Disclaimer: OK, folks, the gang from Sleepovers and Pretzels is back! It's two years later, and the gang are seniors. Buffy and Spike have stayed together, but Xander and Anya broke up, Faith and Oz are still going strong, Riley and Harm are still together, and Devon and Anya have started dating. Willow and Tara are of course, still hanging in there. Xander has become a bit quiet since he and Anya broke up, and is hanging back from being with everyone. Spike is the only one who has noticed, and is starting to get nervous, albeit what happened to Angel fresh in his mind. So, read on to find out what happens next!

Potato Chips and Parties

By Julia

Spike Giles walked the corridor of the school, glad he could walk through it without being hollered at every five seconds. In the two years that had passed, he had come to be glad that he was no longer the BMOC that he had been. He could do what he pleased without worrying that he was making someone jealous, or that he was letting someone down. He was his own man, and he loved it. Buffy Summers was still his girl, and he was growing deeper in love with her every day.

He stopped by his locker, humming a Britney Spears song. She was a new artist, and her song was quite catchy. He didn't have the crush on her that Xander Harris did, but nonetheless, she was alright. Spike preferred the Dingoes, but oh well. He finished getting his books and walked down the hall to Buffy's locker. She was already there, Anya and Harmony Kendall with her.

Buffy kissed him. ''Hey, Spike. Anya and Harmony were just telling me about this really cool street fair they're going to have this weekend. Wanna go? Harmony's going to have a booth, selling jewelry.''

Harmony nodded. ''I made it myself! It's really pretty. Anya's going to help me sell it, so she can get some of the profits. But you guys should just go to have fun. Riley's taking all of us in his new van.''

Spike leaned against the locker next to Buffy's. ''Sounds like a great idea, actually. We're goin', yeah?'' He asked Buffy, folding his arms.

Buffy nodded. ''Sounds good. Let's get off to class, you guys. Faith's waiting for us.'' She gave Spike another kiss. ''I'll see you after English, right?'' She asked.

Spike nodded. ''Yeah, see you then. I love you, Buffy.'' He kissed her again, and gave her a quick hug, for he had to get off to hanging in the Quad with Riley. He had worked his butt off the past two years, and was only taking one class.

Buffy grinned. ''Great. Love you, too.'' She headed off down the hall with Anya and Harmony, glad that she had Spike. She could hardly believe that it was two years since they had started dating, and Angel Davenport and Cordelia Chase had died. The summer after they had lost those two had been really hard. Most of the gang hadn't felt like doing too much, so it had been a very depressing summer.

Anya walked along, thinking about Devon Smith. He wasn't as good a boyfriend as Xander had been. She missed him, but he and she couldn't date again. She had made that clear. That fight had been the biggest and last they'd ever had. Friends were all they were meant to be, and friends was all they were going to be. Anya was putting her foot down about that. She finally said something to make conversation. ''Do you think that Faith and Oz will come with us this weekend?'' Faith Davenport (Angel's twin) and David Osbourne, aka Oz had been spending a lot of time together lately.

Harmony nodded. ''Faith told me that they were. She and he have been talking a lot about Angel, since it's been two years since he died. She's still pretty bummed. She hasn't been the same old Faith since it happened.''

Buffy agreed. ''She has been a very different girl. She hardly ever talks, and used to, you couldn't shut her up. She also doesn't seem like she wants to have fun, like she doesn't deserve it or something. Do you know what I mean?''

Anya nodded. ''I do know what you mean. I can understand, though. Angel was her twin. They weren't close for so long, and then they lost the chance to be.''

The three girls reached their class, and shut up about Angel, because it would set Faith off. She was actually smiling at the moment, so that was good. She said, ''Hey, girls. Let's go on in, shall we?'' She looked like her old self, for which Buffy was glad.

While the girls of the group settled in their seats for some learning, Spike, Riley Finn, and Xander were sitting in the Quad. Doing this, skipping class, always made them think of Angel, who had always used to do it with them. It always made them meloncholy at first. Spike ventured, ''So, what's going on, you guys? Coming this weekend?''

Riley nodded. ''You bet. Harmony's really excited about her booth. Are you going to go? I think everyone's going.''

Spike said, ''Yeah, Buffy wants to go, and it sounds like fun. What about you, Xand? You going to go? I know you're upset about Anya, but it's been four months. You gotta start having some fun. Why'd you guys break up, anyway?''

Xander shook his head. His friends had been asking this every day since it had happened. He refused to tell them. ''No, way, man. I don't think so. There is no way. It's between Anya and I. That's just not something I want to share with you.''

Riley said, ''Xand, Spike and I are your best friends. If you can't tell us, who can you tell? You're obviously dying to talk about it.'' Riley actually cared about Xander, besides really wanting to know to satisfy his curosity.

Xander said, tears shining his gorgeous brown eyes, ''I told Angel. I went out into the cemetary, and I told him. He was very understanding. He was my best friend, and I needed to tell him this.''

Spike and Riley were both mollified, and didn't ask anymore. They knew that as far as Xander was concerned, the matter was closed. Spike changed the subject. ''So, how's having class all day going for you guys?'' He asked, grinning and his blue eyes twinkling.

Riley playfully smacked his arm. ''We can't all be like you and get straight As.'' He settled back on the grass, enjoying the sunlight.

