*~*A Touch of Jealousy*~* By Echidna
Chapter 28
“There
you guys are. I thought you’d lost your way or something.” Xander called out;
walking up to the blonde duo who had just entered the household.
“We
got kinda… stuck in traffic.” Spike made up on the stop.
“At
eleven at night? Traffic?” Xander questioned, raising an eyebrow. “Alright
kiddies, have fun and don’t make too much damage or Cordy is so gonna kick your
asses. I’m off.”
With
a goofy grin he walked away quickly being swallowed by the crowd of bouncing
teenagers.
Buffy
simply cowered behind Spike. The thought of finding the drunken groups of kids
that had caught them just ten minutes ago in an extremely compromising position
made her stomach turn.
“Oh,
God! They’re here!” She squeaked when she saw the short brown-haired boy who
had shouted at them. “I’m gonna die. Just kill me now.” She mumbled.
“Calm
down, luv. Maybe they didn’t recognize us.” Spike offered.
The
moment they fully entered the party, all heads turned to observe them. The wave
of hushes and unintelligible whispers that soon followed was barely masked by
the loud music.
“Oh,
right… they didn’t recognize us at all.” Buffy spat sarcastically.
“I’m
sorry, pet.” The Brit apologized.
“You
better be.” She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Well,
it was your bright idea to sit on my lap.”
“So
what?”
“So
what?” He repeated. “I’m a guy! You don’t wiggle around on a guy’s lap;
especially not an eighteen-year-old-hormone-driven guy!”
Buffy
simply rolled her eyes and leaned on a nearby wall, wishing for all the gossiping to cease. Unfortunately, ten minutes
into the party the buzzing still hovered around them.
“God!
Where’s
“If
they came in Oz’s van it’ll probably be a while.” Spike breathed scanning the
crowd and throwing deadly glares at all the gossiping teens, but it was no use.
There were just too many of them. He turned to face Buffy: “Wanna shut them
up?”
“Yes,
please.” Buffy begged. “What’s your-“
She
wasn’t able to finish the sentence as, suddenly, he was on her, his mouth
smashed against hers in a bruising and demanding kiss, while his body crushed
hers against the wall she had been leaning on. His tongue pushed past her lips,
greedily exploring her mouth while his hands gripped her thighs and crawled up
the sides of her chest. Buffy eyed shot wide open in shock, but soon she
relaxed in his arms and her heavy eyelids closed as she responded with a
fervour that matched his.
Her
mind swirled as her fingers gripped the lapels of his tuxedo, desperately
trying to bring him closer, but he pulled away and turning to face the gawking
and astonished heard of teens shouted:
“Liked
the show?”
Everyone
blushed, awkwardly squirming in their places as their gazes bounced off the
wall in a pathetic attempt to appear oblivious to the blonde duo. Turning to
face a panting Buffy, he grinned at her:
“Worked.”
She
tried to answer him, but she was still a bit stunned by the intensity of the
kiss and so she opted to simply nod.
“What
something to drink, luv?” He asked as he swallowed hard, attempting to hide his
lack of breath and his racing heartbeat.
Another
wide-eyed nod was the girl’s response.
“Be
back in a sec.” He said before turning on his heels and heading for the bar on
the other side of the room.
Buffy
stood there, still leaning on the wall and practically jumped up straight when
she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.
“Buffy!”
She
heard
“Oh,
it’s you guys.” She let out a deep breath turning to face Oz and
“Buffy,
are you alright? You’re kinda jumpy.” The redhead worried.
“I’m
ok, Will.” Buffy assured her as she watched Spike return with one soda in each
hand.
“Hey.”
He greeted.
Oz
gave him a slight nod while pushing his lips together.
“Where
are Cordelia and Xander?”
“Probably
upstairs doing the old nasty.” Buffy offered.
“Yeah,
the whelp did have a ridiculous ‘I’m-gonna-get-laid-tonight’ grin plastered all
over his face.” Spike confirmed her suspicions.
“Ok,
that’s so not the imagery I need right now.”
“Same
here.” Buffy agreed.
~+~
The
song ended and the couples began dispersing, but the blonde duo remained with
there arms wrapped around each other as a more fast paced, energetic tune came
on. They moved slowly, while the crowd around them jumped up and down in a
strange, almost tribal, dance.
“I
don’t think this is the way you dance to ‘It
Smells like Teen Spirit’.” Buffy finally said with a smirk, looking up at
him.
“Says
who?” Spiked asked cocking up a scarred eyebrow.
“Everyone
in this room.” She replied promptly.
“Pff.
What do they know?”
They
continued locked in an intimate embrace, swaying to a beat of their own,
oblivious to the world around them.
