From Night to Day
Chapter Nineteen
By Mercy
NC-17
A/N : Thanks to Kar (Karbear57) for being the forever Mercy soundboard and edit job. Slackerace for hanging in there and waiting, waiting for me to get off my butt and write something, with more of her fantastic editing. Meli for her usual fab edit job and her enthusiastic passion for the fanfic . All three pick up my obvious grammar mistakes, and even more embarrassing my spelling errors.
Past Times
Three weeks later…
Seated amongst others in the final class of the year, Buffy rhythmically tapped her pen against her notebook in front of her as she tried to focus on what her lecturer was saying. Her thoughts were elsewhere, lost in a myriad of ideas and plans for her vacation. All she really wanted to do was get out of the stuffy classroom and get on with her holiday. Time free of going to class, writing essays and having such little time with the people that meant so much to her.
Her train of thought was broken by the clanging and banging with the cheers of students as the class had apparently finished. She’d been so far away that she didn’t even noticed that despite trying so hard to concentrate on what was going on around her. Picking up her bag, she placed her belongings inside it and pulled herself out of the chair. Making her way outside the building, she was determined to get out of there as quickly as possible. Waiting outside stood her friends huddled together, all elated that the academic year was finally over. Willow waved her hand in greeting and gestured for her to join the group. Picking up her pace, she made her way over towards them.
“Hey guys,” Buffy smile spread over her face. “It’s finally over for the year.”
“Yep Buff, another glorious year of academic torture finished,” Xander sighed with relief. “Can’t believe that it’s over.”
“Or that he passed,” Willow gave her friend a little dig at his academic achievement.
“Buutt he passed,” Tara interjected against her girlfriend’s ribbing of Xander. “Not like some other people that just fleww through.” Willow went a bright red as Tara pointed out the obvious for all.
“Doesn’t matter who did better than whom. Just that we all survived this hell mouth of higher education,” Buffy laughed at the comments flying around her. “I need a coffee and I need one now.”
“A great idea oh wise one,” Xander pointed towards the quickly filling campus café. “Or do I dare suggest the Espresso Pump.”
“Sounds like a great idea to me,” Buffy nodded her head. All in agreement, they made their way across the courtyard and towards the path that would take them off the campus and into the town centre.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
Sitting across from him discussing the academic year, sat the smartly dressed and coiffed Dru. Buffy’s teacher and his work colleague, not that he had sought her out to associate himself with. She’d found him sitting by himself looking over next year’s budgets sipping coffee and lost in deep thought. She had to tap him on the shoulder to get his attention, startling him so much that he dropped the file in his hand onto the floor. Of course, she graciously picked up the file for him, and he couldn’t help but notice the obvious posture she used to give him an eyeful of her bust. Nor had she missed the quick flash of distrust blaze across his irises as he watched her pick up the file.
The conversation between them at this point had been one sided, mostly she spoke and he feigned interest in what she was saying. Occasionally nodding as she spoke, but the conversation was quickly turning to a more personal nature as she began to delve into his personal life. He began to notice exactly where this conversation was heading; an interrogation about Imogen and more worrying about his relationship with Buffy. She even tried to pry information out of him regarding personal aspects with his relationship with his daughter. Dru was dropping hints that she would “just love to meet the precious little angel” or they should “take her to the park one day”. Spike rubbed his jaw in anguish about how he politely was going to get out of this.
Trying to smile the best he could without grimacing he finally spoke. “Look Dru, thanks for the offer but I think that you’ve got the wrong idea about me,” Spike’s tone was softso as not to draw attention to them. “I’m not interested …”
“I don’t think that I have anything wrong Spike.” With that, she moved her chair closer to his, and slid her hand down his thigh. “I think that what I want would make everything right.” She now lightly cupped his crotch.
“Dru…” he tried in vain to pull himself away from her hand, “as much as I do find you a very attractive and smart woman. I’m with someone else.”
“Ha! That little girl?” She slowly began to massage the flesh beneath her hand discreetly under the table. “She couldn’t satisfy a man like you. Does she let you do all those wicked things that I know you’d really like to do to her. The girl is just too prissy to let you do anything like we did. But me, I’ll let you do anything that you’d like…and everything else that you’d ever fantasised about.”
“It was a mistake,” Spike tried to reason with her. “I shouldn’t have slept with you. Dru, I’m sorry but I was out of my mind with grief and a fucking lot of J.D.”
“It wasn’t a mistake,” Dru became more insistent. “I don’t make mistakes Spike. You and I had so much fun. Why can’t we play our game again? I can teach you so many new fun games.”
