He read the note again, suddenly confused. Breakfast? Why the hell would she...? Then he threw a glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table and his eyes widened in disbelief. It was nine o’clock in the morning. Realizing that he had been asleep for almost fifteen hours, he scrambled out of bed with a ‘bloody hell’, found his jeans on the floor and quickly pulled them on. Grabbing the black t-shirt he had thrown on a chair next to the bed, he hurried out of the bedroom.
Buffy was sitting in the kitchen, reading a magazine and sipping on a glass of orange juice. She looked up and smiled when she saw him. “Good morning. Was starting to think you’d sleep all day.” Picking up a brown paper bag from the table, she held it out so he could see. “Look, I got us donuts!”
Shaking his head at her idea of a healthy breakfast, Spike chose one of the sugary pastries from the bag and sat down next to her. “Why didn’t you wake me up? Could’ve gone with you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Spike, you were exhausted last night. I figured you needed to sleep some more, so I let you.” A pause. She watched him for a moment before asking, carefully; “How’re you feeling today?”
Shrugging, he took a bite from the donut. “Like I’ve been sleeping for a week.”
Giving him a soft smile, Buffy put her glass down on the table. “I meant...”
“Yeah, I know what you meant.” Spike interrupted her. “Not sure what you want me to say, though. Yesterday was...” He hesitated, suddenly at a loss for words.
“Intense?” She had a sympathetic look on her face.
He let out a snort. “One way of putting it.” Seeing that she was about to say something, he quickly went on; “Look, I appreciate your concern, luv, I really do. Truth is, I don’t know how I feel right now. Not trying to push you away or anything, I just...” He hesitated again. “When I figure it out for myself, you’ll be the first to know. I promise.”
Buffy nodded, although somewhat uncertainly. “All right.” Then – much to his relief – she clearly decided to let it go for now and changed the subject; “Oh, I almost forgot. My mom called. She wants you to stop by at the gallery somewhere around lunchtime if you’re still interested in the job.”
Spike got up, pouring himself some of the coffee Buffy had made earlier. “Oh, right. Yeah, sure.”
She was quiet for a moment. “If you’re not up to it, I understand.”
“Said I’d be there, didn’t I?” He shoved the last of the donut into his mouth. “Just gonna finish my coffee and hit the shower.”
“Okay.” Buffy bit her lip. “I’d go with you, but I have to be at work in an hour.”
Picking up his cup, Spike made his way back to the kitchen table and sat down again with a sigh. “Really, Buffy, s’all right. Think I’m capable of going to see your mum all by myself.”
“I know that.” Buffy forced a smile. ”All right, I get it. Sorry for making a fuss.” She tried to keep her tone light, but failed miserably.
Spike sighed again and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “You know I love you, right?” She just nodded, looking at him as she waited for him to continue. “It’s a bit too much right now, is all.” Buffy opened her mouth but he hurried on; “Don’t mean you, all right? Hell, you’re the only thing keeping me from going insane here.” He let out a bitter laugh. “It’s just everything else. Seriously, if it hadn’t been for you...”
“Shh, I know.” Buffy placed a finger over his lips to silence him. “Spike, it’s okay. I know you have a lot to take in and I’m sorry for pushing. I just need you to know that you can talk to me. No matter what you’re feeling, you don’t have to wait until you’ve figured it out. I’m here for you, all the way.”
His face softening, Spike took her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles. “I do know that, pet. And I will talk to you. But right now, I just need to keep my mind off all this shit for a little while. That okay with you?” He gave her a pleading look, silently begging her to understand.
“Of course it’s okay with me.” Buffy gave his hand a squeeze. “So you really are okay with seeing my mom?”
He nodded. “Think it’s the best thing I can do right now.” She nodded as well, figuring he was probably right.
“Hello, Spike.” Joyce smiled at him as he entered the art gallery. “I’m glad you could make it.”
“Sure, no problem.” Spike looked around the room with wide eyes. “Looks, um, cool.”
“Thank you.” Joyce got a thoughtful expression on her face. “How about we start with me showing you around? Then we can talk.” He nodded and she gestured for him to follow her.
Ten minutes later, after giving Spike the full tour, Joyce showed him into a small office at the back of the gallery. “Please, have a seat. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?”
He shook his head, politely but firmly. “I’m good, thanks.”
“All right.” Joyce paused. “So, what do you think of this place?”
“It’s... great.” Spike wasn’t sure exactly what to say. “Been working here long?”
She nodded. “Almost fifteen years. And I’ve loved every minute of it. It’s a really wonderful job if you’re into this sort of thing.”
“I’m sure it is.” He hesitated for a moment before deciding to just be honest with her. “Look, Joyce, no offense, but I was kinda wondering...”
“Why I offered you a job here?” she finished with a smile, as if she had been reading his mind.
“Well, yeah...” Spike let out a nervous chuckle, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. “I mean, you hardly know me. And seriously, I don’t know anything ‘bout this stuff. I’m sure there’s people who’re a lot more...” He searched his mind for the right word. “...qualified.”
“Maybe.” Joyce was quiet for a moment. “All right, Spike, I’ll be honest with you. You’re right – I don’t know you that well yet. But from what I’ve seen so far, you’re a good person. I also trust my daughter’s judgment; it’s obvious that you mean a lot to her.” She paused, giving him a chance to take in her words. “Here’s the thing. You need a job, and I need someone who’s willing to work. Are you interested?”
“Hell, yeah!” Spike cleared his throat, quickly correcting himself. “I mean, I am. Definitely. Thank you.”
Joyce looked pleased. “You’re welcome. Can you start tomorrow? I know it’s a saturday, but there’s always work to do around here. Is that okay with you?”
As he nodded, he couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed. Things suddenly seemed to be going so fast, although for once, it actually felt like a good thing. A part of him couldn’t quite believe his luck, though. He had dreaded the thought of having to look for a new job, and now he just got one practically handed to him without having to lift a finger. It was exactly what he needed, of course, but things like that didn’t just happen. To other people, maybe, but not to him.
“Great, so it’s settled, then!” Joyce’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he forced a smile, pushing his doubts to the back of his mind. “Now, we need to talk about Buffy’s party tomorrow night.” Misreading the look on his face, she hesitated a little. “Oh, unless you have other things to do right now. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to assume...”
“No, s’okay, don’t have anywhere else to be.” Spike paused for a moment. “Was just thinking – this surprise party you’re planning? Are you sure that’s what Buffy really wants?”
The woman’s smile faltered and for a moment, Spike was afraid that he had overstepped his bounds and gone too far. Then she let out a sigh. “Truthfully? I’m pretty convinced that it’s the last thing she wants.”
He raised a brow in surprise. “Then why are you...?”
“Bad experiences sometimes makes it hard to remember that the future isn’t set in stone.” Seeing his confusion, Joyce explained; “Buffy’s got some unpleasant memories from her previous years, so she’s become convinced that nothing good can ever come out from celebrating her birthdays, period. But what if she’s wrong?”
Spike wasn’t sure he was following. “Can’t exactly blame her for feeling that way. I mean, after what you told me...”
“I agree with you.” Joyce smiled a little. “But think of all the good things she’d be missing out on, just because she’s afraid of putting the past behind her and move on.”
He was quiet for a moment, allowing her words to sink in. “See your point,” he finally mumbled.
Joyce went on; “I know how Buffy feels about her birthdays, but I wanna change that. I wanna make sure she gets a wonderful day she will remember for the rest of her life.” She paused. “And I can’t do it without you. So, what do you say?”
“I, uh...” Spike looked up and their eyes met. Like he could possibly refuse when she put it that way. “Have to make some phone calls.”
TBC