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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you to Puddinhead and Sanityfair for their help on this chapter.
Previously:

The sign read: "Translations, spells and discreet forays into the Occult. Contact Andrew Wells." Beneath the words, Andrew Wells' phone number was written a dozen times on easy tear tabs fraying the bottom of the page. Spike ripped down the ad and stuffed it into his pocket, ignoring the pang in his gut warning to beware of the thing that he most wanted appearing at the moment he most wanted it.

~*~*~*~

The first week of school had been traumatizing for Buffy but not in the easy-to-deal-with guts and gore kind of way. She'd waited in line for two hours to get a hideous photo i.d., brained the adorable teaching assistant for her psych class which couldn't be good for her grades and gotten lost four times. One of her professors had actually screamed at her for talking out of turn and accused her of hoovering up all the energy in the room. It was a big auditorium, too, implying a huge amount of sucking on her part.

What was worse than feeling totally out of her depth was the sense that everybody else was finally finding their place.

Xander and Dav had made up. A lot. And publicly. In fact, Buffy couldn't get the visual picture of them making up out of her mind the entire time she was trying to take notes in her metaphysics class.When he wasn't working at the convenience store, Xander was with Dav or pitching in at the playhouse. One of the carpenters there was helping Xander become certified in woodworking so he could get in with the union. Xander said he'd finally found a job he really liked, something that produced a tangible result and didn't require him to wear a sandwich board on Tuesdays.

Buffy was happy for him, but she wished he was around more so she could bask in his reflected bliss. Xander didn't like to include Dav in patrols and by consequence, Buffy hardly ever saw him.

Willow, too, had pulled a disappearing act. Even though she and Willow were roommates, the redhead spent every night at Oz's place. If Buffy had her own boyfriend, the situation would have been worth it, but she had decided to put dating on hold until Giles got back from England with a spell to break the blood bond.

Despite her best efforts, though, the not-having-a-boyfriend part of her life was refusing to be ignored. Everything was making her miss Angel and she wasn't sure if it was because she wanted his company or because he was asserting tacit control over her. Talking to the cute guy with the caterpillar eyebrows in the lunch line made her want to call her ex and after seeing a random man with dark hair and a square jaw at the Bronze she spent half the night looking up fares to Los Angeles.

Being around Spike was the only thing that quelled her Angel-lust, but Spike had been avoiding her all week.

When Spike first ducked out of patrolling, she worried the vamp had set aside their partnership to get his nefarious deeds on. The next night when she asked him to come out and play, Spike had ground the toe of his boot into the dirt and jammed his hands deeply in his pockets.

"Can't bear to be alone with you during your monthly, kitten. It's the scent of the blood," Spike said, unable to look at her face.

It was funny that someone who'd taken down two slayers could be so coy about a little bit of blood.

They'd agreed to patrol separately until her cycle was over. The Spike embargo was up that evening and though Buffy no longer had the personal license to eat as much chocolate as she wanted, at least she could look forward to killing things with her vampire buddy again. Unfortunately, they'd be doing that on their own. Giles was oversees, Oz was a werewolf, Willow was watching Oz and Xander was meeting Dav's parents.

Buffy decided to stop off at the on-campus coffee shop before patrol. They sold a hot chocolate spiced with cayenne Spike loved and Buffy needed something caffienated to get her through the next few hours. On her way inside, Buffy saw her friend Eddie. Eddie Alvarez was the one bright spot in her otherwise crummy week. They'd met while being lost at the same time next each other. They had psych together and he'd introduced her to the works of Somerset Maugham. True, she and the works of Somerset Maugham hadn't really hit it off, but she and Eddie had.

Eddie ran a hand through his hair and then smiled at her.

"Just getting my espresso fix before I have to wrassle with the duality of man," Eddie said.

"Good thinking, especially since it's two against one, or maybe only one against one. Never mind," Buffy said.

They walked into the coffee shop and Buffy was surprised to see Spike sprawled out in a delicate cafe chair looking twitchy. He was sitting beside a boy with dyed, spikey blond hair who was gazing at Spike adoringly. As soon as they walked in, the vampire spotted Buffy. He sat up straight and crossed his legs. Then he seemed to remember he didn't ever cross his legs and let them splay.

"Friends of yours?" Eddie asked, sticking his thumb toward Spike.

"One of them kind of is, I should probably say hi," Buffy said.

Buffy walked over to their table and Eddie followed.

"Hello, love," Spike said.

