Part 4
The next morning the Sunnydale High hall monitor was amazed to see Dawn Summers arrive an hour early for school. This was something that had never happened before. She was accompanied by her older sister, who was also never known for her punctuality. The stout matron stepped in front of the two girls to block their entry. "Where do you two think you're going?"
Buffy raised her chin in the air. "I need to speak with the principal about... about Dawn ducking out of her last class yesterday." Buffy lied through her teeth.
"Try again." the monitor was unimpressed. She'd seen everything in her twenty-three years of patrolling school halls. This slip of a girl was not getting past her. "You can wait outside until he arrives, then we'll see if you have an appointment."
Buffy knew when to retreat. "Come on Dawn." She led the younger girl back outside. "I never could put one over on Mad Martha back when she stalked the halls of the old high school. We will just go on to plan B."
"You're going to sneak in through the gymnasium window?"
"Exactly."
"Can I come along?"
"NO! I want you in your classes where you're supposed to be." She waved her forefinger under Dawn's nose. "No more cutting."
"Yes, Ma'am."
She gave Dawn a hug. "I'll let you know what I find out."
"'Kay."
Buffy jogged around to the back of the building, grabbed a rock and selected her target. Smash! Slayer aim was a wondrous thing. She backed up a few steps, then ran and jumped up onto the ledge under the row of windows. She reached into the fist-sized hole and unhooked the latch, then opened the window and slipped in, pausing to re-latch it behind her.
She was startled to hear an alarm. The old school building never had an alarm! Quickly she looked for a place to hide.
The gymnasium doors burst open and two security guards ran in looking frantically around. The searched all around the empty room then stopped by the broken window.
"Just some punk breaking glass again." Guard number one told his partner. "We'll have maintenance clean this up and cover the hole." He tossed the rock in the air and caught it again in his palm. "I'll just add this to our collection."
The men left. A ceiling tile was lifted and Buffy swung out to grab the rope suspended from a bar a few feet down. She slid down to the floor, wiped her palms on the sides of her jeans, then ran silently to the doors and slipped into the hall.
She had spent most of the previous evening and night looking for Spike. She had gone by his crypt. There had been no sign of him, but she had put quite a scare into the three vamps who had moved in. Of course, she had dusted them before checking around for clues to his whereabouts. Ultimately, she had found nothing.
It seemed that none of the vampires or demons she had encountered had seen him. Clem was nowhere to be found either. Now she was stuck with sneaking into the school and camping out in his classroom until he decided to show. Naturally, when she reached the room, the door was locked. "Looks like more destruction of school property for the former juvenile delinquent." Buffy muttered to herself, before wrenching the knob sharply to the right and tearing it out of the metal door. "Hmm." She held it up and admired it. "Pretty." She let herself into the room.
*****
Fifteen minutes later William paused beside his vandalized classroom door. Buffy. He would have known she was here even without the evidence of her breaking and entering. He could smell her, and still feel her as well. He would have been surprised if she hadn't shown up. He knew he had avoided seeing her for as long as he could. Steeling himself, he pushed open the door and walked in.
She was sitting on the edge of his desk, her arms and ankles tightly crossed. She wasn't smiling.
"Hello, Buffy." He glanced at her, then away.
"Spike." She noted his cringe, subtle though it was. "I think you owe me an explanation."
His voice was low. "I think I owe you more than that."
"Why did you leave?"
He paused. He didn't look at her. "You know why."
He opened his briefcase and began to unpack his supplies.
"Why did you come back?"
"I came back..." He took a deep breath. "I came back because I had to."
She hopped down and turned to look at him, her hands flat on the desk. "I don't understand. I don't understand anything!"
"Makes two of us."
"Spike!" His half answers were making her angry. His jaw clenched again. She stood upright. "What is it?"
"Just... call me William. Please."
She moved rapidly around the desk and grabbed his arm. "Look at me. Tell me what this is all about."
He did as she ordered. She was dismayed at the emotion she saw in his eyes. There was sorrow and shame and... dignity.
"What happened to you?" She whispered.
"I needed to make a change Buffy, so I did."
"What kind of a change?" She backed away a step, then glanced around the room, noting the way it was filled with sunlight. "Tell me why you're here at this school, and how you can walk around in the daylight, and why you're... different."
A bell rang loudly in the hall. Hundreds of feet could be heard squeaking on the linoleum of the floor.
"Later." He said, then turned to look away from her again. "I'll tell you about it later."
"When?"
"After school." He lifted his eyes upward and shook his head uncertainly. "Four o'clock."
"Fine. Come to the Magic Box." She turned and walked out.
