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Author's Chapter Notes:
So, I'm finally getting the courage up to post something. This is actually a work of original fiction that I wrote in high school and have rewritten several times over the years. I decided to rewrite it as Spuffy as a writing exercise. It's all human, so most definitely A/U. Forgive any mistakes. I am the only one who has actually read the Spuffy version of this and while I love (and typically do well at) editing other peoples work, I am horrible with my own.
Oh and just in case this is necessary (need I repeat this is a first for me?) Joss owns them, I borrow them...well except for the crazy ones which I guess I will claim as my own original characters.
“The stars are constantly shining, but often we do not see them until the darkest hours.” ~ Unknown

It was a hot day in July in the small town of Sunnydale, California and Buffy Summers had just finished a grueling hour long skating practice. At 22 she was the reigning Olympic figure skating champion; one of the oldest in recent Olympics. The first year after her win she had been busy with endorsements, competitions, and publicity tours. But after the end of this past year’s season she had decided to take some time to devote to coaching. To the outsider looking in, her life was perfect, but on the inside she was in agony. The past couple of months the decision on whether or not to compete in the coming season had plagued Buffy’s mind. She had decided it was time to decide whether or not she should continue on competitively, or turn pro and move on with her life. It was a decision she was unprepared to make. What did she have if she didn’t have skating? All these thoughts ran through Buffy’s brain as she skated over to the rinks sound booth. Looking out at the other skaters on the ice she noticed how so many were quite a bit younger than she. They’re getting younger each year, she thought ruefully as a skater, who couldn’t have more than 7 or 8 whizzed by her. She was an Olympic champion, what each of the other girls probably dreamed about nightly, yet they didn’t seem to understand how that dream could take its toll. She was 22, an Olympic champion, surrounded daily by so many, yet so very alone. With a sigh she stepped into the sound booth to find her music.
“Buffy, that last program you did was amazing!” a voice behind her said. Buffy turned to see her best friend Willow skating towards her. Willow was competitive in skating but not at the same level as Buffy. They had met when Buffy first moved to Sunnydale 5 years prior. It was because of Buffy that Willow had taken up skating. The normally bookish young woman had decided it looked like a lot of fun and thought it would be a great way for the two friends to be able to spend time together.
“Thanks, Wills.” Buffy said pulling a sweatshirt over her head.
“Are you quitting already?” There was still 20 minutes left in in the freestyle and it wasn’t like Buffy to quit early. She was usually the last one off the ice. No one could say that she didn’t work hard to achieve her success.
“I know, but I have to coach at freestyle tonight so I don’t want to overdo it this morning.” Buffy spoke as she pulled her curly long blonde hair back up into the ponytail she had messed up by putting on her sweatshirt.
“That sounds smart,” Willow watched as Buffy gathered up her things in the sound booth. “You have seemed a little tired lately.”
“It’s just…I’m just worked up over deciding whether to compete or not this fall. Season starts in a couple of months and I have no clue what I want to do. There’s a lot at stake.” Buffy admitted, glancing at her friend. There was a lot at stake. Another winning season could clinch her status as a successful skater, but a bad season could really hurt her reputation. She wanted to go out on a good note, and besides when she won the gold at the Olympics, this past year was one of her best.
“Don’t sweat it, Buffy; you’ve got plenty of time. I know when you do make a decision, whatever it is; it will be the right one.” Willow got a wicked gleam in her eye that Buffy didn’t notice. “Hey! I’ve got a great idea of what you could do to get your mind off things.”
“What?” Buffy doubted that anything Willow suggested would help, but she was willing to listen; even if it was a suggestion to enroll in fall classes at the local college.
Buffy stepped back out onto the ice and looked expectantly at Willow.
“You could get off the ice, and head down the hall…”
“Oh no! No!” Buffy protested skating away from Willow. Willow had been making that suggestion for months. She knew exactly where she was going with her idea, and it was not one that Buffy was inclined to follow.