“Look Dru, get your hand off me or I’ll …” Spike whispered and slightly leaned back in his seat. Lifting his hand over hers’ to ensure that it was moved away from his pants. However, the second that he placed his hand over her own a hushed “oh my god” came from behind the two seated at the table.
Turning around, Spike saw Buffy and her friends standing and watching him as he sat with his hand over Dru’s fingers which rested over his crotch. Buffy was so close, that Spike was sure that she’d heard every damning word Dru said to him regarding to their one night stand. Betraying him to his dirty little secret that he’d rather forget had never happened. Buffy stood frozen in front of Spike, her face emotionless as she assimilated what had just happened. Her eyes followed his form and she flinched slightly as they came to rest on his crotch area. For a few moments she didn’t blink; didn’t move her eyes from the spot on which they were fixated on. With a quick shift of her gaze, Buffy summed Dru up as she moved forward and dropped her bag onto the table at which the two where sitting.
“I believe that you have your hand on something that belongs to me,” Buffy threw down the gauntlet. “So kindly take your hand off him before I break your fingers.”
“So sure of yourself,” Dru lifted her hand away from Spike’s pants. “For such a little miss.”
“Dru please just leave…” Spike tried to pull back the conversation to some civil level, “Buffy love, calm down. It isn’t worth it.”
“Not worth it Spike,” Dru looked disgusted at Spike for being so easily dismissed by him. “I remember the way you howled as we fucked all night.” Turning to Buffy a malicious smile came over her face. “Every time and every way you came. Such an animal isn’t he? Such a special gift to be able to fuck for hours and hours.”
“Dru leave,” Spike spoke through gritted teeth. “Now.”
“Why? And spoil all the fun,” Dru sat back into her chair. “Naughty Spike, to think that I would ruin everyone’s fun.”
“Like I said Dru it was a mistake that I deeply regret,” Spike tried to get it through to her that he wasn’t interested, but he didn’t seem to be getting his message across. “Nothing is ever going to happen again. So just give it up pet. Told you that I was taken.”
Grabbing his briefcase from under the table, Spike quickly began stacking the files from the table into the case. Looking desperately at Buffy, he clicked the lid shut and stood up to leave. Buffy stood there her features now filled with hurt and denial as she just stared vacantly into his face. Moving away from the table, Spike walked over to Buffy’s side and took her hand, grabbing her bag that lay on the table he handing it to her. He led her away from the debacle that Dru had started. Spike looked at Buffy’s friends, he couldn’t miss the look of disappointment that sat on the girls’ faces, and of abhorrence on Xander’s face. Casting his eyes to the ground, he quickly guided Buffy away from the scene and into the side alley that was just down the street. Her friends quickly followed behind, concerned for the wellbeing of Buffy at this dramatic event.
Walking into the alleyway to provide them with a private shelter from the busy street, Spike led Buffy deeper into the shadowed part of the alley. Xander, Willow and Tara stopped just short of the retreating couple, following closely behind. Xander placed one hand on Spike’s shoulder pulling him away from his shell-shocked friend. Spike didn’t stop the other male coming to stand in between himself or his girl. Xander with a single hand pushed him as far away from Buffy as he could. She herself took a step back until she came to rest on the cool masonite of the walls that shrouded the alley. Her hands rubbed her face as if to wipe away what had just happened from her sight and her memory.
“What the hell was that?” Xander accused his friends’ supposed boyfriend. “You two timing Buffy?”
“No.” A short and simple answer came from Spike.
“You slept with her behind Buffy’s back,” Xander raised his hand forming a fist. “Couldn’t keep it in your pants.”
“Look here mate,” Spike began to move inch by inch closer to the younger man, “I ain’t sleeping with anyone beside Buffy. Not that it’s your bloody business. I don’t fuck around.”
“How do we know? You’ve just demonstrated to the whole world that you fuck around,” Xander’s voice began to seethe as his temper rose. “We just saw you!”
“What you saw was me trying to politely tell her that I’m not interested and never will be. That was until you showed up,” Spike tried to control the rage inside of him. All he wanted to do was be alone with Buffy so that he could explain it all to her and her alone.
“Yeah with her hand over your dick,” Xander took another inch closer toward Spike. “Very convincing.”
“Bullocks! You obviously didn’t hear the conversation or what the hell was going on between me and her,” Spike pushed him away and turned around for a moment. “This is between me and Buffy, not you or your friends. So back off Xander, you know nothing about what happened.”
