Buffyrella
A classic fairytale with a Hellmouth twist.
Disclaimer: The characters from Buffy are not mine, sadly. They belong to the people at Fox, the WB, UPN and of course the Evil Mastermind of all things Buffy, Joss Whedon.
Description: My submission to Effulgent Embrace's fanfic challenge. Cinderella, as it would have been told if it occurred with the characters of BtVS. B/S shiper fic.
Spoilers: Set in early season two, right before School Hard.
Rated: PG
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"Work, work, work ... that's all I do!" Buffy complained.
"Being the Slayer isn't work Buffy," Giles told her, "It's your calling. Come to think of it though, perhaps an after school job would be just the thing to teach you a little responsibility."
"I'm responsible," Buffy protested, "I brush my teeth every single day. And I go to classes, most of the time. And I can't vote yet, but as soon as I can I totally plan to actually register."
Giles was not swayed by her powers of persuasion. "You slack off of your duties to have fun with your friends! Last week you shirked your fencing practice because Payless was having a two for one deal on sandals."
"If you want me to slay demons, I need to have proper arch support! I don't recommend kicking butt barefoot."
"Sandals? What kind of person slays vampires in sandals? Perhaps the ancient Greek slayers did, although my studies have never been very detailed on accounts of personal fashion-"
Buffy cut him off, lest he go on and on about Slayer lore. She'd been down that gravy train, and it was called boredom. "Besides, how many times am I gonna fence with a demon anyway?"
"That's not the issue. You have to be prepared to handle all kinds of weaponry, and not just limit yourself to crossbows and stakes."
"You forgot Holy Water. I'm a big fan of the holy water. A little wet, but no nasty demon ooze stains!"
"You are incorrigible," he reprimanded.
"Face it Giles, I'm never gonna fence a demon. And if I do, he's not gonna follow proper fencing etiquette anyway. You might as well teach me to fight a demon with pocket lint."
"Now lint actually can be a quite effective tool when handling a Flabbergast demon. That particular species of demon is known for their obsessive compulsive tidiness, and will stop their activities, be they violent or otherwise, to clean an object if they find it to be dirty. Lint is one of their pet peeves."
" Quick census. Land of bored in the kingdom of boredonia. Resident 1: Buffy. Look, I'm taking tonight off and that's final. No lint monsters. No swords. No slaying. I. Am. Going. To. Party."
"Go to that party and I'll...."
"What, attack me with pocket lint? Gotta run. I'm outie."
***
"How goes things with Angel?" Willow asked eagerly. "Details please.
"It's over," Buffy told her.
"Ouch. I was hoping for smoochies. How over is over? Did you have a fight?"
"Look up 'over' in the dictionary and there's a picture of me and Angel. And possibly those pants" Buffy added as a girl in hideous plaid slacks walked by. "We didn't have a fight. We didn't have anything. As usual."
"You sound bitter."
"Because I am!" Buffy exclaimed. "He completely ignores me, unless of course there's some big bad afoot that he needs me to kill! What, he can't take a minute or two away from his busy schedule of brooding and fixing his perfect hair? I need some attention dammit!"
"Speaking of attention. You and me one on one tonight!" Willow told her. Buffy gave her an odd look. Willow realized her comment had sounded somewhat suggestive. She quickly clarified. "Me, tutoring you on your math homework!"
"Sure we can do that, after I go to the Bronze."
"Buffy, you're failing and you need full marks on all your homework if you even want to be in the same universe as passing."
"Can't I just flirt with the teacher and hope he gives me a solid D?"
Willow was shocked at the suggestion. "First off, ewwww. Second, it's important that you learn this stuff."
"Why?" Buffy asked. "So I can become a useful member of society? I'm the Slayer. I have my work cut out for me for the rest of my life. A diploma isn't going to change any of that. So you see the issue is not will I be studying tonight, it's will you be coming with me to the Bronze with me?"
Willow placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder, convinced the Slayer's feelings of duty would quickly overcome this burst of rebellion. "I'll be over at eight. Have your calculator ready."
