Buffy giggled as her best friend spun her around in his parents' back yard. He twirled her until she began to feel dizzy.
"Spike, stop or I'm gonna puke on you" she shouted through laughs. He stopped and planted her back on the ground, holding onto her arms to make sure she was balanced. "You know I hate when you do that!"
"All the more fun it is to do it to you, goldilocks" Spike laughed at her. They had been best friends and neighbors since Buffy was in second grade, Spike was a manly fourth grader at the time. Now here they stood seventeen and nineteen, Spike's 20th birthday in just 6 days.
"You know sometimes I hate you" Buffy laughed, regaining her balance and pushing him away. "You always get me when I'm off guard."
"Of course, that's when it's the most fun" he smiled. They began to walk together in to this house and to the kitchen. "You hungry, Buff?"
"Duh" Buffy laughed. They had met after school like this for the past nine years and Buffy never turned down food. He laughed too. It really was a dumb question to ask. He opened the cupboard to find something to eat. "What will it be?" She joined him at the cupboard and grabbed a box of macaroni and cheese. He rolled his eyes, she was so predictable.
"Come on, luv, anything else."
"Please?" She attempted her best puppy dog eyes.
"Bloody hell." He knew he wouldn't win this, he never won. He took the box from her and went to the stove. She smiled and sat on one of the stools by the island. Spike took out a pot and began to make the mac and cheese for them.
"So, where are your mom and dad?" Buffy asked.
"Pop had this conference in England, took mum with him" Spike told her.
"It must be nice having the house to yourself all the time" Buffy said. "My mom never goes away so she's never gone for more than the time it takes her to go to work."
"It has its perks" Spike told her, stirring the pot. She stood up and walked to the liquor cabinet and pulled out the Jack Daniels.
"Like this" she smiled, bringing it over to the island and going to the cupboard to get two shot glasses.
"Hey, I'm not holdin your hair if you barf this time, goldilocks" Spike told her.
"Yeah, yeah" Buffy mocked and poured two shots. "Afraid you can't keep up with me?"
"Is that a challenge?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Maybe" she smirked at him and they both took the shots. Buffy made her usual liquor face and put the shot glass back down on the island, pouring another. She poured another into Spike's glass as well and took her shot, Spike following. She put the shot glass back down and poured yet another shot.
"Whoa, slow down there, luv" Spike advised. Buffy took the shot.
"Fine, I'll switch to wine" she told him, stumbling over to the fridge. Spike turned off the stove so that the mac and cheese wouldn't burn. Buffy brought the wine bottle over to the island and poured herself a glass and took a sip.
"If you're going to drink all that at least eat something" Spike told her, putting some mac and cheese into a bowl and handing it to her.
"Okayyy" she said, taking a spoonful into her mouth. "I heard Angel has a new girlfriend already" she told him after a few beats of silence. Angel had recently broken up with her—for the 10th time this year. Buffy and Angel had been going out for two and a half years, but were very on-again off-again. Every time Angel would dump her it would break her heart and she'd end up at Spike's, liquor bottle in hand. She had spent far too many drunken nights mooning over him in Spike's opinion.
"Would you forget that ponce already?" Spike told her, taking a beer out of the fridge and opening it. "He's broken your heart already how many times?"
"He just doesn't know what he wants" Buffy said, sipping her wine.
"Why do you do this to yourself? Captain cardboard dumps you, breaks your heart into a million pieces and then comes back wanting forgiveness and instead of tellin him to go stick it like you should be you take the git back, letting him hurt you over and over" Spike said, growing annoyed.
"Why are you getting mad at me?" Buffy asked, now starting to feel very intoxicated and emotional.
"I'm not mad at you, luv. I just hate to see my best friend like this is all" he told her. She pouted her lip out and stumbled over to him.
"I'm so glad we're best friends, Spike" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you so much!"
"Right, love you too, pet" he told her, patting her on the back. Honestly, her drunken love fits made him a little uncomfortable. It was hard for him to see her as a grown woman. He had known her most of their lives. He often still saw her as that little girl he used to know.
