Countdown: Twenty-One, Coming of Age
By ElsaF
Spoilers: Through Dead Things. This is another AU, the same
AU, as it happens, as The Twenty-Fourth, though this is a
prequel, not a sequel.
Summary: Today, it's Buffy's 21st birthday. The party in Older
and Far Away, didn't happen.
Spike ushered Buffy through the door of Willy's, holding the
door for her like a gentleman, and pulling out a bar stool for
her.
"At the bar?" Buffy asked. "I thought we'd get a table and have
dinner..."
"You don't want to eat anything here, take my word for it. If
you're hungry we can go someplace else later. Right now, you
have an important rite of passage to perform."
"Oh? And what's that?"
"Buying a beer. You can get one for me while you're at it."
Buffy rolled her eyes.
"It's not like I've never had a beer. Believe me... I've had beer."
"I don't doubt it. But today, you can do it legally. You can get
out your driver's license and show it to Willy, and he'll pour
you a beer."
Buffy frowned. "I don't have a driver's license."
"Your I.D., then."
"Since when did you get all concerned about doing things
legally?"
Spike laughed. "I'm not. But this is a thing. A celebration."
She gave him a skeptical look. She'd agreed to let him take her
out for her birthday -- it seemed like a better idea than having a
party, considering her track record with birthday parties. And
he'd agreed they would go somewhere where they weren't
likely to run into anyone who knew her. Of course, Willy knew
her, but she guessed that didn't count.
"I don't even like beer."
"You've probably never had a good beer."
"You may have a point. The beer I had was clearly not good
beer."
Spike motioned to Willy. "Over here. The lady would like a
Heineken."
The bartender came over and paused in front of Buffy,
regarding her seriously.
"I'm sorry, young lady. I'm going to have to see some I.D.," he
said gravely.
Buffy giggled. "Spike put you up to that, didn't he? I've been in
here plenty of times, and you've never asked me for I.D."
"Well, you've never ordered a drink before." He pretended to
be serious for another moment, then he smiled.
"Yeah. Happy Birthday, Buffy. First one's on the house."
"This what they do in England?" she said, turning to Spike.
"Nah. Rules are different. People start drinking a lot younger."
Willy poured Buffy's beer and set the glass on the bar in front
of her. The head spilled over the edge of the glass and down on
to the grubby surface. She watched the foam turn to liquid and
soak into the paper napkin under the drink.
"What can I get you, Spike? I've got some fresh O-positive in
the fridge..."
"Not tonight. Just give me what the lady's having."
He turned back to Buffy.
"So, what's keeping the Little Bit out of trouble tonight?"
"She's spending the night at Janice's. She gave me her present
after school." Buffy paused and frowned a little. "I'm a little
worried about that, actually. It was a leather jacket. I don't see
how she could afford something like that and ... it still had the
security tag on it."
Spike growled under his breath. "Bloody security tags," he
grumbled.
Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Security tags aren't the problem,
Spike. How Dawn got the jacket is the problem."
"I know. But it's just really annoying. Security tags,
surveillance cameras, guards. Merchants here treat their
customers like sodding theives."
"Maybe because some of them are sodding theives," Buffy said
irritably.
Spike was silent. Buffy looked over at him and saw what she
had avoided looking at all evening -- the black eye. She looked
away again instantly.
"Hey, you don't have to look away," he said softly. "It's just a
black eye. It'll be gone in a day or two. Almost gone now."
Buffy kept avoiding his eyes.
"I'm not holding a grudge or anything."
"No, you never do. It just ... hurts to look at it."
"Don't look then. I don't care."
"You were right, you know," Buffy said slowly. "You were
right for all the wrong reasons, but you were still right. I didn't
kill that girl and I didn't need to turn myself in."
"Hey, you don't have to get so serious. It's your birthday. We're
supposed to be celebrating."
Buffy nodded. "You know, I think this turning 21 thing -- it's
not really about being able to buy a beer."
"You're going to be all serious anyway, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I am. I think it's about growing up. About being an
adult and being responsible for yourself and what you do."
"You've always been responsible."
"Have I? Then why can't I stand to look at what I did to you?"
"It's nothing, Buffy. Really. Mostly healed already. No
permanent damage at all."
"I lost control. I can't do that."
"Lets not talk about it anymore. I'm OK. That's all that matters,
isn't it?"
"No, that's not all that matters," Buffy said firmly.
"Ah well, I guess that confirms my place in your world," he
said bitterly.
"Spike... "
"Never mind, pet. You don't have to pretend you give a damn
about what happens to me."
"Oh cut it out. I care what happens to you. All I'm saying is
that I'm upset with myself because I did that to you. I can't lose
control that way."
"If you say so," he said, staring intently at his beer.
"I'm sorry, Spike. I feel very bad about what I did."
He continued to stare at the beer.
Buffy sighed. "OK, change the subject. Did you get me a
birthday present?"
"Uh... caught a little short this week, pet. Thought I'd offer
services in lieu of, so to speak." He tensed, waiting for the
angry explosion. Should have kept my mouth shut, he told
himself. Suggesting sex is the best way to get her to declare
that she'd never sleep with him again. It only worked when it
was her idea. He'd never have said it, if he hadn't been so
desperate for a change of subject.
"Sure you're up to it?" she said, looking directly at him.
He looked back at her in surprise.
"Um... yeah. I can manage." A slow smile spread across his
face. "You might want to go a little easy on me. Couple of ribs
here still mending."
"OK, I'll keep that in mind."
He looked back at her, trying to figure out where this was
coming from.
"Did I grow another head?" Buffy asked with a little smile.
"No, the one you've got is just fine. Never seen one better."
"Let's get out of here. This place is a dive.