After
what seemed like an eternity, they let each other go and moved to join
“You
guys not going to dance?” Buffy asked with a smile that spread from one ear to
the other.
“Not
really in a headbanger’s ball mood.”
“You
can always ignore the music and slow dance.” The blonde countered.
“Not
very imaginative tonight. Plus…” She pointed at her bare feet. “Sore.”
“Oh!
I told you should wear high-heel shoes more often.”
“Can’t.”
“Why
not?” Buffy frowned.
“Height
issues.”
“Oh…”
Buffy nodded as realisation hit her.
“So,
why were you all jumpy back there?”
“The
rumours haven’t reached you yet?”
“No.
I’m rumour free. You know how it is, I’m always out of the gossip loop. I’m
loopless.”
“Well,
you won’t be loopless anymore.” Buffy assured, causing her to smile. “On the
way over here Spike and I kinda got into a fight.”
“Again?”
“Don’t
worry, we’re over it. Anyway, we fought and one thing lead to the another and,
long story short, we ended up in a serious make-out session.”
“Oh!”
“Yeah,
well that was what the guys who drove past us said too. Well, sort of. It was
more of a ‘woo-hoo’ thing.”
“Ouch.”
“It
gets worse. It turns out they’re from our high school and they’re here as we
speak. Hence the rumours and the constant glances at me and Spike.”
“What are you two giggling about?” Spike
called out coming closer to Buffy and throwing a possessive arm over her.
“Nothing.”
Buffy lied. “Girl stuff.”
Spike
tilted his head and narrowed his eyes in a clear sign of disbelieve.
“What?”
Buffy gave him an innocent look, leaning in for a quick peck before standing
up.
“Where’re
you going?” He questioned taking a hold of her hand.
“Lady’s
room.” She answered before moving to leave.
“Want
me to come with?” he asked as he scanned the crowd. There were already too many
pissed teens at the party, he really didn’t want her getting into any kind of
trouble.
“I
think I can manage going to the bathroom on my own. I’ve been able to do it
since I was two. I’m pretty sure I’ve got it under control.” Buffy joked.
“Just
be careful.” He said letting go of her hand and watching her as she moved into
the crowd.
“She’ll
be fine.” Oz said, knowing perfectly well the fears going through the bleached
teen’s head since he pretty much felt the same way about letting
~+~
Buffy
climbed up the stairs, trying to avoid the various semi-naked couples that
seemed to cling to every available surface. She had tried the two bathrooms
downstairs but had found one occupied and the other was… well, not in the most
sanitary condition. She reached the corridor where an even more degrading spectacle waited to greet her.
“Get
a room.” She whispered, frowning as she tried to remember the drunken girl’s
directions.
‘What did she say? Was it second door on the
left or right? Or was it third? Damn that stupid loud music.’ She grumbled
in her thoughts as she approached the first option. She didn’t need to go near
the door to hear the series of ‘Oh my God’s’ that came from behind it. ‘Ok, so it’s not option number one.’ She
decided to move to the other side of the hall, but once more loud moans and
ungodly screams carried through that door. ‘I
guess that leaves doors number three and four. Now, left or right.´
“I
think I’d choose right.” She heard someone say.
She
turned on her heels to see Angel slouching against the wall, beer bottle in
hand.
“You’re
looking for the bathroom, right?”
Buffy
simply nodded, crossing her arms over her chest in a feeble attempt to cover
herself. Damn! Why had she left her scarf downstairs? She really wasn’t liking
the lascivious glances he was throwing at her breasts.
“It’s
the third on the right.”
“Thank
you.” She said quickly reaching to turn the knob.
It
was locked. ‘Damn it!’ She cursed in
her mind. She smiled nervously as she lightly tapped on the door.
“Hello?
Anybody in there?” She asked realising Angel was still staring at her.
“It’s-“
Whoever
was trying to answer never got a chance as a gag sound was heard followed by
the unmistakable one of someone vomiting.
“Ew.” Buffy winced pressing her legs
together. She really needed to go.
“There’s
another bathroom in the pool area.” Angel suggested.
“Oh…”
Buffy said, having no idea how to reach it.
“I
can take you if you want.”
“I
thought Cordy said the pool was off limits. She locked all the doors that lead
to it.” Buffy explained.
“You
forget I’ve been coming to this party for the last three years. I know this
house inside out.” Angel smirked.
She
didn’t like that. And it wasn’t in a ‘not-liking-Spike’s-gorgeous-smirk’ kind
of way; it was in a ‘really-creepy-get-the-hell-away-from-me’ kind of way.