"Why do you think Angel doesn't want me?" Buffy asked, still holding onto Spike. She turned her head and snuggled into his chest, the liquor and wine staring to make her sleepy.
"Umm, cuz he's a total moron" Spike said and she smiled, her eyes still closed. "Maybe we should let you sleep this off, aye, luv?"
"Mmm" she snuggled into him more. He smiled and shook his head at her. She was a total lightweight.
"Come on" he said, picking her up into his arms. She was asleep now, her head on his shoulder as he carried her to the couch. He carefully laid her down and covered her with a blanket.
"Spike" she called, half asleep.
"Yeah, luv?"
"I think…I think I'm gonna puke" she told him, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Oh, balls" he muttered, running to the kitchen to get a bucket for her. He had cleaned up after that way too many times and he didn't intend to tonight. He hurried back over to her, placing the bucket under her just in time. She began puking into the bucket and he shook his head, smiling at her and pulling her hair back so she didn't get puke in it.
"Oh, god" she said through heaves. She puked some more and he cringed. Finally the vomiting stopped and she collapsed on the pillow.
"You alright, pet?" he asked her, moving the bucket to the side of the couch.
"I think so" Buffy told him.
"Let me get you some water" Spike said and got a glass of water from the kitchen. Buffy sipped it slowly.
"Thanks" she said quietly.
"That's what I'm here for" Spike told her. Buffy placed the glass on the end table beside the couch and laid down. "Get some rest now. You have school in the morning."
"Uh, don't remind me" Buffy whined and quickly fell back to sleep.
Buffy woke to the feeling of Spike shaking her and the room was bright with sunlight. Buffy winced in pain and covered her eyes.
"Spike, the light. Close the blinds please"
"Sure thing, luv" Spike said, closing the blinds for her. Buffy slowly sat up, rubbing her head. "Here". He handed her a cup of coffee and two aspirin.
"Thanks" she said, taking the aspirin with a sip of coffee. "I should go home and change."
"And quickly, if you're late again your mum's gonna have a bird" Spike told her. Buffy sighed and got up and went over to her house, entering through the front door.
"Buffy, there you are. Why did you stay at Spike's last night?" Joyce asked.
"We fell asleep watching movies" Buffy lied. "I'm gonna go get ready for school."
"And hurry" Joyce called after her as she ran up the stairs. Buffy went into her room and got dressed and brushed out her hair. She left her hair down. She was hung over and in no mood to dress up in any way. After putting on a simple pair of jeans and a black tank top she put on her black flip flops and gathered her stuff before running back downstairs.
"Do you need a ride to school, honey?" Joyce asked her.
"Nah, Spike's gonna do it" Buffy said and rushed out and back over to Spike's house.
"You ready?" he asked her, meeting her at the front door with his keys.
"Yeah." She said, putting on her sunglasses.
Spike dropped Buffy off in front of her high school and Buffy went inside to meet her other friends. At their usual table sat Willow, Tara, Faith, Xander, Oz and Cordelia.
"Hey, guys" Buffy greeted them.
"Hey, B, you look like crap" Faith told her.
"Thank you, Fai, that's great" Buffy said sarcastically.
"Rough night?" Xander asked Buffy.
"Too much drinky drinky" Buffy told him.
"That's starting to become a pattern with you, girl" Cordelia pointed out and got looks from Willow, Faith and Tara.
"Hey" Buffy said defensively. "I'm just going through stuff right now. Spike understands, that's why he drinks with me instead of scolding me about it."
"No one's scolding, Buff" Xander told her.
"It just hurts…so much" Buffy said. "All I can seem to do is think about Angel, day in and day out. He gets to move on to the next girl and be happy and…I just hurt."
"Buffy…" Willow said sympathetically.
"So, yeah, I drink. Drinking helps me forget about Angel and be happy again" Buffy said.
"It's gonna get better" Faith assured her.
"People keep saying that, but it isn't. It isn't getting better. If anything it's getting worse" Buffy said.
