Spike watched Buffy hurriedly exit the limo and then he scooted forward to roll down the window an inch. The poncy Angel guy smiled widely at her, his eyes saying it all. Like Spike, The Bachelor was very happy with what he saw. The sun had gone down, but the location lights were strung up strategically and the lighting in the front yard was excellent for capturing video.
Buffy stopped a few feet away from Angel. With her back to Spike, he heard her say, “I can’t believe I’m actually here.”
“I’m glad that you are,” Angel told her. “What’s your name, darling?”
She stepped closer with her hand out. He took it and Spike rolled his eyes when instead of shaking it, he brought the back of her hand to his lips and kissed it.
“I’m Buffy. From Sunnydale, California.”
“We’re practically neighbors, since I live in Los Angeles. Nice to meet you, Buffy.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too.”
They hugged and then she walked into the house as cameras captured her movement from behind. Spike got his cue to get out of the limo barked into his headset. He shuffled out and jogged by Angel to get into the house so the next limo could pull up. During their run through and tour of the house yesterday, the cameramen had been given their assignments. He was to go around the back way and get set up in the large living room where the ladies would be gathered, waiting for the last limo-load of women to arrive.
Because he’d been a field cameraman for a local news station for a couple of years, Spike was assigned a steady cam and told to train his camera on the girls that he’d been in the limo with. He saw Buffy right away and focused on her. From the first time that he’d captured her image, he’d been intrigued by her. She’d been pushed into doing this by a friend, yet she seemed excited to meet Angel.
He didn’t know the guy well, but he didn’t seem like that great a catch to Spike. He guessed women went for the tall, dark, and depressed type. Someone put a glass of wine in Buffy’s hand. She frowned down at it and didn’t take a sip. Spike panned his camera around the room and noticed that all the girls had drinks. Well, that was one way to get them loosened up to talk and be cheerful with all the cameras pointed at their faces.
The buxom blonde named Harmony slowly walked around the heavily decorated room, running her hand over the rich gold furniture. She stood next to him and bit her lip. “So, are you going to be our cameraman the whole time?”
He took his eye away from the viewfinder and looked her up and down. “Might be. I’m sure I’ll last longer than half the women here tonight.” He adjusted the camera again and got his sights on Buffy. A dark-haired woman with luscious lips and doe eyes sat next to Buffy on the couch. The woman stood out from the others in a pair of dark slacks and emerald green blouse.
“So, when do you—“
“Look. I’m working,” Spike said, cutting off Harmony. “If you want to be on TV, you need to be in front of the camera.”
Unfazed by his rude and abrupt manner, she glided in front of the camera and blew him a kiss. He couldn’t help but grin. He followed Harmony’s movements as she walked up to the couch where Buffy and the other woman were sitting and then sat down.
“Hi. I’m Faith. From Boston.”
Buffy gave Faith a genuine smile and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Buffy, from California.”
Faith’s lips went up on one side and then she said, “Typical California girl? And let me guess,” she said, barely containing her laughter as she got a good look at Harmony. “This is your twin, Muffy.”
Harmony gave Faith a death glare, but Buffy laughed heartily. “No, we aren’t twins. This is Harmony.”
Faith took a sip of her wine and watched Buffy. “I like you. You don’t take yourself too seriously.”
“What about you?” Harmony interjected. “Didn’t you get the memo about it being formal tonight?”
Faith was about to answer when all attention went to the entrance. Spike watched the other cameramen point in the direction of the entrance as well.
“Okay, ladies,” a tall, big-busted brunette said with loud confidence. “I’m here now, so you can all go home. Angel is mine.”
The cameras panned the room again to capture the reactions from the others. The women scoffed and grumbled, though some laughed and took it for the half-joke that it was. Buffy and Faith both rolled their eyes at the newest addition’s attention-grabbing entrance. Harmony, wanting to be as close to the center of attention as possible, rushed over to introduce herself.