Plus, he looked like he was kinda drunk. But what was she supposed to do? Hold
it in?
“Ok.”
She finally agreed as she followed him downstairs.
Instead
of turning left and heading where most of the party was concentrated, they
turned right, into the kitchen where a few drunken kids lay sprawled on the
floor while others sat on the counter telling anecdotes. They crossed the tiled
room and entered a small corridor with a door on each side, one of which lead
to one of the bathrooms she had tried earlier. At the end of the hall was a
window. Angel reached for it and opened it.
“You’re
gonna have to go through here.” He explained.
Buffy
waited for a few seconds, contemplating how she would be able to climb out.
Tugging at her dress, she pulled just enough so she was able to swing one leg
over and then quickly jumped out. She stumbled a bit but was able to keep her
balance as her feet hit the grass outside. She watched as Angel easily made his
way through the window.
“This
way.” He pointed as they went around the corner and were met by the sight of a
giant pool spread out in the middle of a garden.
“Wow.”
Buffy could help uttering.
“I know. It’s great, isn’t it? Had pretty
much the same reaction the first time I saw it.” Angel said sticking his hands
into the pockets of his trousers.
Buffy
eyed him waiting for him to point out the bathroom.
“Oh!
Sorry! It’s over there.” He indicated the small house near the pool.
“Thanks.”
She smiled and walked over to the white structure.
~+~
“Where
is she? What’s taking her so long?” Spike asked for the fourth time as he
nervously scanned the party.
“There’s
probably a line. She’ll be down any second now.”
“I
don’t like this. I’ll go check on her.” He mumbled standing up and walking
away.
~+~
Buffy
ran her hands over her stomach, flattening the black fabric there as she
watched herself in the mirror one last time before opening the door and exiting
the bathroom. She looked around and frowned when she failed to find the
quarterback.
“Angel?”
She called out squinting as she searched the thick garden that surround the
pool area.
“Gotcha!”
He exclaimed as he grabbed her by the waist, causing Buffy to scream.
He
immediately set her down.
“Sorry!
Didn’t mean to scare you.” He apologized.
“I-It’s
ok.” She stammered.
“So…
You enjoying the party?” He tried to make small-talk.
“It’s
nice. Leave it to Cordy to plan a party that can make up for the lousy school
dance.” She let a soft smile spread over her lips as her eyes stared into the
crystal water that mirrored the sky.
“Yeah!
She throws the best parties every year. “ He agreed.
They
remained in silence for a few seconds.
“Well,
we better…” She pointed towards the main house. “…go.”
“Right.”
He said nodding and following her.
Buffy
wobbled over the grass as they made their way back to the window but, suddenly,
her ankle twisted under her and she stumbled to the ground. Instinctively,
Angel reached out; one strong arm encircling her waist was enough to stop her
from failing.
“Oh…
Thanks!” She breathed looking up at him.
Her
eyes widened when Angel’s lips were suddenly on hers. She was shocked at first,
but immediately pressed her hands against his shoulders and pushed him away.
“What
the *hell* are you doing?” She spat angrily wiping her mouth with the back of
her hand, not worrying about smudging her lipstick.
“Oh,
come on Buffy. I know you want to.” He took a step closer to her, with his
hands stretched out.
“Stay
away from me!” She warned him and he stopped dead in his tracks.
“Is
this about him?”
She
frowned.
“Bleach-boy?”
Angel explained tilting his head back towards the house.
“This-“
She started but was interrupted by the tall boy’s grotesque laughter.
“You’re
all worried about what he’s going to think isn’t it? Good old Buffy! You would
never think of cheating on your boyfriend.” He mocked; a hint of anger hiding
behind his arrogant tone. “Well guess what? You should check if you’re
*boyfriend* is on the same page as you are, darling, cause I’m not really sure
if he would agree that yours is a monogamous relationship.”
Buffy
glared at him as he paused and took in a deep breath.
“You’re
drunk.” She spat tugging at the edges of her dress and preparing to storm away
when she heard him call out.
“He
didn’t tell you, did he? About why we fought?”
She
froze in mid-stride.
“Didn’t
think so. I mean, the way you were all over him, I figured he didn’t.”
Slowly,
she turned to face him.
“Is
this the scene in the movie where you make up some big lie to try and break me
and Spike up? Cause that is just so cliché.” She sighed, apparently bored, but
inside her heart raced against her chest.
“Just
tell your boy to stay the hell away from her. She’s mine now!” He growled.
“Dru?”
“Yeah,
Dru. Caught him trying to grab her.” He explained.
“You’re
lying.”
“Why
would I lie?” He stood up straight. “Why else would we fight? Because of you?”