***
"Work, work, work," Buffy bitched, "That's all I do." Buffy slammed the door as she entered her home.
"What's that honey?" Joyce wanted to know.
"Nothing. Look, you don't mind if I go out tonight do you?" Buffy asked hopefully.
"Not at all." Buffy's heart did a little snoopy dance of joy. "After you finish your chores. There's a stack of dishes here threatening to out tower the empire state building. Not to mention the trash hasn't been taken out all week," Joyce pointed out. Buffy's heart ceased it's dance, rolled over and played dead. "Plus, weren't you supposed to meet with Willow and study?"
"Oh I've studied already," Buffy promised. She had. Well, she had looked through her math book and left little doodles in it. That had to count for something. "I've got a game plan for the test." Hope, guess a lot and when in doubt, mark all mark all C's. She sure hoped it was a scantron test.
"That's great honey. I'm so proud of you!" Joyce gave her a hug. "Now get cracking on those dishes.
Buffy rolled her eyes and started scrubbing. She was halfway through the previously mention tower o' dishes when the phone rang.
Joyce came rushing in. "That was mister Giles from your school. He said you need to come over right away, an emergency book return or something. Buffy, do you really have a copy of Huevos Verde Y Jamon 50 weeks overdue?"
***
Buffy stalked up to her room, furious. If Giles really thought she was going to come by and train tonight, he was nuts. And Willow, she was supposed to be her best friend! Couldn't she put the goody two shoes act aside every once in a while? Buffy stepped into her room to find a girl with short brown hair sitting on her bed, waiting for her.
"What the hell are you doing in my room?" Buffy demanded. "Wait, don't tell me." An idea struck her. "Willow decided to bail on me, so that *she* could go have fun and sent you to tutor me in her place."
"Sure. I mean yeah, that's what happened," the brunette answered. "I'm Anya. I, um, go to school with you."
"That is so like her! God, I swear it's official 'Pick On Buffy Day' or something."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Anya offered.
Well what did you know. Finally someone who cared. "Yeah, thanks," Buffy told her, sitting down on the bed. "It's just everyone expects so much of me. they pull me in different directions and nothing is ever good enough for any of them. And I get so busy trying to please all of them that there isn't any time to even think about what I need. I'm a teenager you know. It shouldn't be all work no play until I'm, I don't know, old. These are the best years of my life! It's only going to go downhill from here."
"I bet you wish you could change all that," Anya prodded. "I bet you wish they'd all die an excruciating death, like being eaten alive by dung beetles. Am I right?"
"Um," Buffy responded, giving Anya a wary glance. She really should start monitoring who Willow hung out with. "Disturbed much? No nothing like that. I wish ..."
"Yes?" Anya asked eagerly.
"I wish is that for just one night I could dress up so that know one even recognizes me and have fun, y'know?"
Anya's face morphed into scary and veiny. "Wish granted!"
Buffy found herself at the Bronze. "Ok, what was that?" she asked no one in particular. Still this was the Hellmouth. She shrugged it off. Stranger things had happened.
"Nice outfit freak," Cordelia told her as she shoved her aside. She glanced at her flock of designer clothes wearing sheep. "Nice to know the goth crowd will be joining us tonight."
"Is she even from Sunnydale?" Harmony asked.
Buffy watched the herd of bitca's kick Jonathan out of the couch so they could sit and gossip.
"They didn't know it was me," Buffy said in wonder. She looked down at her outfit. Black leather. She rushed to the nearest reflective surface. Her eyes were surrounded by thick black liner, and her lips were blood red. Goth girl indeed. Her hair was crimped and free flowing. Buffy understood Cordelia's confusion. She could hardly even recognize herself. And the outfit was definitely doing the best to show her cleavage.
Damn, Buffy thought, I look good when I'm bad! To the dance floor. Let the partying begin!
***
"My dark prince," Dru said, easing her lips towards Spike's. He turned his head away.
"We can't just kiss and make this better Dru," he told her. "We came to Sunnydale to make a fresh start, and already I find you making out with that Chaos demon!" Dru had tried to claim, in her childlike manner, that herself and the demon had only been playing with her dolls. In bed. Half clothed. Spike had not bought it.