"Buffy Summers, at last we meet," the boy beside Spike said, cocking his eyebrow and offering his hand, "I am Andrew Wells. Occult specialist and one who studies the Vampyr."

Buffy shook Andrew's hand and the young man winked at her knowingly.

"Um, this is Eddie he studies...we didn't really talk about that did we?" Buffy asked, glancing at Eddie. He smiled in response.

"Actually, I'm leaning toward history. Do you mind if we join you?" Eddie asked.

Spike kicked the chair out opposite him and it slid until Buffy caught it with the toe of her boot.

"Have a seat, kitten," Spike said, widening his eyes for a second so his long, dark lashes seemed to snap. Buffy gave him a sharp smile and her chin swayed from side to side.

"My pleasure," Buffy said.

Eddie eyed the two of them, the tension between Spike and Buffy registering to everyone at the table except Andrew.

"So how do you know each other," Buffy asked, looking at Andrew.

"We're travelers on a similar journey," Andrew said.

"What does that mean?" Buffy asked.

"I answered his ad," Spike said.

"What...like a personal ad?" Buffy asked, her eyes bulging as she said the word, personal.

"Um, I," Andrew stammered.

Spike smiled wickedly, his mouth twisting up on one side.

"Yeah, a personal ad. What of it?"

"Nothing, I guess," Buffy said.

She really had no idea what to say next, which was so not usual. Spike had thrown a spanner in her thought process and all she wanted to say was, "I thought you were in love with me."

Eddie smiled and looked sympathetically at Andrew.

"So, Andrew, what's your major?"

"C-computer programming," Andrew said, his expression contracting.

It took a moment before Buffy could get past her irrationally hurt feelings and become analytical again. Spike was like the distillation of sex, he was sex essence, so it made sense that he wouldn't be able to contain all that pulchritude to one gender. But Buffy was certain he would never need to answer a personal ad, not when he'd honed his ability to seduce people for more than a century.

Spike's eyes bored into Buffy's and she returned his glare measure for measure. It felt like their mutual intensity had largely insulated them from the other sounds in the room. Buffy noted distantly that Andrew and Eddie were still talking and knew she was being rude. Spike was the first to break their staring contest, glancing away from her in a deliberately casual way to smile at each of the boys.

"Does anybody want a drink? My treat," Spike said.

"You don't have to," Buffy said.

"I insist," Spike said, standing up, abruptly.

"Thanks, man, I'll have a double espresso," Eddie said.

"Decaf pumpkin latte with a shot of hazelnut and chocolate drizzle," Andrew said, looking at his hands.

"I'll help you carry. Cups can be, you know, heavy when filled," Buffy said, jumping to her feet as well. Spike turned around and walked to join the long line at the counter with Buffy at his heels.

Eddie leaned closer, his encouraging look drawing a shy smile from Andrew.

"How long have you and Spike been together."

"We're not...um, we're not together," Andrew said.

Eddie made a hmm, sound in the back of his throat.

"So, why don't you tell me a little more about yourself," Eddie said.

~*~*~*~

Buffy and Spike were inching forward in line. Spike refused to look at her, scanning the chalk board above the register instead. Buffy might have thought he was trying to decide what he'd like to drink, if he didn't get the same thing every time.

"Are you really with that kid?" Buffy asked.

"Are you seeing Fast Eddie over there?" Spike asked, his hands jammed resolutely in the pockets of his jeans.

"He so doesn't look like Paul Newman," Buffy said.

"Didn't think you'd get that one," Spike said, his chin nearly at his chest and a gentle smile briefly softening his features.

"My mom's a fan. Besides you know I'm not dating him just like I know you're not trying to form a love connection with Mr. Occult over there," Buffy said.

Spike shrugged.

"What's the matter with Andrew? I've had worse. Your ex comes to mind," Spike said.

"You...and Angel?" Buffy asked. Images of glistening, sweaty wrongness bombarded her brain and Buffy felt slightly swoony. She grabbed onto Spike's arm to steady herself and though he didn't grace her with a glance, he didn't pull away.

"What, he never mentioned the bisexual, inter-demonic species orgies when he was takin' you out for milkshakes and squiring you to the prom? Big shock there," Spike said.

His voice was just loud enough that the girls in front of them glanced over their shoulders.

"Stop being all distracting and tell me the truth. Are you feeding off of that boy?" Buffy asked in a rasping whisper. Spike's lip was poised in a snarl when he finally looked down at her.

"Thought you trusted me, Slayer?" he hissed.

