Summary: Mike follows her parent's example
Rating: PG
If you have any comments or questions, email
me at jaderozegirlyahoo.com
Feedback: Wanted, as always
Disclaimers: As always the Jossman, and not
I, owns BtVS
Distribution: My site, Strange Brew, the W/G
list, anyone who asks
Notes: Seventh installment of the "Unexpected"
series. Follows "Not the Type"
More Notes: This is admittedly light on the
W/G side, but once you read it, you'll understand why. Promise
:-)
Dedication: To all W/G shippers, cause you're
just dang cool
"This is nice," Michaela Giles commented as she broke off from yet another kiss with Neil Finn. The two had been spending the past ten minutes on the couch in her father's office at Sunnydale High School library, while the other so-called Slayerettes they had been researching with were on a snack break.
"Mike, double chocolate ice cream is nice. That was…better than nice?" Mike did a sort of scoffing laugh.
"I'm so glad you approve." Neil shrugged.
"Well, sorry. Sometimes, words aren't my strong point. I have others, though," he said casually. Mike arched her brow.
"Such as?"
"Well, for starters…" he gently proceeded to press his mouth to hers in a kiss. They stayed locked in the kiss for some time until they were startled by a noise coming from the large outer room of the library. They snapped apart and glanced in the direction of the glass window set into the door. Mike's father was walked towards them with his nose buried in a thick book. Neil dashed under the large wooden desk and Mike grabbed an open notebook and pen from the table next to the couch as the door opened.
"Michaela," Giles said as he entered the room. "What are you doing in here?" Mike smiled at her father as she laid the notebook down.
"We were taking a well deserved snack break before patrol and I wanted to work on some music I've been writing, so I came in here for a few minutes," she calmly replied, even though her heart had been racing. "How 'bout you? Isn't past your bed time, Dad," she teased. Giles gave his daughter a wry smile.
"Very funny, Michaela. For the record, I have some work to pick up." He proceeded to make his point by stepping in front of his desk and picking up a stack of disks that were set on the corner. He turned to face Mike. "You shouldn't stay in here long, though. Liam tells me that there's a particularly nasty bugger out this week."
"Tell me about it. The guy has the table manners of a piranha and we have to pick up after him."
"Just remember to be careful," Giles said gently.
"As always," she reminded him. "And tell Mom I'll be over to help her with that website she's been working on this weekend."
"I'll let her know," Giles promised and gave his daughter a quick nod as he began to leave the room, but before he did, he turned around to face her. "Never forget, young lady," he began, "I may not look it, but I can still keep up with you," he pointed out. "I'll see you soon." Mike nodded and smiled and with that, he was gone.
"Oh, my God," Mike groaned as she slumped back into the couch. "That was too close." Neil slowly came out from under the desk and joined her.
"If I EVER have to do that again, it will be too soon," he commented dryly as he sat down and leaned back towards the wall and closed his eyes. "For a second, I thought I was in some awful movie or maybe even a soap opera." Mike gave him a teasing look.
"You didn't you hit your head getting under there, did you?" Mike jokingly placed her hand along Neil's head as if to feel for bumps. Neil turned to give her a serious glance and Mike removed her hand.
"That was not funny, Mike. We almost got caught. I don't think either of us would be laughing then." Mike sighed.
"I know, I didn't mean to make light of it," she told him. "It's just I'm way too tense about us right now. I know I can't let it get to me, or we'll be toast for sure." Neil nodded.
"I know. No mistakes, right?" Mike nodded in understanding. Neil took a glance at his watch and then looked back to Mike. "Well, unlike someone I know, I do have a curfew, and if I don't leave soon, I'm going to miss it, and we both know what happens in the Finn house when one misses his curfew. So, I'll call you in the morning?" Mike smiled.
"Sure," she agreed. Neil stood up and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"Be careful," he told her. Mike smiled at him.
"I will. Don't forget that it's your turn tomorrow night and Liam wants you to take out that new crossbow," she gently reminded him. He nodded his head.
"Bye." He picked up his jacket and left the room, closing the door behind him. Mike sank onto the couch, closed her eyes, and stayed there for a few moments before she forced herself up and walked into the other room turning out the light and shutting the door as she went.
From his seat at one of the workstations that were scattered around the room, Spike looked up from the thick book he had been reading and glanced at Mike. "Hey, mate," he greeted her. She gave him a scowl in reply. "Close call," he asked. Mike walked to the table and sat down next to him, placing her head down in front of her.
"Don't tell me Romeo and Juliet almost got caught," Gabriella Valenti said as she came over and sat down on the other side of her friend. The Slayer's dark skin, deep brown eyes, and curly brown hair made a stark contrast to Mike's pale skin, green eyes, and red hair, but her easy smile was one of a kind. Mike lifted her head from the table and gave Gabby a pointed look. "Oh, God. You did, didn't you?" Mike nodded her head miserably. "Mike, this is exactly what I've been telling you about. If you and Neil really do get caught, it's only going to make it worse."
"If we hadn't heard…" just then a thought occurred to her. "It was you, wasn't it?" she said as she faced Spike. "You intentionally dropped something on the desk to get our attention, didn't you?" Spike shrugged the question off.
"What can I say. I promised you I'd make sure your parents didn't know, didn't I?"
