Overview: Teenage boy clichés, S/B fun, and all the fluff you could ever need!

Rating: PG (which I blame all on Buffy and her dirty mouth)

Disclaimer: All these characters belong to Joss Whedon and all the other masterminds behind 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. Well, except one who's allllllll mine.

Feedback: Yes, please!

Setting: Post 'Gone'.
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'Why are you worrying so much about this,' Buffy thought after trying on about 1.2 thousand outfits that night. She had invited Spike over to talk about their relationship, if they had one that is. And she found herself unexpectedly nervous. 'Relax, Buffy, it's just Spike. Remember? That evil, bloodsucking-oh! I wonder if he'd like that skirt...'

About a half an hour later, Buffy was ready. She was trying to capture that I'm-not-trying-to-impress-you-I'm-just-naturally-pretty look.

"Why are you so dressed up?" Anya asked as Buffy entered the kitchen.

"Oh... um, it's nothing. Just felt like, you know, looking pretty!" Buffy replied, fidgeting a little.

"No complaints here!" Xander chimed in, looking the slayer up and down.

Anya scowled at her fiancée, "Xander, eyes!"

"Oh, right," he said, turning to look lovingly at his ex-demon.

"So I thought you guys were going out tonight. To a movie or something," Buffy said impatiently.

'Meaning get out now!' She thought, imagining a run-in between Xander, Anya, and Spike where Spike gloats about being invited over by the slayer to discuss their 'relationship'.

"Yeah but we're waiting for Willow since she's been a washed-up Wiccan recently," Xander said.

"Xander forced me to invite her," Anya added. "Meaning we can't make out in the back. But he does have very powerful methods of persuasion so..."

The two lovers gazed at each other again in a sickening lovey dovey way.

"Anyway, that means you guys are leaving soon, right?" Buffy's words echoed her impatience already shown by her twitchy movements.

"Hey, do you want to come with us?" Xander asked not seeing her impatience.

"Uh." Buffy quickly searched for an excuse. "No thanks, guys, I gotta stay home and look after Dawn."

"No you don't, Dawn's going on a tour-de-hormones tonight." Xander replied.

"Huh? Translate please?" asked the clueless slayer.

"She's going on a date," Anya clarified.

"Well I was the last to know."

Buffy was more than a little disappointed about finding out her sister had a date and didn't tell her. But her friends didn't notice this because just then Willow descended the stairs.

"Ready to go, Will?"

"Uh-huh," was the unconvincing reply. It was clear she was still getting use to life without magic. And Tara. But that's why she was going out, to cheer up and escape all things magic.

"Okay! Great! So you're all ready now and you can leave!" The slayer cried, almost to the point of physically forcing her friends out of the house.

"Breathe, Buff, we're leaving," Xander said, voicing the surprise of the group.

"Sorry, just a little antsy to go out patrolling." Buffy silently kicked herself. She hated lying to her friends but she couldn't tell them, not yet. 'Besides,' she thought, 'maybe I'll still get in a quick sweep tonight. So it wouldn't be totally untrue...'

"Bye Buffy!" Willow called, trying to sound cheerful as her friends dragged her out the door.

"Bye! Have fun!"

The door shut. All alone. Except for Dawn but she was upstairs in her room.

'I hope he gets here soon,' Buffy thought as she checked her hair again.

Suddenly, she heard a knock.

"Speak of the devil..." she muttered as she walked to the door.

Taking a dramatic, and very unnecessary breath, Buffy pulled open the door.

"Um, hi, is Dawn here?"

The face that greeted Buffy was not of an ageless vampire but of an awkward, post-pubescent teenage boy.

"Sure," Buffy replied than walked to the bottom of the stairs. "Dawn! Your date's here!"

"I'm not ready!" screeched the moody teenager from her room.

"Hurry up then!"

When Buffy turned back to the door, Dawn's date had been joined by Spike who was in the process of sizing up the stranger.

"Who's this wanker?" Spike asked, pointing to the now even more nervous boy in the door.

Sometimes Buffy could not believe she tolerated Spike.

"Spike! He's Dawn's date!" Buffy scolded.

"Oh is he?"

The boy offered his hand. Spike eyed the sweaty palm suspiciously. Then, realizing that Buffy was attempting to burn holes into him with her eyes, took the boy's hand and shook heartily. They all fell into an awkward silence.