“You could go down the hall and ask Spike to have lunch or even dinner with you,” Willow finished in one quick breath following Buffy quickly across the ice, dodging younger skaters as they went. Spike, aka William Pratt, was the rink’s Director of Hockey and a favorite of the ladies. It definitely didn’t hurt that he was as handsome as any guy Buffy had ever known. He wasn’t too tall and muscular in all the right areas. He had cheekbones to die for, and the most gorgeous blue eyes that Buffy was sure a person could drown in. And to top it all off, he was British, with a killer accent. Buffy had had a crush on him since they had first met when he first came to town. It had been just shy of 4 years ago that he had come to Sunnydale. Buffy had been getting ready to start her senior year of High School and her second season at the senior skating level. He had come to help teach at a skating camp run by the then Director of Hockey Angel O’Connor. Buffy had instantly fallen for him. After she had graduated they had started to become more than just friends, but that had ended when he suddenly left almost two years ago for some unknown reason. He had only come back to Sunnydale a few months prior and she could probably count the words they had spoken to each other on her hands. No one really knew how close they had gotten before; hence Willow’s continued insistence that Buffy should pursue him. If only Willow knew, she thought, then maybe she would leave it be. Buffy contemplated for a moment, but didn’t say anything.
Buffy rolled her eyes and continued skating to the edge of the ice and the door to the lobby. Willow followed quickly behind her.
“How many times do I have to tell you and everyone else that I will not do that, Wills?” Buffy said looking at her friend over her shoulder.
“Oh, come on, Buffy!” Willow stepped off the ice behind her and quickly put on her skate guards. “Everyone here knows that you have had a serious crush on him for forever. He obviously has some feelings for you. I mean ever since he has come back the two of you have skirted around each other like lightning will strike if you so much as look at one another.”
“We do not!” Buffy replied vehemently, although deep down she knew that Willow spoke the truth. Ever since he had returned they had hardly spoken. But she had caught him watching her skate a time or two. Buffy just didn’t know what to say, and she just assumed he didn’t want to discuss or pursue it. He could have any girl at the rink he wanted. Why would he want her again?
“Come on, Buffy.” Willow exclaimed rushing to follow her friend. “Do you honestly think that people don’t see how the two of you look at each other when you think no one is watching?”
Buffy paused in the middle of the narrow hallway that led to the employee locker room where the two girls stored their stuff. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. Besides, if the guy had any feelings for me I’m sure it isn’t anything romantic. I am definitely not his type and you know it!” She turned quickly and continued down the hallway her heart beating fast at the thoughts that Willow’s comments had created.
“And what exactly is his type?” Willow asked, trying to keep up with Buffy. Buffy tried her best to think of something quick and witty, desperately wanting to end the conversation with her best friend. She didn’t like dwelling on Spike Pratt for so long.
“Let’s try tall, dark hair, funny, gorgeous and of course- the clincher these days- uninterested in anything longer than a couple of weeks, if that.” Buffy pushed open the doors to the locker room. “And that’s just for starters.”
“Well, you’re gorgeous and funny. You don’t really have the tall or dark hair thing going for you, but I seriously doubt he’s that picky.” Willow wasn’t about to give up on this. She was determined that it was about time that Buffy had some fun. “And I’m sure he has been with a woman for longer than a month; granted it’s probably been awhile…but I’m sure he has!” Willow didn’t sound quite as convincing as she wanted to with her last statement.
“Sure,” Buffy said, sitting down on a bench to unlace her skates. Willow sat down on the other side of the drab little room. Bright red lockers lined one wall of the tiny grey room, while benches were pressed up against the other two. Skating equipment, both figure and hockey, was strewn across the floor, evidence of the other skaters that worked there. “Besides, Wills, it isn’t as if he’s the greatest catch. We’ve discussed this before. He was always a notorious flirt and womanizer when he was here before. Why would he have changed? I would just be another one of his conquests and I don’t want that.” Buffy felt bad for speaking about Spike that way. She had to admit that when they had been ‘together’ before she had never once seen him flirt with other women. He hadn’t really been that bad. He hadn’t appeared to date anyone since he had been back either. Perhaps things had changed. But she didn’t want to think about that. She just wanted Willow to back off the idea.
