Spike was staring at his closet when Xander walked in and flopped down in a chair.

“Watcha lookin’ at?” Xander asked, curiously eyeing Spike.

Spike sighed and turned around.

“Something to wear for tonight.”

“Tonight?  And you are so worried about your wardrobe now because?”  Xander asked.

Spike rolled his eyes.

“I’m taking Buffy out.” Spike replied, stretching out on the bed.

“Ok.  Let me get this straight.  You and Buffy are an item now.”

Spike nodded.

“And how is that seeing as how she never used to speak to you before?” Xander asked.

“How do you know we’ve never spoken to each other?  You follow me around?” Spike countered.

“Touché.” Xander mumbled.

Spike smirked and stood up from the bed, walking over to the closet.

“Now, about my clothes.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Fred walked into Buffy’s room, dodging a sweater as it flew past her head.  Buffy was in her closet, throwing clothes everywhere.

“What are you doing?” Fred asked, dodging a pair of pants.

Buffy looked up, and stopped throwing clothes.

“I don’t have anything to wear!”

Fred tilted her head to the side.

“For what?”

Buffy sighed and threw herself on the bed next to Fred.

“I have a date with Spike.”

“Really?  That’s great!” Fred exclaimed.

Buffy sighed again.

“Where are you going?” Fred asked.

Buffy sat up abruptly.

“I don’t know.  Oh my gosh, he never said!” Buffy replied, eyes wide.

“Well, that’s not a problem, is it?” Fred asked.

“Yes!  What if I wear something stupid!  I don’t wanna look like an idiot in front of him!” Buffy said, pacing the room.

“You must really like him to be so worried about what you’ll wear.”

Buffy and Fred turned to see Anya standing in the doorway, arms crossed, and an amused smile on her face.

Buffy blushed.

“I-I, uh…”

“See, you’re blushing again!” Fred said, pointing at Buffy.

“Yep, you’re definitely got it bad.” Anya commented.

“How would you know?  You never talk to me!” Buffy said to Anya.

Anya uncrossed her arms and looked down.

“I can help you with your outfit and hair.” she said quietly.

Buffy’s expression softened.

“Thanks.”

Fred stood up.

“I’ll be in my room.”

She started to leave, when Anya grabbed her arm.

“You can stay.”

Fred smiled and nodded, walking back over to the bed.

“Ok.  Let’s think about this.  Where’s the most likely place that Spike will take you?” Anya said.

Buffy shrugged.

“I don’t know.”

“Ok.” Anya said, slowly, eyeing Buffy suspiciously.  “Why’d he ask you out?”

“We were just going to talk and get to know each other.” Buffy replied, her eyes widening at her slip.

Fred looked at her, eyes wide, realizing her slip also.  Both were relieved when they realized Anya hadn’t noticed.

“Ok.  So if you’re just going to talk, then he most likely won’t take you to the Bronze.  So, you’ll want to wear something that says ‘you know you want me’ while at the same time, you look relaxed and comfy.” Anya rambled.

Buffy and Fred looked at each other and smiled.

“When did you become so involved in fashion?” Buffy asked, amused that Anya knew more about clothes than she did.

Anya looked at her strangely.

“I read Cosmo.  It’s not just about sex, you know.  They have some quality fashion tips.”

Buffy grinned and shook her head, standing up from the bed.

“So, Miss Anya, what should I wear?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After what seemed like days, Buffy stood in front of her mirror, examining her reflection.

“Turn around.” Anya instructed.

Buffy spun so she faced Anya and Fred.  She wore a short denim skirt with dragonflies embroidered on the front, and a crystal blue tank top that accented the design on her skirt.  To complete the outfit, she wore black flip flops, her hair was slightly curled, and she wore little makeup.

“Well?”

Anya and Fred smiled.

“He’ll love it.  You’re right Anya, it does look relaxed.” Fred said.

Anya grinned.

“I know.  He’ll be ready to give you many orgasms when he sees you.”

Buffy and Fred stared at Anya, blushing.

“What?” Anya asked, then noticed the shocked looks on their faces.  “Oh, I see.  That’s one of those words I shouldn’t say.”

The doorbell rang downstairs, snapping Buffy back to reality.  A reality that didn’t involve her and a very naked Spike.

“Oh God, oh God, oh God!  That’s him!  He’s here!” Buffy said, panicking.

“Calm down!” Anya yelled.  “You’re turning red!”

“I’ll go get the door.” Fred said, after hearing the doorbell ring again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike stood outside the Summers’ home.  He had pressed the doorbell once, but had gotten no response.  He pressed it again and waited.  He was about to knock this time, when a brunette opened the door.

“Hi.  Spike, right?”

Spike nodded.

“I’m Fred.  Buffy will be down in a minute.”

Spike stepped inside and followed Fred into the living room.  They sat down, each wondering what to say.  After a few minutes, Spike heard a screech.  He looked up at the ceiling.

“What was that?” he asked.

Fred shrugged.

“It’s probably Anya trying to get Buffy to breathe.” Fred said absently, then mentally grimaced.

“Why isn’t Buffy breathing?” Spike asked.

“I, uh, she, um…” Fred stammered, not knowing how to cover that one up.

Spike smirked.

“She’s nervous?” he asked.

Fred sighed.

“Just pretend you noticed.  I didn’t tell you.” Fred stated.

Spike nodded.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’m petrified.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

While Spike was downstairs confessing his nervousness, Buffy was upstairs hyperventilating.

“Would you calm down?” Anya yelled.

Buffy started pacing.  After a few strides, Anya walked over and pinched Buffy on the arm really hard.  Buffy shrieked and glared at Anya, rubbing her arm.

“What the hell was that for?”

Anya shrugged.

“I had to get your attention somehow.  Now come on, you’re wasting valuable smootchie time.”

Buffy started to protest until Anya grabbed her arm, pulling her into the hallway and towards the stairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Fred smiled at Spike’s confession.  Then she noticed Anya coming down the stairs and stood up.

“Buffy’s coming.” Anya said, leaning against the doorframe.

Spike nodded and stood up, looking up just in time to see Buffy descend the stairs.  She saw Spike and smiled.  He smiled back and walked over to her.

Fred joined Anya at the door, watching them stare at each other.

“You look good.” Spike told her.

Buffy blushed slightly.

“Just good?” she asked, flirtatiously.

“Pretty damn good.” Spike said, smirking.

Spike opened the door and held out his arm.

“Milady.”

 Buffy walked over and linked her arm in his.

“Thank you good sir.” she said, giggling.

They walked out, leaving Anya and Fred standing alone staring after them.

“That was so sweet.” Fred said.

“I know.” Anya huffed.  “I wish Xander would do that for me.”

Fred giggled.  Anya sighed and stood in the open door watching Spike hold the door open for Buffy.

“Oh yeah.  They have it really bad for each other.”  Anya said, and Fred nodded.  “It's just too bad that they got together because of some other reason, which I have yet to find out.”

Fred’s eyes grew wide.

“What do you mean?”

Anya shut the door and leaned against it.

“I’m not stupid, you know.  She’s hiding something.  I mean, she has never even talked to Spike before.  Why would they suddenly start going out?”

“Maybe they had been meeting secretly.” Fred said.

Anya shook her head.

“Then why are they going on a date just to talk, and to get to know each other better?  If they had been meeting secretly like you suggest, then they wouldn’t have to go on a date just to talk.” Anya countered.

Fred shrugged.  She could never tell a lie.  So she just resorted to body movements.

Anya huffed and stomped upstairs.

“I will find out what they’re hiding.”

Fred watched Anya go upstairs.

“Oh boy.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy was sitting in Spike’s car.  They had just left, and she was already on cloud nine.  He was so sweet and such a gentleman, the way he escorted her to the car and opened the door for her.

“So, where are we going?” she asked, curious as to where he was taking her.

“It’s a surprise.” Spike simply answered.

Buffy and Spike rode somewhat in a comfortable silence, Buffy looked out the window, trying to look for any clues as to where he was taking her.  After about ten minutes passed, Buffy realized they were headed toward the warehouse district.

“Why are we in the warehouse part of town?” Buffy asked, nervously.

Spike glanced at her.

“I told you.  It’s a surprise.”

“But I really don’t like this part of town.  Really.  It gives me the wiggins.”

Spike chuckled, but remained silent.  Seeing that he wasn’t about to spill, Buffy sighed and leaned back in her seat.

After another minute, Spike turned down an alley and parked the car.  Buffy looked around nervously.  Spike got out and went over to her side, and opened the door.  Then he reached into the back seat and pulled out a small duffel bag.  He remained silent, and Buffy started to get nervous.

“Come on, luv.”

Spike turned around and grabbed her hand, leading her down the alley.  They reached the end, and they stepped out.  There was a steep hill in front of them, and Buffy could see the docks and the ocean beyond it.

“You have to be careful here, luv.  It can be dangerous if you don’t walk right.”

Spike started to slowly go down the sandy hill, Buffy following behind.  Just as Buffy stepped down, her foot slipped on the sand.  She stumbled and almost went rolling down the steep hill until Spike wrapped his arm around her around the waist, keeping her still.

“Wow.  You weren’t kidding about the dangerous part” Buffy said, breathless.

Spike looked at down at her, realizing just how close they were.

“Told you to step carefully.” Spike said, removing his arm from her waist, both missing the contact.

Spike started to go down the hill again, but stopped when he realized Buffy was still standing at the top.  He walked back up.

“You alright, luv?”

Buffy nodded.

“Uh, can you, uh, hold me?” Buffy asked, blushing.  At Spike’s raised eyebrow, Buffy added, “I’d prefer not to roll down the hill.  I like my body parts.”

“Me too, kitten.” Spike answered, smirking, causing Buffy to turn red.

Spike chuckled, and wrapped his arm around her waist, and they slowly walked down.  When they finally got down the hill, Buffy’s eyes widened.

“Oh my God.”

They were standing on a mini beach, surrounded by tall sand dunes.  There was a perfect view of the ocean.

Spike grinned and Buffy’s reaction.