"I want my birthday present."
By ElsaF
Spoilers: Through Dead Things. This is another AU, the same
AU, as it happens, as The Twenty-Fourth, though this is a
prequel, not a sequel.
Summary: Today, it's Buffy's 21st birthday. The party in Older
and Far Away, didn't happen.
Spike ushered Buffy through the door of Willy's, holding the
door for her like a gentleman, and pulling out a bar stool for
her.
"At the bar?" Buffy asked. "I thought we'd get a table and have
dinner..."
"You don't want to eat anything here, take my word for it. If
you're hungry we can go someplace else later. Right now, you
have an important rite of passage to perform."
"Oh? And what's that?"
"Buying a beer. You can get one for me while you're at it."
Buffy rolled her eyes.
"It's not like I've never had a beer. Believe me... I've had beer."
"I don't doubt it. But today, you can do it legally. You can get
out your driver's license and show it to Willy, and he'll pour
you a beer."
Buffy frowned. "I don't have a driver's license."
"Your I.D., then."
"Since when did you get all concerned about doing things
legally?"
Spike laughed. "I'm not. But this is a thing. A celebration."
She gave him a skeptical look. She'd agreed to let him take her
out for her birthday -- it seemed like a better idea than having a
party, considering her track record with birthday parties. And
he'd agreed they would go somewhere where they weren't
likely to run into anyone who knew her. Of course, Willy knew
her, but she guessed that didn't count.
"I don't even like beer."
"You've probably never had a good beer."
"You may have a point. The beer I had was clearly not good
beer."
Spike motioned to Willy. "Over here. The lady would like a
Heineken."
The bartender came over and paused in front of Buffy,
regarding her seriously.
"I'm sorry, young lady. I'm going to have to see some I.D.," he
said gravely.
Buffy giggled. "Spike put you up to that, didn't he? I've been in
here plenty of times, and you've never asked me for I.D."
"Well, you've never ordered a drink before." He pretended to
be serious for another moment, then he smiled.
"Yeah. Happy Birthday, Buffy. First one's on the house."
"This what they do in England?" she said, turning to Spike.
"Nah. Rules are different. People start drinking a lot younger."
Willy poured Buffy's beer and set the glass on the bar in front
of her. The head spilled over the edge of the glass and down on
to the grubby surface. She watched the foam turn to liquid and
soak into the paper napkin under the drink.
"What can I get you, Spike? I've got some fresh O-positive in
the fridge..."
"Not tonight. Just give me what the lady's having."
He turned back to Buffy.
"So, what's keeping the Little Bit out of trouble tonight?"
"She's spending the night at Janice's. She gave me her present
after school." Buffy paused and frowned a little. "I'm a little
worried about that, actually. It was a leather jacket. I don't see
how she could afford something like that and ... it still had the
security tag on it."
Spike growled under his breath. "Bloody security tags," he
grumbled.
Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Security tags aren't the problem,
Spike. How Dawn got the jacket is the problem."
"I know. But it's just really annoying. Security tags,
surveillance cameras, guards. Merchants here treat their
customers like sodding theives."
"Maybe because some of them are sodding theives," Buffy said
irritably.
Spike was silent. Buffy looked over at him and saw what she
had avoided looking at all evening -- the black eye. She looked
away again instantly.
"Hey, you don't have to look away," he said softly. "It's just a
black eye. It'll be gone in a day or two. Almost gone now."
Buffy kept avoiding his eyes.
"I'm not holding a grudge or anything."
"No, you never do. It just ... hurts to look at it."
"Don't look then. I don't care."
"You were right, you know," Buffy said slowly. "You were
right for all the wrong reasons, but you were still right. I didn't
kill that girl and I didn't need to turn myself in."
"Hey, you don't have to get so serious. It's your birthday. We're
supposed to be celebrating."
Buffy nodded. "You know, I think this turning 21 thing -- it's
not really about being able to buy a beer."
"You're going to be all serious anyway, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I am. I think it's about growing up. About being an
adult and being responsible for yourself and what you do."
"You've always been responsible."
"Have I? Then why can't I stand to look at what I did to you?"
"It's nothing, Buffy. Really. Mostly healed already. No
permanent damage at all."
"I lost control. I can't do that."
"Lets not talk about it anymore. I'm OK. That's all that matters,
isn't it?"
"No, that's not all that matters," Buffy said firmly.
"Ah well, I guess that confirms my place in your world," he
said bitterly.
"Spike... "
"Never mind, pet. You don't have to pretend you give a damn
about what happens to me."
"Oh cut it out. I care what happens to you. All I'm saying is
that I'm upset with myself because I did that to you. I can't lose
control that way."
"If you say so," he said, staring intently at his beer.
"I'm sorry, Spike. I feel very bad about what I did."
He continued to stare at the beer.
Buffy sighed. "OK, change the subject. Did you get me a
birthday present?"
"Uh... caught a little short this week, pet. Thought I'd offer
services in lieu of, so to speak." He tensed, waiting for the
angry explosion. Should have kept my mouth shut, he told
himself. Suggesting sex is the best way to get her to declare
that she'd never sleep with him again. It only worked when it
was her idea. He'd never have said it, if he hadn't been so
desperate for a change of subject.
"Sure you're up to it?" she said, looking directly at him.
He looked back at her in surprise.
"Um... yeah. I can manage." A slow smile spread across his
face. "You might want to go a little easy on me. Couple of ribs
here still mending."
"OK, I'll keep that in mind."
He looked back at her, trying to figure out where this was
coming from.
"Did I grow another head?" Buffy asked with a little smile.
"No, the one you've got is just fine. Never seen one better."
"Let's get out of here. This place is a dive.
"I want my birthday present."