"Thanks," Mike said softly. "I appreciate that, Spike, really I do. Dad did almost see Neil, though," she admitted. "He had to hide beneath the desk. If Dad had bothered to go behind his desk, this place would have been a war zone right now with me and Neil stuck in the middle," she told her friends. Gabby and Spike just looked at each other. It was all that they could do to keep from laughing. Mike gave them an incredulous look.
"It's not funny," she insisted. After giving it some thought she finally relented. "The desk, maybe…" she gave a soft chuckle and the others soon broke out themselves and their laughter filled the air. After a few moments, it died down. "Seriously, guys we cut it close this time. Too close," Mike said and Spike sighed.
"Look mate, I'd hate to have to point this out to you yet again, but if you had told your parents in the first place, we wouldn't be having this conversation," he pointed out. Gabby nodded.
"Yeah. If they knew, the shit would already have hit the fan." Mike glared at her friend, but the Slayer went on. "You're only avoiding the inevitable, Mike. You and Neil can't hide this forever," Gabby pointed out. Mike gave her a defeated look.
"I know, but can't it wait just a little longer? Say, until Neil graduates?" Both Spike and Gabby gave her a pointed look. "Okay, so I'm reaching. Can't a girl hope?"
"As big as I am on hope, Mike, the odds are against you. Your parent's have to find out sooner or later and we all know how the situation is going to look to them," Spike told her. "And only a git would be blind enough to believe they didn't have a reason to be worried." Mike glared at the vampire once again.
"I thought you were on my side, here, Spike," Mike retorted.
"I am, mate, but I'm not the one snogging the teenager here or the one out swapping stories with his mates about how he scored with the librarian's daughter." Mike looked stunned.
"Neil wouldn't…" she looked into Spike's eyes. "It's not like that," she insisted. Spike shook his head.
"Not the point, Mike. It's just a guy thing." Mike continued glaring at him, and Gabby stepped in.
"Has he said anything like that to you specifically, Spike?" Gabby questioned. Spike shook his head.
"Then don't say things like that about him unless you can back them up," Gabby warned. Spike sighed.
"Look, if I wasn't on your side, old Rupes and Red would already have caught on by now and we'd all be in a bugger of a mess then, wouldn't we? And if I thought Neil would hurt you, the chap would be in some serious pain right now. The point is all you have floating around in that pretty head of yours are images of happily ever after and not those of irate parents and painful confrontations."
"My parents have no room to talk," Mike muttered under her breath. Spike sighed.
"We both know that your parent's situation was different," he said evenly. Gabby nodded.
"Spike's right on that one," she agreed. "Your mother was already in college when they started dating," Gabby reminded her. Spike gave her a curt nod and went on.
"And let's not forget that even though you're more than old enough to make your own decisions, you are still their little girl to them. Not only do all the dating rules apply to you, but they go double just because they want to see a smile on that face of yours." Mike grumbled something under her breath, but then nodded her acceptance.
"It's a syndrome all parents have," Gabby added. "They only want what's best for you, and some times they forget that to find out what that is, you may make some mistakes along the way." Mike sighed as she leaned back into her chair.
"But what if what's best for me is Neil?" Gabby shrugged her shoulders as she looked at Mike sympathetically.
"Then it is, but that doesn't make it any easier for them." Mike gave the thought a few moments, then spoke.
"Since when did you two get so wise?" she teased. Spike and Gabby smiled.
"I think it's been since you started coming to us for advice," Gabby decided after giving it some thought. She and Mike looked towards Spike.
"Don't look at me, ladies. I've always been this way," Spike replied. Just then, their collective attention was drawn to the door. Standing in the entryway and clearing his throat to get their attention was Gabby's Watcher, Liam Jessup.
"I do believe that there is some patrolling to do this evening," he stated as he adjusted his glasses. The Slayer and her companions rolled their eyes and reluctantly got up from the table.
"We're going," Mike informed Liam as she headed towards the rebuilt rare book's cage. It was an eerily reminiscent copy of the old one, but had been painted a cheerful blue to match the wall paint during the school's reconstruction. Over the years, the paint had dulled some, but at least the cage didn't remind them of some cold gray prison cell any longer. She rooted though the chest at the back of the cage, pulled out a crossbow, some bolts, and stuffed a bottle of holy water in her jacket pocket as Spike, and Gabby followed her lead, grabbing a stake each. They soon left the cage after loading up on their weapons and locked the door behind them, heading towards the exit.
"Don't forget to check in with me in the morning, Gabriella," Liam reminded her as they left. As they walked down the darkened halls together, Spike chose to speak.
"So feeling any better, Mike?" he asked. She shrugged.
"I guess. But did you have to bring up Neil's friends? Randy is always giving me this strange look. Now I'll never be able to look him in the eyes again," Mike groaned.
"Truth hurts, love. A very unfortunate fact of life, right up there with love being a funny thing." Mike nodded her reluctant understanding.
"Personally, I think it's his problem," Gabby added. "Neil wouldn't have to say a thing to give that kid the wrong idea about you two."
"Understood. Getting out there and kicking some ass will help me feel better, though," she added. Spike turned and gave her a grin.
"Just imagine Buffy as your mother-in-law.
That always puts me in a good mood," he mused as he walked through the
school's main doors a few steps ahead of them. Mike turned to Gabby
and gave her a 'I know, I know' look.
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