“Beautiful, innit?  Found this place when I first moved to Sunnyhell.  I come here a lot, to just, think and relax.”

“I didn’t know a place like this existed in Sunnydale.” Buffy said.

Spike grabbed her hand, and they walked closer to the shore.

“Wow!  The sand is clean!” Buffy exclaimed, reaching down to run her hands through the sand.

Spike chuckled, and Buffy stood up, blushing again.

“I just mean, there’s no trash or glass in It.”, she stuttered.

“I know what you mean.  No one knows about this place.  So it stays fairly clean.” Spike told her.

Spike reached into his duffel bag and pulled out a blanket.  He spread it on the sand, and sat down on it, Buffy following him.

“Sorry for scaring you back there.  Didn’t want to tell you where I was taking you.  I thought we could talk here.” Spike said.

Buffy smiled.

“It’s ok.  It’s nice here.”

Spike grinned, and stretched out on the blanket.  Buffy looked around, unsure if she should lie down next to him.

“Why don’t you lay back?  I promise I won’t bite.  Unless you ask me too.” Spike said, staring at the sky.

Buffy lay down next to Spike.

‘Hmm.  You can bite me anytime.  I surely won’t mind…’ Buffy’s thoughts were interrupted when she realized Spike was looking at her.

“What do you think?”

“I-I, uh…” Buffy stammered.

“About the Big Dipper.  That’s it over there, innit?” Spike asked, pointing to a group of stars.

Buffy looked at where he was pointing.

“Yeah.  That’s it.”

“Wasn’t sure.  I’m not good with the astrology thing.” Spike replied.

“Astronomy.” Buffy said.

“Huh?”

“Astronomy.  The science of the stars.  I used to have this thing when I was younger.  I had a few telescopes.” Buffy said.

“Really?  And where are they now?”

“The telescopes?  In a box in the attic.  Haven’t used them in a few years.  Not since I moved to Sunnydale.”

“Ah, I see.  Too geeky for the popular crowd, huh?” Spike said, chuckling.

“Yeah.” Buffy answered quietly.

Spike noticed the tone in her voice and stopped smiling.

“Strike a nerve, pet?”

Buffy looked over at Spike.

“What?”

“Wondering why you responded sounding so sad.”

“I didn’t.” Buffy told him.

“Why do you put up with them?” Spike suddenly asked.

“Who?” Buffy asked, trying to sound oblivious to his meaning.

“Cordelia and Harmony and the other.  What’s her name?”

“Cecily.”

“Yeah, her.  Why?”

“They’re my friends.” Buffy responded, sounding not too sure of her answer.

Spike sat up, leaning on his elbow.

“Pfft.  They use you, Buffy.”

“They do not!” Buffy said, sitting up.

“Yes they do.  You just don’t want to see it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Buffy huffed.

“What about the car?”

“What about it?” Buffy countered.

“Cordelia’s car was in the shop.  So they bullied you into using your mum’s just so they could go to the Bronze.”

Buffy stared at Spike, mouth hung open, while Spike continued.

“And then, when you crashed the car, they left you high and dry, alone on a dark street with no help, and no way of getting anywhere.  So tell me they don’t use you, luv.”

Buffy turned away, staring at the waves hitting the shore.

‘He’s right.  They do use me.  But I can’t agree with him.  He’ll think I’m a total idiot.’ Buffy thought, letting her pride run away with her.

“They are my friends.” she said, quietly.

Spike shook his head, knowing he wouldn’t win this one.  So he changed the subject.

“So, why did you move to Sunnyhell?”

Buffy lay back down on the blanket.

“Nuh uh.  Your turn.  Why did you move to Sunnydale?” she asked.

Spike chuckled, and lay back next to Buffy.

“Me and my dad moved here from England after my mum died.”

Buffy looked at Spike.

“What happened?”

“She died of cancer.”

“How old were you?”

“Fourteen.”

“Oh my god.  That’s so sad.” Buffy said, absently rubbing his arm.

Spike noticed her movements, but didn’t comment.

“So, we moved here that summer, my dad got a job at the high school library, and I started my freshman year.” Spike said.

“So, you started Sunnydale High only a few months before I got here.” Buffy replied.

“Yep.  Then you came, and Anya of course.” he said, then added, “Turned my world upside down.” he added quietly.

But Buffy heard him.

“Who did?” she asked.

“Who did what?”

“Turned you world upside down?”

Spike turned red.

“Oh, uh…”

“I bet Anya did.  She’s like that.  Always making people crazy.” Buffy said.

Spike sighed in relief when he realized Buffy thought he was talking about Anya.

‘Silly bint.  Doesn’t she realize I’m talking about her?’ Spike thought.

‘Why would Anya turn his world upside down?  I hoped he was going to say I did.  Jealous?  No, I’m not jealous.’ Buffy thought.

Buffy sat up, and looked at Spike.

“We need to get our facts straight.”

“You said that once today, luv.  I thought this was what we were doing.” Spike replied.

“I know, but I mean…we need to get the simplest facts straight, like whole names, birthdays…”

“I get it.” Spike said.

“Ok.  So, let’s start.  We’ll take turns asking questions.  But remember, simple.”

“Alright.”

“So, whole name?” Buffy started.

“William James Giles.” Spike answered.

“Cool.  Elizabeth Anne Summers.”

“I like ‘lizabeth.  Favorite animal?”

“Mr. Gordo.”

“Who?”

“Mr. Gordo.  He’s a pig.”

“You have a real pig?” Spike asked, eyebrows rose in interest.

“No.  A stuffed one.”

“Now that’s gross.”

“No!  A plush pig.  A stuffed animal.  A toy…”

“I got it!” Spike said, throwing his hands in the air, and then added, “Tiger.”

“Ooh, I like cats too.  They run a close second.  Favorite color?”

“Do I even have to dignify that with an answer?”

“Guess not.  Black and red.”

“Good choice, luv.  Siblings?”

“Just Anya.  And now Fred.” Buffy replied.

“None for me.”

“You can have Anya.” Buffy told him, grinning.

“No thanks.  She a nice girl, but…”

“Crazy?  Yep.  Ok, birthday?”

“August 20th.” Spike answered.

“February 11.”

“Uh, favorite subject?”

“History.” Buffy answered.

Spike raised an eyebrow.

“What?  Just because I’m quote sooo popular unquote, doesn’t mean I can’t like something like history.”

“I didn’t say anything.  But I like history too.  And English.”

“English?”

“Um, poetry.” Spike said, avoiding her gaze.

“You write any?” Buffy asked.

Spike looked at her, perplexed.

“Maybe.  A little.  Mostly, uh, song lyrics.” Spike stammered.

“Hmm.  Who knew the Big Bad wrote poetry.”

“Hey now, this goes nowhere.  It stays here.” Spike said.

“Ok.  It’s not like I was going to tell everyone your secrets.”

“So, what about you?  Any special hobbies?”

“Um, I still like to look at the stars.  And I like to read.  Stuff other than the latest Cosmo.” Buffy replied.

“Any books in particular?”

“No.  Just anything dealing with the paranormal.”

“Ghost stories.” Spike said.

“Kinda.  So, you think that’s good enough for now?” Buffy asked.

Spike glanced at his watch.

“Well, we’ve been talking for four hours.  If it’s enough for you.”

“Wow.  Four hours?  That was not four hours.” Buffy said, grabbing Spike’s wrist to look for herself.  “Oh.  That went by fast.”

“Disappointed?  We could always stay here longer.” Spike said, playing with a string on the blanket.

“Maybe a little.” Buffy said, quietly.

“Me too.” Spike said.

“But I can’t stay.  It’s late, and mom with have a heart attack if I’m not home.”

“’S alright.” Spike answered, standing up.

Buffy stood also, and Spike picked up the blanket, packing it into the duffel bag.  Then he grabbed her hand, and before she could protest, led her up the hill to the car.  Following Spike, Buffy had the biggest smile on her face.

Spike parked the car in front of Buffy’s house.  He got out and opened the door for her.  Buffy got out with a small smile on her face.  Neither knew what to say or do.

‘It was a successful first date.  We could kiss.  He is my boyfriend.’ Buffy thought, smiling.

“What?”

Buffy snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Spike.  Then she realized they were standing on the porch.

“I didn’t say anything.”

Spike chuckled.

“Just thought you had something to say.”

Buffy tilted her head to the side and looked at Spike.

“Should I have something to say?”

Spike smiled again.

“I just meant you had a funny look on your face.” Spike said, then added in a serious tone, “I didn’t do anything did I?”

“No.  I was just thinking about-“ Buffy started, then caught herself.

“About what?” Spike asked, smirking.

“About what I’m going to eat for breakfast tomorrow.” Buffy said, quickly.

Spike chuckled, but let it go.

Then there was silence.

“So…” Buffy said, examining her nails.

“Right.  Uh, I guess I’ll see you Monday, or maybe sometime this weekend.” Spike said, hinting that he wanted to see her again.

Buffy nodded, then looked up when she saw how close they were standing next to each other.  They leaned forward at the same time, and just as their lips were about to meet, a loud crash from inside the house interrupted them.  They both pulled back, Buffy blushing, and Spike running his hands through his hair.

“I wonder what that was about.” Spike said.

A loud screech was heard, followed by, “Fred!  I told you to hold the chair still”

Buffy and Spike burst into laughter.

“Oh no!  I hope Anya didn’t hurt Fred.” Buffy said, through giggles.

“You might want to go inside.  Make sure Anya didn’t cause Fred brain damage with her Cosmos.” Spike said.

“Right.” Buffy said, quietly.

Buffy turned and opened the door, and Spike turned to walk away.  Buffy paused, then turned around.

“Spike!”

He turned around mid-step with a questioning look on his face.  Buffy walked over to him, and kissed him hard.  Before Spike had a chance to respond, Buffy turned and ran inside, shutting the door.  Spike stood there a moment, stunned.  Another loud scream was heard, and Spike burst into laughter when he heard Anya exclaim, “You had sex!”

Spike walked to his car, laughing, and a very big bounce in his step.

