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Chapter Six: Out of the Way


Dawn walked into the Magic Box and almost got run over by a roller skating Anya.

“Oh! Good you’re here, we need more mandrake root! Check the basement!” Anya ordered skating off in a Charlie’s angle frenzy.

Dawn smiled and rolled her eyes. She passed Xander on the way to the basement who was unsuccessfully trying to make some brat kid believe he was a pirate. Dawn saw him with the eye patch and immediately recoiled. She walked past him and grabbed it off of his face earning a “HEY!” for her troubles and continued on her way to the basement.

She cautiously stepped down the stairs trying to adjust her eyes to the dullness of light. She reached the bottom and jumped. Spike was standing there looking at the top of the stairs not even noticing her.

Dawn put her hands on her hips “She’s not up there” she told him

Spike jumped noticing her for the first time. He faked like he didn’t know what she was talking about and held up bundle of vine looking things.
“Burba weed” he explained

Dawn rolled her eyes and reached for the mandrake root at the top of the shelf.

Spike watched her studiously and finally she turned around and looked at him expectantly. He looked away and sighed.

Dawn patted him on the shoulder on her way back up the steps.
“She’s at the Sunnydale Mart” she yelled down to him before ascending into the main entrance.

Spike smiled and tossed the burba weed back on the shelf making a hasty exit through the tunnels.

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

The place was dark and dank. It smelled like plastic and cardboard, and Buffy was having so much fun. She picked up another box from the back room and put it on her cart. She then reeled the cart through the flimsy doors and went to work. She had recently got hired at the Sunnydale Mart as a boxer, well she didn’t exactly know the technical term for it, and she didn’t even remember applying here but she couldn’t be happier. I mean, the rates sucked but the pay was better than Doublemeat Palace and she got discounts on all her grocery needs. She wheeled her way through the store expertly finding the right aisle and moving down it like she owned the place. She took the first box and removed the tape before opening the box to reveal boxes of cereal. Tons and tons of cereal. Which happened to be on sale this week, so she’d have to use her discount to get some. She began stocking the shelves when a familiar British accent made her turn around and face the person she’d been avoiding for the past couple of days.

“What’s this then luv?” Spike asked, leaning up against the shelves casually

Buffy raised her eyebrows at him “A job” she answered like a ‘Duh’

“You work here?” he asked surprised

“No I just wear this apron because it’s so stylish” she replied sarcastically

Spike smirked

“What are you doing here?” Buffy asked her voice turning into a harsh whisper

“Thought I’d stock up on some…” he looked around to see what aisle he was on and picked up a of cereal, waggling it at her “Cheerios” he said

Buffy rolled her eyes and pointed at the box “Those are cornflakes Spike”

Spike turned the box around to read the front and sure enough they were cornflakes. He put the box back on the shelf “Right then”

Buffy shook her head and went back to work stocking the shelves. When she looked up Spike was still there. She sighed
“What do you want Spike?” she asked

Spike narrowed his eyes at her “Why didn’t you tell me you got a job?” he asked

Buffy tried to hide the look of guilt she knew had crossed her face. She hadn’t meant to not tell him, but she was with the avoiding because of the bronze incident and so she didn’t really have time to tell him. “Maybe because I’ve been busy doing it” she replied, regretting the snotty tone of her voice immediately. But that’s what came naturally to her when talking to Spike. That was the fun thing about talking with Spike, they could exchange hurtful things and they wouldn’t really be hurtful, because they were natural.

He looked at her quizzically and she turned away to avoid his searching eyes. how could he do that just by looking at her? Make her feel like he could see right through her. He probably could.

Spike looked down at the floor and then back to her tired frame “Right, I should go”

At his defeated tone, Buffy cracked “Spike I didn’t mean it like that” she insisted

“Alright luv, don’t need to tell me everything, you get back to work, don’t want to get fired” he covered his hurt with a smirk and looked up at the ceiling “Although I wouldn’t mind ditching the lighting, makes me look dead” he joked meeting her eyes again.

She smiled and he turned to go.
“I get off at 6” she told his back.