"Mmm," Dru whimpered, pouting her lip at him, as she always did when scolded.
Spike was determined not to let it get to him. "Stop that Dru. I'm not going to give in this time. I'm not."
Dru turned up the volume on her pleas.
"Bloody Hell! Look, I'm sorry baby, but I can't take you running around on me any more. It's killing me inside."
"Killing!" Dru said, her eyes lighting up. "That's what we need. Let's have ourselves a party. A party will make everything better."
***
They had only been at the Bronze for twenty minutes, and Dru was already all over another vampire. Spike took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It was over, he needed to admit it to himself. The truth was, it had been over for a long time, he'd just been too scared to admit it. Spike turned to leave. There was nothing for him there. Then he spotted *her*.
Who is that girl? he wondered.
She was a vision. All in black leather, the perfect body. Soulful eyes hidden under mounds of eyeliner. Luscious red lips and hair flowing free and wild. But what intrigued him more than any of that physical perfection was her. The way she moved. There was a strength about her, and inner grace. She was the most amazing vampire he had ever seen. And by all things unholy, he just had to have her.
Buffy was dancing, much to the delight of the male population around her. She was hot and sweaty and having the time of her life. Suddenly, she spotted *him*. A platinum dream. And he was checking her out. Buffy smiled, all thoughts of Angel long forgotten.
They made their way towards each other, drawn together as if by some unseen force.
"I'm Spike," he said. "And who are you pet?"
Good God he had a British accent! How sexy in a non watcher/father figure sort of way.
"Anya," she answered, telling him the first name to come into her mind.
"Well, Anya, would you care to dance?"
He could dance with her any way he wanted to. "I'd love to."
Spike was an excellent dancer. Well as far as she could tell anyway. Their eyes were locked the entire time as they matched each other move for move.
As the song came to an end, Spike took her hand and led her away from the dance floor. She followed him up to the balcony.
He laid a hand upon her beautiful face. "Do you want me to kiss you?"
"I don't know. You'll just have to try it and find out," Buffy answered flirtatiously.
Spike accepted her challenge. He leaned in, his lips brushing against hers lightly, as little contact as possible. Buffy let out a soft moan. That was all the invitation he needed, he plundered her mouth with his as if wanting to devour her. And Buffy, she answered back with equal intensity, wanting so desperately to be devoured. Spike pulled her into him. His hand traveled to her breast, where, due to an unfortunate detour, it made direct contact with Buffy's cross.
"Ow," Spike said, pulling away. He had not even noticed the cross. Which could only mean one thing. "You're human."
"Oh God!" Buffy covered her mouth. "No, not again!" Buffy took off running.
"No wait!" Spike called after her. "Maybe we could work this out," he finished, speaking to himself. What had she meant by 'Not again?' Sodding women!
***
"So, how went the test?" Willow asked her after class the next day.
""Good," Buffy lied, "I think I aced it."
"Yeah, you looked like you were deep in thought. With your eyes closed."
"I had a late night, um, slaying," Buffy answered.
"I know. And I'm sorry that I pushed you. About the school work. Next time we'll study when you have time ok? Howsabout I take you to the Bronze tonight to make amends?"
"I have to train with Giles," Buffy said. "Rain check?"
"Sure."
***
Spike hardly slept all day, his thoughts firmly fixed on the girl. The human. His Anya. He had to find her.
The instant the sun set he began his search, starting with the Bronze.
He spotted a cute red-headed girl, obviously human. Well, it was a place to start.
"Hi there," he told her.
Her eyes lit up. A boy was talking to her of his own free will? That was new.
"I'm looking for someone," he started. "Blond, about five foot two, a fondness of black leather. She was here last night, but I sort of lost track of her."
Willow took a chance. "Well, hey now. I knew you looked familiar. You probably don't recognize me without the blond hair. Y'know, I just died it today." She batted her eyes at him flirtatiously.