**Buffy**

Overall, tonight was one of the best nights of my life.  And the date ranked number one on the Buffy Date Scale.  Not that I go on too many dates.  Not lately anyway.  But that’s not the point.  I kissed Spike!  Well, it was a small peck on the lips.  On very nice lips.  Granted, it wasn’t really steamy or intense or anything else spectacular, but it was something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time.  And I think I may have scared him.  He got this weird look on his face.  I hope he doesn’t freak out about it.

Ever since my first day of school, I have had a crush on him.  But I don’t know if he feels the same way.  But he seemed to like me on our date tonight.  Our date.  And a very nice date it was.  Did I mention it was the best date ever??  It was so different than any other date I’ve been on.  You know the ones where I go out with some football jock who thinks he God’s gift.  And then I spend the whole night either watching him get drunk with his football buddies or listening to endless stories of his football glory days.  But this date…this date was amazing.  I actually had a normal conversation with the guy and we got to know each other.  Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I told him that I have telescopes!  Truthfully, I used to be this major astronomy nerd.  But sharing something so personal, to me anyway, and not having to worry that it would be all over school the next day, was nice.  Me and a guy having a nice conversation.  I totally trust him.  And it’s weird, cause I hardly know him.  Huh.

The ride home was ok.  It was more silent than the ride over.  We talked a bit about our classes and our most hated teachers.  And then he walked me to my doorstep.  We would have actually kissed, if the distraction from inside the house hadn’t happened.  Anyway, he turned to leave and then I gave him my surprise kiss.  Then I ran.  I was completely terrified.  What if he didn’t like it?  What if he never wants to see me again?  He probably ran in terror to his car after the surprise kiss, and especially after Anya screamed “You had sex!”  Talk about embarrassing.  I know he heard it.  The neighbors probably heard it.  My crazy uncle Milton probably heard it in LA.  But he hears stuff all the time, so it probably doesn’t matter…

Anyway, once I calmed Anya down and told her what happened, she quit with the sex stuff.  Then, slowly, I realized that mom was supposed to be home, and that, of course, the car wasn’t there.  It’s still in the shop.  Spike said they’re almost finished with it.  So, I started to panic, until Anya and Fred told me she had called after I left saying she wouldn’t be home for at least two more days.  Of course, they had no idea why I was panicking, when I had never panicked about her coming home before.  So Anya started interrogating me.  It was terrible.  I think she suspects something.  Fred just sat by, giving me funny looks behind Anya’s back, which put me in a fit of hysterics.  Oh, come on, imagine serious Fred making a funny face and tell me you don’t think it’s funny.  Anyway, Anya got pissed and stormed upstairs.  I hope she’s not really mad.  We made progress tonight.  And I think she actually spent time with Fred.  I’ll have to ask her later.  Hmm.  Sleepy time for me.

By the way, the crash that ruined our almost kiss, was Anya standing on a very shaky table, trying to look through the little windows at the top of the door.  Why didn’t she look out the living room window?

**Spike**

Wow.  Tonight was just wow.  I can’t find the words to express how I’m feeling.  Buffy kissed me.  She kissed me!  I had nothing to do with it.  Well, I did, but she was the one who initiated it.  And here I was, just hoping she would say yes to a bleedin’ date.  And she accepted, and she kissed me.  I think I’m making progress.  I just hope she realizes that I actually like her and that I am not going out with her just for kicks.  I can get my kicks in other ways, besides practically blackmailing a girl to date me.  I mean I could start a bar fight…

Or, maybe I can kick that bloody poof’s arse.  You know the broody one with hair that sticks straight up.  I think he might be competition.  Although he isn’t much of a challenge.  But when it comes to Buffy, she seemed to like his bloody company.  I just hope she doesn’t like it too much or I’m bloody well screwed.

I would think she had some sort of feelings for me, however small they may be at this moment, but feelings nonetheless.  I enjoyed the date, and it seemed she did too.  We talked and got to know each other.  I can’t believe I told her that I used to write poetry.  Bloody embarrassing.  Now she’ll think I’m a poof.

And the ride home didn’t leave much to be desired.  It was too quiet for my taste.  I was bloody nervous.  And afterwards, I walked her to her doorstep.  We would have kissed then, if it hadn’t been for Anya’s bloody crash.  Ruined a perfectly good moment.  I’ll make sure I have a word with her on Monday.  Tell her to stay out of the bleedin’ windows.  I know her well enough to know what she was doing.  Nosy little chit.

And then there was the kiss.  Well, it was only a peck on the lips, but it was what I have been waiting for, for a while now.  Maybe it will progress to more later, if she’ll go on another date with me.  I wonder if she’ll even announce that we’re quote dating unquote.  Probably not.  But at least I do get to go to the Prom with her.

Hmm.  Need more cigarettes.  Maybe I should quit…

Saturday afternoon, Buffy walked to Jesse’s father’s shop to see how the car was coming along.  She didn’t know if Spike would be there, and she didn’t know what she would do if he was.  Run, maybe?

Buffy reached her destination and opened the door quietly, walking inside.

“Hello?” she called out.

She saw someone kneeling in front of the car and, taking a deep breath, walked over.

“Hey.”

The figure stood up, removing his protective mask.

“Hey.” Jesse replied.

Buffy started, realizing she was alone with Jesse, the very same Jesse that hated her with a fiery passion.

Jesse turned away from her, sliding his mask down, and continued his work.  He stopped, realizing Buffy wasn’t leaving like he secretly wanted her to.  So, he stood up again, removing his mask.

“Do you need something?”

“Um, I was just stopping by to see how the car was coming along.” Buffy answered, looking down at the floor.

“Well, it’s fine.  Spike’s not here so you can see yourself out the door.” Jesse answered, sliding the mask down and turning away.

“I’m sorry.” Buffy said.

Jesse stopped working and turned around slowly, cocking his head to the side.

“I’m sorry.  Look, I know you hate me after…do you mind?”  Buffy made a motion over her face.

Jesse slid the mask up and nodded.

“You practically ruined my life.  Well, socially anyway.  Not that it was very social-but that’s not the point.  The point here is that you embarrassed me in front of the only girl I have ever had feelings for!” Jesse vented.

Buffy flinched at Jesse’s anger.  He had never actually spoken to her about it until now.

“Look, I am really sorry-“

“You keep saying that.  Are you really sorry Buffy?  Or is it just some act?  Just like your relationship with Spike, all an act.”

“Don’t you dare bring him into it!  This is me and you here.” Buffy said.

“Me and you, huh?  Do you even know how bad it hurt, when you told Cordelia that I was nothing but trash and didn’t deserve the likes of her?  Just because my dad is a mechanic and my mom dropped off the face of the planet doesn’t mean that I’m trash!  If anyone is, it’s you!” Jesse yelled.

“Stop yelling and let me explain!” Buffy yelled back, tears of frustration forming in her eyes.

Jesse crossed his arms and leaned against the car.

“Explain.”, he replied smoothly.

Buffy took a deep breath and started.

“First of all, I am not trash.  Also, we were only freshman.  Your feelings couldn’t have been that profound.”

Jesse started to interrupt, but Buffy put her hand up and continued.

“Ever since I moved here, I became friends with Cordelia, and Anya became friends with you.  You guys seem really close.  And when you started to ask Cordelia to the dance, I panicked because you don’t deserve a girl like her.”

“A girl like her.  My point confirmed.” Jesse snapped, glaring at Buffy.

“That’s not what I meant.  Ever since Anya became your friend, I had heard nothing but good things about you.  You seemed like a really fun and nice person.  Now, what I meant is, you didn’t and still don’t deserve a girl like her.”

“Elaborate.” Jesse told her.

“Cordelia is the reincarnation of Lucifer himself.” Buffy said, solemnly.

Jesse stared at her for a moment, and then burst into laughter, while Buffy looked at him confused.

“Yeah, she is.” Jesse gasped out, between laughs.

“I’m sorry.  Really sorry.  I know I hurt you.  But you don’t deserve a bitch like her.  Better yet, she doesn’t deserve a guy like you.  Understand?”

“Yeah.  I get it now.  Maybe it was better this way.” Jesse answered.

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe it was better that you did what you did.  Probably would have saved me more pain in the long run.  Now that I think of it, her rejection probably would have made me cry.” Jesse told her.

Buffy giggled at his last statement, and Jesse smiled back at her.

“You think we can be friends?  Only if you want to.  I can understand if you still choose to hate me.  After all-“

Jesse cut her off mid-ramble.

“I think so.”

Buffy looked up at him and smiled.

“Really?”

“Yeah.  As long as you promise not to hurt Spike.” Jesse answered.

Buffy gave him a confused look.

“Hurt him?  Why would I-“

“He’s been hurt before, and I don’t want him to be hurt like that again.  I don’t know if you realize it, but the only reason Spike made up this agreement was because he has a serious crush on you.”

Buffy stared at Jesse, eyes wide.

“What?”

Jesse started to respond when Spike walked in.

“Jesse, you would never believe-“

Buffy and Jesse turned to face Spike.

“Hey you two.” Spike said.

“Hey man.” Jesse greeted.

“Hi.” Buffy said, quietly, still in shock from Jesse’s earlier statement.

‘Great.  I knew it.  She hates me.’ Spike thought.

“So, what are you two doing?  Not killing each other obviously.” Spike said, smirking, while trying to keep his cool.

“Oh, we made up.” Buffy told him.

“Yep.  Everything’s all peaches and cream here.” Jesse replied, throwing his arm around Buffy’s shoulder.

“Now, you wouldn’t dare to try to take my girl away from me would you, mate?” Spike asked, eyebrows raised and smirk in place.

‘My girl!  He said I was his girl!’ Buffy thought frantically.

“Well, she is a good catch, but I have my eyes on someone else.” Jesse replied, smiling.

“Uh, guys, I’m standing right here.” Buffy spoke up, blushing furiously.

“Buffy came by to see how the car was coming along.” Jesse told Spike, removing his arm from around Buffy and moving toward the car.

“It’s almost finished, right?” Spike asked, following him over to the car.