He let out a powerful chuckle. “Come on, honey. Do you really think I still
want you? Do you really think I’m as pathetic as you are?” He asked rhetorically.
“Not really. You’re…” He took his time, running his tongue over his bottom lip.
“…used up.”
A
smacking sound echoed in the empty garden as Buffy’s hand came out of nowhere
to slap him across the face.
His
reaction was a creepy grin and a chuckle as he fingered his now sore cheek.
“Ouch,
Buffy. That really hurt.” He said sarcastically. Suddenly, his smile crumbled
and he glared at her. “Go. Ask him. Let’s see what he tells you.”
And
with that he stormed towards the window, slipping inside.
~+~
“She’s
gone. I can’t find her anywhere.” Spike said worriedly as he came back down the
stairs to find Oz and
“Are
you sure? I-I mean did you check everywhere?”
“I
checked, believe me.” He grumbled scanning the crowd. His heart immediately
settled when he saw the petite blonde entering the living room.
“Thank
God, Buffy! Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you.” He
breathed in relief, bringing his arms to wrap around her small form.
She
never moved, remaining perfectly still in his embrace.
“Are
you ok?” He frowned.
“I-I’m
fine. I’m just a bit tired.” She answered calmly, but he could tell something
was wrong.
“What
happened?” His eyes went wide at the idea of… “Did something happen? Buffy are
you ok?”
“I’m
fine.” She repeated. “I just wanna go home, please.”
“But
it’s only
“I
wanna go home.” Buffy replied.
The
redhead was about to protest, when she felt Oz’s light grip on her forearm
telling her to just let it go.
“Ok,
I’ll take you home.” Spike agreed putting his arms around her shoulders and
leading her towards the door.
~+~
They
drove the entire way home in silence. Even though Spike had miserably tried to
make conversation, Buffy would simply answer him with either a nod or a
monosyllabic reply. He let the car come to a full stop in front of her house
before pulling on the hand break. The moment the vehicle stopped, Buffy opened
the door and was on her way to her house.
“Hey,
wait up.” He called out running after her, not bothering to lock the car.
When
she didn’t answer, he wormed his fingers around her arm and forced her to turn
and face him.
“What’s
wrong?” He questioned with a serious tone.
“Why
did you and Angel fight?” She asked simply.
“What?
Where did that come from?” He frowned at her.
“It’s
a simple question Spike. Why did you guys fight?”
He
paused to a second, letting go of her arm and sighing.
“Buffy…
I… I can’t tell you.” He finally managed to say.
She
pressed her lips together and nodded once before she turned on her heels and
climbed the steps to her front porch.
“Buffy?”
He
went after her, leaning on the front door as she fidgeted with the keys.
“Why
are you acting like this?”
She
continued to try and fit the key into the lock. Angrily, he reached for her hand,
pulling it away from the door.
“Buffy,
what’s going on?”
“Was
it about me?” A hint of hope shone in her eyes as she asked.
He
paused for a second.
“No.”
“They
why did you fight?” This time she wasn’t able to control the conflicting
emotions inside of her, raising her voice.
“I
can’t tell you!” He insisted.
“Why
not?” She yelled.
“Shh…
You’re gonna wake up your mom.” Spike warned her.
She
breathed in deeply turning to face him.
“Spike…
either you tell me why you and Angel fought or it’s all over.”
“What?!”
he exclaimed with a hint of despair.
“You
heard me.” She stood her ground firmly waiting for his response.
He
narrowed his eyes, frowning at the same time.
“What
is this about? Who have you been talking to?”
She
ignored his questions.
“Choose.”
She demanded.
“I-I
can’t tell you.”
She
swallowed hard, turning the key in the lock and pushing the door open.
“Goodbye,
Spike.” Was the last thing she said as she closed the door in his face.
~+~
Buffy
raced her way upstairs, storming into her bedroom and slamming the door behind
her before throwing herself on the bed. Moments later a light knock was heard.
“Buffy…”
Mrs. Summer’s voice carried through the wood.
Buffy
scrambled to the sitting position, biting back the tears as she watched the
door of her room opening slightly and her mother’s head popping from behind it.
“Are
you alright? You’re home so early.” She noted stepping into the room.
“I’m
fine mom.” The teen answered with a forced smile, squinting a bit when her
mother turned on the lights.
“Are
you sure?” Joyce insisted still not convinced.
“Yes.
I’m fine. The party was just a bit dull and I got tired.”
“Alright
then, goodnight honey.” Mrs. Summers whispered kissing her daughter on the
forehead before leaving the room.