He pause mid-step to look back at her questioningly.

“Halloween, your night off from being evil” she explained

He still didn’t get it

“I get off early, you have the night off; we could do… Something” she offered

Was she asking him on a date?

Spike smirked to hide his surprise “Sure pet” he said. She nodded and he left the store.

Buffy looked back to her boxes. This was going to be a really long day.

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

“Dawn? You home? I brought cereal goodness!” Buffy called as she unloaded her bags on the counter.

Dawn bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen

Buffy eyed her grinning, teenage, immature, sister suspiciously.

“Now don’t be mad” Dawn started

Buffy sighed, whenever Dawn started a conversation like that, she always got mad.

Dawn couldn’t stop grinning “I have a date” she finally exploded

Buffy wanted to slap the kid in the head and throw her around until she puked, but she refrained herself. “This guy isn’t allergic to daylight is he? Cause I’d figure you’d learn from that HUGE mistake” Buffy asked sarcastically

Dawn rolled her eyes at Buffy “No, his name is… Well I kinda forgot his name” Dawn said casually

“You forgot his name?” Buffy asked dumfounded

“Well, I didn’t really know him the first time around, but he was my lab partner today, and he’s really cute” Dawn said

“Oh, well then it’s perfectly fine, as long as he’s cute” Buffy said sarcastically

“O Come on!” Dawn pleaded “I won’t do anything stupid, and I saw him walk in the sunlight, and the party he asked me to, there’s no drinking, you can even get Spike to scare him first” Dawn said

Crap! She forgot all about telling Spike she’d wanted to hang out. She looked down at her clothes and winced, she was a mess. “I need to take a shower” Buffy said shoving the rest of the groceries in Dawns arms.

Dawn didn’t get her sisters weird behavior “You’re not trying to take away my boyfriend are you?” she asked jokingly “Cause I hated it the first time it happened”

Buffy sighed and went back into the kitchen “No, Spike, I told him we could…hang out after I get off work, and now I’m all dirty and stinky and…”

“And he’ll still love you” Dawn finished mockingly “Geez Buffy, he’s been around you with demon goo all over yourself and he didn’t run for the hills” she said exasperated

Buffy looked thoughtful “Eww, I just got a mental picture of demon goo all over me, not of the good” Buffy said shaking her head

Dawn rolled her eyes “Well, can I go to the party?” She asked

Buffy took a long look at her sister, and even though she was physically only 15, she was mentally older than that, she had the right to do things good this time too.
“Fine” Buffy sighed

Dawn jumped up and down “Oh my god! I love you!!” she exclaimed hugging her and running for the stairs

Buffy stood there for a minute before chasing her sister up the stairs “You so better no be heading for that bathroom young lady!”

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

Buffy walked through the graveyard alone. It was cold, but she was on a mission. She stepped up to her target and then frowned. She raised her arm about to strike, but paused and put it back down. She stood in front of it for a few more minutes before sighing loudly. “Ok, it’s just knocking” she told herself, even though she was still unsure. She put her hand back up as if to knock but before she could even touch it, it swung open.

She smiled nervously at him “I was gonna knock” she explains

Spike seemed surprised to see her. Sure she’d asked to hang out, but he thought it was just a way to get rid of him faster. “Uh…” he stumbled a bit on what to say “Patrolling then?” he asked grabbing his duster and closing the door.

Buffy stepped aside so that he was standing next to her “Actually, I thought vampires had the day off on Halloween” she said

Spike frowned “Right”

They stood there for a moment in awkward silence

“So um, why are you here?” he asked confused

Buffy smiled shyly “I thought I said we could do something, after I got off from work?” she explained nervously

So it wasn’t a trick…or a dream “Oh, um, yea, what did you have in mind?” Spike asked, trying to get his inner William under control

“Well, first we need to go to my place to scare Dawns date” Buffy said “But after that, it’s up in the air”

“Nibblet has a date?” Spike asked, a hint of anger in his voice

“Well, yea” Buffy began guiltily “But she’s mature…sometimes, and she knows better” she said, trying to give away as little information as possible