“Yeah.  We just have to fix the paint on the front and she should be as good as new.” Jesse replied.

“Oh, well you have two extra days.  My mom called last night and she won’t be back until Monday.” Buffy told them.

“Ok.  We should have it finished by at least tomorrow.” Jesse said.

“Ok.  Well, I gotta go.  See you guys later.” Buffy told them, waving and walking away.

Spike watched her leave and turned to Jesse.

“Made up, huh?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As soon as Buffy walked in the door, the phone rang.  She hurried to the kitchen, thinking it was her mother, and picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey Buffy.” Angel replied.

“Oh hey Angel.  What’s up?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to meet me at the Bronze tonight.” Angel asked.

“Um, aren’t you-“

“It’s not a date.  I want you to meet my girlfriend, soon-to-be-fiancé.”

“Oh!  Well, yeah.  That would be nice.  Wait, fiancé?”

“Soon to be.  I hope.  I haven’t proposed yet.”

“Aww.  That’s so sweet.” Buffy replied, smiling.

“Yeah.  So, what time do you want to meet?” Angel asked.

“Um, maybe sevenish?  Oh, can I bring a friend?”

“Seven is fine.  Sure, bring a friend.  The more the merrier.” Angel replied.

“Ok.  Great.  See you then.”

“Bye.”

Buffy hung up the phone and headed upstairs.  She knocked on Fred’s door.

“Come in.” Fred yelled.

Buffy walked in and flopped on the bed.

“Whatcha doing?” Buffy asked.

Fred looked up from her computer.

“I’m just looking up some information for my history report.”

Buffy sat up on the bed.

“I have an idea.”

“What’s that?” Fred asked.

“Why don’t we go out tonight?  I’m meeting a friend and his girlfriend at the Bronze and I thought that maybe you would like to get out.”

Fred thought for a moment, and then smiled shyly.

“I-I don’t know what to wear.”

Buffy giggled.

“I can help you with that.”

Fred nodded.

“Ok.  I’ll go.  But you’re sure I won’t be a problem?”

“No, of course not.  We haven’t had a chance to go out since you got here.  And maybe we can go shopping tomorrow.” Buffy told her.

“Alright.”

Buffy jumped up from the bed.

“Well, let’s get you ready to go out then.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy and Fred walked into the Bronze at seven.  Buffy had put on her favorite leather pants and a crimson low-cut tank top.  Fred was wearing a long black skirt and a dark blue top.  Buffy scanned the crowd for Angel, and headed over to the table when she saw him.

“Hey you.” Buffy greeted.

“Hey.” Angel replied, standing up and hugging Buffy.

Buffy stepped back and linked her arm in Fred’s, who was fidgeting nervously.

“Angel, Fred.  Fred, Angel.” Buffy said, introducing the two.

“Hey.  You’re living with Buffy, right?  From LA?” Angel asked, helping the two in their chairs.

“Yeah.” Fred replied, quietly.

“Uh, where’s your girlfriend?” Buffy asked, looking around.

“Bathroom.  I’m pretty sure it’s a pregnancy thing.” Angel replied, smiling.

Buffy giggled.

“I’m back.  At least the bathroom was fairly clean.” a blonde girl around Buffy’s age said, walking up to stand next to Angel.

Angel kissed her on the cheek.

“Buffy, Fred, this is my girlfriend Darla.  Darla, this is Buffy and Fred.” Angel said, making introductions.

“Hi.  I’ve heard a lot about you.” Buffy said, shaking Darla’s hand, and Fred gave a tiny wave.

Angel helped Darla with her chair.

“Do you ladies want anything?  I’m paying.” Angel asked.

“Just a coke.” Buffy replied.

“Coke’s fine.” Fred told him.

“What about you, sweetie?” Angel asked Darla.

Darla leaned over and whispered in Angel’s ear.  Angel pulled back, making a face, but shrugged and left.

“So, he says a lot about me, huh?” Darla asked, smiling.

“Yeah, like how happy he is, how he is so excited to be a…um…” Buffy trailed off, not sure if it was ok to refer to the pregnancy.

Darla laughed.

“Oh, it’s ok.  Not a lot of people know, but I guess they will in a few months.”

Buffy nodded.

“So, how far along are you?” Fred asked.

Darla smiled.

“About twelve weeks.”

“What do your parents think about becoming grandparents?” Buffy asked.

“Oh, they don’t know.  Probably won’t notice.  They’re never home, always on trips.” Darla replied.

Angel reappeared with their orders, sitting a coke in front of Buffy and Fred.

“I really don’t know how you can eat this.” Angel told Darla, sitting next to her.

“Why not?  It’s just a flowering onion with vinegar.”

Buffy giggled at Angel’s face.

“But it’s not normal.” Angel protested.

“So?  At least I don’t eat banana and mayonnaise sandwiches.” Darla retorted, mouth full of food.

“Touché.” Angel mumbled, taking a sip of water.

They sat in silence for a few moments, until a slow song came on.

“Want to dance?” Angel asked Darla.

“Not now.  Take Buffy.”

Angel looked at Buffy, who looked at Darla.

“Are you sure?”

“Go ahead.  Fred can keep me company.  Besides, I don’t think the owners would be too happy if I got sick all over their dance floor.” Darla replied, laughing.

Fred glanced around nervously, and Angel and Buffy went to the dance floor.

“So, why did you move here?” Darla asked.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike drove towards the Bronze with Jesse, Anya, and Xander.  He had tried to call Buffy to ask her out again, but no one answered.  Anya told him she was probably shopping with Fred.  He pulled into the parking lot, and they all got out, heading toward the entrance.

He had talked to Anya earlier, and she had given him high hopes for a possible relationship with Buffy.  But as soon as he entered the Bronze, all his hopes of being with Buffy crumbled.

Spike’s face fell at the sight of Buffy in another guy’s arm, the Great Poof’s arms.

“Come on, Spike.”

Spike snapped out of his misery at Anya’s prodding.

“I think I’ll just…”

“No.  You’re coming with us.  And you will sit down.” Anya told him.

Spike shook his head.

“I’ll be at the bar then.”

Spike turned, but Anya grabbed his arm again, spinning him around.

“She likes you, you know.  Not that guy.  And from what I’ve heard, he has a girlfriend.  Now cheer up, go over there, and buy her a drink.”

Spike stared at her a moment before nodding his consent.

“Fine.  But if I make an arse out of myself, I’m going to bite you.”

Anya stared at him a moment, then shook her head.

“Sorry, Spike.  But the only guy that is allowed to bite me is Xander.”

“Bloody hell!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After the song ended, Buffy and Angel parted and walked over to the table, where Darla and Fred were deep in conversation.  Turns out, they both had a thing for science.

“So, how was the dance?” Darla asked.

“Fine.” Buffy answered.

Darla smiled and leaned over.

“At least he can slow dance without stepping on my feet.  Seriously, you don’t want to see him dance to a fast song.”

Angel cleared his throat at his whispering girlfriend.

“What are you two whispering about?”

Darla and Buffy laughed.

“Oh, we were talking about your amazing ability to dance to a fast song.”

Angel shook his head, grinning.

“Don’t start.”

Buffy giggled at the two bickering when Fred poked her arm.

“What?” Buffy asked.

“Spike’s here.” Fred told her.

“Really?  Where?” Buffy asked, scanning the crowd.

“He’s heading this way, I think.”

Buffy sat still, her stomach a mass of butterflies.

“What should I do?”

“What do you mean?” Fred asked, confused.

“Should I go meet him, or stay still?”

Angel and Darla watched the two argue over whether to meet Spike halfway or stay seated.  They both shared an amused glance when Spike reached his destination, standing behind Buffy.

“Hello cutie.”

Buffy jumped and was so startled that her chair tipped backwards.  She would have fallen on the floor, but Spike wrapped his arms around her to stop her descent.  Noticing her position, Buffy blushed in embarrassment, but also because of how good it felt to have his arms wrapped around her.

“H-hi.” Buffy said, straightening herself.

Spike let go of her, but still stood close.

“What are you doing here?” Buffy asked.

“Demon girl cajoled me into giving her and the others a ride.” Spike told her.

“Demon girl?” Buffy asked.

“Anya.”

Buffy nodded, and then all was silent again.  Spike fidgeted nervously, not wanting to get rejected in front of these people.  Buffy was still blushing.

“So, you’re Spike?” Angel said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

“Yeah.” Spike answered, narrowing his eyes at Angel.

Buffy picked up her drink and sipped it, trying to act casual.

“Heard a lot about you.” Angel told him.

Buffy choked on her drink, causing her to go into a coughing fit.  Spike patted her back.

“You ok there, luv?”

Buffy nodded meekly.

‘Oh, just kill me now.’ Buffy thought to her, while glaring slightly at Angel, who looked at the two, amused.

“I have to go to the bathroom.” Darla announced.

Angel turned slightly pink.

“Uh, honey, I don’t think they needed to know that.”

Darla just looked at him.

“Well, I have to pee, and Buffy and Fred need to powder their noses.”

Buffy got the jest of what Darla was trying to imply, and the two guys just looked on, unaware.

“Right.  We’ll be back.” Buffy said, grabbing her purse and Fred’s arm.

Spike sat down in Buffy’s chair.

“So…” Angel started.

“Yeah…” Spike commented, fiddling with a napkin.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy, Darla, and Fred walked into the bathroom.  Fred leaned against a sink and Buffy leaned against a stall door.

“So, spill, sweetie.” Darla said, making her way into a stall and closing the door.

“What are you doing?” Buffy asked.

“I said I had to pee, didn’t I?” Darla said, from inside the stall.

“Right.” Buffy said, sighing.

Fred giggled.

“What are you going to do?” Fred asked.

“Well, I don’t really know.  I wasn’t expecting him to be here.” Buffy said.

“What’s wrong with him being here?” Darla asked coming out of the stall, and going to the sink.

“Nothing, really.  It’s just that…I’m really nervous, I guess.” Buffy admitted.

“Plus, I don’t think he likes Angel very much.” Fred commented.

“Why’s that?” Darla asked, leaning against another sink.

