Gifts 17/?
It was shaping up to be an unbelievably easy day of school for Buffy. Professor Walsh, looking gray and tired, had announced that psychology class would run only half an hour that morning, and comp class had been cancelled. Buffy only had to sit through 30 minutes of boring lecture before she was free for the day. The time seemed to trickle by, but it eventually passed and Buffy grabbed her bag, eager to head out the door.
"Don't hurry out so fast," Professor Walsh called. "I've graded your behavior-modification essays and you can pick them up as you leave."
Obediently, the students filed to the front of the room to receive their papers. Willow and Buffy impatiently waited in line, accepted theirs, and then made their escape.
Once in the hallway, Willow stopped. "What'd you get, Buffy?"
"I'm afraid to look," Buffy admitted.
"I'll go first." Willow flipped to the end of her paper.
"Well?" Buffy prompted. "Don't keep me in suspense. What did the battle-axe give you?"
Willow held up the page to reveal a large, red B+.
"There go my chances," Buffy cracked. "If old Walsh only gave you a B+, I don't think her scale sinks low enough to evaluate my work. Is there such a thing as an F-?" She took a deep breath. "Well, I guess we'll see." Buffy stared at the last page of her paper in total silence.
"Buffy? Buffy, what is it?"
"My first A! Wow! Thanks, Willow, you're a lifesaver." Buffy enveloped her friend in a bear hug. She couldn't believe her luck. She might manage to pass pysch if she could just get a few more good grades. In fact, she was in such a great mood, she was even feeling charitable toward Spike.
*****
Speaking of Spike, he had been absent from Sunnydale for two nights and a day, collecting demonic allies in the surrounding communities who were willing to gang up against the Initiative. His work complete, Spike roared back into Sunnydale, blatantly speeding in an effort to arrive on time for his composition class with Buffy. It was the single hour her presence was guaranteed and he wasn't about to miss out on it.
Despite his best attempt, when he finally skidded to a stop in the UC Sunnydale parking lot, he had missed at least 20 precious minutes of class. Moving at top vampiric speed, Spike rushed to the classroom, only to find... a placard on the door. The instructor was out sick and class had been cancelled. Spike whirled away from the room, swearing under his breath. He really needed a cigarette, only he'd quit cold turkey the night before last. Disappointed to have missed Buffy, he began to stalk down the hallway when he spotted her near the other end.
She also noticed him and hurried over. "Spike, there you are."
"You were looking for me?" It was a nice feeling, especially since it didn't happen very often.
"Yeah, I wanted to tell you about the Halloween party. It's Sunday night in the Alpha Delta Fraternity House. We're all supposed to wear costumes and there are prizes, so start thinking about how you want to dress."
"Yeah, right." Spike's enthusiasm cooled a little at the prospect of having to get dressed up like a ponce, but he consoled himself with the knowledge that he'd be there with Buffy. For once, she actually looked like she was in an excellent mood. Spike noticed the paper she was clutching in her right hand and pointed it out. "What's that?"
"This?" Buffy displayed the last page. "Only the best news I've had in a while. I got an A from Professor Walsh for the first time!"
"See, I knew you could do it." Spike felt immeasurably cheered. He had frightened Maggie Walsh into following his instructions, and Buffy was willingly talking to him. Things were definitely looking up.
Even as he thought this, Buffy shifted awkwardly. "Um, well, comp class was cancelled so I guess that's it, then." She backed up a couple of paces, then stopped. "Hey, Willow and Xander and me were going to talk for a while. You want to come with us?"
She almost didn't need to ask. Grateful for the invitation, Spike eagerly trailed Buffy to a picnic bench on the shady side of campus where Xander and Willow waited. Upon seeing him, Xander scowled and looked away, while Willow offered a tentative smile.
As Spike could have predicted, conversation began rather awkwardly. He couldn't very well discuss his main activities with the others and Buffy clearly didn't want to get into her slaying, so Xander did most of the talking. Spike tried to pay attention. He really did. But Xander was rambling on about the latest odd job he'd been fired from and Spike could think of few less interesting subjects. He settled for staring at Buffy until she blushed and turned away. Then he contented himself with staring at the back of her head.
The conversation drifted along but Spike didn't take any notice until a couple of intriguing phrases registered in his brain. They were "underground fire" and "mysterious facility." His head snapped up. "What was that?"
"Huh?" Willow and the others stared at him.
"That bit about an underground fire. Say that again."
"Fire." Willow repeated. "All right, well, sometime the night before last, this fire destroyed a big building we didn't even know was underneath the Larson Park area. It was really weird. No one got killed but this whole huge facility was wiped out. We were wondering what would be down there to catch on fire."
"It must have been some sort of demony thing," Buffy declared. "They're always lurking underground and building hideouts and weapons. It's a good thing this place got destroyed before they could use it to attack us."
They *had* to be talking about the Initiative complex. Just in case, Spike probed, "Do they know how the fire got started?"
"The fire chief said a cigarette probably caused it," Xander volunteered. "See how dangerous those things are, Spike? The smoking might not kill you, but if you ever set yourself on fire there'd be vampire flambee."
"No worries, mate. The Slayer didn't like the smoke smell so I quit."
"Wow, really?" Buffy stared at him.
"Yes, really." A bit insulted that she'd questioned the veracity of his statement, Spike turned his jacket pockets inside out. "See? Empty."
"No, I believe you. That was actually pretty... sweet of you," Buffy acknowledged.
Xander began making gagging noises, which put a bit of a damper on the moment. Buffy immediately looked away from Spike as if she wanted to forget what she had just said, but he didn't mind too much. She'd said it, he'd heard it, and he'd remember it. He was wearing her down, slowly but surely.
A thought then occurred to Spike. It seemed fairly obvious that *his* smoldering cigarette had been the trigger of the fire. So maybe he could impress Buffy even more if he informed her of the existence of the Initiative and his participation (however unwitting) in its amazingly easy downfall. Seemed like they'd had their demon-hunting gear up to date, but hadn't done the same with their fire-prevention system. He opened his mouth to begin bragging, then shut it as he reconsidered. So far, Buffy's reactions to his little escapades had been decidedly mixed. Spike couldn't be sure she'd approve of this latest one at all. Maybe he should just avoid mentioning his involvement. Not permanently, but for a year or two, until Buffy could see the humor in it.
Next chapter should be ready in a couple days. In it, Buffy and Spike go to the Halloween party.