Chapter 7
Spike walked through his front door with a heavy heart. He had stayed at
Buffy’s for a few more minutes before she insisted that it would be best if
he left. He felt guilty for being the cause of putting Buffy through so
much pain, but she assured him Hank would have found something to say to
her regardless of whether he’d been there or not.
“Hi, honey,” Jenny said with a smile as she walked into the living room.
“Mum,” he said in a forced greeting.
“William, what’s wrong?” she asked as Spike sat down in a chair.
“Mum, I think…I think I have a friend who might be in trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Jenny asked, the worry evident in her voice.
“Trouble at home.”
“Can you tell me who this friend is?”
“No,” Spike said quietly, shaking his head. “I can’t…not right now, anyway.
I just…I’m worried, Mum.”
“Honey, is this friend in danger?”
“I don’t know,” he said softly. “I don’t think so…not yet.”
“Then be a friend,” Jenny said as Spike raised his eyes to hers. “Be there
for anything. Talk and listen and just be a friend. But honey, if this
gets dangerous, I want you to tell me.”
“Thanks, Mum,” Spike said, offering her a grateful smile as the front door
opened. Spike stood up as his father walked into the house. Walking over
to him, Giles jumped slightly at the unexpected hug his son gave him before
hugging him back.
“What was that for?” Giles asked with a smile as Spike stepped away.
“For being the dad that everyone should have,” he said quietly before
turning and going upstairs.
Giles turned to Jenny. “Do you know what brought that on?”
Jenny looked at the empty stairs, hearing Spike’s door close quietly.
“Rupert, I think we need to talk.”
* * * * *
“Buffy!”
Buffy turned around when she heard her name and was more than a little
surprised to see Spike jogging toward her. “Hi, Spike,” she said with
uncertainty.
“How are you?” he asked in concern.
Buffy glanced around before taking a deep breath and answering him.
“Spike, don’t treat me like glass- I’m not going to break.”
“I was just-“
“I know,” Buffy replied. “And I appreciate it…but the fact is, this has
been going on for a while, and there’s no reason for you to act different.”
Spike felt the guilt flood through him as he remembered past conversations
with the girl in front of him. “When do you want to work on the project?”
he asked, deciding it would be best to change the subject.
“Tonight’s fine, just…not at my house.”
“How about mine? I can drive us after school and then take you home later.”
“Okay,” Buffy said with a nod. “I’ll see you later.”
* * * * *
“Bye, Wills,” Buffy called as Willow walked away after their last class.
“Ready to go, luv?”
Buffy jumped at the voice behind her, turning around to face Spike.
“Sorry,” he said, looking guilty. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I’m okay. Let’s go,” she said with a soft smile.
Buffy felt a chill run up and down her spine when she felt Spike’s hand on
the small of her back, guiding her out of the building and into the parking
lot. She smiled when Spike opened the door for her. “Thanks.”
“No problem, luv.”
Both stayed quiet, listening to the radio as Spike drove. Buffy looked up
as Spike pulled into a driveway. As she got out of the car, she smiled
slightly as she followed Spike up to the front porch.
“It’s not much,” he said, opening the front door and leading her inside.
“But it’s home.”
Buffy looked around the house. It seemed to exude a warm, comforting
feeling. “It’s perfect,” she said softly, wandering around to look at the
pictures that seemed to cover every surface, of the family on vacations and
at birthday parties. Some showed Spike growing up, while others showcased
Giles and Jenny, whether it was at their wedding or more recently.
“See anything interesting?” Spike asked with a smile.
Buffy whirled around to face him. “Sorry, I was just-“
“It’s okay, Buffy. Mum likes to display every picture that’s taken. We’ve
finally talked her out some of them, but she still insists that it adds a
more personal touch to the house.”
“She’s right,” Buffy agreed softly.
Both turned when they heard a door at the back of the house close.
“William? Are you home?”
“It’s me, Mum,” Spike called, guiding Buffy toward the kitchen.
“William, I was wondering if you- oh! Buffy, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you
were here.”
“Hello, Mrs. Giles.”
“I told you, it’s Jenny,” his mother replied with a smile.
“We’re just going to work on our English project. Was there something you
needed?” Spike asked.
“No, you two go right ahead. It was good seeing you again, Buffy,” Jenny
replied with a warm smile.
“You, too, Mrs…Jenny.”
“We’ll be in my room, Mum.”
“Okay, dear, let me know if you need anything.”
Buffy followed Spike up the stairs, surprised by what she just witnessed.
She watched as Spike walked to a door at one end of the hall and motioned
her to follow him. She walked into the room, that was surprisingly clean
for a teenage boy to be living there.
“So…your mom doesn’t care that you bring a virtual stranger up to your
bedroom?” Buffy asked with a raised eyebrow.
“She trusts me,” Spike said, throwing his backpack onto his bed before
turning around to face Buffy with wide eyes. “Buffy, I’m sorry! I didn’t
mean-“
“Spike, it’s okay,” Buffy said with a shrug. “My father doesn’t trust me.
It’s not like it’s a big secret…well, not where you’re concerned at least.
Maybe we should…”
“Yeah, let’s get to work.”
A/N This chapter was going to run a little too long, and since I wasn’t planning on posting at all today, I’ve decided to split it up into two parts. A little bit of Spuffyness in the next one. Thank you for all the terrific reviews, they are the only reason I decided to post this today.
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