“Well, I don’t want to offend you or anything, but he kept glaring at him.” Fred replied.

“Don’t worry about my offense, Hun.” Darla said, laughing.

Buffy smiled.

“Is that all?”

Fred shook her head.

“The first day when you guys started going out, when we were in class, you sat next to Angel instead of Spike.  I think he may have been offended by the way he was glaring at Angel.”

“Ah, and the jealousy comes out.” Darla said, smiling.

“Why would he be jealous of me and Angel?” Buffy asked.

“Well, you two did go out on a date once, didn’t you?” Darla asked.

“Oh, uh…” Buffy stuttered.

“Don’t worry about it.  We weren’t on speaking terms at the time.” Darla told her. “But, if Spike knew about it, he may think that you two still have something going on.”

Buffy nodded.

“Makes sense.”

Just then, the door opened and Anya came in.

“Hi!” she chirped.

“Hey Ahn.” Buffy replied.

“Girl talk?” Anya asked.

“You know it.” Darla replied.

Anya nodded, looking at Darla curiously.

“I’m sorry.  I don’t know you.”

“Oh!  Sorry.  Anya, this is Darla, Angel’s girlfriend.  Darla, this is Anya, my sister.” Buffy said, making introductions.

“Hi!  Nice to meet you!” Anya said, shaking Darla’s hand.

“Nice to meet you too!” Darla replied, laughing.

Anya turned to Buffy.

“Who are you here with?”

“Angel invited Fred and me to meet Darla.” Buffy replied.

“Oh.  Spike’s here.” Anya told her, walking over to the mirror.

“I know.  I saw him.” Buffy said.

“Did he speak to you?” Anya asked.

“Yeah.”

“Fred thinks he has this thing against Angel.” Darla said.

Anya turned around, nodding.

“Yeah, he does.”

“I knew it!” Fred said, smiling.

Buffy shook her head.

“I don’t understand…”

“When we walked in earlier, you and Angel were dancing.  Of course, being a man, he took it the wrong way.” Anya told Buffy.

“Damn.” Buffy said, shaking her head.

“I had to force him to go talk to you.”

“Damn.” Buffy cursed again.

“You should try to talk to him.  Let him know you and Angel don’t have a thing.” Fred told her.

“Yeah.  I guess.” Buffy replied, sighing.  “You know, Jesse told me that Spike really likes me.”

Anya looked at her a moment before walking over to her smacking her arm.

“Ow.” Buffy said, rubbing her arm. “What was that for?”

“Duh.” Anya said, shaking her head. “You just came to the conclusion that he likes you.”

Buffy looked at Anya and threw her hands in the air.

“How could I tell?  I didn’t want to ask him!”

“You don’t have to ask, you can just read it.” Anya told her. “He wears his emotions on his sleeve, well, his proverbial sleeve, but the thing is, so do you.”

“Ok.” Buffy said, slowly.

“Just talk to him, sweetie.  It’ll make the whole tension thing go away.” Darla told her.

Buffy nodded.

“Fine.  Ok.  We’ll talk.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angel and Spike sat in silence, each silently sizing the other up.

“How long does it take to fix their make up?” Angel asked.

“They’re not fixing their makeup.” Spike said.

“Why else would they go into the bathroom?”

“They’re talking about us.” Spike said.

“Why would they have to go to the bathroom to do that?” Angel asked.

Spike sighed.  This guy was really dense.

“‘We’re going to the bathroom’ is code for ‘we’re going to go talk about you’.  It’s a female code, or something.” Spike said.

“I still don’t get it.” Angel said.

Spike sighed again and decided to change the subject.

“So, you’ve heard about me?”

Angel looked at Spike blankly for a moment, and then nodded.

“Yeah.  A little.”

“Well?” Spike asked.

“Well what?”

“Oh for...“ Spike started, then saw Buffy and the others walking towards them. “Buffy!  So nice to see you!”

Buffy was a little taken aback by Spike’s sudden change in behavior, but smiled.

“Hi again, Spike.”

“Want to dance?” Spike asked, relieved a slow song had come on.

“Sure.” Buffy replied.

Spike held his hand out to Buffy, and she took it.  They walked out onto the dance floor, and Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy.

“So, you and Angel have a nice talk?” Buffy asked.

Spike chuckled.

“What?” Buffy asked.

“He doesn’t talk very much.  He’s a really dense bloke, too.”

Buffy shrugged, not knowing how to reply.

“So, you ladies have a nice talk?” Spike asked.

“What do you mean?” Buffy asked, innocently.

“Come on, I know what you birds were doing.”

Buffy giggled.

“What was that exactly?”

“You were talking about me and the bloke.” Spike replied.

“Maybe.”

Spike nodded, as they continued moving.

“You know, Angel has a girlfriend.” Buffy said, nonchalantly.

“Does he now?” Spike asked.

“Yep.  Darla.  And, you can’t tell anyone though, but, she pregnant.  He’s going to ask her to marry him.” Buffy told him.

“Hmm.” Spike nodded.

Buffy pulled back to look at Spike.

“So, me and him, we’re just friends.”

Spike looked at her for a moment, and then smiled.

“I knew that.”

Buffy shook her head, and let Spike pull her back into his arms.

When the song was over, they headed back to the table.  Buffy sat down, while Spike stood behind her.

“Hey, you guys, I think I’m gonna head out.” Buffy told them.  “If that’s alright with you.” she added, turning to look at Spike.

“Sure, luv.  Want me to take you?”

“What about the others?  And Fred?” Buffy asked.

“I’ll be fine.  Anya already told me to tell her when you guys left.  She said something about Jesse coming late, so he could take us home.” Fred told her.

“Ok.  You’re sure?” Buffy asked.

“I’m sure.  You go.” Fred said.

“Alright.  I guess I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” Buffy said, waving.

Buffy and Spike slowly headed out of the Bronze.  Buffy was jittery, but she took a deep breath, and reached in front of her to grab Spike’s hand.  At the contact, Spike froze and stopped, causing Buffy to run into him from behind.

“What’s wrong?” Buffy asked.

“Uh, nothing.” Spike said, slowly.

“Ok.”

Spike grasped Buffy’s hand and smiled, and they headed out once again, finally reaching the door.  Buffy froze, clutching Spike’s hand, at the person standing in front of them.

“Buffy!  What are you doing?”

‘Great.  Just what I need.’ Buffy thought.

Cordelia stood in front of Buffy and Spike, arms crossed.

“Hi Cordelia.”

Spike stood behind Buffy, their hands still entwined behind her back.

“What are you doing?” Cordelia asked.

Buffy shrugged.

“What, I’m not allowed to go out without your permission?” Buffy asked, pissed off with Cordelia’s attitude.

Spike shifted uncomfortably behind Buffy, trying to look anywhere but at the two girls.

“Excuse me?” Cordelia asked, uncrossing her arms, and walking up to stand in front of Buffy.

“What do you want Cordelia?” Buffy asked again.

“I want to know why you’re with that freak!” Cordelia yelled.

At that last remark, Spike tried to take his hand out of Buffy’s, but she held onto him, not willing to let go.

“I’m here on a date.” Buffy told her.

“But not with him.” Cordelia insisted.

Buffy sighed, shaking her head, which Cordelia took as a no.

“Good.  You’re here with Angel then?” Cordelia asked, grabbing Buffy’s arm to lead her away.

Buffy held her ground, squeezing Spike’s hand tighter.

“I was with Angel, but I met up with Spike.” Buffy told her.

Cordelia looked at her a moment.

“Oh, ok.  So you come here with a totally hot guy, only to dump him for this thing?” Cordelia asked, pointing at Spike, who turned red and looked ready to maim.

“Cordelia!” Buffy yelled, throwing her hands in the air.

Spike took advantage of the fact that his hand was free.  He moved behind Buffy, and walked out the door.

“I came here with Angel and his girlfriend!  Girl. Friend!” Buffy yelled, emphasizing the last part.

“He has a girlfriend?” Cordelia scoffed.

“Yes!  And you know what?  I have a boyfriend!” Buffy yelled turning and stomping out the door.

Spike was standing outside next to his car when he saw Buffy stomp out.  He was pissed, but he knew Cordelia’s attitude towards him wasn’t Buffy’s fault.  He watched her pace next to the wall of the Bronze.  Then she took off, walking across the parking lot.  Cordelia slammed the door open, running up behind Buffy.

“When did you get a boyfriend?” Cordelia asked.

Buffy spun around to face Cordelia.  Spike looked on with interest.

‘She told her we were dating?’ Spike thought.

“A-a few days ago.” Buffy replied.

“Who is it?” Cordelia asked.

“Well, it was Spike, but I doubt he’d ever want to see me again after the little show you pulled in there!” Buffy yelled.

“Oh my god!  Spike!  Why would you want to date him?”

“Because he’s nice and sweet, and he isn’t just dating me to get in my pants!” Buffy snapped, tears of frustration and anger coming to her eyes.

“Buffy, I can’t believe you’d stoop so low as to date him.” Cordelia scoffed.

“Now, what I can’t understand is why she’d stoop so low as to be friends with you!”

Buffy and Cordelia turned to see who spoke.  Jesse stood behind Buffy, arms crossed and staring at Cordelia.

“What did you say?” Cordelia asked.

“I said that you clearly don’t deserve the friendship of a girl like her.” Jesse replied, walking up to throw his arm over Buffy’s shoulder.

“Well, fine.  I don’t have to be friends with you at all!” Cordelia yelled.

“Cordelia, in case you haven’t noticed, we haven’t been friends for a few years now.” Buffy said quietly.

“Well, good riddance then.” Cordelia said, stalking off.

Spike stood at his car, door open, staring at Buffy.

‘Bloody hell.  She tossed her friend for Me. ’, he thought.

Buffy shook her head, letting a few tears slide down her face.

“Damn.” Jesse said.

“Yeah.” Buffy replied, wiping her face.

“That felt really good!” Jesse said, laughing.

“Huh?” Buffy asked.

“Oh, I’m sorry.  I meant that it felt good to tell her off.  I should do that more often.  You think?”