Spike laid back beside him, and sighed. ''Yeah, I am the man when it comes to schoolwork. Too bad that you guys can't have my brains. Rupert was very happy with my marks, but that's all he was happy about. Well, except Buffy. He likes her a lot. But he liked her before I started dating her, so I don't know if that counts.''

Xander leaned back against the nearby tree. ''Sure it does. Why wouldn't it? You're dating her, and he still likes her, so it counts.''

The three boys were joined by Oz, who just said, ''Hey.'' He didn't add anything to the hey, just sat down next to them and started whittling.

Spike asked, ''Does that cloud look like Buffy to you?'' He directed it at Riles, and knew that it was totally corny.

They passed the rest of the period staring quietly at the sky and enjoying each other's company. Then after a bit, Spike stood up. ''Gotta go meet Buffy. I'm going to walk her to her drama class. Riles, aren't you in the class with her?'' He asked.

Riley nodded. ''Yeah, I'll walk with you. Oz, Xand, see you later.'' He and his best friend headed off across the lawn to go into the school.

Buffy was waiting for them by the stairs, that led up to the hallway. They all walked up the stairs and into the doors off to the right. She slipped her hand into Spike's as they walked down the hallway. ''How's Xander?'' She asked. She was just as worried about Xander as they were.

Riley shrugged. ''He's OK, I guess. He still won't tell us why he and Anya broke up, and Anya isn't saying anything, either. I'm worried about both of them. An is dating Devon, but she doesn't look very happy about it.''

Buffy nodded. ''She was talking to me about it. She misses Xand, but she won't date him again for reasons she wouldn't tell me. They're still meant to be together.''

Riley said, ''If they are, they'll find some way to be together. You and Spike here are the ones that are meant to be. You guys are like, a measure for how the rest of us try to be.''

Spike and Buffy both blushed. They didn't want to be a measure for anyone else. They just wanted to do their own thing, and be together. Spike ran a hand through his bleached blonde hair. ''Well, we don't do anything different than anyone else does it. We just love each other.''

They had just reached the drama class. Spike gave Buffy a passionate kiss and said, ''I'll be back to walk you to history.''

Riley said, ''That's your one class, so you'd better go to it, young man.'' He put on a bit of an English accent, like Spike's father.

Spike rolled his baby blues and said in his own accent, ''I will, mate, don't be such a muffin.'' He kissed Buffy, told her he loved her, and headed back to the Quad.

When he got there, Anya was sitting there, like she was waiting for him to get back. Spike said, ''Hey, An, did you need something?'' For Anya usually didn't talk to Spike unless it was when the group was all together.

Anya nodded. ''I need to ask for your advice. You're a guy, and I need a guy's advice.'' Her ever-changing hair was blonde today. She was the female equivalent of Oz. Oz's hair tended to change a lot, too.

Spike sat down beside her. ''What kind of advice do you need? Why didn't you just ask Devon? Dev knows all sorts of guy stuff, him being a bloke and all.''

Anya waved that comment off. ''Devon's a guy, but it's not his advice I want. OK, if you were a guy, and you were going out with this girl, but then you guys had to break up. Say she told you that you could never date her again, and then she starts missing you, what would you do?''

Spike had a feeling this was about her and Xander. ''Well, if I really loved the girl, and it was something I could forgive, then I would date her again. Is this about you and Xander?''

Anya nodded reluctantly. ''Yeah. But I don't know why I'm thinking about it. He and I can never ever date again.'' She ran a hand through her short curls.

Spike had to proceed cautiously if he wanted to find out the reason why. ''And why is that, An? I mean, there's nothing that can't be forgiven if the other person's willing.''

Anya shook her head, and her curls bounced. ''No way. He and I really can't date again. And I'm not going to tell you, so you can stop trying. I just, I really miss him. Even though I know we can't be together, I just want to be with him.''

While Spike and Anya were talking about him, Xander was watching from the hallway above them. He was leaning against the wall. He was outside in the fresh air, and he should be feeling great, since it was a gorgeous sunny day. He would, if he had Anya by his side again. She was still stubbornly sticking to the they weren't allowed to date rule. He just wished he knew why she felt so strongly about it. All she had told him was that they weren't allowed to date anymore. He acted like he knew around his friends, and he had told Angel what Anya had told him. He missed Angel a lot. Spike and Riley were great, but they weren't Angel. Angel had been the best friend Xander had ever had.

He stopped looking at her and turned to go down the stairs. He didn't need this. He was going to demand why Anya couldn't date him anymore. He didn't care if Spike knew or not. All that mattered was that Anya told him. He walked across the slope of lawn towards where Anya sat. ''Anya, I need to know. Why can't we date anymore?''

Anya got to her feet. She knew she had to tell him, she just didn't want to. ''Xander, we can't date anymore because I cheated on you. I am pregnant with someone else's child. I don't want you to have to deal with that responsibility.'' She turned and left, and Spike got a strong feeling that things were about to get very Dawson's Creek on them.

Xander sank onto the bench next to Spike. ''I can't believe it. She's pregnant? Oh my god. How's she going to finish school? I mean, God. And who's the father? Do I know him? Oh, my Lord. Is it Devon, d'you think?''

Spike shrugged. ''Your guess is as good as mine, mate. She didn't tell me anything like that. But she does want you back, so give her a little time, and maybe you and she can start again.''

Xander nodded, feeling numb.