A/N: Thanx for the feedback and yes, this will be a Buffy/Spike fic
eventually, but I'm going to have my fun getting there. So please, bare
with me? After reading this chapter you might think I'm being too nice to
Riley, and I do to. Things will change. There's also a couple in this
chapter some might find weird, but I'm trying to make it work. I first
planned the traditional coupling of C/A, but Julz pleaded with me not to. I
actually agree with her. I think they're awful together. I have a hard time
picturing Angel happy with anyone but Buffy, but at the same time I believe
Buffy will only be happy with Spike. There's a puzzle for me. I think I
have it figured out.
Last. This chapter is really long and again please bare with me. I hope I
can make it worth your while.*PHEW* Once again huge thanx to Alena who Beta
read this chapter aswell. On with the story : )
Chapter 2: Dinner Is Ready
The rest of the afternoon went along calmly in the Summers residence. *ahem.* Well, as calmly as it could, with two sisters preparing to fight for the attention of three boys. Buffy had caught her sister, when she came into her bedroom, trying to steal Buffy's favorite plaid skirt. Buffy had started to yell, but Dawn was saved by the bell when Buffy's phone rang.
"Hello?" Buffy answered the phone.
"Dish!" Came the excited and yet commanding voice at the other end.
"Oh, hi, Willow. What's up?" Buffy replied, before she spotted the figure calmly heading for the door, in the corner of her eye. She put a hand to the receiver and shouted, "Drop the skirt or I will so tell dad!" Dawn frowned and left the skirt, before stomping off to her own room.
"Where was I? Oh yeah. What do you mean, 'dish?'"
"Anya just came in and was all moonstruck. Seems like she drove by your street and nearly crashed as she saw, and I quote, 'The two most lickable chewtoys ever,' across the street from your house."
Buffy's eyes became hazy at remembering the two guys all too well. Then, she noticed the phone in her hand, and remembered she was talking to her best friend. "Dad has invited them over for dinner tonight, and I'm really looking forward to it. I just have to keep Dawn out of the way. What do you care about two boys anyway? Things are better between you and Tara, right?" Buffy asked, her voice full of worry.
"Tara and I are okay. I just wish she'd move back into the house with Anya and me. Anya and Xander can be a bit too much' considering I don't really have a snuggle buddy of my own at the moment. She holds out on the smooches, says we need to rebuild her trust in me. But, anyway, who says I can't be happy for my best friend, having two temptations across the street, helping her forget 'The Riley Incident?' Dinner with them tonight, you say? Call me later and give me all the details."
The phone was ripped from Willow's hand when Anya decided to put in a word. "Yes, we want all the details. Willow has to hang up now. You know, phone bill. Speaking of finances, when are you going to move in to help with rent money?"
Buffy let out a laugh. That was Anya for you; all about money and boys. "I already explained to you. I can't afford the rent, and staying with Mom and Dad is free. As for the dishing part, I'll report to you at the mall at twelve hundred hours, tomorrow. I have some money to burn. Call Cordy and Tara, bring them, and we'll have girl time."
" 'K. Bye."
"Bye. Love you both."
Buffy went into the shower and slowly started planning her moves for the evening. When she came out, she curled her hair, creating delicate waves, and put on some light makeup, before heading to the closet. She tried on a dozen outfits before coming to a decision of wearing a pale blue dress that went a bit lower than mid thigh. It was done in a silk imitation and wasn't too tight but, just tight enough to show off her curves. The skirt of it was the kind that swirled if she turned fast, similar to the kind of design that they pulled off in the 60s. The doorbell rang, and she headed for the stairs, where she bumped into her sister. They shared an angry look before continuing down the stairs. At the bottom, their guests were entering.
"Ah!There's my two angels now!" Hank announced, with a proud smile on his lips. "Buffy, Dawn. Say hello to Mr. Giles."
Buffy and Dawn went up to the tweed-clad man, smiling and taking his hand. "How do you do?" Giles answered in his upper class British accent.
"And his wife, Mrs. Calendar."
"Please. Call me Jenny," the brunette answered, greeting the girls. "These are my two sons, Connor and Liam," she said, gesturing to her boys.
"And this is my son, William," Giles said, nudging a go-ahead to Spike. Buffy and Dawn both, blushed shamelessly at hand-to-hand contact with the boys in question. The trio just gave their best cocky grin in response, measuring the girls up and down.
At Joyce's invitation, they proceeded to the dining room and sat down. Buffy sat opposite of Spike, and blushed like a schoolgirl every time he and Angel looked at her. Dawn sat across Connor, and enviously looked at the way Spike and Angel were measuring up her sister. She didn't even notice that she had an admirer of her own right across the table.
Connor studied the brunette intently. She was beauty incarnated, he thought. Sure, she didn't have the grace of her older sister, and seemed a bit unhappy at the moment. She wore a beautiful pastel pink dress much like her sister's, but Dawn didn't fill it out quite the way Buffy did. Still, there was something about the way her mouth sometimes twitched that had him wondering what it would be like to feel those lips pressed up against his own.
Dinner conversations went along, much like first meeting conversations usually do, everyone praising the hostess' cooking, and with the younger attendants only speaking when spoken to. Buffy and Angel learned from their mothers that they had taken the same artistic drawing course in freshman year, and soon found themselves discussing what type of pencil stroke was best, applying to different types of shadows.