Spike snorted. "You're a terrible liar Red? Anyone can see there's not a bad bone in your body."
"That's not true! I could be bad!" Willow told him, putting on her determined face. He gave her a skeptical look. "You know, in an alternate universe. Sorry, I don't know anything about your girlfriend. You can go back to ignoring me like everyone else."
Her eyes darted unintentionally towards Xander, who was ordering a drink and hitting unsuccessfully on Harmony
Spike leaned in towards Willow. "Listen to me now. He's a stupid git if he can't see what a great catch you are. A stupid git. And do you know the problem with stupid gits? They stay stupid gits. Besides, would you really want to be with some bloke, who only notices you when you make eyes at someone else? There are other fish in the sea." He nodded in the direction of a shy blond girl, who quickly averted her eyes from the pair. "That one's been noticing you all over the place."
"Really?" Willow asked. Someone had noticed her? Her. Out of all the people at the Bronze.
Spike gave her a little push.
"Well go on then, get to it."
"Yeah. Yeah, okay." The redhead gathered her courage and rose to her feet.
Willow approached the blond stranger, her stomach all rumbly with butterflies.
The shy blond, upon noticing her approach, tried to cover up for her longing glances.
"Hi, I'm Willow," the red head told her.
"T-tara," the blond answered. "That's a very p-pretty shirt you're wearing."
"You think so?" Willow asked. "You don't think it's too softer side of Sears?"
"No," Tara assured her. She took a moment to glance toward hr own top. "Sears is bad?"
"Not really, it's just something someone used to say. So, do you go to Sunnydale High? Because I haven't really seen you around her before."
"Yes. No. Not yet. I just transferred. You know, moved here." She gave Willow a shy little smile. "I start on Monday."
"Well that's great." An idea struck Willow. "Hey, I should give you a tour of the town. Y'know when it's light out. I can get you all oriented and into the Sunnydale groove." Groove? willow asked herself, since when did I turn into Austin Powers?
"I'd like that. We could scope out the S-sears," Tara suggested with a pinch of humor, "make sure the outfits there are safe for the general public to wear."
Willow grinned from ear to ear. "Most definitely."
Spike watched the two of them with some interest. He nodded to himself. All thoughts of that other doofus had clearly been swept from Red's head. His work there was done. Back to finding his lady, before the sun came up.
The Bronze proved to be useless. Anya was on where in sight. He began to wonder if she had been nothing more than a figment of his imagination. Spike headed to the cemetery. Perhaps he should admit his failure and focus his efforts on finding a lonely crypt for one.
Buffy jumped out at him and punched him in the face. He fell to the ground and looked up at his attacker. Buffy recognized him instantly. "Spike." Damn, she had thought it was just another vampire.
Spike gave a questioning look to his attacker. How the bloody Hell did she know his name? Then he spotted her cross. The cross that had burned him. He met her eyes. It was her, beyond the shadow of a doubt.
He rose to his feet. "Anya-"
"Buffy," she corrected. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
Suddenly it all made sense, her power, the draw she had over him. But it didn't make him want her any less.
"I reckon you'll be killing me then?"
"Not unless I have to. You're new in town, right?"
Spike nodded.
"Then do me a favor, go back from whence you came, promise to kill as little as possible and I'll forget we ever had this unfortunate encounter, ok?"
She didn't want to kill him, just like he wouldn't dream of hurting her.
"I won't kill humans anymore. You have my word." Spike took one last, long look at her before turning away.
"Wait Spike?" Buffy called after him.
He looked at her expectantly.
"Nothing."
Spike took three steps away from her, and then quickly spun around to meet Buffy's lips and they crushed his own.
"This could never work," Buffy said, between kissed.
"Never," he agreed, running his fingers through her hair.
"Did you mean it, when you said you'd give up killing?" Buffy wanted to know.
"Did you mean it when you snogged me?"
The answer to both questions was clearly yes.
"So," she said, looking into his eyes.
"So," he answered, looking back.
"Well," Buffy told him with a sly smile, "this is going to be interesting."
They kissed once more and lived angstily ever after.