"I did before you started lying to me," Buffy said, gripping his arm so hard it would probably bruise.

"Did ya? Then tell me when you knew that book I gave your watcher had a spell that could bring Dru back."

Buffy felt her gut lurch but thought she covered her panic well with a prim poker face.

"Spike—" Buffy said, when the ladies in line ahead finished and walked away. The cashier looked at them expectantly, her eyes scary-perky from oversampling her own wares. Spike nodded and Buffy relayed their order, trying to remember the intricacies of Andrew's drink preferences when all she really wanted to do was scream or hit something. Buffy had no idea what Spike was going to do with the new information about Dru, but she had a pretty good guess. After Buffy fumbled through her mental list with their cashier, Spike paid. Buffy tried to pitch in for her iced mocha but he shoved the money back into her hand. They drifted over to the other end of the counter to the spot where they could pick up their beverages.

"Are you telling me you didn't know?" Spike asked, quietly.

"I did. But I don't think we should talk about it here with all these people around, do you?"

"Plannin' on raising your voice?"

"A little bit."


~*~*~*~

Eddie's and Andrew's knees were bumping together as they talked. Andrew realized he really liked the feeling. When Spike threw out that cover story about being on a date he'd felt kind of violated, like somebody had read his dream journal out loud to a room full of people. It wasn't like Andrew was gay, but everybody kind of thought he was just automatically and sometimes he'd wonder what that was all about. Maybe because he wasn't that interested in girls, but most of them weren't that interesting. They didn't like Sci-fi or magic so it was more of a compatibility thing, Andrew thought. Girls that were into those things were cool to talk to but most of them just looked normal and then the really pretty ones usually had boyfriends. So again it was all about compatibility. Unless maybe it wasn't.

Eddie was looking at him with his dark, beautiful eyes, a sincere expression on his angular face and Andrew's heart felt like it was melting.

"Can I tell you a secret, Andrew?" Eddie asked.

It felt like they were two conspirators in a movie, maybe French Resistence fighters sitting beneath a single light bulb making plans amid the smokey haze of their cigarettes.

Andrew took a deep breath and nodded.

"Sure, I'm really good at keeping secrets."

"You've got to promise not to judge me and please, please don't laugh. I don't think I could take it if you laughed."

"I promise, you're safe with me."

"I feel that, I really do. It was almost like we had this instant connection."

"I did, too. Like I think we'd be totally compatible. As friends. Please tell me your secret."

Eddie bit his lower lip.

"Well, when I was growing up my parents were really religious. They didn't let me do a lot of stuff other kids got to do and there were some things I never even knew existed until I was much older. Anyway, it's something I don't tell a lot of people. I've never really told anyone but you, actually," Eddie said and then leaned in closer, "I have never seen the original 'Star Wars.'"

Andrew gasped and covered his mouth with both hands.

"But, how old are you?"

"I'm nineteen. I mean after I realized what it was, there were a lot of people who I could have watched it with, but I wanted to wait for someone really, really special, you know? 'Star Wars,' is this huge cultural force and it didn't seem right to watch it with just anyone. You seem like it's really important to you and I'd love it if my first time was with you."

"That's the most beautiful thing anyone's ever said to me," Andrew said, clutching his chest.

It took him a second to compose himself, but when he did, Andrew's voice was resolute.

"We'll go to my dorm as soon as they give us our drinks," Andrew said, then inching his chair closer, added, "I've got surround sound."

~*~*~*~

Buffy and Spike waited in silence until the coffees were done. They didn't even notice when Eddie came up behind them until he grabbed his espresso and Andrew's loaded pumpkin latte.

"Hey, Andrew and I are taking off, I hope you don't mind," Eddie said, more to Spike than to Buffy.

The muscle in Spike's jaw leaped before he pasted up a smile.

"S'alright, don't mind you cuttin' in Eddie," Spike said, before sweeping his gaze across Buffy's body, "I think my dance card's filled tonight, anyway."

Eddie smiled, then leaned in to give Buffy a hug and kiss goodbye on her cheek.

"Good luck with bi-curious," Eddie whispered against her ear.

Buffy looked up at Eddie and smirked, still beneath the shelter of his arm.

"He's way past bi-curious. More like bi-thoroughly explored," Buffy said, softly

Eddie laughed and then glanced at the door where Andrew stood. Andrew grinned and then did a little shimmy, mouthing the words, "Surround Sound."

"Have fun," Buffy said. Eddie said goodbye and joined the other boy, handing Andrew his drink. Andrew turned and gave them a short wave before the pair left.