“And you want me to scare him?” Spike repeated unsure

“Uh, huh, you know put the fear of the big bad in him” she said in a fake scarey voice

Spike smirked “I could do that” he said, ego aflame “bloody right I will” he said stalking in the direction of Buffys house

“Woa there boy, you don’t want her date to run away, just…you know scare him… a little!” Buffy warned

Spike sighed, here he was hoping to scare a little boy to death and, well that actually didn’t take a lot anyway, but he wanted to scare someone

Buffy thought of something “Ooh, and you could even go into game face, and say it’s a Halloween costume or something, he’d totally fall for it, and extra on the creepiness” she suggested helpfully

Spike smiled at her as they walked back to her house.

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

Spike and Buffy sat on her couch laughing

“Did you see his face?” Buffy chocked through laughter

Spike laughed “Bloody priceless”

“Oh, and when you said the thing about getting her home on time or you’d tear his throat out through his ear… that was good” Buffy giggled

Their laughter died down and the house became silent.

Buffys nervousness returned and she reached for the remote “I think The Great Pumpkins on” she said

Spike eyed her suspiciously. She kept acting funny, he’d thought it was because of the whole heaven fiasco, but somehow coming from heaven didn’t usually make someone happier. But he’d never seen her so nervous, she was always acting the whole greater than thou bit, and now she was inviting him over to her house on Halloween, and that whole bit at the bronze
“What is this?” he asked. He hadn’t gotten a straight answer before and he was beginning to wonder if he should be looking deeper into it.

Buffy stared at the TV “It’s the great pumpkin, you know where…”

“No, I mean us” Spike said a bit frustrated

Buffy sighed and turned the TV off. She needed to be straight with him, she needed to be honest, and she really needed it out of the way “Look, I want to be friends” she began

Spikes face fell a little, he wanted to be her friend, but it was bloody hard when she was always being nice to him. He loved her, and he knew she couldn’t really ever love him back, he didn’t expect her to, but being friends... Well they could never really be friends.

“But, I mean, I want to be more too” she blurted out

Spikes eyebrows raised to the roof in shock

“I mean, after the friend thing” she said nervously. Last time she rushed into something with him…well let’s just say it didn’t end well. She could tell she was confusing him even further and she hadn’t really meant to. But if she up and said she loved him, he probably wouldn’t believe her. And she expected that much.

“So this” Spike said gesturing the TV and the couch and then between them “Is us, being friends?” he asked unsure

“Right” Buffy said unconvinced

“Right” Spike repeated softly

Buffy went to pick up the remote, but Spikes hand stopped her. She looked up to meet his eyes, and she couldn’t wait anymore. She kissed him, and he kissed her back. Friends be damned!

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

“So that guy was your sister’s boyfriend?” Brad asked

Dawn smiled “Oh yea” she answered proudly

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

Xander fell to the floor after a long days work helping out at the magic box. Anya was at the counter, counting her money and doing a sexy dance.

Giles, Tara, and Willow were all in England, Buffy was at home, and Dawn was at a party.

It seemed more and more he was left with Anya. And she was always there for him. She never judged him, and she stood up for him. She was his girl… but after all this time, he still wasn’t sure he was ready. He needed to give her the life she deserved and if he couldn’t, then she’d be better off without him, and he wanted to be with her, and he wanted her with him. He couldn’t just give her up.

He spied a necklace on the counter “Honey, did someone forget to take this home?” he asked

Anya looked up from counting her money “Oh, I don’t think so, just put it back on the shelf” she said

Xander looked around confused

Anya sighed and pointed to the shelf she meant. Xander nodded and walked over to the glass case. He found the empty slot where the necklace went and picked up the piece of paper that was under it.

Sweets talisman, dances, songs, the truth

He looked back up at Anya and then back at the talisman.

He needed to be sure.


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A/N: sorry i haven't updated in a while, i hope you all enjoy this chapter... please R&R
XOXO
-Anne.

oh and to anyone who cares, i've been nominated for my story A Change Here
You can read my story A Change Here
Thanks for all who nominated me!





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