“It could be a lot of fun, Buff. Just think about it. It’s not like I’m telling you to go out and marry the guy. Just have dinner with him. Go see a movie or something, just anything to get your mind off skating for a night. You haven’t been out on a date in ages! Not since….well to be honest I can’t remember the last time you talked about a date.”
“I don’t need to get my mind off skating, Wills. I have a big decision to make and a lot going on right now. ” Buffy replied with a heavy sigh. “And I have been on dates! Remember that guy, Riley? We went out a couple times.”
Willow grinned at her defensiveness. “Buffy, that was like 3 months ago. And you went to a movie…twice. Have you even spoken to him since the last time?”
Buffy ignored her and continued unlacing her skates. She couldn’t deny it; she hadn’t spoken to Riley for months. She didn’t really want to either. Willow sighed and gave up. She knew her friend needed to get out and have a little fun, but she also knew Buffy, and there was no way she could make her do anything she didn’t want to. So she decided a change in topic was in order. “So who’s the rose from then?”
Buffy’s head snapped up? “What rose?” she hadn’t recalled seeing any rose when she walked into the room. And it wasn’t like there was anyone that should be leaving her roses.
Willow pointed to Buffy’s locker. A single red rose was tucked into one of the slits. “I noticed it earlier when I came in. they must have put it there after you had already gone out to practice. I was going to ask you about it out on the ice, but I forgot.” It had really intrigued her since she knew that Buffy didn’t have a boyfriend and no fan had ever done something like that before. Sure she had gotten flowers, but usually sent to the rink, not stuck in her locker. No typical fan should have had access to the locker room, or known for sure which locker was Buffy’s.
“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Buffy said, getting up to retrieve it. She stalked over to her locker in exasperation. Pulling the rose out of the slit she noticed it had a small note attached to the stem.
“I’m betting it’s a love note,” Willow cooed teasingly. “Maybe it’s from Spike.” She knew that probably wasn’t true but she couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease her friend some more. Buffy rolled her eyes at that and plopped back down on the bench. She set the rose aside carefully, not wanting to break off any of the petals and opened the note. She gasped after reading the first sentence, and her complexion paled as she finished reading. Her hands were shaking by the time she finished and looked over at Willow.
“I…I wouldn’t exactly call it a love note.” Buffy’s voice was shaky and her hands trembled slightly as she passed the note to Willow. Willow opened up the note and began to read.
‘My dearest Buffy,
My beloved. How beautiful you looked this morning as I gazed upon your sleeping form.’
“That…That’s just wrong!” Willow exclaimed after reading the first sentence. She finished reading and had to admit that it was a love note, per se, but in a creepy way. It was also unsigned. The biggest worry that Willow had was how possessive the note sounded, not to mention the idea that the person had seen Buffy sleeping. That implied that he had possibly been in her apartment, or at least outside her window looking in. The writer made it obvious that he felt that Buffy was his and that no matter what he was going to have her. “Buffy, you have to show this to Giles. This guy is obviously stalking you!”
Rupert Giles, or Giles as they all called him, was the rinks Assistant Manager. Looking at him you would never expect him to be the manager of an ice rink. One might easily mistake him for a librarian. He was tall, with dark hair just starting to grey. The girls often teased him for his seemingly endless supply of tweed jackets. Despite their teasing the girls had always liked Giles. He was especially close to Buffy. Her parents had divorced when she was younger. Her father disappeared shortly after the divorce never to be heard from again, not even when her mother, Joyce, passed away suddenly the year before. It had been a rough time, having happened just at the start of the season. But, Buffy had prevailed, pushing on knowing it was what her mother would have wanted. It was Giles who had helped her and her younger sister Dawn through the rough times. Only 16, Dawn was going to be put into foster care after her mother’s death, but Giles had worked things out so that he could be her official guardian. He had become like a second father to the girls, and had always been there for them.