~+~
Chapter 29
Buffy
hugged her pillow, the tears finally spilling from her eyes as she lay on the
bed still wearing the black gown. Her arm reached out for the phone as it rang.
“Hello?”
There
was no answer.
“Hello?”
“Buffy?”
The familiar voice was heard.
Without
a second thought she slammed the
phone down and returned to the
pillowcase.
RING!
RING!
She
sighed and picked up the receiver.
“Buffy,
we need to t-“
He
wasn’t able to finish the sentence as a busy signal came on. He grumbled
something unintelligible and dialled the memorized number again.
“Buffy,
stop shutting the ph-“
Beep, beep, beep.
“God!
I’m gonna kill that girl.” He growled, but was soon pressing the small plastic
keys once again. He frowned when he got a busy signal. He tried once, twice and
even a third time before he realised she had probably unhooked the phone.
~+~
“So
we’re back to hating Spike’s guts?” Willow asked with a low voice.
Buffy
simply nodded as she played around with her food.
“You
better suit up for hating mode then.” The redhead warned her as she saw the
approaching teen.
Buffy
looked up as he set his tray on the table opposite her. The moment he made a
move to sit down, she stood up and was out the door without a word.
“Bloody
hell!” He grumbled as he scurried after her. “Buffy!” He called out.
But
she continued to quickly make her way down the hall. He sprinted towards her,
eventually falling into stride with her.
“Buffy,
we need to talk.” He said looking at her as she stopped by her locker opening
it.
She
didn’t answer, simply opened her backpack and took out a few books.
“Buffy…”
“There
is nothing to talk about, Spike.” She said never looking at him.
“What
do you mean?”
She
turned to face him with a plastic smile which crumbled in seconds.
“I
mean, there is nothing to talk about. It’s over.”
“What?
Because I wouldn’t tell you why Angel and I got into a fight?” He asked in disbelief.
“No.”
She lied. “Because… this thing… between us…” Her index finger travelled from
him to her and then back again. “Whatever it was, it was just… wrong.”
“What?!”
“We
don’t really like each other. I mean, Spike, come on. Be serious. We always
have and will always hate each other.” She tried to rationalize. She just
wanted to hurt him so much. As much as he had hurt her.
“What
are you talking about, Summers?”
She
winced inwardly at the use of her surname.
“What
we had was just… too many pent-up hormones, I guess.”
Spike
simply stared wide-eyed at her.
She was reducing what they had to hormones?
“You
missed Dru, I missed Angel and one thing lead to another and…” She
shrugged, speaking so nonchalantly, though inside she felt a sting at the sight of utter disbelief on
his face. “Goodbye, Spike.”
She
tried to walk away but he seemed to suddenly snap out of his initial shock and
grabbed her by her arm pulling her against the lockers, setting both hands on
either side of her.
“Why
are you acting like this?” He said in a low voice.
“I’m
not acting like this. I’m just tired of playing pretend with you.” She looked
up at him.
“Playing
pretend?”
“Yes,
Spike. That’s all we’ve ever done. Just pretend. Cause the truth is…” She
paused, swallowing hard before adding: “I don’t feel anything for you.” She
managed to say before slipping under his outstretched arm and walking away.
~+~
“So…
How was it?” Willow asked as she walked side-by-side with the Buffy.
“I
told him.”
“Told
him what?”
“That
I didn’t want anything to do with him. That what we had wasn’t real.” Buffy
explained kicking a pebble on
the pavement.
“Are
you sure that’s what you want to do?”
“What
was I supposed to do? Just yell at him and act like the jealous girlfriend?
No! I’m not gonna be that pathetic. If he’s still not over Dru, that’s his
problem, but he’s so not gonna use me to get her back.” She said with resolve
in her tone.
“It
just doesn’t make any sense.” Willow started. “She was all over him, that day
at the cafeteria. You know, the lunch-shower day?”
Buffy
frowned as she remembered the scene.
“It
was pretty clear that if he wanted Dru he could have her. There was no need for
him to pretend that you and he were an item anymore. He could’ve just gone back to her.” Willow rationalized.
Buffy
continued in silence wrapping her coat tighter around her waist as the wind
blew harder.
“I
don’t know, Willow. And I really don’t care. This is just too… difficult. I
just don’t want to deal with it now. All I want is to go to the mall, do some
Christmas shopping and just forget all about him.”
“But
maybe you’re just blowing this all out of proportion.” Willow insisted.
“Then
why didn’t he tell me, Will? What else do Angel and Spike have in common
besides me and Dru?”
The
redhead simply shrugged. She really didn’t have an answer. They continued in
silence all the way to the mall until Willow spoke up.
“I
just think I preferred the angry Buffy.”
