Buffy, Willow, Oz, and Xander decided that pursuing Spike would do no good, so they returned to Giles' place, where they filled him in on the latest happenings.
"So, what exactly is Spike up to?" Xander asked. "I mean, I don't get why he's around at all."
Buffy shot him a disbelieving look. "You're serious? You really haven't figured it out yet? Okay, let's summarize. He's been sending me bizarre anonymous gifts."
"And while you four were out, I identified the ring," Giles chimed in. "It was enchanted with a protection spell. Spike undoubtedly knew this at the time he gave it to Buffy."
"He killed Kathy to protect her," contributed Oz.
"He didn't fight back when Buffy attacked him," Willow added.
"Don't rub it in," Buffy protested. "It's bad enough that he's here in the first place, but for *that* reason? I have just one question: Why me?"
"What?" Xander looked from one face to the other. His friends' expressions ranged from repulsed (Buffy) to stoic (Oz). "Okay, I'm officially an idiot. What are you all getting at? What am I missing?"
Willow prompted, "Spike...sending Buffy presents...killing people--or demons--for her...coming back to town to see her..."
"Oh," Xander said. Then he repeated, "*Oh*," in a very different tone. "You mean Spike is the secret admirer we've been wondering about. Ew. Ew. And a thousand more times, ew."
"That about sums it up," Buffy agreed. "Right now, though, what I most want to know is why he isn't dead. I staked him and tried to fry him. Either/or has been 100 percent effective in the past. I don't like the thought of Super Vamp running around, oblivious to my Slayerhood. Giles?"
He rubbed his jaw. "I suppose magic seems the most likely answer, except that if such is the case, one would expect more vampires to have utilized it. It must be a rare spell indeed, if so. Perhaps it was a brief enchantment and Spike can never use it again."
"We can hope, can't we?"
*****
Five days later...
As soon as Giles responded to the pounding at his front door by opening it, Buffy brushed past him and stalked into the living room. "We have to do something about Spike! Now!" she demanded.
Giles readjusted his glasses and watched as Buffy paced in clipped strides. "We are all aware of the Spike problem. Have there been any new developments?"
Buffy stopped and narrowed her eyes. "Yes! I saw him strolling around campus, wearing sunglasses! Sunglasses! That is so wrong, I can't even begin to express my feelings about it."
"Well, did he do anything to you?"
Buffy dropped down onto the couch and sighed. "No, not exactly. He just...winked and walked away when he saw me."
Giles settled down with a cup of coffee and observed, "That's good, at least. He's been very quiet since his return."
"It's true, local deaths have gone down," Buffy grudgingly admitted. "But I don't like it. He's been *too* quiet, so he must be planning something huge that will ruin my life."
"That, of course, remains to be seen. In the meantime, I may have narrowed down the source of his invincibility. An ancient relic called the Gem of Amara grants the powers you witnessed. It hasn't been seen for centuries, however, so I'm skeptical that it's the answer. Still, did you happen to notice if Spike was wearing a ring or any other jewelry when you fought him, or today on campus?"
"No, I wasn't exactly looking at his hand." Buffy blushed. "Not that I was looking anywhere else, either. Oh, you know what I mean!"
"Yes, quite. Well, I'll continue my research and you keep your eyes open."
*****
For several more days, life was peaceful, meaning that Buffy saw no signs of Spike. Activities on campus had returned to normal. When Kathy's body had reverted to demon form, the magic of the Hellmouth came into play and the murder investigation had been forgotten. Instead, word spread that the entire situation had been a huge mistake and Kathy was no longer around because she had dropped out of school. Buffy had then moved into Willow's dorm room and felt a little better about the whole mess. At least Spike didn't have an invitation into her new residence.
Partially because of the recent problems, she was still struggling in most of her courses. Buffy headed into composition class knowing she'd probably done poorly on the most recent assignment, which she had thrown together at practically the last minute. She settled down at her usual desk and pulled the wrinkled paper out of her folder.
As she attempted to smooth the sheet, someone moved close to her and cleared his throat. Buffy looked up, her irritation changing to pleasure when she recognized Parker Abrams, the guy she had met in the cafeteria a couple of weeks ago.
"Hey, Buffy," he greeted her. "I don't know if you remember me."
"Um, Parker, right?" She deliberately hesitated, not wanting to appear overly anxious.
"Right. Well, ever since I ran into you, I've been hoping to see you again but we don't have any of the same classes. Anyway, I noticed you coming in here just now and since I've been wanting to talk to you, it seemed like a good time. I'll just get right to the point. I was wondering if you'd like to go out on a date with me sometime."
A date? With a normal guy? Buffy was stunned. "Sure, that sounds..." Phenomenal? Unbelievable? Perfect? "...Nice."
"Great." Parker flashed a blinding white smile. "Say, Friday night, to a club or something? Maybe a place you know, since it's our first date."
"Have you ever been to the Bronze?" Buffy asked.
"Once or twice. Sounds good. So, I'll pick you up at your dorm room at 7?"
"Yeah, all right." Buffy scrawled her address on a scrap of paper and handed it to Parker, then watched in a daze as he retreated. Her first date in months, with a guy who seemed ordinary. She finally had something good going on in her life. Now, if only her composition would magically repair itself. She was about to return to her disaster of an assignment when her attention was caught by the sight of an unpleasantly familiar blonde head next to Dr. Petrovski. No two individuals could have hair precisely that color, could they?
The milling students impeding her view sat down, and to her dismay Buffy realized the newcomer *was* Spike. Could she have no peace from him? She watched the instructor accept a paper from Spike and strained her ears to make out their conversation amid the other chatter in the room. "William Stafford," Dr. Petrovski read. "You'll be auditing? Wonderful. We're glad to have you. Just take any empty seat."
With a feeling of foreboding, Buffy glanced at the desk next to hers. It was just one of several empty seats scattered throughout the room, but she was already sure Spike would choose it.
Sure enough, he made a beeline for the spot and leaned close to her. "'Lo, Slayer. Told you you'd be seeing me around, didn't I?"
Wow, no new reviews in more than a month. Does that mean no one is reading? Should I just post at my website and mailing lists from now on, and not bother with FF.net?