Buffy laughed.

“Yeah.  It was good.  But now I’m practically friendless.” Buffy said.

Jesse smacked her arm.

“Ow.  Why do people keep hitting me tonight?” Buffy complained, rubbing her arm.

“I don’t know who else hit you, but that was for saying you were friendless.  You have friends.” Jesse said, squeezing her shoulder.  “And you have one really devoted boyfriend.” he added, looking at Spike, who was leaning against his car, watching them.

“Come on, Jesse.  Who would want to be friends with me?” Buffy asked.

“I would.  And Willow, Xander, and Oz.  And your sister is an automatic friend, as well as Fred.”

Buffy nodded, and glanced over at Spike, who was now staring at the ground.

“Buffy?”

“Yeah?”

Jesse stood in front of her, fidgeting.

“Do you think, uh, that maybe Fred might go out with me sometime?” Jesse asked.

Buffy smiled and nodded.

“I’m sure she would.  She’s just really shy.  You want me to put a good word in for you?”

Jesse nodded.

“Well, she’s in there now.  I think she was going to catch a ride with Anya.” Buffy told him.

“Alright.  Are you going to get a ride from Spike?” Jesse asked.

“Yeah, I guess.” Buffy replied.

“Well, I’ll see you later then.” Jesse said, giving her a hug and kissing her cheek.

Jesse headed for the door, when Buffy stopped him.  He turned around, eyebrows raised.

“Thanks for what you said back there.” Buffy told him.

Jesse smiled and nodded and headed back to the Bronze.

Buffy sighed, and turned around and screamed.

“Spike!”

Spike stood behind her, hands in his duster pockets.

“I’m not that scary looking, am I luv?” Spike asked, smirking.

Buffy smacked his arm.

“You scared me, you…butthead!”

Spike chuckled.

“Butthead?  No one’s called me a butthead since the third grade.”

This time, it was Buffy who smirked.

“Yeah, well, maybe not to your face.”

Spike laughed, and then his expression turned serious as he looked at Buffy.

“Are you alright, pet?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine.  Really, I’m ok.  So, maybe not ok.  Well, yeah…that was one of the worst moments of my life.” she stuttered, rubbing a hand over her face.

Spike reached out and rubbed her arm.

“It’ll be alright.  You’ll have new friends in no time.”

Buffy nodded.

“So, still up for taking me home?” she asked quietly.

“Sure, luv.”

Buffy smiled, and grabbed his hand in hers.  Spike looked at their entwined hands and smiled, then pulled her to his car.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The ride home was too short for Buffy and Spike.  They both wished he could keep going around the block a few times, as he pulled into Buffy’s driveway.

He turned off the car, and got out, going around to the other side to open the door for Buffy.

They walked to the front porch slowly, holding hands.

‘This time, Anya’s not home to ruin a good moment.’ Buffy thought, suddenly feeling nervous.

They reached the steps and stood in front of the door.

“So, I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” Spike asked.

“Absolutely.” Buffy said.

Then, before she could react, Spike bent down and pressed his lips onto Buffy’s.  She let go of his hand and moved her hand up to cup his cheek.  Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy’s waist, drawing her closer, her body melding into his.  His tongue darted out to run along her bottom lip, begging for entrance.  She parted her lips, and Spike’s tongue entered her mouth.  Buffy pulled Spike’s head closer to her, getting lost in the kiss.  Finally, they pulled back from each other, each panting.

“Wow.” Buffy said.

“Yeah.” Spike agreed.

“So, I, uh…” Spike started, pointing to the car.

“Yeah, you should…” Buffy stuttered, moving towards the door.

Spike nodded, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek.

“Good night.” Buffy said, finally able to form a sentence.

Spike walked backwards off the porch, watching Buffy with a goofy grin on his face.  Buffy fumbled with her keys, grinning at Spike.  He stumbled on the last step and tipped over, but quickly righted himself, and saluted Buffy before running to his car.  Buffy giggled, finally getting the door open.  Once she got inside, she shut the door behind her, leaning against it.

“Yes!” she yelled, pumping her fists up and down, then she ran upstairs.

Monday morning, Buffy woke up with a smile on her face.  She got up, showered, and picked out her outfit for the day.  She settled on a black skirt and a zebra-print tube top.  She curled her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders.  She checked herself in the mirror, and then bounced out of the room.

Buffy came down the stairs to hear Anya talking, she walked into the kitchen and grabbed a banana.  Fred was sitting there, her face bright red.

“Fred, are you ok?” Buffy asked.

Fred nodded.

“Oh, I was just telling her the importance of orgasms to the complexion.” Anya said, nonchalant, as she buttered her toast.

Fred turned redder and Buffy giggled.

“Where do you find this stuff?” Buffy asked.

“Cosmo.” Anya answered, as if she was speaking to an idiot.

Buffy laughed, and Fred giggled along with her.

“What?  It’s a perfectly respectable magazine.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy and Fred walked across the quad toward the others.  Harmony saw Buffy and stopped them.

“Hi Harmony.” Buffy said.

“Oh, uh, hi Buffy.  Um, Cordelia said that we were not supposed to be friends anymore.” Harmony said, looking around nervously.

“Well, she and I are not friends anymore.  But I guess that does mean you too, huh?” Buffy answered.

“I-I guess so.” Harmony said, looking confused.

“Why don’t you think for yourself for once, ok?” Buffy said, smiling softly.

“Um, I gotta go.” Harmony said, quickly walking away.

Buffy turned to Fred.

“You know, she would probably be a decent person if it wasn’t for her habit of following everyone else around.” Buffy said.

“I’ve never actually had any problems with her.” Fred commented.

They started to walk again when Buffy stopped.

“Fred, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.” Buffy said.

Fred looked terrified.

“Oh, it’s not bad!” Buffy quickly amended.

Fred relaxed a little.

“Ok.”

“Yeah, well, I was wondering if maybe you liked a certain someone named Jesse.” Buffy asked, smiling.

Fred blushed and looked down.

“I-I do.  He’s nice.  But I don’t think he likes me.” Fred replied.

“Maybe you’ll be surprised.” Buffy told her, looking over at Spike, who had just joined the others.

“Oh!” Fred yelped.

Buffy jumped.

“What?”

“I meant to ask you about last night.” Fred said, smiling.

Buffy smiled.

“It was awesome, despite the encounter with the beast.”

“The beast?”

“Cordelia saw Spike and I together at the Bronze and flipped.  Basically, I told her to shove it.” Buffy explained.

“That’s good.  Anything else?”

“Well, I finally got smootchies!  Well, a smootchie.  Whatever, it was incredible!” Buffy gushed.

“Yay!” Fred giggled, hugging Buffy.

“I think he might be the one.” Buffy whispered, locking eyes with Spike.  “I can feel it.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy stomped down the hallway.  She hadn’t seen Spike yet, due to the fact that she and Fred spent too much time talking on the quad.  And it was already fourth period, and she hadn’t seen him in class.

‘Maybe he’ll be at lunch.’ Buffy thought.

She dug in her purse for some change.  As she rounded the corner, she hit something hard.

Buffy looked up and giggled.  Spike smiled down at her.

“So, are you going to start tackling me again?” Spike asked, smirking.

Buffy rolled her eyes.

“You know you like it.”, she replied.

Then her eyes widened as she realized how sexual her comment had come out.

Spike chuckled and leaned against the wall next to her.  Buffy leaned back as well, putting her purse on her shoulder.

“So, I, uh, missed you this morning.  I got caught up talking to Fred.  Why weren’t you in class?” Buffy asked.

“Missed me, eh?” Spike asked.

“Well, you are my boyfriend.” Buffy said, quietly.

“I am.” Spike agreed, moving closer.

“And it would make sense for me to want to see you.” Buffy continued.

“And me as well.” Spike agreed.

By now, Spike was leaning against Buffy, her back to the wall, and his hands on the wall on each side of her.  He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, running his tongue along her bottom lip.  She parted her lips, allowing him to slip his tongue inside.  As the kiss deepened, Buffy grabbed Spike’s shirt pulling him closer.  Spike ran his hands down Buffy’s side, causing her to moan and clutch him closer.

“I was wondering where you…hello!” Jesse started, then quickly back up around the corner.  “Goodbye!”

Spike and Buffy sprang apart.  Buffy turned red, and ran her hands over her skirt.

“Jesse?” Spike asked, annoyed they had been interrupted.

“Yeah?” Jesse asked, from the other side of the corner.

He peeked around and gave a small wave.

“Sorry to interrupt Gropefest 2004, but the gang was wondering where you guys were.” Jesse said.

“We were just, uh…” Spike started.

Jesse put his hands up.

“No need to explain.  I have enough Anya-Xander experience to just ignore it.” Jesse said.

Buffy continued to look at the floor.  Spike watched Buffy.

“So.”  Jesse said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jesse, Buffy, and Spike walked over to the gang.  Jesse sat down next to Fred, who had accepted his invitation of dinner and a movie.  Spike and Buffy sat down next to each other.

“So, where were you guys?” Xander asked, munching on a chicken finger.

“Oh, I found them in a corner.  Or rather, around a corner.” Jesse said.

Spike smirked, shaking his head.  Buffy blushed again.

“So, you guys are together then?” Willow asked.

Before Spike could answer, Buffy did.

“Yes we are.  Got a problem?”

“Sorry.  I didn’t mean to offend.” Willow stuttered.

“No, I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have snapped.  It’s just everyone has seemed to have a problem with it.”

“Oh, it’s ok.” Willow said.

Then there was silence.

“Well, it didn’t seem like you two have a problem with it.” Jesse commented, hinting at their deal, and breaking the silence.

“Why would they have a problem?” Anya asked, suspicious.

“I just mean they get along very well, considering the way I found them.” Jesse said, grinning.

“How did you find them?” Xander asked.

“Oh, you know, with the making out…”

“What’s wrong with that?” Buffy asked, frustrated.

“…hands wandering in naughty places…”

“Naughty places?” Anya asked, grinning.

“No naughty places!” Buffy yelled. “It was just kissing!”