The
blonde frowned.
“You
know. The way you act towards him. Like nothing has happened and you’re not
angry… as if you just don’t care.”
“I
don’t Willow. Not anymore.”
~+~
Buffy
dropped her bags on the floor as she entered her room, plopping down on the
bed. God, she was tired!
“Hey,
Buffy!” Her mother greeted. “How was shopping?”
“Mom?
You’re home early.” Buffy noted propping herself up on her elbows.
“Giles
and Spike are coming for dinner.” Her mother announced.
Buffy
swallowed hard.
“I
already have plans.” She made-up on the spot.
“Plans?”
“Yeah.
Willow and I. We were going out for pizza.”
“Well,
you didn’t tell me anything about that?”
“That’s
cause we just decided that this afternoon.”
“You
better postpone it, then.” Joyce said.
“I
can’t!” Buffy immediately piped up.
“Why
not?”
“Because
of… hum… Willow! She’s kinda down. She’s been having problems with Oz and she
really needs someone to talk to. I can’t just leave her.” The teen lied.
“Well…
why don’t you invite her to dine with us, then?”
“Mom.
She’s having guy problems. She wants to talk, which she won’t be able to do
with you guys around.” Buffy quickly excused herself.
Mrs.
Summers paused for a second as she seemed to be trying to figure another
alternative.
“Alright
then.” She finally agreed. “But don’t stay out too late.” She warned her before
closing the door.
Buffy
immediately reached for the phone.
“Hello?
Willow? Are you free for diner tonight? Yeah, something’s came up. Ok, I’ll
come by your house in about half an hour.
~+~
“You
can’t keep avoiding him forever.” Willow noted taking a large bite from her
slice of pizza.
“I’m
not planning forever. Just till the end of senior year. Just six and a half months and I’ll be
home free.” Buffy forced a smile on her face. “Now, can we please change the
subject?”
“Sure.”
“Where
are you guys gonna spend Christ- Sorry, Hanukah?” Buffy corrected herself in
time.
“At
home, as usual. You?”
“Probably
home, with my mom. It’s just the two of us.”
“At
least you’ll be Spike-free for the Christmas holidays.” Willow reminded her.
“Thankfully!”
She breathed. “Just two more weeks of extremely awkward situations and I’m off
the hook.” She said with fake perkiness.
“I
still think you should…” Willow caught her friend’s glare and quickly added:
“Right! Changing the subject. Sorry!”
~+~
The
door creaked as she pushed it open and slipped inside. The only light came from
the kitchen.
“Hey,
mom.” Buffy greeted letting the keys drop on the counter as she opened the
refrigerator and explored its contents.
“Hey.
How was your dinner?”
“It
was ok.” She replied taking out the orange juice and pouring some for herself.
“Is
Willow ok?” Joyce inquired.
“She’s
fine now.” Buffy paused for a second, pondering whether or not to ask her
mother about her evening. “And how was your dinner?”
“It
was very nice. I made pot roast.”
“Yippy.” Buffy exclaimed with little
enthusiasm as she sipped from her glass.
“Watch
it young lady.” Joyce warned her.
“Sorry.”
She said with a light smile.
“Spike
seemed kinda down though.”
She
felt a pang in her chest at the mention of his name, but her reply showed no
sign of it:
“Oh,
really?”
“Yeah.
He was very quiet and he didn’t eat much. Has he had problems at school?” Mrs.
Summers wondered.
“Not
that I know of.”
“Well,
he asked about you.”
Buffy
simply nodded in acknowledgment.
“He
didn’t know that Willow and Oz had had a fight.”
“Yeah,
it happened after school.” Buffy quickly lied.
“Buffy…”
Joyce started with a more serious tone. “I’m very worried about him. I think
he’s probably having a really hard time in school. I mean, you should have seen
his face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone that depressed. You two seem to
be very good friends right?”
“Hum…”
Buffy wondered what to say. “Well… sort of… yeah.”
“Well,
could you talk to him? His father is really worried, but you know how the
English are about these things. He doesn’t really know how to talk to Spike.
He’s afraid he’ll say the wrong thing.”
“I…
Hum… I don’t think I can…” Seeing her mother’s pleading expression, Buffy
sighed and lied: “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank
you, honey.”
~+~
The
days went by, growing shorter and colder by the minute. Buffy sat by the
bleachers watching a group of kids having gym class as she waited for Willow.
They had agreed to meet there during lunch. ‘What could be taking her so long?’
She jumped up as the sharp sound of a
whistle nearly pierced her eardrums. She watched as the teacher herded the
teens together pointing at the locker rooms. She looked skywards. Maybe he was
right; maybe it was going to rain.