"I'm sorry" Willow said, hugging her.
"Why don't we go to The Bronze tonight?" Faith suggested. "We could dance away some of that stress."
"You know what? That actually sounds like a great idea" Buffy said, wiping away the little bit of tears that had started to fall. "I'll see if Spike wants to join us."
"He can be wheel man" Xander said.
"Okay, I have to get to French class. Spike and I will pick you guys up around 8:30."
"Sounds like a plan" Faith told her and they all went their separate ways.
The end of the day came pretty quickly and Spike was there to pick Buffy up. He had graduated a year earlier and a few girls were beginning to suspect there was something going on between Spike and Buffy.
"Uh, what a whore" Regina said as she and her friend Kylie watched Buffy get into Spike's car. They were in Buffy's class and Regina had been crushing on Spike since the beginning of last year when he changed his look.
"You're just jealous she got to him first" Kylie spat playfully and Regina glared at her.
"I knew they weren't just friends spending all that time together. What guy would pick a girl up from school every day if he wasn't banging her?" Regina asked. "I gotta do something."
"Like what? Throw yourself at him?" Kylie asked.
"No, dummy. I'm just gonna…sway him my way" Regina told her.
"How?" Kylie asked.
"Watch and learn" Regina said, smiling.
Spike pulled into his driveway and turned off the car. He and Buffy got out and she followed him into his house, going into the living room and making themselves comfortable.
"So you're comin tonight, right?" Buffy asked him, hugging a pillow to her chest.
"Not really in the Bronzing mood, pet" Spike told her, laying across the couch. She was seated on the loveseat.
"Oh come on, please?" she begged. She went over and knelt by his side. "Please, please, please, please?" she repeated.
"You just need a wheel man" he told her.
"That is so not the only reason I want you to come" Buffy protested.
"I just don't know, luv" he hesitated. He really wasn't in the mood to go out tonight. She straddled him, sitting upright on him.
"I'll be your best friend" she smiled at him.
"You already are" he said, looking up at her, his hands on her hips.
"Fine, got me there. Come on, what do I have to do to convince you?" she asked him and then got a mischievous look on her face. "What if I let you take me, right here?"
"Uh, w—what?" he asked, moving her off of him so he could get up.
"I'm just kidding, Spike, jeez. Am I that undesirable that you get grossed out at the mere idea of doing it with me?" Buffy asked.
"Of course not. You're my best friend, Buffy. I couldn't…we couldn't" he sighed with frustrated. "Sex ruins friendships."
"Well I was just kidding, cuz I knew you'd freak" Buffy teased.
"I didn't freak, it's just…never gonna happen, not between us" Spike said and sat back down. "Okay, luv, I'll go to the Bronze with you."
"It's fine" she sighed. "You don't have to if you really don't want to." She got up to head out.
"Hey" he grabbed her arm and pulled her back toward him. "Don't you ever, for a second, think that I don't find you attractive…it's just…I love you, you know that."
"I know" she smiled, kissing him on the cheek before leaving. She went back home to get ready. She was bummed that Spike wasn't going to join them, but that didn't mean they couldn't still have fun. After getting ready she prepared to leave. Just as she pulled out her phone to call everyone and tell them to meet her at The Bronze she heard a knock on the door and opened it to find Spike standing there with his keys in his hand.
"What are you doing here?" she smiled.
"A night handing with you at The Bronze sounds pretty good after all" he told her and she squealed, jumping into his arms and hugging him.
"Yay!"
"We should be going, gotta pick up your mates, right?" he asked.
"Yep" she said, hooking arms with him and shutting the door behind them. They got into his car and headed for Faith's house.
A half hour later they had Faith, Willow, Tara and Xander in Spike's big car and were heading for The Bronze, Buffy sitting up front with Spike.
"Does anyone know who's playing tonight?" Tara asked.
"No one we know" Buffy told her as she switched stations on the radio.