Her little outburst caused the nerd trio next to them to gawk at her.  Buffy smiled and waved, causing one to blush, one to choke, and the other to giggle nervously.  The others laughed.

“I was just teasing you know.” Jesse said.

“I didn’t find it funny.” Buffy pouted.

Spike chuckled, and put his arm around her waist, drawing her closer.

“Oh!” Jesse yelled, causing the others to flinch.

“We’re right here buddy.” Xander said.

“I just remembered Buffy and Spike, you guys need to stop by the garage and pick up that thing.” Jesse said.

“Right!” Buffy said, looking at Spike.

“I’ll drive.” Spike said.

“Thing?” Xander asked.

“Yeah, it’s a thing.   That I need to get.” Buffy said.

The bell rang, saving them from interrogation, and they parted, each heading to class.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy met Spike at his car after classes ended for the day.  They drove over to Jesse’s.

They walked in, where Jesse was inspecting the front of the car.

“So, does it look ok?” Jesse asked, standing back.

“It looks great.  Thanks!” Buffy said, hugging Jesse.

“No problem.”

“So, how do we get this thing to the house?” Spike asked.

“Well, I was thinking that Buffy could drive the car, and you could tag along.  And I’ll follow in your car.”  Jesse told Spike.

“No.  Spike can drive.  I don’t trust myself with that thing.” Buffy said.

“Ok.  So Spike drives, Buffy rides, and I follow.  Sound good?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The car made it successfully into the Summers’ garage.  Buffy and Spike said a quick goodbye, and Jesse and Spike left.  Buffy walked into the house, where Fred greeted her from the sofa.  Buffy was about to join her when the door opened.

“Hi girls!  That was one of the longest trips.  I hope I don’t have to go on any that long again.  At least for a long while.” Joyce said, as she came in, struggling with her suitcase.

“Hi mom.” Buffy greeted, helping her slide the suitcase into the room.

“Hi Ms. Summers.” Fred said, standing in the doorway.

“Hello dear.  Did you two have friends over?  I saw a black car leaving the driveway when the taxi pulled up.” Joyce asked.

“Oh, yeah.  That was Jesse, and my boyfriend.” Buffy told her.

“Boyfriend?  Well, I’ll have to meet this boyfriend.” Joyce said, walking towards the kitchen.

Buffy and Fred breathed a sigh of relief.

“Talk about good timing.” Buffy said.

Fred giggled and followed Buffy into the kitchen.

The week went by too fast for Buffy.  All in all, it was a good week.  She and Spike continued their little make out sessions and Fred and Jesse were going on their first date tonight.  No one at school had made any comments about Buffy and Spike.  To them, it just seemed natural that they were together.

Buffy stood in front of her closet trying to decide what to wear.  She knew she should be helping Fred, but she wanted to look good for Spike.  She finally settled on a black tube top mini dress that scrunched up on the sides, leaving little to the imagination.  She left her hair down and let it fall around her shoulders in waves, just the way Spike liked it.  Then she fastened a sparkly necklace around her neck.

“Holy crap, Buffy.”

Buffy turned around to face Anya.

“What?  Does it look bad?”

Anya shook her head.

“You’re going to give Spike a semi.”

Buffy turned red.

“Maybe I should take my leather jacket with me.”

Buffy grabbed her jacket and purse and headed toward Fred’s room, Anya following behind her.

“Whoa.”

Buffy and Anya walked into the room.  It looked like a disaster area.  Buffy walked toward the closet where Fred was tossing out clothes.

“Fred.”

Fred jumped.

“I don’t have anything to wear!” she yelled, tripping over a shoe and falling face first into a pile of clothes.

Buffy and Anya winced and helped her up.

“You have lots of clothes.” Anya said, sifting through the mess.  “Ooh, can I borrow this?”

Fred nodded.

“I look stupid!”

“Have you tried anything on?” Buffy asked.

Fred shook her head.

Buffy sighed and picked out a white sundress with spaghetti straps.

“Put this on.  It’s cute yet comfy.”

Fred nodded and took the dress from Buffy quickly putting it on, while Anya was taking more clothes and Buffy searched for shoes.

They heard the doorbell ring, signaling that the guys had arrived.  Fred shrieked and fell over another pair of shoes.

“Aha!  Those are the ones I was looking for!” Buffy yelled, grabbing the shoes and shoving them at Fred.

Anya ran to the door.

“Just a minute!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Joyce opened the door for the three boys and ushered them in.

“So, you three are the girl’s dates for tonight?” she asked.

They nodded, each of them not daring to speak.

Joyce was about to speak again when the girls came down the stairs.  Anya grabbed Xander and left.  When Fred saw Jesse, she smiled, and they headed out.  Buffy and Spike stood in the room.

“Hello, luv.”

“Hi Spike.”

Spike held out his hand, which Buffy eagerly grabbed.

“We’ll be back by midnight, ok?” Buffy asked her mother.

“That’s fine.  Aren’t you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?” Joyce asked.

“Oh.  Mom this is Spike.  Spike, this is my mom.  I’m sure you know each other.” Buffy said.

“Yes.  We’ve met before.” Joyce said.  “Well, you two better go and have fun.”

“Ok, mom.” Buffy said as she and Spike walked out the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy and Spike walked into the Bronze and headed over to the others.

“Hey guys.” Willow chirped from her perch on Oz’s lap.

“Hey Willow.” Buffy replied.

“Oh Buffy.  Anya and I are going to go shopping for dresses tomorrow.  You and Fred wanna come with?” Willow asked.

“Sure.  I’d love to.” Buffy replied.

“Ok.  I’ll drive.  Pick you up at noon?”

“That sounds good.” Buffy nodded.

“It’s a date then.” Willow said, grinning and grabbing Oz to go dance.

“So, you want to dance, luv?” Spike asked.

“I’d love to.” Buffy replied.

Buffy shrugged her coat off and tossed it onto a chair.  When she turned around, Spike was staring at her, mouth hanging open.

“What?” she asked.

Spike snapped out of his daze and looked up at Buffy.

“You look beautiful, pet.”

Buffy smiled and blushed.

Spike grabbed her hand and led her out onto the dance floor, wrapping her in his arms.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day, the girls arrived at the mall, ready for a day of shopping.  Buffy had called Darla the night before and invited her, but she had already found a dress.  They flitted from shop to shop, none of them finding the perfect dress.

They walked into another shop.

“I hope I find the right one here.” Willow said.

“I know.  I’ve bought so much stuff and not even a dress yet.” Anya complained.

“That’s because you spent an hour in Victoria’s Secret.” Buffy said, laughing.

“So?  At least I get orgasms.” Anya huffed, earning a slap on the arm by an old lady walking by.

“Ow.  What the hell was that for?” Anya asked, setting her bags down.

“I think you offended her.” Fred said, before bursting into a fit of giggles.

Willow burst out of the dressing room wearing a hunter green dress with spaghetti straps and an open back.

“What do you think?” she asked, spinning around.

“It’s perfect, Will.” Buffy said.

Willow squealed and hurried into the dressing room to take it off.

Anya came out wearing a blue salsa dress that ended right above her knees at a slant.

“I think this is a very good one.”

Willow, who had already paid for her dress, nodded and gave the thumbs up sign.

Fred came out wearing a burgundy spaghetti strap dress with a low back.

“Is it too much?”

Anya and Willow shook their heads and gave her the thumbs up.

Finally, Buffy came out.  She was wearing a spaghetti strap dress, which was pink, with a black sheer overlay, making it appear black and deep purple when she moved.

“Does it look ok?”

The three girls nodded, and Buffy went to change.

Once the girls had finished, they headed out.

“What are the odds that we would all find a dress in the same shop?” Willow asked, giggling.

“I liked that shop.  Is it new?” Buffy asked.

“Yeah.  It’s called Charisma.  The dresses are made by this woman from New York, Charisma Gellar.” Anya told them.

“Wow.  She has a good selection.” Fred commented.

“I know.” Willow replied.

“I wonder what the guys are up to today.” Buffy asked.

“I think they were supposed to getting their tuxes fitted.” Anya told them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“So, what’s the what with you and Buffy?” Xander asked, struggling with his tie.

“What are you talking about whelp?” Spike asked, struggling with his own tie.

“I’m talking about the fact that she never gave you the time of day and suddenly…bam! You’re dating her.” Xander explained.

Spike caught Jesse’s eye in the mirror and rolled his eyes.  Jesse snickered and turned away.

“Maybe we like each other.” Spike replied.

Xander stopped messing with his tie and turned to Spike.

“And do you?”

Spike froze and looked at Xander.

“You know I do.  Have ever since she got here.”

Jesse walked back into the room sans tux.

“Are you girls finished yet?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jesse caught Spike alone outside the shop.

“So, what’s with you and Buffy?” Jesse asked.

Spike sighed.

“You know what I want.”

“Why don’t you talk to her?” Jesse asked.

“I just don’t know if she feels the same way.”

“Oh, come on, Spike.  Any idiot can see how much you two belong together.”

“You think so?” Spike asked.

“I know so.”

The gang went back to school on Monday and the week flew by again.  Saturday night arrived and the girls, well Willow, gathered at the Summers’ house to get ready.

Anya left her hair down, and curled it.  Fred had her hair swept up, with a few tendrils hanging down to frame her face.  Willow had her hair swept up as well.  Buffy left hers down and had it curled, with a few crystals in her hair.

They waited upstairs for the guys to arrive in the limo so they could make their dramatic entrance.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The guys arrived in the limo and filed out.  They rang the doorbell and Joyce answered.

“Oh, you boys look so handsome!” Joyce gushed, and ran off to the living room.

After hearing the doorbell, the girls came down one by one.  Willow came down first, followed by Anya, Fred, and Buffy.

The group said their hellos and gathered for pictures at Joyce’s request.  The others left quickly when Joyce’s camera ran out of film.

“Buffy.”

Buffy and Spike stopped and turned.

“I wanted to get a picture of you two.”

Spike smiled.

“Sure, Mrs. Summers.”