She
hugged her legs and rested her
chin on her knees, staring out at the now empty field.
“Hey.”
She heard a familiar voice call her.
Her
heart skipped a beat as she recognized it. Without turning to face him she
breathed: “Hey.” As he sat down beside her.
They
remained in silence for a long time before he spoke again:
“We’re
gonna have to talk to each other eventually. It’s useless trying to avoid me.”
“I’m
not avoiding you.” She quipped.
“You’re
not? You ask Mrs. Kennedy to change seats; you leave the cafeteria every time I
enter the room; you refuse to let me give you a ride home even though it’s been raining everyday and you
still say you’re not avoiding me?”
“What
do you want, Spike?” She questioned with a hint of annoyance.
“Just
to talk.”
“About?”
“Us.”
She
sighed and immediately stood up, walking away.
“Buffy!”
He called out as the first drops of rain started to fall.
She
continued to walk, jumping off the bleachers, completely oblivious to him.
“Buffy!”
This time he practically shouted.
“What?!”
She yelled back, turning on her heels to face him and jumping back a little
when she realised he was right behind her.
“Stop
running away from me.”
“I’m
not running, Spike. I just don’t want to be anywhere near you.” She argued as
the rain began to pour and she turned to race back to the main building.
“Well,
what are you gonna do about Christmas? Just ignore me?” He cried out.
She
stopped dead in her soaked tracks.
“What
are you talking about?”
“Christmas?”
He repeated as he came to stand before her again.
“What
about Christmas?”
He
frowned as he realised she didn’t know. Tilting his head sideways he stared at
her for a while from under narrowed eyes as the drops of water marred his face.
“Spike!
What about Christmas?” She insisted.
“Oh,
nothing.” He lied. A wicked grin spread across his face as he started to sprint
back to school.
“Spike!”
She called out racing after him.
Buffy
ran her hands through her sopping wet threads when she entered the building to
see Spike standing there beside her. Equally soaked.
“What
about Christmas?”
“It really should be your mom telling
you.” He continued to with false worry.
“Spike!”
She scolded him, swatting him across the arm.
“Well,
since Christmas is a time of cheering and loving and all that crap…”
“Yes!”
“Our
parents…”
“Spike
will you just come out and say it already?”
“Decided
we should all spend the holidays together.” He finally answered her.
“What?
We? Who’s *we*?” She frowned wide-eyed as realisation slowly dawned on her. “Us
we?!” She pointed at both of them.
“You,
me, your mom and my da. One big happy family.” Spike grinned wildly at the
growing rage in the petite blonde’s face. “It gets better, pet.”
“What?”
She asked afraid of the answer.
“Guess
where we are spending the holidays.”
She
didn’t reply, simply stared up at him with a frightened look.
“At
my da’s cabin up on the lake.” He answered for her. “One whole week. The four
of us together. It’s gonna be wonderful.” He mocked sarcastically.
She
stood there in shock as the bleached teen threw her a grin and walked away.
~+~
“MOM!”
She yelled the moment she entered the house. “MOM!”
There
was no answer. She wasn’t home yet. Buffy stomped her way upstairs, quickly
changed her soaked clothes and came back down to sit on the coach. Two hours
went by before she heard the jingling of keys at the door. She jumped off the
sofa and was standing in the hall in a flash.
“Mom!”
“Hey,
Buffy.” Joyce managed to breathe from under the pile of paper bags. “Honey,
could you please help me with this?” Before she could answer, Buffy was holding
two large stacks in both arms and watching her mother gingerly make her way to
the kitchen.
“Mom!”
She called after her, storming her way into the tiled room and dropping the
bags on the counter.
“Thanks,
honey.”
“Mom,
when where you planning on telling me about your Christmas plans?” A fuming
Buffy demanded.
Joyce
stopped, turning to face her daughter.
“How
did you find out?”
“Spike
told me.”
“Oh!
I wanted to surprise you last night, but you were already in bed by the time I
got home. So aren’t you excited?” Mrs. Summers questioned with a huge smile and
sparkling eyes.
“Excited
is not the word for it. I think completely pissed off is closer to it.”
Joyce
frowned.
“Mom,
how could you do this? We always spend Christmas together. Just the two of us.”
“Yes,
and you always complain about how we never go anywhere and how it’s always dull.
I thought you’d be excited about spending Christmas with Spike. At least you’ll
have someone your age to talk to.”
“I
don’t want to spend Christmas with anyone else. I want to spend Christmas like we always do. Just the two of us.”
Buffy argued stomping her foot and raising her voice.