“Uh yeah, but how? I think I would have noticed if anyone was following me?” Buffy tried to think back over the past week and where she had been. She didn’t remember seeing anything out of the ordinary. Of course she didn’t know everyone in town, and there was still the occasional photographer or reporter around, residual from her Olympic win, but the past month had been relatively quiet for her. And there was no way the guy had been in her apartment. That she was sure of. Wasn’t she?
“Stalkers are pretty smart, Buffy. You live a pretty crazy life; you can’t notice every person around you,” Willow said, breaking into her thoughts.
“I just can’t believe this; it has to be a joke of some sort.” Buffy told her friend taking the note back. She just couldn’t believe that it was real. Who would do this to her? It just had to be one of the other skaters playing a practical joke; a horrible one, but still a joke.
“Buffy, no one here would be that cruel. C’mon, let’s go show this to Giles.” Willow stood and waited expectantly for Buffy. Hopefully, she thought, if I push hard enough Buffy will go. “He needs to know about this.”
“No, Wills, you go ahead and go back out to skate. I’ll go see Giles in a bit. I need a minute or two to think about this.” Buffy knew she was going to need a moment to prepare for what she knew would come when Giles found out. He was very protective of her and Dawn. She just knew something like this would get him worked up, joke or not.
“You have to tell him, Buffy,” Willow insisted, unsure of whether or not her friend really intended to tell Giles. “This is weird. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, Wills, I’m just a little freaked out,” Buffy admitted. “But I’m sure it’s just someone’s idea of a practical joke. You know, mess with Buffy time again.” The more she said it the more she knew deep down that it wasn’t a joke. She couldn’t think of anyone who would do something so cruel. Not even Harmony or Cordelia would think up something like this, she acknowledged thinking of two of the other female skaters at the rink who had always been very competitive with her.
“Whether or not it is you still should show it to Giles,” Willow pushed. “And for the record, if it is a joke, it’s a horrible one.”
“I promise, Wills. I will just finish putting my stuff way and I’ll go see him. I’m sure this isn’t a big deal though.” Buffy took in a deep breath trying to slow down her racing heart. Tell yourself that a few more times and you might make it believable, she thought sarcastically. Yet she knew that she could say it a thousand times and it wouldn’t change the fact that deep down she knew it wasn’t a joke.
“Promise?” Willow asked. “Don’t make me pull out my resolve face!” Buffy smiled at the teasing note in her best friend’s voice when she threated the resolve face. Willow was famous for it, and it often worked.
“I promise, Will. I will go see him. I just need a few minutes.”
“Okay, I will see you back at the apartments this afternoon?” Willow asked moving towards the locker room door. The girls had moved into apartments across the hall from each other shortly after high school. “Stop by when you get back. I swear if you don’t I will break your door down.”
“I will be there later. I have some shopping I want to do before I head home, and I have to be back here at 4 to coach.” Buffy grinned. “And you have a key. There is no need for any door breakage!”
“Just be careful, Buffy.” Willow said as she left the room.
Once she was gone Buffy looked back at the note she held in her hands. She had to admit it was both weird and creepy, and thought she didn’t like to admit it, it did scare her. But who would do something like that? She couldn’t imagine anyone at the rink would be stalking her, and who outside the rink would? She would admit she had some crazy fans, but no one like this. Still, she knew she should show the note to Giles. He would know what to do about it. She quickly finished drying off her skates and putting them away. After changing out of her practice dress and into a more comfortable pair of loose pants and t-shirt she sat down to read the note again. It only made her more nervous. Jumping up from the bench quickly she grabbed the note and rose. Giles ought to get the full picture, she thought as she grasped the rose in her hand. Rushing out the door she ran straight into a solid form. She felt strong arms wrap around her and pull her towards a muscular chest. Not even thinking to look up at the person who held her, fear began to bubble up as she thought about the note she clutched in her hand.





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