Spike wrapped his arm around Buffy and pulled her to his side.  They smiled for the camera and Joyce waved them off, tears in her eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Once everyone was in the limo, they all started talking and laughing.

“Your mom takes so many pictures!” Willow said, laughing.

“I know.  You should see her at Christmas!” Buffy replied.

“And the Fourth of July!” Anya added.

“The Fourth of July?” Spike asked.

“Fireworks!” Anya and Buffy yelled, bursting into laughter.

The others shook their heads, obviously not getting it, and shrugged it off as a Summers’ thing.

“So, where are we eating?” Xander asked, rubbing his hands together.

“The Antonia Graza.” Oz replied.

“Where’s that?” Fred asked.

“It’s an Italian restaurant on the other side of town, near the vineyards.” Oz explained.

“Ooh, Italian!” Buffy gushed, leaning against Spike.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The group arrived at the Antonia Graza and was seated.  A waiter came over to take their orders and left, leaving them to chat amongst themselves.

Spike leaned over.

“You look gorgeous, pet.”, he whispered in her ear.

Buffy smiled.

“You don’t look too bad yourself.  I think I like seeing you in a tux.” Buffy replied.

“Are you saying you don’t like my other clothes?” Spike asked, leaning closer.

“I like your other clothes.  But the tux makes you look really sexy.” Buffy said, grinning.

“Sexy, huh?”

Before Buffy could respond, Spike leaned over and pressed his lips to hers.

“Hey!”

“What, whelp?” Spike asked.

Jesse grinned.

“Caught you again.”

“So?  At least our hands weren’t…oh, what was it?  Wandering in naughty places?” Buffy teased, sticking her tongue out at Jesse.

“How do we know?” Anya asked.

“What?” Spike asked.

“How do we know that your hands weren’t wandering?  They’re under the table.” Anya said.

Buffy blushed and Spike chuckled.

“What’s wrong with a little kiss?” Spike asked.

“Little?” Willow asked, smirking.

“Trying to say something, Red?” Spike asked.

“Oh come on, we’ve all caught you two making out.” Xander said.

“I would think you’d at least get a closet like Xander and I do.” Anya commented.

“There’s nothing wrong with a little pda.” Fred commented.

Everyone looked at Fred, who grinned.

“What?”

“I think you’ve been around Anya too long.” Jesse said, laughing.

“Smootchies are good.” Willow said, giving Oz a grin.

Spike leaned over to Buffy.

“Why don’t we give them something to really talk about?” Spike asked.

Buffy giggled as she and Spike kissed hotly, making the gang laugh and whoop, as well as the others in the restaurant.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The gang arrived at the Bronze.  The theme was A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  There was a waterfall and arches, as well as a fairy circle, made of large pink and purple mushrooms, and a fountain.

They walked over to a table and put their things down and headed out to the dance floor.

An hour went by as they danced and it was time to announce the king and queen.

Harmony and Devon walked onto the stage.

“Hey, what’s up Razorbacks?” Devon yelled.

Everyone cheered.  Buffy leaned against Spike and he wrapped his arms around her.

“So, who do you think it’ll be?” Buffy asked.

Spike leaned down and kissed her neck.

“Should be you.”

Buffy giggled.

“Ok, everyone.  It’s time to announce the King and Queen of the Prom!” Harmony yelled, squealing as she jumped up and down.

Devon whooped again and held up and envelope.

“Here it is!” he yelled.

Buffy saw Angel and Darla and called out to them.  They walked over and Buffy gave Darla a hug.

“You’re showing a little more.” Buffy said, as she resumed her position with Spike.

“Yep.  Not too long now.  A few more months.” Darla said, patting her belly.

“So, Angel, ready to go accept your crown?” Buffy asked, smirking.

“Pssht.” Angel rolled his eyes.

Spike chuckled.

Harmony was still onstage talking, when someone yelled, “Get on with it!”

She giggled and ripped open the envelope.

“And the King of Prom 2004 is….Spike Giles!” Harmony yelled.

Spike froze.

“What?”

“They said your name you doofus!  Go get your crown you hunky king!” Buffy yelled, laughing hysterically.

Spike reluctantly walked up to get his crown and the crowd cheered.

Harmony placed the crown on his head.  Devon ripped open the other envelope.

“And the Queen of Prom 2004 is…”

Cordelia smoothed her hair down and grinned.

“Buffy Summers!”

“What!” Cordelia yelled.

Buffy stopped laughing.

“What?” she asked, repeating Spike’s earlier question.

Spike pointed at her and beckoned her to him.

Buffy walked up to the stage and Devon placed the crown on her head.

“Whoo!” Devon yelled.  “Let’s party people!”

Buffy and Spike walked off the stage laughing.

“What the hell was that?” Buffy asked.

“I have no clue.  How the bloody hell did I win the crown?”

They returned to the table where the gang sat.

“Who nominated us?” Buffy asked.

The others shrugged.

“Let’s dance, my queen.”

They watched as Buffy and Spike headed out onto the dance floor.

“Do you think they suspect anything?” Willow asked.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The night ended and the gang, plus Angel and Darla, headed to the Summers’ house.  Everyone changed and headed downstairs to watch a movie.  By the first half hour of Underworld, everyone was asleep except Buffy and Spike.  Buffy stood up and tugged on Spike’s hand, leading him to the kitchen.

“So, deal’s over.” Buffy stated, pointing to the clock that read midnight.

Spike’s face fell and he nodded.

“Right, then.”

“But, since the car looks so nice, I’m willing to extend it indefinitely.” Buffy said, grinning.

“Just because of the car?” Spike asked, smirking.

“And the tux.”

“What about…us?” Spike asked, moving closer.

“And us.  I like us.  If you like us?” Buffy said, afraid he would reject her.

“I like us too.  But I like you more.”

“You know, I forgot about the deal.” Buffy said.

“Really?”

“Yep.  So, are you going to ask me out anytime soon?” Buffy asked, smirking.

“I thought we covered that, my queen.” Spike replied, kissing her neck.

“That’s good.” Buffy said.

Buffy wrapped her arms around Spike as he leaned her against the counter and claimed her mouth.

“I swear, my brain’s gonna be so warped by the time I graduate.” Jesse mumbled, turning from the kitchen, the couple oblivious to his presence.

~Ellie

Epilogue

Sunnydale High, Graduation Ceremony

“Congratulations Class of 2004.  You all proved more or less adequate.  This is a time of celebration…so sit still and be quiet.” Principal Snyder started.  “Hey, spit out that gum!”

The person in question spit out their gum and Snyder continued.

“Please welcome our distinguished guest speaker, Richard Wilkins the third.”

Everyone clapped as the Mayor walked up to the podium.

“Well, what a day this is.  A special day.  Today you all graduate from high school.  Today, all the pain, all the heartache, and all the excitement is finally over…”

Buffy leaned over to Spike.

“This man is evil.  I know it.”

Spike chuckled and grasped her hand in his.

Buffy zoned out the mayor’s speech as she thought about the last month.  Here they were the now inseparable gang, about to receive their diplomas and go out into the world.  Well, college.  All of them had decided to attend UC Sunnydale.  For Buffy and Spike, the decision was not hard to make.  They wanted to be together for their college years.

Buffy smiled as she thought about their relationship.  A week ago, he gave her a silver ring with an amethyst stone for their one-month anniversary.  That was also the night they gave in to their desires.  Buffy remembered waking up the next morning feeling the happiest she had ever felt in her life.  She and Spike were completely in love with each other and nothing could separate them.

Angel and Darla were still together.  They found out they were having a little boy.  Angel proposed and they were going to get married in a week.  Darla had asked Buffy to be her maid of honor, and Angel had asked Spike to be his best man.  Turns out, Angel and Spike got along very well considering the first impressions of each other.

Xander and Anya were still going strong.  A week after Prom, Jesse asked out Fred and they’ve been together since.  Willow and Oz were still together although their relationship was rocky.  They hit a bump when a new band came into town and the lead singer, Veruca, set her sights on Oz.

And Buffy and Spike never found out how they won King and Queen of the Prom.  Thanks to a little hacking on Willow’s part, the gang snuck into the high school and stuffed the ballot boxes.

“…and so, as we look back on…” the mayor grunted and shook his head. “…on the events that brought us to this day…” the mayor grunted again and blinked.

“See, I told you he was evil!  He’s morphing!” Buffy whispered, causing Spike to chuckle.

“Uh-oh.”, the mayor said, before falling to the floor behind the podium.

“He’s turning into a snake demon!” Buffy whispered again, sinking down into her seat.

“I knew I shouldn’t have let you watch that snake movie marathon with me.” Spike commented.

“Sorry, everyone.  Mr. Wilkins suffers from narcolepsy.” an aide said.

“Oh.” Buffy said, sitting back up.

Spike chuckled and leaned over to kiss her.

“I still think he’s evil.” Buffy commented.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The gang gathered at their tree, each holding their diploma.

“You’d think it’d be bigger, more elaborate.” Xander commented, looking at his diploma.

“I never understood why it’s rolled up.” Anya said, putting her diploma up to her eye and looking through it.

“Well, that was the most fun you can have without having any fun.” Fred said.

“How about the part where we kicked some academic ass!  I liked that.” Willow said.

“Hear, hear!” Jesse yelled.

“So, how about we take off?  I could use some food right about now.” Oz said.

“I’m for it.” Spike replied, snaking his arm around Buffy.

“I could go for some sleep.” Buffy said, yawning.  “If someone could wake me when it’s time to go to college, that’d be great.”

Everyone laughed and was silent, the word ‘college’ practically hitting them in the face.

“Hey, everybody take some time to think about this…we survived.” Spike said.

“It was a hell of a battle!” Buffy said, grinning.

“We survived high school.” Xander said quietly.

Everyone was silent again as they thought about what was said.

“We’re taking a moment…” Oz said.

“And we’re done.” Jesse commented, as everyone turned to leave Sunnydale High School behind.

A/N: And that’s all.  I’m thinking of a sequel, which is leaning toward the yes side.  Just look out for it, but it may not be out until late May or so.  I’ll keep my journal and group updated though.