The next morning the Sunnydale High hall monitor was amazed to see Dawn Summers arrive an hour early for school. This was something that had never happened before. She was accompanied by her older sister, who was also never known for her punctuality. The stout matron stepped in front of the two girls to block their entry. "Where do you two think you're going?"
Buffy raised her chin in the air. "I need to speak with the principal about... about Dawn ducking out of her last class yesterday." Buffy lied through her teeth.
"Try again." the monitor was unimpressed. She'd seen everything in her twenty-three years of patrolling school halls. This slip of a girl was not getting past her. "You can wait outside until he arrives, then we'll see if you have an appointment."
Buffy knew when to retreat. "Come on Dawn." She led the younger girl back outside. "I never could put one over on Mad Martha back when she stalked the halls of the old high school. We will just go on to plan B."
"You're going to sneak in through the gymnasium window?"
"Exactly."
"Can I come along?"
"NO! I want you in your classes where you're supposed to be." She waved her forefinger under Dawn's nose. "No more cutting."
"Yes, Ma'am."
She gave Dawn a hug. "I'll let you know what I find out."
"'Kay."
Buffy jogged around to the back of the building, grabbed a rock and selected her target. Smash! Slayer aim was a wondrous thing. She backed up a few steps, then ran and jumped up onto the ledge under the row of windows. She reached into the fist-sized hole and unhooked the latch, then opened the window and slipped in, pausing to re-latch it behind her.
She was startled to hear an alarm. The old school building never had an alarm! Quickly she looked for a place to hide.
The gymnasium doors burst open and two security guards ran in looking frantically around. The searched all around the empty room then stopped by the broken window.
"Just some punk breaking glass again." Guard number one told his partner. "We'll have maintenance clean this up and cover the hole." He tossed the rock in the air and caught it again in his palm. "I'll just add this to our collection."
The men left. A ceiling tile was lifted and Buffy swung out to grab the rope suspended from a bar a few feet down. She slid down to the floor, wiped her palms on the sides of her jeans, then ran silently to the doors and slipped into the hall.
She had spent most of the previous evening and night looking for Spike. She had gone by his crypt. There had been no sign of him, but she had put quite a scare into the three vamps who had moved in. Of course, she had dusted them before checking around for clues to his whereabouts. Ultimately, she had found nothing.
It seemed that none of the vampires or demons she had encountered had seen him. Clem was nowhere to be found either. Now she was stuck with sneaking into the school and camping out in his classroom until he decided to show. Naturally, when she reached the room, the door was locked. "Looks like more destruction of school property for the former juvenile delinquent." Buffy muttered to herself, before wrenching the knob sharply to the right and tearing it out of the metal door. "Hmm." She held it up and admired it. "Pretty." She let herself into the room.
*****
Fifteen minutes later William paused beside his vandalized classroom door. Buffy. He would have known she was here even without the evidence of her breaking and entering. He could smell her, and still feel her as well. He would have been surprised if she hadn't shown up. He knew he had avoided seeing her for as long as he could. Steeling himself, he pushed open the door and walked in.
She was sitting on the edge of his desk, her arms and ankles tightly crossed. She wasn't smiling.
"Hello, Buffy." He glanced at her, then away.
"Spike." She noted his cringe, subtle though it was. "I think you owe me an explanation."
His voice was low. "I think I owe you more than that."
"Why did you leave?"
He paused. He didn't look at her. "You know why."
He opened his briefcase and began to unpack his supplies.
"Why did you come back?"
"I came back..." He took a deep breath. "I came back because I had to."
She hopped down and turned to look at him, her hands flat on the desk. "I don't understand. I don't understand anything!"
"Makes two of us."
"Spike!" His half answers were making her angry. His jaw clenched again. She stood upright. "What is it?"
"Just... call me William. Please."
She moved rapidly around the desk and grabbed his arm. "Look at me. Tell me what this is all about."
He did as she ordered. She was dismayed at the emotion she saw in his eyes. There was sorrow and shame and... dignity.
"What happened to you?" She whispered.
"I needed to make a change Buffy, so I did."
"What kind of a change?" She backed away a step, then glanced around the room, noting the way it was filled with sunlight. "Tell me why you're here at this school, and how you can walk around in the daylight, and why you're... different."
A bell rang loudly in the hall. Hundreds of feet could be heard squeaking on the linoleum of the floor.
"Later." He said, then turned to look away from her again. "I'll tell you about it later."
"When?"
"After school." He lifted his eyes upward and shook his head uncertainly. "Four o'clock."
"Fine. Come to the Magic Box." She turned and walked out.