Author's Chapter Notes:
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When Spike found himself just five miles outside of the little town he hated to call home, he spotted Greg’s. It was one of those cheesy 50’s styled diners. God help those who have to work here, he thought.

Spike got out of his car and noticed the place was pretty busy. Waitresses on roller skates wheeled in and out of the restaurant bringing trays of food to people waiting in parked cars. The restaurant itself was packed, not a single table looked unoccupied. Spike stopped and took a breath as he cringed inwardly; forcing himself to go inside the establishment that looked as if it had been pulled straight out of Grease. A film Spike would never admit to watching... because he didn’t.

Nope.

He didn’t know all of the words to Grease Lighting, no he did not.

Shaking away the self depraving thoughts, he entered. Spike swaggered to the counter, getting the attention of a cute little thing behind one of the cash registers. A short brown haired girl with the biggest doe eyes he’d ever seen. She rolled over to Spike with a beaming smile and asked him if he wanted to order.

“No thanks. Just lookin for a guy by the name of Gunn, I was told he works here.”

The young girl blushed inadvertently at the sexy stranger; she really liked his British accent. She’d never seen him around before and thought he was a super hottie! “Oh sure, he’s- he’s in the back. Do you want me to get him for you?”
“Be much obliged, pet. If he asks, the name’s Spike.”
The girl giggled and nodded enthusiastically before rolling off to go get Gunn.

Spike continued standing even though there were a couple of stools open. He cringed at the sounds coming from the juke box. Christ, hasn’t anyone ever heard of the Ramones?
Suddenly he was bumped out of his place and turned to face a guy who resembled that Jim Kerry bloke. “Hey, watch it, mate.”
“Oh, sorry about that.”

Spike drew his attention away from the brown haired male and stood waiting for Gunn.

***

Buffy was stealing a sip of Tara’s coke when Xander returned. “Hey, guys get a look at captain peroxide over there.” Xander pointed with his thumb over his shoulder.
The girls peered.

Buffy got one look at the tall bleached boy and found herself… (surprisingly) attracted to him. She could only see his profile but the side of his face was chiseled like no other, with emphasis on a razor sharp cheekbone. He stood with a confidence that she found insanely attractive, and even under that leather coat she could tell he must have a nice body. He looked a lot like that guy-

“He looks a lot like Billy Idol.” Anya finished Buffy’s thought.
“You listen to Billy Idol?” Willow asked incredulously.

“He’s kind of cute. But he is dressed sorta weird. It’s hot outside for a coat.” Tara commented plainly, inadvertently distracting Anya from answering Willow’s question.

Willow turned her head again to see the stranger. “He is dressed kind of funny, but he’s cute enough. Not my type, though.”

No one caught the smile Willow threw in Tara’s direction.

“I find him quite attractive, in a roguishly handsome sort of way.”

Xander scoffed. “You think he’s attractive? Look at his hair!”

Tara smirked, noticing Xander only said something after Anya mentioned the stranger’s looks. Maybe she won’t have to go through with her plan after all... “C’mon Xander, he is sorta cute. He’s… different, but still, cute.”

Xander snorted. “C’mon Buffy, back me up here. Don’t tell me you think the guy’s cute.”
“You’re right Xander, he isn’t cute.”
“Thaaank you.” Xander gestured with his hand.

Buffy looked away from the subject of debate for the first time and up at Xander. “He’s hot!”
“What?!”
Tara fought a snicker, and Willow smiled when she spoke. “Told ya, Xander.”

The brunette sat down defeated. “Ugh, so you’re telling me, all I have to do to get girls to fawn over me is get a long, black leather coat and bleach my head?”
Anya’s eyes widened at that. “Xander! Don’t bleach your hair! I- I like your hair! If- if you bleach your hair… I’ll kill you.”

Xander half laughed at her threat. “Whoa, relax Ahn, I was just kidding. Besides, I couldn’t pull off bleached hair.”
“Yeah, not like that boy can.” Buffy used her thumb to point over her shoulder at said boy.
“Hey!”
Buffy giggled. “Sorry Xand. But c’mon, you seriously can’t see girls being attracted to that?” She pointed again.

Xander took another glance. “… Okay, maybe I can see it. It’s just… his hair is white! How can you have white hair and still be considered hot?”
“I don’t know but it works for him.”
“Buffy, why don’t you go say hi? You seem to be really into him.” Willow asked.

