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Author's Chapter Notes:
Hi!! Sorry for taking so long to update, real life got in the way. But here is the next chapter. I had a lot of trouble with this one, so let me know how you feel and review!! Enjoy!
“Willow, wait up!” she yelled as she reached her friend halfway down the hall. Willow turned around and faced her.

“What Buffy? What are you doing?! I mean, I knew you were seeing someone but…” her voice became a harsh whisper, “Mr. Giles?!”

“I know, I know Willow! I just…” tears began to spill down her cheeks and Willow immediately backed down to help her friend.

“I’m sorry Buffy, I’m a total jerk. Let’s sit down,” she said as she led her friend to the front steps of the school. Buffy wiped away the welling in her eyes and smiled. Willow was always so understanding; she only hoped she’d be as understanding about this.

When they sat on the bottom two steps, both were silent. After what seemed like a millennia, Willow was the first to speak.

“Alright Buffy, explain it to me.” Buffy gave her a sideways glance and Willow stuttered, “I-I mean, no judgment, I just want to understand.” Buffy nodded glumly.

“I guess it started a while ago…”

As Buffy recounted the affair, Willow’s expression barely changed. There were definitely flickers of surprise and confusion as well as a long pause of suspicion when she explained Dru’s disappearance. Her friend listened wholeheartedly and nodded as it tapered down.

“…and then I was talking to Angel, trying to ask him out for you, and Spike got jealous I guess and came to talk to me. That’s when you showed up.” Buffy sighed heavily as the relief of telling someone came upon her.

Willow seemed to consider it for a moment before biting her lip and looking up at Buffy with doe eyes.

“Not to, um, change the subject… but what did Angel say?” The look of sheer nervousness plastered across her face made Buffy laugh a little.

“Of course he did, silly. You’re a babe!” Willow smiled brightly and performed a small victory dance. “Which means, of course, you have to take him to my birthday party this weekend as your date.” The red head nodded enthusiastically, but she gradually looked concerned.

“That sounds good, Buffy, but… why would Spike get jealous of you talking to Angel for me? I mean, I’m not… not accusing you or anything like that, I’m just… why would he be jealous?” Willow asked hesitantly. Buffy seemed to ponder this for a while before she responded quietly.

“I guess I was being a little flirty, but all on your behalf I swear! It was more like a, ‘hey you’re a good looking guy, you deserve a good looking girl on your arm, my friend Willow is perfect for you!’ type thing. I guess Spike saw that and just assumed I was flirting with him.”

“Does he do that a lot?”

“Do what?”

“Spy on you? Assume things? Get really jealous? I may not know a lot about relationships, but I’m pretty sure those are bad signs.”

“I don’t know, Wills, sometimes I think it’s really sweet and other times I think he’s just, you know, being a guy. Besides, we don’t have the most conventional relationship,” Buffy chuckled a bit.

“Well, do you love him?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes I think I do. The way he looks at me… you’d think I was like a martyr or something. But sometimes I’ll look at him and I think it’s love. But I really think I’ll know when I know, you know?” Buffy smiled lightly and Willow nodded again.

“Does the age thing bother you?” Willow blurted out, unable to stop herself. “Sorry, didn’t mean to be that blunt…. But does it bother you?!” Buffy laughed a little more wholeheartedly at Willow’s antics.

“No, it doesn’t bother me. Well, it used to just a little, but now it doesn’t. I mean he’s not even thirty years old. It’s like dating someone right out of college or something.” Buffy paused for a minute, knowing Willow would not like her suggestion but hoping she’d go for it. “Hey Will?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you want to maybe skip the rest of the day and go watch movies or something?” The expression of sheer horror on Willow’s face made Buffy burst out in giggles.

“We-we can’t do that! That would be wrong and I… I have a quiz in Math today!” She stammered.

“Willow, come on! Live a little! You already got into Stanford, what is one quiz gonna do? Besides, you know I’m going to Boston in September and we’ll be clear across the country! We have to spend as much time together as possible and I think we deserve a little friendship time. What do you say?”

Willow bit her lip and shifted her eyes across the manicured lawn in front of the school.

“Are you sure we won’t get caught?”

“Positive. And if we do, what’s the worst that can happen? A slap on the wrist?” Buffy gave her best puppy-dog eyes.

“Fine. We just have to be really careful, okay?”

“Careful it is. Lead the way!” she said as she saluted her best friend.

The girls collected their bags and readied themselves for the walk back home. Suddenly, Buffy put her hand on Willow’s arm seriously.

“Willow, you can’t tell anyone about this. Do you understand?” Willow nodded for what felt like the twentieth time in the conversation, but felt the uneasiness of the situation in the pit of her stomach. Buffy knew she wasn’t good at keeping secrets, but this was one she’d have to manage.

Just as suddenly as the conversation turned dark, Buffy smiled and bounced along the sidewalk discussing the details of the party.

…………………………………….

Spike finished the day in a state of complete disembodiment. He felt like nothing was real and his classes came and went. He couldn’t focus on anything but the possibility that Willow would tell on them and he’d lose her. He couldn’t lose Buffy; it would destroy him.

When the final bell rang, Spike sat at his desk with the door open and concentrated on his feet. They were up on a pile of papers as he slumped in his seat. It felt like if he looked anywhere else the emotions that were pulling at his insides would betray him.

What if Willow told on them? What if Buffy couldn’t convince her? Best-case scenario, the school board would fire him and never allowed to teach again. Worst-case scenario, he’d forever be considered a pedophile and left for dead with a black mark on his head. Even though she was only two days away from being eighteen years old, no one would consider that okay.

Spike didn’t want to think about it. He just wanted to talk to Buffy and make sure they were alright. He flickered his gaze from his rather shiny shoes to the movement of a pair of brown slacks that stood before him.

“Hey man, are you okay?”

Spike glanced up and saw Xander Harris, the Woodshop teacher, standing above him. They’d never spoken before but they’d said hello at meetings on occasion.

“Yeah, ‘m fine,” he said a little angrier than he meant as he stood up. Xander backed away a step.

“Okay, man, just seeing how you’re doing. Forget I asked,” he said as he adjusted the bag on his shoulder. Spike sighed.

“No, it’s alright. Just a bad day is all.” Xander moved some of the floppy brown hair out of his eyes and chuckled.

“I know the feeling. Do you want to, I don’t know, get a drink or something? Get whatever’s bothering you off your chest?” he asked politely. Spike momentarily thought he was asking him on a date, but quickly realized the man meant it as a friend and relaxed. He seemed nice enough. He didn’t have a problem with gay people, but he didn’t swing that way.

“Isn’t it a little early for drinks?” he asked.

“It’s five o’clock. Happy hour, if I’m not mistaken.” Xander reminded him. Spike glanced at his watch and he was right. He’d been sitting in that exact spot for almost two hours. He definitely needed a drink.

“Lead the way,” he said tiredly.


Chapter End Notes:
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