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Summary: Buffy has been taking care of herself and Dawn for the past year since their mother died. Buffy has had to quit university and get a job to support them both. She works in a diner with her fellow friends Faith, Xander and Willow. When Dawn gets sick, Buffy discovers that their medical insurance has lapsed. She is in desperate need of money as she sinks deeper into debt and her sister needs life saving treatment. She needs money, Spike needs a green card to stay in the US and there is only one solution, marriage…

Pairing: Spike/Buffy A/U All human fic

Rating: PG13 for now, maybe later becoming an R

I do

Chapter 1

“Buffy,”

“Hmmm,”

“Buffy!”

“Oh yeah, sorry Faith what is it?” asked Buffy.

“The gentleman needs serving over at table two. Kinda got my hands full here,” said Faith as she tried to juggle four plates at once.

“Sorry,” said Buffy as she removed her notepad from her apron and walked over to the waiting customer. She yawned tiredly as she stood next to the table.

“Hi gorgeous, late night?” asked the educated English accent.

Buffy smiled at the man that she and the others had named the gentleman. He was in his late forties with sparkling brown eyes and a devilish smile.

“What can I get for you Mr Rayne?” she asked.

“I’ve told you to call me Ethan,” he smiled at her reprovingly.

“And I make it a policy never to call customers by their first names. It can lead to all kinds of badness,” she replied, softening her words with a smile.

“Even the ones that tip as well as me?”

“Especially those kind,” she replied dryly.

“Okay, I will have the English tea and some toast,” he replied, putting his head back behind the newspaper.

Buffy walked off to the serving hatch and put his order in.

“Xander, the gentleman’s usual,” called Buffy.

Xander took the order without looking at it. He got on with the half dozen other orders that had just come through the kitchen. The only good thing to happen to Buffy this year was getting her job here at the Last Resort Diner. Willow already worked here part time in between her classes at university and had put a good word in for her with the manager, Mr Giles.

“I think the old man is sweet on you,” teased Faith, as she motioned towards table two.

“Oh please, he’s old enough to be my father,”

“You wanna know what he asked me the other day.”

“No, but I get the feeling your gonna tell me, and it better not be icky,” sighed Buffy, taking a sip of her coffee.

“He asked me if you were seeing someone,”

Buffy spat out her coffee, some if it hitting Faith.

“Ew B,” said Faith wiping at her uniform.

“Why would he ask that?”

“Cos like most dirty old men, he wants to get into your panties,” replied Faith.

“You mean like most of the men you meet,” said Buffy in irritation.

“Touché the kitten has claws. Fascinating as this conversation is, gotta go. Fatty on table four will expire if he doesn’t get his early morning cheeseburger,”

Buffy shuddered at the idea. She sat down at the counter, relishing her first break of the day. It was only nine a.m. but she had been working since five. She hated that she didn’t get to see her sister off to high school in the mornings, but someone had to keep their little family solvent. Buffy checked her watch; Willow wouldn’t be in for several more hours until uni was over. Willow had been her friend long before she had ever worked here and Buffy really didn’t know what she would have done without her support in those first dark days after her mom had died.

“Hey Buffy, what are you doing tonight?” called Xander called out from the kitchen.

“The answer is no Xander,”

“I haven’t asked why yet,”

“It’s always the same question…will I go out with you,”

“Not this time. I was going to ask if you’d do an extra shift,”

“Oh,” Buffy sighed; the money would come in handy. “Yeah okay,”

“That’s my girl,” he grinned.

“You wish,” she replied smiling back at him.

After all, who wouldn’t want to spend several more hours here in life’s dream? Buffy thought wryly. The diner was clean and cheery, but it was hell on the feet and by the time she got home in the evenings, she was about ready to drop. The bell jangled on the door as another customer entered the diner, Buffy didn’t bother to even look up as she grabbed her notepad off the counter and got to her feet.

She was stopped mid aisle by Faith.

“Hottie at table two with the gentleman, this is my customer,” insisted Faith.

Buffy looked at the table in question, all she could see was the back of a bright blonde haired man seated next to Mr Rayne.

“Whatever, just don’t drool all over the table. It kinda puts the customers off,” said Buffy as she went to get the jug of coffee to start the refill rounds.

“Table two’s order is ready Buff,” said Xander as he handed it over the hatch to her.

“Dammit, looks like you get to service the gorgeous one. Not that I wouldn’t mind giving him a spot of servicing…” said Faith wistfully.

“You’d service anything with a heartbeat,” teased Buffy.

“Hey, it’s a good job I love you so much miss prissy pants. Just because you aren’t getting any doesn’t mean I can’t,” Faith grinned at her.

Buffy walked up to the table and placed Mr Rayne’s tea and toast on its surface. She straightened up and turned to the other occupant of the table.

“Can I get you anything?” she asked him.

He turned around to face her; she was startled for a moment. Faith hadn’t been exaggerating for once when she called him a hottie. He smiled at her and she blushed, hating that his smile could affect her so.

“Are you on the menu?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

“Jeez, that line was only funny the first thousand times I heard it,” said Buffy, unthinkingly. “Oh, I er sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude,”

“Yes you did, so don’t apologise I like honesty in a woman,” he drawled,

Why did she get the distinct feeling he was mocking her in someway? Buffy pushed the thought aside, as she waited for his order.