Buffy stole another glance at the sexy outsider and bit her lip. “Um… I don’t think so.”
“Why not?” Anya asked.
“He’s cute, but… obviously the bad boy type. I- I’m not into that.”

“Well maybe that whole bad boy look is just a cover up. I hear most guys will dress like that just to boost their confidence a little.” Tara added conspiratorially.

Buffy took one more look at the stranger. She noticed how he held himself and how he checked out passing girls. The look he gave several guys larger than him when he caught them glaring, thereby causing said guys to turn away cowardly. His cocky smirk when girls shot flirty smiles his way. His fingers tapping impatiently on the countertop and his big combat boots…

Oh no, this was no cover up. She could just tell. Buffy turned back to her friends. “I don’t think it’s a cover up.”

“Okay.” Willow shrugged.
“Well you might not be interested anymore but… looks like he is.” Anya nodded her head in the direction of the peroxide blonde.

Buffy’s eyes bugged and she fought her initial urge to turn her head. “Willow. Mirror!”

Willow dug into Buffy’s purse and pulled out a compact, which she quickly handed to her friend.

Buffy opened the compact and pretended to check her makeup while stealthily maneuvering the mirror to get a good look at Mr. Tall Dark and Bleached. Yep, he was looking at her all right. Almost as if he might know her. Just as the stranger looked as if he was about walk over and say hi, Buffy closed her compact.

“Is he coming over here?” She cringed at the urgency in her voice.
Xander shook his head. “Nah, he’s talkin to some guy now.”

Buffy turned around again.

The leather backed boy was now talking with a black guy who looked around the same age as he. The guy in the chef’s uniform was obviously meeting the bleached teen for the first time; Buffy could tell by the way they were conversing.

“Oh.” She tried not to sound disappointed but knew she had failed. Buffy shook her head to shake off the regret the mystery boy had caused her. “Well, anyways, I’m hungry again. Who wants to, a… split a burger with me?”
“I’m in!” Xander spoke up.

***

He silently cursed Gunn’s crappy timing; just when Spike had noticed that Buffy girl sitting not 20 feet away from him, and was about to go talk to her, the nit decides to show up.

“So, you’re Spike?”
“You Gunn?”
“I am. Jack told me about you.”

*Insert Manly Handshake Here*

“Oh really?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry, you look like the type of guy he said you were.” *Hands are released.* “Should fit right in. So your old man moved you out to Moon Stream, huh?”

“Yeah. Just my bloody bad luck.”
“Hey, it’s cool. We’ll take care a you out here. Any friend a Jack’s is good by me. Now I don’t live in Moon Stream, but I’m not too far outta the way, and neither is the place you wanna be.”

“S’at right?”
“Yeah. It’s an abandoned lot. They were supposed to build on it but it’s just a huge concrete landscape now. Plans musta fell through cuz the place hasn’t been touched in five years.”

“Sounds perfect.”
“Believe me, it is. There’s me and a bunch of others who go out there any night we can. It’s a big group but everyone knows each other. I’m sure you’ll fit in...” Gunn arched a brow. “If you can drive as well as Jack says you can. Sounds like you got quite a rep back in Chicago.”

Spike smirked. “Which rep?”
“All of em.” Gunn smiled. “Look, Jack doesn’t play around. If he says you’re a good driver, than you’re a good driver; which means you’re welcome here. Just don’t lead the cops on and we’re all good. Got it?”
“No worries on this end.”

“Alright. Tonight’s not a night we’re all meetin up, but tomorrow night’s in play. You got a number I can reach you at?”

Spike grabbed a napkin and Gunn handed him a pen. Spike wrote down his cell number and handed the napkin to his new acquaintance.

“Kay, cool. I’ll give you a call tomorrow and ya can come out an show us your stuff.”
“Sounds good. Thanks a lot for this, mate. I don’t know what I woulda done out here if Jack hadn’t called. Probly woulda blown my own bloody brains out from boredom.”

Gunn laughed. “S’no problem. I’ll give you a call round six and tell ya where to meet us.”
“Alright then.”
“Oh, and you wanna know a good way to make friends?”
“What’s that?”
“Beer.”

Spike laughed this time. “Will do.”
“Okay, nice meetin ya, Spike.”

