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Chapter 3

Crush

Days had turned into weeks, since the arrival of Spike and Co. into the Sunnydale community. It certainly had created gossip for the local grapevine, and enough fodder for the busybodies in town to keep them feed for weeks. The appearance of an attractive man with no wife was enough to keep to the unmarried and married women for a fact, of all ages running to the hair and beauty salon without delay, trying to catch what appeared to be the hottest and most available guy in town.

The Summers’ family had become friendly with the new arrivals, Dawn became a regular visitor to the household to mind Imogen when her father was busy, and the babysitting money was good for Dawn. Joyce dropped in to make sure the single father was coping with the baby, and supplying endless dinners for him. Buffy, sort off just popped in to drag Dawn home when needed, or took leftovers for the neighbour to have dinner, or to invite the family to dinner.

He became a regular in the Summers’ household as much as the family had in his. Life was good………………………for now



“They’re saying what?” Spike embarrassment was showing clearly all over his face, he was so red he looked like a tomato. His annoyance at being the subject of gossip was making him so annoyed that, the steam was literally blowing out of his ears.

“The woman in town think you’re just a cutie!,” Dawn sat in front of Spike in the Benson’s lounge room, playing with Imogen, bring him up to speed with the gossip that he had been generating since his arrival into town. She was relishing in his apparent embarrassment, and just loved watching his face get redder and redder.

“Oh and they also think you’re a ‘hottie’, or so Janice’s mom said,” Dawn was going to milk this one for all it was worth, she couldn’t help herself, she was just enjoying herself to much. Her grin on her face was just contagious as Imogen began to gurgle to herself, and begin to attempt to grab at the toys that lay in between her and Dawn.

“See even Imogen agrees with them,” Dawn looked down at the baby, picking up a toy for her to play with.

“Agree with what?” Buffy asked as she entered the room from the direction of the kitchen. Inquiring what the two were debating about, moving over to her sister, casting her attention towards the baby, “Hey Little One!”

“Bit,” Spike replied towards the two sisters.

“’Bit’,” Buffy turned her head up at Spike, seeing blue observant eyes that seemed at that point to be summing her up, or maybe she was just being paranoid, at that point she didn’t care, as she felt those unwanted little ‘crush’ type feelings arise deep down in the pit of her stomach.

“Imogen, her nicknames is ‘Little Bit’.”

“Oh, um sorry,” Buffy tried to move her eyes back to the baby but she couldn’t, she felt caught in the embrace of the deep crystal blue stare of his gaze, as if enthralled. She felt a little silly, how could she be attracted to this man, he was way to old, he had a baby, he was her neighbour, and most importantly her mom would kill her if she ever knew about these crazy ideas and emotions that were going on in her head. But what Buffy felt most was the feeling of impending doom that accompanied these feelings, of losing herself in the abyss that she wanted to avoid at all cost.

Spike couldn’t help but see the wheels churn around in Buffy’s head; he couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking. If only she knew what was going on in his, she would run away as fast as she could, the fact that he fancied the little chit, probably would be enough to scare her off. The reality was that he was probably too old for her, he was a single parent, she was the girl next door, and her mum would probably take an axe over his head, if he even tried anything.

He even questioned the validity of theses feelings as he’d only known her for such a short time, the instant attraction he felt for her was like a coin, two sided. On one side he felt this rush of attraction filled with extra helpings of lust, and on the other pure guilt for even just thinking such things about her. It was too soon, too fast for him, he felt out of control of his life, and at the moment he felt like he was hanging on by a thread.

Buffy watched Spike as he seemed to be considering something with great thought, she noted the worried look in his eyes, and the hardening of his features. She couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking, what was troubling him so. She considered her own worrying thoughts and decided it was best left for later, considering that really she didn’t want to really think about them in his presence, it only warped her thoughts.

“Come on Dawn, Mom wants us home,” Buffy looked at her sister, “Dad’s due for his visit and its Pizza Night, remember?”

“Oh come on Buff, we both know he ain’t gonna come,” the look on Dawnie’s face said it all, Hank their father was due to visit, but as always he’d be AWOL. He never came, and hadn’t shown up for about 2 months now; he always found an excuse not to visit his daughter’s.

“Your dad coming to see you both?” Spike asked of his visitors.

“Yeah Dad’s due any minute,” Buffy replied for her sister that had began to sulk at the thought of having to leave, “You know he’s due Dawn, so come on, we’d better head home.”

“Say ‘bye bye Spike’ Dawn,” Buffy glared at her sister, “and ‘bye bye Imogen’.”

“Okay, okay,” Dawn looked between the two, “Bye Spike, thanks for letting my play with Imogen”

“Bye Imogen,” Dawn smoothed down the baby’s hair as a farewell.

With great reluctance, Dawn got off the floor and moved in the direction of her sister, and out of the house. Both made their way across the lawn, back to the Summers’ house, Dawn striding a little quicker than her sister, as if to avoid her.