"Bi-thoroughly explored?" Spike asked, his eyebrow peaked.

"How?"

"Vampire hearing. Let's go have that chat, shall we?"

~*~*~*~

Buffy and Spike had hunted through campus quickly. Most vamps had heard about Spike moving in and after the first week, they'd begun to avoid Sunnydale University. The whole area had been written off as a death zone and there were rumors the slayer and Spike were running some kind of extermination camp. Even still, they staked two newbies casing the freshman dorm.

On the way to Restfield Cemetery Buffy dusted three more vamps terrorizing a woman out walking her dog. Spike seemed irritated that she was hogging the kills but he didn't raise his complaints. They didn't really speak at all except for the basic, "Hey, toss me Mr. Pointy," type stuff until they were well within the privacy of the graveyard.

"So how long you been playin' me, slayer?" Spike asked, kicking a clot of dirt that exploded when it hit the back of a stone crucifix rising crookedly out of a nearby plot.

"I never played you, Spike. I had no other choice," Buffy said, concentrating on the uneven ground.

"You let me suffer all the while knowing I could get my girl back. Are you trying to say it's for my own good, not so the great git can continue to ruin your fucking life?" Spike asked, his hand clenching around his stake.

"It has nothing to do with Angel," Buffy said.

"Right," Spike said, cocking his head and drawing the word out. Buffy stopped, and as though on a tether, Spike did, too.

"I don't want to be your enemy again," Buffy said, clutching the stake to her chest, her arm curled tight.

"We wouldn't be enemies."

"The minute you take up your old habits I can't let you exist any more. Don't you get that?" Buffy asked, taking a step toward him.

"So you feel nothing for me then, that's it?" Spike asked, his hands on his hips.

"You know that's not true."

"I know no such thing, slayer. From here it looks like I'm just a convenience."

Buffy threw her head back and let out a short, forceful laugh.

"There's nothing easy about being near you or not near you. If I wanted convenient I would have staked you when you asked and never given you a second thought. I care about you."

"If you care about me so bloody much you'll let me have Drusilla."

"No, Dru is way, way too dangerous. She's almost ended the world twice since I've known her and you helped," Buffy said.

"Just the once, and it's not one of my shining moments, but that was before. I've changed."

"And she won't have. It would be cruel to try to keep her sane and I can't just let her be crazy," Buffy took another step, shrinking the distance between them even more.

"She comes back you're not harming a hair on her head," Spike said, getting into her space so their chests were bumped up to each other.

Buffy put the flat of her hand against his chest, the other not budging from the stake. Spike was panting, why the hell was he panting? Buffy couldn't stand the way he was looking at her, challenging her with his wounded eyes.

"You really want to leave me that bad, Spike?" Buffy asked, her voice catching in a completely involuntary way.

"Just want to be whole again," Spike said, pressing his forehead to Buffy's.

Being close to him was overwhelming and she could only concentrate on the present moment. She shut her eyes and parted her lips. Spike's hands coasted up her arms and trailed softly up her neck, until he was cupping Buffy's face. Then he pressed a kiss to her forehead and suddenly his touch was gone. Her eyes were still closed when Spike began walking again. She opened them, exhaled and then continued at his side.

They listened to their boots on the earth and the thrum of crickets; the susurrus of Spike's leather coat against his legs. Buffy moved closer to him to avoid a stone bench. Spike put his hand on the small of her back to steady her, but then left it there. She was wearing a pink, cashmere sweatercoat and by the way Spike was stroking it, he seemed to like the material. Several topics of conversation went through Buffy's head ranging from the sale where she'd picked up the sweater at half off to the vivid erotic dream she'd had about him when she'd fallen asleep in a nook at the library that afternoon. For some reason she thought saying, 'Hey, I dreamed I was getting it on with you on the hood of Principal Snyder's car during the St. Vigeous Day parade,' seemed insensitive. She looked askance toward him and smiled.

"So," Buffy said.

"So," Spike said. He tilted his head at her.

"We're probably not done with this, are we?"

"Not hardly, kitten," Spike said.

Buffy's head shot up in response to hearing a tussle in the distance.

"Sounds like trouble," Buffy said, sad that the realization was such a relief, "we need to get over there."

“Alright, Slayer. Let's go be heroes,” Spike said, casting a smile at her over his shoulder before breaking into a run.


Chapter End Notes:
The movie Spike is referencing with the Fast Eddie joke is called, "The Hustler." Paul Newman's character was called Fast Eddie.



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