With that, Spike left the annoyingly cheerful diner and headed for his Desoto, but not before taking another glance at where that pretty Buffy chit was sit- Oh, she’s gone.

Spike stepped out of the restaurant and found himself looking for her. He scanned the parking lot for that beautiful head of blonde hair. Then he clenched his jaw and forced himself to bow his head.

What’s the matter with you? She just a girl, mate! Let it alone.

Spike shook his head and jumped in his car, starting the engine and screeching off onto the road. The way he was thinking about Miss Buffy Summers was unnerving him. This wasn’t supposed to happen again…

***

“You know, I still don’t know how you got a license and I didn’t.” Buffy asked her friend pointedly.

Xander tried to find a nice response. “Well, Buff... Your driving is… It’s just not- It’s…”

“Horrible.” Anya helped.
“Hey!” Buffy looked back at her blonde friend.

“Thanks Anya, I was trying for subtle.”

“Well she knows already Xander, she just won’t admit it. Believe me, I wish she had a license…” She directed her gaze back to Buffy. “Then it would be one less person to have in the car before you drove me home… with just the two of us in the car… alone.”

Buffy shut up at that one.

Xander, still driving, was completely oblivious to Anya’s remark. He turned onto Buffy’s street and waited for her to get in her house.

Buffy watched from her window as Anya got out of the back seat and moved to the front before Xander drove off. She smiled to herself. Oh Anya, I hope you get his attention soon.

Buffy walked into the kitchen where she found her mom going over bills.

“Hi, mom.”
“Hi, honey. D’you have a good day?”
“Oh it was of the good. Sally gave me a couple of candles and I bought a lotion from her.”

“I saw the bag on the coffee table. I already burnt that orange one a little bit, it smells wonderful.”

“She said you’d like it.” Buffy smiled. She did think it funny that her mom never wanted her to take money for helping out Sally or anyone else in town at one of their small shops or something, but when it came to taking free offered merchandise? Joyce never said a thing. But that was probably just because a few free items never surmounted the same value of the hours put in to help.

“Hey did you uh, meet the new neighbors today?”
“I met Mr. Pratt.”
“Oh, Charlie? Isn’t he sweet?”
“Yeah, he’s nice. I feel a little bad for him, though. His son’s kinda… well I didn’t actually see him but-”
“His son’s name is William right?”

“Yeah… I offered to take the guy around town, you know, show him the ‘lay of the land.’ Charlie went up to ask him if he was interested but I just heard the guy yell at his dad. Didn’t even come down and talk to me himself or tell his father politely to tell me no. He just… yelled. It isn’t really a big deal I just thought it was kinda… well, rude.”
“His father said he’s having trouble adjusting.”

“He hasn’t even tried adjusting yet, it’s his first day here.”
“Be nice if you meet him. I’m sure he’s not a bad kid.”
“You’re probly right I just, I don’t know. He sounded really… mean.”
“Well, he’s a teenager.”

“So am I.” At Joyce’s look Buffy deflated. “Maybe I’ll go back over there tomorrow, see if the wind has changed.”

“I think that’s a good idea. Maybe I’ll go with you; that way I can talk to Mr. Pratt and you can actually meet William yourself.”

Buffy tilted her head and smiled at her mother. “You know, you’re really good at coming up with perfect solutions... How do you do that?”

Joyce smiled. “It’s a gift dear. It comes with old age.”

Buffy gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. “Night mom.”
“Night sweetie. Oh, can we go over around six? I’m busy at the gallery until then.”
“Sure.”
“Okay. And could you spend some time with Dawn tomorrow? She’s going over to her friend’s house around five, so it won’t be for too long.”

Buffy groaned. “Ugh, fine. She can just walk to her friend’s on her own right?”
“As long as it’s not dark out, that’s fine.”
“Okay. Night again.”
“Goodnight.”

Buffy walked upstairs, got ready for bed, and tucked herself in. She lay down quiet and still, just thinking about the day ahead of her. Nothing really pressing to do… God, she loved summer.

Her eyes finally started drifting shut as the cool breeze from her window helped soothe her to sleep. Tonight she would dream of a certain leather clad hottie, whom she could remember every detail about all too well. Oh sure, she would never actually date a bad boy, they only ever made good heartbreakers, but still... a girl could dream.


Chapter End Notes:
see! they SORTA met... lol don't kill me.



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