“Well, I’m sorry Buffy. We’re going to
spend the holidays at Giles’ place up on the lake and that’s that.”
Buffy
stared wide-eyed at her mother before snapping:
“I’m
not going anywhere.” She stormed up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door.
“Young
lady, you come back down here this instant!” Joyce demanded, but it was already
too late.
Buffy
furiously looked through her dresser, picking her clothes as she prepared to
take a shower when the door to her room swung open:
“Don’t
you ever walk away from me again! You hear that?” Joyce scolded, her index
finger pointing dangerously at her daughter.
Buffy
stood her ground. Her arms folded over her chest, her chin raised up high.
“Don’t
you look at me like that! You are going and that’s final.” Joyce snapped before
turning on her heels, leaving a steaming-mad Buffy behind.
~+~
“I
can’t believe my mom is forcing me to go!” Buffy growled stomping her feet as
she stuffed a couple of sweaters into her luggage.
“M-maybe
it’s not gonna be so bad.” Willow stuttered leaning on the desk.
“Not
so bad!” The blonde repeated. “I’m going to have to spend an entire week in a
lousy cabin in the middle on nowhere, with *Spike*!”
Willow’s
eyebrows came together for a sympathetic frown as her mouth tugged to the left.
“I’m
gonna have a miserable Christmas and all because my mom had the *excellent*
idea to spend it with… them.” She spat the last word as she let her body fall
to the bed.
“At
least you’re gonna have more presents.” Willow tried to show her the brighter
side of the issue.
“Oh,
great! Presents. I didn’t get them anything. Was I supposed to, you know, get
them something?” She wondered.
“Your
mom probably took care of that.” The redhead suggested, knowing Mrs. Summers
well enough.
“I
hope so, cause I don’t have time to worry about that. We’re leaving in half an
hour.”
“Mr.
Giles and Spike are picking you guys up?”
“Yeah.
My mom doesn’t wanna take the jeep.” Buffy said as she stood up and restarted
packing.
“Well,
I-I better go. Oz’s waiting.”
“Ok,
Willow. See you in a week.” Buffy grumbled as she watched her best friend head
for the door.
“Call
me when you get there?”
“I
don’t even know if there is a phone there.” She stood up straight when it
dawned on her: “Oh, God! They probably don’t have a TV either. I’m gonna die!”
She mumbled stuffing her jeans into her baggage.
Willow
gave her another compassionate glance and was about to walk back into the room
when Buffy brought her arm up:
“No,
go! Go have quality Oz time!”
“You
sure?”
“Go.
Get out of here.” Buffy insisted.
“Ok,
bye.” Willow agreed reluctantly.
“Bye.”
Buffy mumbled closing her luggage and plopping down on the bed.
~+~
“Buffy,
can you get that?” Mrs. Summers asked from the upstairs.
“Sure.
Why not?” Buffy said sarcastically, pushing herself off the couch and slouched
all the way to the front door.
“Hello!”
An over enthusiastic Giles greeted her on the other side.
“Hey.”
Buffy forced a smile on her face as she turned on her heels and went back to
her place on the couch as the two men awkwardly followed her into the living
room.
“Where’s
your mother?” Giles asked a bit nervous.
“Upstairs.”
Buffy retorted; her eyes never leaving the flickering TV screen.
“I’ll
be right back.” The older man said heading up the stairs and leaving the two
teens alone.
There
was silence between them as Spike moved to sit on the couch next to her.
Immediately, she squirmed to the left, away from him.
“I’m
not gonna bite, luv.”
She
didn’t answer.
“Are
you gonna ignore me for a
whole week?”
“That’s
the plan.” Buffy mumbled between clenched teeth.
“Apparently
you’re not too happy about spending Christmas up at the lake.”
“Whatever
gave you that idea?” She asked sarcastically.
Stomping
footsteps were heard coming down
the stairs and soon, Mrs. Summers stood in the living room.
“You
kids ready?” She asked with a huge grin.
“Dear
God, what are you two taking with you?” Giles breathed as he rested the three
large bags on the floor.
“Presents.”
Joyce smiled.
“Are
you sure those are gonna fit in the car?” Spike questioned, standing up and
walking over to help his father.
“We’re
just gonna have to try and fit it.”
“If
there is no room left you can use my space. I don’t mind staying here.” Buffy
offered with a hint of hope.
“You’re
not getting off the hook that easily. Now, get up and let’s go.” Joyce
demanded.
“Mom…”
Buffy moaned.
“Buffy!”
The
blonde teen stood up, dragging her feet towards the front door as she grumbled
something unintelligible under her breath.
“I
heard that.” Mrs. Summers called out as she locked the front door of the house.
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