"This is insane!" Buffy declared suddenly and stomped back to the stairs. "Dawn!"

"Hold on!" Dawn shouted back.

Again, Buffy turned back to the door to see Spike and the nervous boy. But this time Spike was scowling silently.

"Soo... you got her flowers?" Spike asked not-so-casually.

"Yup," the boy replied, looking down unsurely at his bouquet.

"Roses... hm..." Spike mused slowly. "You know she likes daisies."

"Spike!" Buffy again intervened.

"I was just saying...."

'Is he jealous of a 15 year old or is this weird vampire big brother instincts?' Buffy smiled at the thought of Spike feeling protective of Dawn. 'Of course, he had been even before Dawn enter the wondrous world of dating.'

"Dawn!" The boy cried joyfully, breaking Buffy's musings and Spike's icy stare. "Thank heaven."

"I'm ready, Randy," Dawn called cheerfully.

Spike stifled a laugh and the ladies of the house both shot him their nastiest looks.

"I noticed you're still standing outside," Dawn added in an annoyed voice.

"With your track record so far? We're not inviting him in!" Spike replied.

Again, the girls shot him dirty looks as Randy just looked confused. Quickly Dawn linked arms with Randy and as she led him off, Spike stopped the couple.

"What are you wearing?" He asked in disgust.

"Damnit Spike, just let them go!" Buffy cried, getting everyone's attention.

"Right then, you two run along and have a grand time," Spike said, rushing the two teens down the walkway. "And remember..." Randy looked back and Spike gave him an evil, disapproving look. Randy gulped the way awkward teenage boys always do before exiting scenes and was off.

Before anyone else decided to show up, Buffy closed and locked the door. She then looked up into Spike's eyes. Not able to take their undeniable beauty, Buffy looked away. This all seemed so easy when she planned it out. But, as always, it's easier said than done. All the disruptions had made Buffy loose her nerve and Spike didn't seem to be his usual chatty self. Or he just wanted her to suffer. Either way, she had to do something.

"Spike, I need to. I uh..."

"Huh?"

"I..."

'Oh well,' Buffy thought and grabbed Spike's arm, pulling his lips to hers.

Midlock, the door swung open. Conveniently, in stepped Willow, holding a key, Xander, and Anya (and Dawn with her date just for good measure).

"We realized we needed money..." Willow began to explain.

Buffy broke off her kiss with Spike and looked to her friends guiltily.

"Oh, you guys, I..." But Buffy's voice stopped.

"Not much for finishing sentences tonight, love," the ever-helpful Spike observed.

'Now he chooses to speak,' thought Buffy.

"Well, I was going to..." She tried again.

Xander waved his hand dismayingly.

"It's okay, we kinda already knew," Willow put in shyly.

"Yeah, it was pretty obvious," added Anya encouragingly.

"Push-ups, Spike? C'mon!" Xander exclaimed.

Spike shrugged. "I guess we're caught."

"But, aren't you mad at me?" Buffy asked fearfully, looking between her friends.

They didn't answer for a second and Buffy panicked.

"You've been going through a lot. I mean, it would've been nice for you to tell us, though," Willow said thoughtfully.

"We understand that you would want to hid it. Spike? Seriously?" Xander said but his voice showed that he was just teasing.

Buffy sighed in relief, tears filling her eyes. 'I love my friends.'

"So, slayer, you were saying?" Spike asked with the same impatience Buffy had earlier.

Everyone looked at the slayer intently. 'Great, an audience, it wasn't hard enough earlier.' Buffy thought bitterly.

"I guess I was trying to say that." Buffy glanced at her feet and then into Spike's eyes, trying to gather her strength. "I love you."

A look of shock crossed Spike's handsome face then a look of utter happiness. He gathered Buffy into his arms and kissed her passionately.

"This is better than a movie any day," Anya cried happily. "And I don't have to spend any on my money to see it!"

"Where's the tissues when you need them?" Xander sniffed.

"Can I go back to bed now?"

"Yes, Willow," Buffy said, pushing Spike gently away from her.

"And can we go because I'm not sure why we're even here. We just appeared without explanation to make it easier on the author," Randy said meekly.

"Yes, yes," said the still smiling slayer.

Soon everyone milled off their separate ways leaving Spike and Buffy alone again.