"Bloody hell, goldilocks. Leave a bloke's radio alone, will ya?" Spike asked as he turned it back to his favorite rock station. Faith and Xander looked at each other. They had a secret bet with each other to see how long it would take Buffy and Spike to hook up. Faith had money on a month and Xander said it'd be more like two or three months.
"This is not music" Buffy complained at the song blaring from Spike's speakers. He rolled his eyes at her.
"You don't know music" he told her.
"So…" Xander attempted to change the subject.
"Are you sleeping at my house tonight, luv?" Spike asked Buffy.
"Yeah, if you don't mind" Buffy told him.
"Course not" he told her.
"Your bed is a lot more comfy than mine anyway" Buffy said. Faith and Xander smirked at each other.
"I spent $2,500 on the damn thing, it better be" Spike said.
"In the same bed? Wow" Faith spoke up.
"It isn't like that, Faith. We've always slept in the same bed. It's no big deal" Buffy assured her as they pulled into the Bronze parking lot and Spike parked the car. They piled out of the car and headed into The Bronze, finding a table and sitting down.
"There's a lot of people here tonight. I'm surprised we found a table" Willow said.
"Who wants to dance?" Buffy asked, she was eager to get on the dance floor.
"Me" Faith said. Buffy and Faith walked to the dance floor followed by Xander, Willow and Tara. Spike continued to sit at the table, watching Buffy dance with her friends. He was surprised that he was getting turned on, watching her sway her hips to the music, her hands over her head. Spike shook it off, he couldn't feel that way about Buffy. She continued to dance and he continued to watch her. He realized that he couldn't take his eyes off of her. As the song came to an end she looked over toward him and began to walk over.
"Hey" she said once she got to the table. "Why aren't you dancing?"
"You know me, pet. Not much of a dancer" he told her and she rolled her eyes and pulled him up.
"You are going to join in the fun tonight" she demanded as she drug him toward the dance floor.
"Buffy" he protested.
"I don't want to hear it" she told him as another song came on. She had her hands interlocked with his and began to dance with him. He reluctantly joined in. Everyone else was dancing too, moving around them.
"The things I do for you, goldilocks" Spike smiled at her.
"Well, duh, you love me" she smiled back as they continued to dance. He shook his head at her.
"Yes I do" he told her. When the song ended they stopped. "Uh…I'm gonna go have a smoke." He walked out, rather quickly and Buffy stood there for a minute, looking on as if he was crazy.
"Where'd Spike go?" Faith asked, coming up to her.
"Outside" Buffy shook it off and went over to their table, Faith following.
"You think Spike has an extra cigarette?" Faith asked and Buffy shrugged.
"I'm gonna go see" Faith told her. Willow and Tara came up to them.
"You guys aren't dancing" Willow said.
"I'm gonna go have a cigarette" Faith told her and headed outside. Buffy sat down at the table, as did Willow and Tara.
"Are you okay, Buffy?" Willow asked.
"Yeah" Buffy said and took a drink from her cup. "I think I embarrassed Spike."
"With the dancing, a—and the sexiness?" Tara asked which received a look of jealousy from Willow. "I didn't think so, I was just sayin her and Spike were all spicy and…I'm gonna stop explaining things."
"It was just a dance" Buffy said. Willow and Tara looked at each other. "What?"
"Nothing" Willow tried ending the conversation, but Buffy could tell they weren't telling her something.
"Guys, come on, what?" Buffy asked.
"It's just…" Tara tried.
"It's just…it looked like a little more than a dance to us" Willow explained.
"Meaning?" Buffy crossed her arms.
"You two looked…" Willow looked to Tara for help.
"Cozy" Tara offered.
"Guys, this is Spike we're talking about. My best friend since forever" Buffy reminded them.
"Yeah…but you two have been spending a lot of time together, and things change" Willow said.
"Not this" Buffy told them.
"Okay."
"If you say so." Tara and Willow both had looks of doubt on their faces.
"I say so" Buffy insisted.
Meanwhile Faith made her way outside where Spike was sitting on the curb smoking a cigarette. Faith joined him.
"Got an extra one of those?" she asked him.