“Hey Dawnie, wait up!” Buffy called to her sibling in an attempt to slow her down, she could feel the tension coming off her sister like waves, Dawn slowed down a little but did she didn’t stop. Buffy quickened her pace to catch up with her sister, she put her hand on her to halt any further progression.

“What now!” Dawn stopped in her tracks and turned to her sister, her face saying it all. She was rightly pissed off with her.

“What’s your problem Dawn, we both know its Dads night to come and visit us,” Buffy looked at her sister with distain, and she was becoming more difficult to talk with than ever.

“Come one Buffy, we both know that he isn’t going to come, he never does. And…..and….”

“And what?”

“Spike,” Dawn looked away from her sister, she refused to look her in the eyes, as she crossed her arms in a defensive manner.

“And what about Spike?” Buffy inquired.

“He’s making Cow Eyes at you again”

“Ewwwwwww, no he was not!” Buffy looked at her sister like she had two heads.

“Yes he was and so were you!”

“We were not, we…,” Buffy’s voice died before she could finish her speech, because she knew it was true, as much as she wanted to deny it, it was true.

“He looks at you and you turn away, you never look back at him. Then when you think he’s not looking, you turn all lovey dovey on him. I’ve seen you!” Dawn accused her sister, with bulging eyes and a terse voice.

“No Dawn I don’t, really I don’t,” Buffy’s lie fell from her lips and onto deaf ears; Dawn wasn’t going to believe it for one minute.

“Come on Buffy we both know the truth,” Dawn looked into her sisters eyes at last with a smile on his lips, “His a hottie, what girl with warm blood wouldn’t feel attracted to him, you’d have to have no pulse not too.”

Dawnie’s quick change in attitude gave Buffy ideas to why her sister was giving her the cold shoulder. ‘OMG she’s got a crush on him’ Buffy thought to herself, it was obvious now, how could she be so blind, ‘not only did she have a crush she was jealous of me’.

“You’ve got a crush on him,” Buffy couldn’t help but have a little giggle, making Dawn start her quick march back home, “Dawn I’m only kidding, come on!”

Dawn ignored her sister, her face a crimson shade of red. Buffy knew that she had some major making up to do. Some real serious making up to do. At least they now had something in common with each other, even if it was crazy, illogical and just down right strange.

Buffy entered their home just slightly behind Dawn, and began making her way up the stair, when her mother stopped her. She heard a door slam upstairs, she could only guess was her sisters.

“Buffy, I think your sisters going to need a shoulder to cry on again!”

“Let me guess Dad?”

“Yes Sweetie, he cancelled again about 10 minutes ago, business he said,” Joyce tried too as always soften the blow with a white lie or another. Buffy knew deep down that it wasn’t business, probably some young girl her age or near enough that had his attention. She looked at her mom, just nodded her head and made her way further up the stairs to make her way into Dawn’s room.

“Dawn ?” Buffy stood outside her sisters room knocking gently on the door, and opening it slowly peering in. Dawn was slumped on her bed the tears whelming in her eyes.

“Why do we even bother with him anymore Buffy?”

Buffy made her way over to her sister, enveloping her in a big hug, giving her some comfort, “I don’t know Dawn, he’s our Dad no matter what, and we can only hope that one day he’ll be our Dad again,” but deep down Buffy knew that their father was losing interest with his daughter’s, and that hurt her deep down as well. But she had to hope for her sister that this wasn’t true, that maybe their father would realise just what damage he was doing to them before it became a permeant scar. The girls wouldn’t want to do anything with him either.

“Hey why don’t I call Willow and the gang, see if they wanna go to the movies, and we’ll have a real pizza night with them, and if you behave maybe go to the Bronze after?”

Buffy hoped that this would appease Dawn’s ambivalence towards their father, and give her something to do instead of sitting in her room upset. It would also give her an excuse not to stay at home and mope around with her. Dawn raised her head and looked at her sister; she simply nodded her head in agreement, wiping away the tears that threatened to spill.

Buffy left her then, to make the arrangements with their friends to meet later and hope that their mother would agree to allow them to go out together. Luckily enough Joyce was in agreement with her daughter to take Dawnie out as a ‘treat’, and not that this would be habit forming each week because their father was getting ‘slack’.

Luckily Willow, Xander, Cordy and Tara had yet to finalise their plans and where happy to meet with the Summers’ girls as Buffy planned. She thanked her lucky stars that she had friends that accepted her little sister as part of the crew. Not many people their age would want to be caught dead socialising with a high school kid, so Buffy thanked her lucky stars that she knew such fine people, and was glad to call them her friends.

She went back upstairs told her sister to get ready, that they would meet the gang in half an hour. This was a night both of them needed to get out of the house. Buffy could help but wonder that she had two good reasons to want to get out for a while, one being her father, and the other the hurdy gurdy feelings she was having about Spike. She needed a night out away from everything, a night just to get away, she needed some time not just to think about it, she needed…..she just didn’t know what she needed.

She went to her own room to get ready for their night on the town and it hit her what she needed and why she was going out.

To escape.





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