
“Oh, okay.” Willow obviously wasn’t sure of how to react to the news. “Congratulations, I guess.” She smiled a little.
“Willow!” Xander stared at her in disbelief. “How can you say that? Can’t you see that Buffy’s about to make the biggest mistake in her life? I mean, it’s Spike for crying out loud!”
“That’s enough, Xander.” Buffy glared at him. “I know you don’t like Spike, but I don’t care. I like him and that’s all that matters. And if you’re really my friend, you’ll accept that.” She had to force herself to act all calm and mature, but on the inside she was fuming. How dared Xander think he had the right to tell her who she could or could not be with?
Xander was quiet for a moment. “It’s just that… I thought I knew you, Buffy. And now it turns out that I really don’t know you at all. Forgive me for being a little disappointed.” He sighed. “Maybe we should just go.” He gave Willow a questioning look. “Will?”
“Xander, wait.” Willow gave him a pleading look, then turned to Buffy. “Buffy, we just want you to be happy.”
“Willow, I am happy.” Buffy crossed her arms over her chest, a firm look on her face. “Question is, can you be happy for me?”
Willow swallowed, suddenly looking hurt. “Of course I can, Buffy. If you really wanna be with Spike, then that’s your decision. I just wish you’d told us, instead of keeping it a secret.”
Buffy nodded. “I know, and I’m really sorry.” She turned to Xander. “What about you, Xander? Can you accept the fact that Spike makes me happy? Cause if you can’t, I don’t think we can be friends anymore.” It was very hard for her to actually say those words, but she felt it was necessary. Xander had to realize that she was serious.
Xander just looked at her for a moment, then looked away. “I guess I’ll have to.” He looked up. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it, though.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Buffy looked him right in the eyes. “But I’m not gonna accept any more crap from you about Spike. You have the right to your opinion, but from now on, you’ll keep it to yourself.”
He had the decency to look ashamed. “Yeah, okay.”
“Thank you.” Buffy was relieved. Then she glanced at her watch. “I’m sorry, but I really need to get going. How about I meet you guys at the Bronze tomorrow night? Then we can talk some more.”
Willow nodded eagerly. “Okay. But then you’ll have to tell us everything!”
Spike grabbed his duster and headed for the door. A part of him still had a hard time to take in the fact that he was going out on a date with Buffy tonight. She knew about his past, at least a part of it, and she still wanted to go out with him. She had told him that she loved him and didn’t even seem to care that he hadn’t said the words back. He wasn’t sure if he ever would be able to say them, but he sure hoped he would, some day. Because Buffy deserved to be loved.
She had told him that she just wanted to be with him, that it was enough, and for the first time, he was actually prepared to believe her. After his confession last night, Buffy had seemed willing to let it go and they hadn’t really talked more about it. For that he was grateful. He knew it would come up again, sooner or later, but right now he didn’t care. Because Buffy knew about what happened to him, and she wasn’t going anywhere. To say that he was relieved would be a huge understatement; words were just not enough to describe how he felt.
Now he would go to Buffy’s place and pick her up for their date, and he was going to make sure that tonight would be perfect, no matter what. Because tonight was not about the past, it was all about the future; his future with Buffy, and tonight they would just be two people out on their first date. To tell the truth, he had never been more excited about anything in his entire life. He opened the door, and found himself standing face to face with his mother.
“William…” Drusilla’s face was pale, even more so than usual, and it looked like she might have been crying. “The stars lied to me, made me see things that wasn’t real.”
“What are you doing here?” Spike closed his eyes for a moment, forcing himself to stay calm. He had known, deep down, that it was just a matter of time before his mother would show up again, but why tonight of all nights? He shook his head, as if to clear it. “Never mind, I don’t have time for this.” He stepped past her and closed the door behind him.
“William, I’m sorry. “Drusilla grabbed his arm to stop him. “Don’t you see? I was wrong and now I will be punished. And so will you.” She let out a soft whimper. “They made me see what really happened and I was wrong.”
Spike pulled away from her, ignoring her ramblings. He had no idea what she was talking about, nor did he care. “Look, Mum, I don’t know what you’re on about, but I don’t care. I’m out of here, and you better not be here when I’ll get back.”
“No, William, wait…” Drusilla tried to plead with him, but he refused to listen. He was not going to let anyone ruin his date with Buffy tonight, especially not his mother. This was just so typical; for once he had decided to let go of the past, at least for tonight, but it just didn’t seem possible. Determined to get to Buffy’s place in time after all, he just walked past Drusilla without looking back.
“Don’t go!” Drusilla didn’t follow him, but she kept calling out for him, even though Spike had already disappeared out of sight and wasn’t likely to hear. Defeated, she slid down against the door, sobbing. “I was wrong… Oh God, please don’t let him find me again…”
TBC