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A/N Yesterday, my computer decided to have some fun and not let me into this site all day- only this site. After my withdrawals subsided (a little), Pari tried to help me as much as she could, but I discovered it was my internet connection. If there’s no update for a while, that’s the reason. If this happens again, I might start posting some chapters on my LJ (you can find the address on my account information). That’s all folks- enjoy the chapter!




Chapter 10 – Exceptions to the Rule


Standing backstage next to Angel, Buffy watched Spike effortlessly work the
swarms of people as he jumped around the stage. He exuded so much energy
that it was contagious.

“You’re good for him, you know?” Angel said, glancing at Buffy.

“Am I?” she asked so softly she was practically talking to herself.

“He’s happy with you. I’ve never seen him so interested in anyone.”

“I like him,” Buffy murmured, insecurity creeping into her voice as Spike
knelt down on one knee, singing into the microphone and touching the hands
that were reaching toward him. Most of them attached to screaming, hopping
girls.

“But you’re worried.”

Buffy looked over at the taller man, surprised by the casual assessment.
“Well…yeah.”

“You shouldn’t be,” he said, turning his attention back to the stage.

“I’m a waitress at a bar and he’s one of the leading sex symbols of the
decade. I don’t think you’d call us the poster children for long-term
relationships.”

“You’re being too hard on yourself, Buff,” Angel said with a smile, watching
his client as he blew a kiss at a group of girls, causing them to nearly
melt into an adolescent puddle. “He’s crazy about you.”

“Can I trust him?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and looking
up at Angel.

“He doesn’t cheat. Yeah, he’s had…quite a few flings in the past, but he’s
as loyal as they come when it comes to relationships.”

“I wasn’t just talking about that,” she said with a raised eyebrow.

“Aaah, the drugs,” Angel replied with an understanding nod before taking a
deep breath. “That, I can’t tell you.” Buffy’s face seemed to close off as
he continued, “If he promised, then I don’t see why not.”

“Now you’re just covering for your client,” she muttered, looking back at
Spike as he tossed her a wink and a devilish grin. She couldn’t help but
smile.

“Actually, I was trying to help out my friend.”

“I don’t expect you to help me or even understand,” she said, turning back
to Angel. “But I don’t have a lot of things that are important to me, and
dating someone I can trust is a big deal.”

“I understand,” Angel said with a nod. “Can I ask why the drugs are such a
big deal and the alcohol is not?”

“To be honest, I’m not crazy about the alcohol,” she said softly. “There’s
a chance of violence, among other things, but I’m asking him to give up
something that I know must be hard,” Buffy paused, taking a deep breath.
“The heroin was something that I couldn’t stand. If he needed it, then he
doesn’t need me, and it was better to know that right now than a month from
now.”

Angel nodded in understanding. “I’m just surprised you didn’t demand that
he give up both, that’s all.”

“I didn’t demand anything,” Buffy said quietly. “I told him that I couldn’t
be with him. He’s the one who wanted…more out of this. I guess time will
tell if he’s a big enough man to let go of the alcohol.”

“You work in a bar and you hate alcohol?” Angel asked, turning to look at
her.

“I work in a bar and that’s why I hate alcohol,” Buffy replied, meeting his
gaze. “I see what it does to people, night after night. I see the ‘kids’
who just want to let loose and have fun for a night and don’t know when to
stop, leading to alcohol poisoning. I see the people who simply drink it
because it tastes good to them. I see the people who are borderline
alcoholics- not strong enough to turn away, but not aware enough to know
that they’re one step away from an early grave. And then I see the same
customers, every single night. It’s an evolution that continues to escalate
until you’re no more than a nameless face sitting at the end of a bar,
staring into a bottle or you make the decision to get behind the wheel of a
car…although, sometimes that happens a lot earlier.”

“Sounds like you speak from personal experience,” Angel replied, raising an
eyebrow in her direction.

“Yeah,” Buffy muttered, looking at the floor.

“Care to talk about it?”

“Not much to tell,” she said with a dismissive shrug, turning away from the
stage. “My dad was really messed up on drugs and alcohol. He got high and
drunk and got in his car.”

“Was he hurt?”

“Went off the road and hit a tree…he and my sister were both killed
instantly,” she said softly, biting her lip to keep from crying at the
thought of Dawn.

“I’m sorry,” Angel said in a quiet voice. “Were you in the car?”

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Buffy shook her head. “No…it was just the
two of them.”

“I’ve gotta ask again…wouldn’t the alcohol bother you more?”

Buffy shrugged, avoiding his gaze. “It should. But he was always worse
when it was a combination of the two. If Will is strong enough to give up
the drugs, maybe the rest can come in time.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“He could be the exception I’ve been looking for,” Buffy said, smiling at
the thought of Spike’s arms around her, holding her close to him. “There
has to be an exception to every rule, right?”

“Yeah,” Angel said, giving her a gentle smile.

Realizing that she’d just opened up to a virtual stranger, with people
milling around everywhere. Buffy felt her face heat up. “Please don’t tell
William,” she said, looking at Angel.

He gave her an understanding look before nodding. Buffy gasped when she
felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist. She was so lost in her
emotions, she didn’t even realize that the concert had ended.

“How’s my favorite girl?” Spike purred, nuzzling her neck.

“You were great,” Buffy said with a smile, turning around in his arms.

“Thanks, luv. Give me a few minutes to shower and we’ll get out of here and
find something more exciting to pass the time,” he said, curling his tongue
behind his teeth and raising a suggestive eyebrow at her, smiling when she
blushed.

“Okay,” Buffy said, relaxing when his lips brushed over hers in a tender
kiss.

“I’ll be out soon,” he murmured, running a hand along her cheek.

Buffy watched him go, breathing a sigh of relief. Maybe there could be an
exception to every rule.




Thanks so much to: Cordykitten, gypsy_jin, Mari, Ana04, Tahmoe, Sevvy_O, Caroline, Laine, starhawk, Ash, Franchesca, Kimber, Alicia, Caitie, TammyAsh666, BuffandSpikeForever, gattaca, pj, Bint, Crystal Pegasus & Mariana for reviewing!





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