“I think I know….” Xander’s attention was broken as he was interrupted by one of the girls.
“Xanddder,” Tara tried to warn him off, “please leavvve them alone.”
“Xan! Let him explain,” Willow pulled on his arm moving him away from the couple. “Let him explain to Buffy without an audience.”
“What audience?” Xander spat out.
“Hello…us,” Willow took Tara’s hand and walked away from them. “Now Xander.”
Looking at Buffy as she stood hunched in her spot against the wall, Xander took a timid step away from them. “Buffy you want me or Will you’ll call us. Cell phone’s on.” He took another step away from the two and looked back at Spike. “Don’t play her for a fool Spike or I’ll poke your eye out and your neither regions. Capice?”
“Yeah,” he spoke quietly and reluctantly towards the other male, setting his briefcase down onto the pavement next to his feet. “I’ll let you know when I get her home.”
He turned his head for the few minutes it took Xander to walk away and join the girls. Spike continued to watch until they disappeared down the street and couldn’t be seen due to the shopfronts that protruded from the main street. Slowly he took a few short steps to where Buffy stood, sliding his hands into his pockets battling against the need to reach out and grab her for a hug.
“Buffy?” Spike softly spoke to her not wanting to scare her off. “Sweetheart?”
“Why?”
“The truth?” Spike ran his hand through his hair. “In simple terms, I hadn’t moved on from my grief, love. I hadn’t even moved into my place yet. Didn’t even know a soul in town.” His voice trembled as he continued to speak to her, having to explain what had happened before he’d even meet her made his stomach turn at the very memory. “I went to a bar, got drunk on grief and pissed on J.D. Slept with the first thing I met that resembled a female. That to my greatest stupidity, was Dru.”
“You fucked my teacher,” Buffy’s words came out slowly and chillingly precise. “Before you slept with me? Have you fucked her since?” Tears threatened to pour from her eyes as she spat out angry accusations.
“Buffy, no!” Spike tried to touch her arm but she pulled away. “It was a one off and never again.”
“How do I know that you’re telling the truth? She certainly hasn’t been playing hard to get.”
“Because I love you. I’d never be stupid enough to do anything to make you turn away from me,” Spike tried to make her see the truth in his words. “Bloody hell,” Spike pulled himself away from her and retrieved his briefcase. “I’ve had enough of all this crap Buffy. I’m sorry that you had to see what happened today. I’m sorry that the grief I had for my dead wife lead me to booze and Dru. It was a mistake and if you can’t handle that I’ve made mistakes in the past and stop acting like a stupid teenager then what are we doing here?”
“I am a ‘stupid teenager’,” Buffy nearly choked on her quiet reply.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Spike tried to take his words back, “and you know it.”
“Then how?”
“All I want is for you to realise that I fuck up tremendously and it was even before we got together.”
“And that makes it all right does it?” Buffy began to bite on her lower lip.
“No it doesn’t. I made a mistake Buffy. What else do you expect me to say? Do you want me to get on my knees and beg for your forgiveness?” Spike felt like banging his head against one of the walls of the alleyway.
“No…but I would have hoped that you would have told me before I found her with her hand on your dick,” Buffy spat out in anger.
“I thought that I was getting through to her. That she understood I wasn’t interested.”
“Obvious to all the world but you,” Buffy ran a hand down her face; the tension across it drew her brow into creases. “Are you so blind Spike?”
“I work with the damn woman, Buffy. What was I supposed to do? Get a court order against her from being 200 feet near to me?”
“What you should have done was told her straight and to the point,” Buffy moved closer to him and began repeatedly pushing him with her index finger, “that you didn’t want anything to do with her.”
“Like you did with Riley?”
“You pig!” Buffy slapped him across the face. Hard. His face slid sideways as her hand slapped the skin, a loud smacking sound ricocheting across the alley. “This has no comparison you bastard.”
“No?” Spike’s mind whirled with the foolish words that had escaped his mouth. The sting from her hand burned down to his very being as he rubbed the reddening cheek. “Then why did it drag on for so long Buffy?”
“I don’t have to explain anything to you.”
“Then why are you treating me like dirt? Dirt you like to roll in may I remind you. I’ve explained to you what happened back at the café. I don’t know what else you want to hear.”
“Not the name of that scum sucking…” Buffy regained some composure, “never ever mention his name again Spike. Never.”
“Fine. Sorry.”
“What happened between Riley and me is my business,” Buffy stared at him with an intensely strong gaze.