Spike overheard the new woman tell a group that had surrounded her that her name was Cordelia. Harmony pointed out that they were both wearing Prada, and as soon as the two of them started going on about the latest Prada line, Spike felt like rolling his eyes, too. He was going to be stuck with these catty women for far too long. At least some of them were a pleasure to keep an eye on. Slowly, he zoomed in on Buffy’s face as she listened intently to Faith talk. Two more girls entered the room, but he ignored them and kept his lens trained on Buffy. She was beautifully unique, and if Spike were the Bachelor, he’d pick her right now and tell the others thanks, but no thanks. Her big hazel eyes leaned more towards green than brown and her long golden hair was not over processed like some of the other women’s was. Her skin glowed with perfection and Spike found himself imagining going over to her and running a hand over her face.
He was jolted out of his daydreams when the females stood as if on cue and began squealing with glee when the Bachelor graced everyone with his presence. Spike instantly disliked the man. Someone placed a drink in Angel’s hand and he led the bachelorettes in a toast. Spike focused the camera on Buffy again and felt the stirrings of unwelcome jealousy as the beautiful woman gazed adoringly at Angel.
Couldn’t she see that he was fake?
As the night wore on, Spike grew more and more weary of the whole mess. One by one, Angel took the ladies out back to sit on the couch by the pool. There were two cameras set up back there already, but each time one of Spike’s six girls went, he had to follow.
Practiced and smooth, Angel held his hand out to Stacey and invited her to go with him. Spike had to give the man props. He gave each lady his full attention when he invited her out and treated her as if she was the only one in the house that mattered. How he could do that with so many women around, Spike didn’t know.
Spike’s instructions were to follow at a distance and zoom in. The farther back he was, the more it would seem like the camera wasn’t there. But once they were on the couch by the pool, the fixed cameras on tripods were hard to miss. Spike gently lowered himself into the chair across from the couch and tried to stay as still as possible.
“So, Stacey, are you having a good time?” Angel asked.
“Yeah,” the woman said, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off the camera behind Angel’s shoulder.
One of the directors interrupted, walking up to them. “Listen, doll, do me a favor,” he said in his heavy Long Island accent as he placed a hand on Angel’s shoulder. “Keep your eyes on the prize here and just pretend the cameras aren’t even here.”
“I…I’ll try, but they are everywhere.”
And so were the grips, the sound guys, the producers, and half a dozen other suits.
It took a few more tries before they were finally able to get enough shots to use in the episode, and Spike was certain Stacey was going home tonight. He went ahead of the couple and back to the overly warm living room. He heard snippets of catty conversations as he passed the little clusters of women and got back into position. He could tell from some of their comments that the women were getting bored and tired. It was Buffy’s turn next, and he was going to have to go right back out after he got the shot of Angel asking her out there.
She smiled warmly at Angel and took his offered hand. Once they settled down outside, Angel asked, “So tell me, what made you decide to come on the show?”
“Well,” Buffy started and then took a deep breath. “My friend’s the one who pushed me into going, but once I knew you had accepted the offer to be the Bachelor, I couldn’t say no.”
“So you watched the show last season?” Angel smiled at her, his eyes straying to the dip of the fabric at her chest and then back up.
“Yes. I’m a big fan of the show.” Buffy glanced around with wide eyes, trying to take it all in. Enthusiastically, she said, “Really, I can’t believe I’m even here.”
“So, you are here to meet me? Not just to get on TV?”
Spike had to force the snort of amusement down. The man had a huge ego and he wanted it fed.
Buffy put her hand on top of Angel’s and gave it a slight squeeze. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.”
Her soft, warm voice was enchanting and Spike almost forgot that his camera was rolling. What he wouldn’t give to have a girl like Buffy talk to him like that. Logically, he knew he’d never meet a girl like her in any of the dives he frequented and played gigs at on his nights off. He made a mental note to find some classier places to hang out. He sighed, knowing he was in for a battle in getting his buddies, Clem and Gunn, to actually go someplace better than Chullies.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Betas: Mabel Marsters and Tanit. Thank you ladies!
Chapter End Notes:
Reviews and con-crit are very much wanted and welcomed. Hearing from readers really motivates me to keep writing. I'm currently writing ch.12 of this story. :)