"Sure thing, luv" Spike said, holding out his open pack of cigarettes to her and she took one. He offered her a flame from his lighter and she lit the cigarette and took a puff of it.
"Thanks."
"No problem" Spike said.
"So, you and B looked like you were having fun dancing" Faith said.
"Just two friends having a good time" he told her.
"Are you saying that you've spent all this time with B and never once had feelings other than friendship for her?" Faith asked. Spike looked at her, but didn't answer. "That's what I thought."
"It's not like that, pet" Spike said, taking one last puff of his cigarette before flicking it to the ground.
"How is it?" she asked.
"Enjoy the rest of your cigarette" he said and walked back into the club to find Buffy. He found her still sitting at the table.
"Hey" she said when she saw him.
"Listen, luv, I'm gonna push off okay" he said.
"What? Why?" she asked.
"First that dance, and then you send your friends out to 20 questions me to see how I feel about you. Buffy, it's too much, okay" he told her. She didn't know what to say. What did he think she was trying to do?
"Spike—" she tried, but he cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"I'll see you later" he said and walked out, leaving her alone again. She sat there, dumbstruck for a minute. What the hell did Faith say to him that he thought she was trying to—she shook the thought out of her head as Faith came back to the table.
"What the hell did you say to Spike? He's totally wigging" Buffy asked her.
"The way you guys were dancing, I just asked him if he felt anything other than friendship for you" Faith told her.
"Oh my god, you didn't" Buffy said. "What is wrong with you?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't know he'd react like that" Faith told her.
Spike was driving. He knew he handled the situation with Buffy badly. He had totally overreacted and now there was friction between them. He picked up his phone to call her and then set it back down again. He didn't know what to say. As he picked it up again it began to ring and her picture came across the screen. She was calling him. He answered the phone.
"Ello, luv" he said.
"Don't use that English charm with me now William" she said angrily. "What the hell was all that about?"
"Faith said—" he began.
"I don't care what Faith said. Did you ever stop to think that was just Faith being Faith?" Buffy asked with annoyance in her voice.
"I'll come get you" Spike told her.
"Don't bother, I already started walking" she said. He slammed on the breaks.
"What? No, you can't walk home alone" he told her and he could hear her scoff on the other end.
"Oh please, like I'm some damsel in distress. It isn't that far, I'll be fine" Buffy said as she continued to walk toward home. Spike did a U-turn, tires screeching as he sped back toward the club.
"I'm coming to get you, luv" he told her.
"Spike—" she tried to protest, but he cut her off.
"You are not walking home—this late—alone" he told her. He drove a little more until he saw her walking and hung up the phone. He stopped the car next to her and got out. "Anything could have happened to you."
"Relax" Buffy said.
"Get in the car" he demanded and she did as he asked. He got in to and started for home.
"I'm sorry, I should have asked you to come get me" she told him. He shook his head at her, annoyed that she had put herself in danger.
"You drive me crazy sometimes, Buffy. You do reckless things, you don't think about the consequences of your actions" Spike said.
"Sorry, dad" Buffy pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. Spike looked at her and chuckled.
"I just care about you is all" he told her and she gave him a small smile.
"I know you do" she said. "Can we just go to your place and watch a movie? Forget this night ever happened?"
"Definitely" he agreed. They soon pulled into his driveway and got out. Buffy looked over at her house, all the lights were out. She followed Spike into his house and he turned on the lights as they waked into the living room. She plopped down on the couch and he plopped down next to her.
"I'm beat" she said, yawning and stretching. She kicked her shoes off and Spike went over to the DVD player.
"What will it be, luv?" he asked.
"Happy Gilmore" she told him. He took the movie out of its case and put it in the DVD player and rejoined her on the couch. She snuggled into him, laying her head on his shoulder. He took the blanket off the couch and covered both of them, stretching out so that he was comfortable.
"You're my best friend you know" she told him. She placed her hand on his hand, interlocking her fingers with his.
"Always" he told her. Neither of them made it through the movie. By the time the credits started rolling they were both fast asleep, tangled in each other.