“Could we have another pot of tea? That okay with you Spike?” asked Ethan.

The other man nodded. Buffy didn’t bother wasting the paper to write it down. She walked off, hastily retreating behind the counter as if her life depended upon it.

“So how did it go? What’s he like?” asked Faith.

“How did what go?” Frowned Buffy in confusion,

“Ya know the guy,”

“He’s a customer Faith, and this is a diner not a bar. I’m here to work not to pick up guys,”

“Yeah, but this job’s gotta have some perks and I want to have a little fun before I get old and grey,”

“Faith you’re 21, like me, so there’s not a lot of danger of that happening for a while. If you must know, he’s English and his name is Spike,” Buffy informed her as she walked off with the pot of tea.

“Spike? Wonder if he’s called that because he’s got a big…”

“Faith, a customer is waiting on table five,” said Mr Giles behind her.

“Oops didn’t see you there, morning,” said Faith as she turned to face her employer.

“Hmm, well is everything okay?”

“Five by five,”

“Well in that case I’ll be in my office,”

Faith gave him a mock salute, at which he rolled his eyes and walked off.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Your tea,” said Buffy as she placed it on the table and walked away from those disturbing blue eyes.

“Thanks Luv,” Spike called after her.

Ethan folded up his paper and looked at Spike while he spooned sugar into his mug of tea and stirred it deliberately.

“Well can you help me?” asked Spike. “I‘m here on a visitor’s visa, there’s only three months left. I don’t want to go back to the UK,”

“Do you have fifty thousand?” asked Ethan.

“Yeah, sold my home and everything I owned when I moved out here,”

“How very nice for you, I don’t want a life story. I provide a service for a fee, a very good one as long as you can pay upfront then we have a deal. I don’t think I need to remind you about keeping your mouth shut about the whole thing,”

“Oh and I was gonna sing it in the treetops,” Spike replied sarcastically. “So where’s the bird I’m going to wed?”

Ethan looked at the young man, unimpressed.

“I’m working on it. Young women don’t just grow on trees Spike, I have to cultivate one,” said Ethan as he watched Buffy wipe down a recently vacated table.

Spike turned to see whom Ethan was watching so intently. He turned back to face the older man, a thought growing in his mind at just who he might be talking about.

“Wouldn’t happen to be five foot four, have blonde hair and green eyes?” asked Spike.

“My, my, you noticed a lot in such a short acquaintance,” drawled Ethan. “She has that sharp desperate look about her,”

Spike frowned. “Not her,”

“Why not?”

“Because as immoral as our little business arrangement is, the poor kid looks like she hasn’t had a break in a long time,” Spike replied.

“And your money could make things a little easier on her, but this is all moot. I haven’t even approached her yet,” said Ethan smoothly.

Spike looked at his watch. “This little meeting is over for now, I have to be somewhere,”

“Good then you can go settle my tab before you leave. I’ll contact you again when everything is in place,”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Spike got up from the table and walked towards the till. Buffy watched him as he approached; she touched a hand to her throat feeling like a trapped rabbit as he advanced on her.

“That’ll be eight dollars,” she said in what was a calm even voice, which no way mirrored what she was feeling inside.

Spike opened up his wallet and took out a twenty.

“Keep the change,” he told her as he walked out of the diner and onto the busy street.

Faith came and stood next to her.

“That’s some tip, wish all the customers were as generous as he. Guess Spike liked the service,” grinned Faith.

Buffy blushed, placing the money in the till and taking out the change to add to the tips jar.

“Buffy,”

She turned to face Mr Giles, a smile on her face that soon vanished at the anxiety she read in his eyes.

“What is it?” she asked, feeling a sense of dread unfold its self in the pit of her stomach.

“I just received a phone call from Dawn’s principle,”

“Just tell me,” said Buffy, her eyes huge in her face and her skin the colour of paper.

Giles removed his glasses and wiped at his eyes, taking a deep breath he looked her square in the eyes.

“Dawn has collapsed at school, she’s been taken to the hospital,”

Buffy covered her mouth. She gripped at the counter as she felt her legs weaken.

“Take it easy B, sit down, Xander get the girl a glass of water,” said Faith as she grabbed a chair and got Buffy to sit down on it.

Xander hurried out of the kitchen and placed the water in her hand.

“Buffy, I am sure she’s okay, probably just skipped breakfast or something,” Xander said, patting her shoulder.

Buffy stood up “I have to get to her now,”

“Yes, of course, but let me drive you,” said Mr Giles, grabbing his coat from the office.

“Anyone you want me to call?” asked Faith.

“Willow,”

“I’m on it,” the dark haired girl replied as she walked off in the direction of the office.

Buffy collected her purse and waited for Mr Giles to catch up with her.

“Ready?” he asked.

She nodded as she followed her kindly employer out the door. Buffy was filled with dread as she got into his car…he was about to drive her to the place she hadn’t set foot in since the death of her and her sister’s mother just a little over thirteen months ago.

Mr Rayne had watched them exit the coffee shop, a speculative expression on his face. He felt a twinge of sympathy for the waitress whom he genuinely liked. He was also a businessperson, and maybe this was just the opening he needed he thought to himself.

TBC





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