“Just like what I did before we became a couple has nothing to do with us. Or us, together here and now. Maybe you’ve forgotten just how much what happened between you two became my business. I protected you when you needed me the day I beat the living shit out of that bastard.” Spike moved closer to her, his breath came to flowing over her face as he returned her intense gaze. “I tried to protect you from what I’d done with Dru. I didn’t want you to find out what a wanker I’d been. Might begin to see me in a different light and not like what you saw.”
“I...”
“Let me finish Buffy,” Spike continued, “I’ve regretted every day what happened. At first I felt like I’d betrayed and cheated on my wife who was stuck in her cold grave. Then you came along and I fell in love, something that I never thought would ever happen again. I didn’t want to risk losing you love, that’s why I didn’t say anything. Didn’t want to lose my second chance.”
“Second chance?” Buffy shivered as the raw emotions inside her came to the surface. All the hurt and anger seemed to be disappearing into nothing.
“Yeah love, you. You’re my second chance. Thought that it would have been so bloody clear to you by now.”
Buffy’s head resonated with his words. Maybe what happened with Dru wasn’t any of her business in a way, but it still hurt that Spike had even gone near her. It hurt that her teacher been with Spike before her, or worse even at all. It was sickening. Yet she had to face the fact that what he did before ‘them’ was really none of her business. Wiping her eyes, she looked at his face filled with conflicting emotions. His cheek muscles twitched under the strain of his hurt and his eyebrows were furrowed in concern for her and for them.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did,” Buffy attempted to give him a smile; all she could muster was an awkward line. “But what else could I have done seeing you with her?”
“I don’t blame you love. If I saw you with some other fellow…God help him.” Spike slid his hand onto her cheek. “I’d be so jealous that I’d rip him limb from limb for daring to touch you.”
“Spike,” Buffy looked warily at him.
“Well I’d at least have to threaten him a little bit to scare the bugger off,” Spike ran his thumb up and down over Buffy’s cheek. “Have to claim what’s mine.”
“So I can be all Cave Woman Buffy if she tries anything again?”
“Buffy, you can be all cave woman you like,” Spike laughed. “But just when we’re alone…”
“You saying that I can’t stand up for what’s mine, but you can?”
“No. You proved you can be very assertive when you need to be love,” Spike gently kissed her on the forehead. “Just want to be the only one that sees the Cave Woman Buffy. At home, in private.”
“Home?” Buffy smirked.
“Yes, home. And since you brought it up can we get out of this alley and go home?” Spike looked seriously at her. “Think that we need to talk and get us some time alone.” He slid his hand down her shoulder until it reached her palm and took her hand. Pulling it slightly he began to walk them away from their private spot and back into the crowd of people milling around on the street.
“Spike, I do trust you.” Buffy pulled against his hand, making him stop and turn around. “Even when things go all mixy on me.”
“Glad to hear it.” He began walking again and this time she didn’t even hesitate to walk alongside him as they made their way down the pavement. Halfway down the main street Spike pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and flipped the top. Buffy watched as he dialled a number and placed the phone to his ear. “Dad? Hey, can you do me a favour?” after a short period of silence, he continued. “How about looking after your adorable, loveable and precious granddaughter for me?” Spike turned to Buffy and winked. “Why? Need the night off, dad. Just want a quiet night out with Buffy, without having to worry about taking a little miss that now throws her food everywhere.”
“Don’t hassle your dad if he doesn’t want to do it Spike,” Buffy whispered at him, pulling on his elbow to get his attention.
“Come on Dad, please,” Spike pleaded with his father. “I really need you to do this for me Dad.” Spike looked at Buffy with a huge grin. “Great! When can you pick her up?”
“Spike, what are you doing?” again she pulled on his arm.
Moving the phone away from his ear he looked at her with a smirk on his face, “I’m taking my girl out for a night on the town, so that we can talk without a baby trying to steal all my thunder. I want all of your attention tonight Buffy. Just a night for the two of us.” Placing the phone back towards his ear he continued talking to his father. “Great dad, say about 6 p.m. She’ll be ready then. She’s gonna love having you all to herself. Bye, dad.”
“So what are you planning?” Buffy shook her head, he’d never taken her out without Imogen with them. “Are you sure you don’t want to take Imogen?”
“No Buffy, definitely not tonight.”
“Why not?”
“Cause tonight we talk about us.”
“Oh...” Buffy could just breathe.
“As in where are we going to be in a few years. Buffy, I want you to be assured that I’m not going anywhere. Never gonna leave your side for anything or anyone.”
“Tonight?”
“Tonight.”
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