Dawn found herself interrogated by Jenny, about school and extracurricular activities for her son, and Joyce asking Dawn to meet up with Connor, give him the tour of the school and introduce him to her friends on Monday morning. Connor didn't look too happy at the moment, with his mother embarrassing him and treating him like a kid with absolutely no social skills.
Hank and Giles learned they shared three interests; mythical literature, fine scotch, and Cuban cigars. "Honey! While you finish dessert, and put on the coffee, Giles and I, here, are going to go to my study. I want to show him this copy of Vampire: Myth and Lore that I got when we went to England last year," Hank announced to his wife.
"Are you referring to the one Quentin Travers wrote?" Giles replied, failing to hide the excitement in his voice.
"You two do that. Dessert will be ready in fifteen minutes. And go easy on the whiskey," Joyce whispered to her husband, patting his shoulder while standing up and heading towards the kitchen.
"I'll help you," Jenny said, following Joyce back to the kitchen. "Besides, I absolutely have to get your recipe for that marinade you used on the roast."
"Oh, that's actually Buffy's," Joyce replied, and winked at her daughter.
"Wow! A great cook and beautiful. Tell me, Miss Summers, are there any other talents you're hiding?" Angel asked, in a seductive manner.
Dawn mentally stuck her tongue out at her sister, and was just about to interrupt Angel's and Buffy's shameless flirting, when Spike did. He didn't like the way Angel was obviously putting his best moves on the girl. "So, what do you do for fun around here?" Spike asked, his question directed to Buffy.
"Well," Buffy hesitated. "There's a mall about a ten minute drive from here, and by campus there are a few coffee shops to get your caffeine fix and socialize with other students. There's also a great athletic wing on campus where I swim and have my diving practices. At night, there's a few clubs, but I think the Bronze is the best."
Buffy didn't get to continue, as her sister jumped in. "The Bronze is so cool. It's like, the coolest place in Sunnydale."
Both Angel and Spike raised eyebrows at Dawn's exclamation. Buffy caught their expressions and decided to continue. "Well, yeah, they do let teenagers in, so they don't serve hard liquor, but they have bands playing weeknights that are really good. On Fridays and Saturdays they have a band playing first, and then throw out everyone under twenty-one, and keep the place open till 3 AM. Besides, Sunnydale doesn't have a lot of clubs to choose from. There's a bar called Willy's that have your average drunk, and the country club is full of really stuck-up people that you usually find in country clubs. You should come to the Bronze tomorrow night. My friends, Oz and Devon, are playing with their band and...and I'm gonna stop rambling now." Buffy came to a halt in her speech, once again her face flushed at the realization she was making a complete fool of herself. Or so she thought.
Dawn let out a cackling laugh at her sister's expense, until Spike abruptly put his hand over Buffy's and got her attention. "I'd love to come with you, luv." The voice was low, accented, and loaded with emotions that sent tingles down Buffy's spine. She couldn't help swallowing, hard, as she looked into the deep blue eyes of the man that had spoken to her. I'm pretty sure I could drown in those She just kept staring at him, with eyes wide, until he pulled his hand back.
Angel came over the initial shock at his stepbrother's nerve, and realized what Spike's game was. 'Nah-ah, not gonna happen. This one's mine!' He pulled the conversation back to the previous topic of drawing, and soon got the sole attention of Buffy again.
Spike realized he didn't really have an opinion on single stroke versus cross strokes when creating shadows in twilight lighting, and decided to retreat to the outdoors to get his nicotine fix before dessert.
Dawn looked at the couple discussing drawing, and realized Angel was way to caught up in her sister, by the way he smiled and looked at her. Disgusting, really. 'Oh well. Angel may be a lost cause, but if he is, Spike is up for grabs'. She followed Spike out to the porch and sat down next to him. She studied the way he sucked on the fag, his already sharp jaw and cheekbones becoming even more accentuated when his chin sucked in and blew the smoke in, then out through his mouth and nostrils. His eyes were nearly closed, and Dawn thought for a moment that he hadn't even noticed he had company.
"What can I do for you, Bit?" His voice was soft.
'What he can do for me? Ah, one or two things come to my mind! Wait a minute, did he call me 'Bit?' As in 'Little Bit?'
"You know, I'm not a kid!" Dawn spat. "I've dated guys your age before! Xander even took me to the dance this spring!" She stood up and started pacing angrily.
Spike chuckled a bit at the scene she was making, and spoke. "Look, Bit. Not to say I'm not flattered or anything, but you're a bit young for my pallet, and I don't fancy big sis accusing me of robbing the cradle either. Secondly, my stepbrother has already set his eyes on you."
"Angel likes me?" Her eyes lit up as she considered this, and a smile grew wide.
"If it was Angel, I would 'ave hit on you just to piss him off. I'm talking about Connor. He's been gawking at you all night."
At this response, Dawn's smile contorted. "Eww! He's just a baby."
"And your point is?" Spike asked gently.
Dawn silently figured out if she called Connor a baby, and Connor was as old as she was, that would make her... 'No! So not going there!' The Nile is just a river in Egypt.
"Come on, Bit. Let's go have a look at what surprise your mum's made for dessert." They smiled at each other, went inside, found Hank and Giles coming back from the study, and joined the others at the table, when Jenny and Joyce brought out the blueberry pie and coffee.
Later, Giles and Jenny decided to call it a night, and the Summers followed their guests to the door. Spike and Angel gave Buffy a longing look, but Buffy only noticed Angel, and smiled. Connor gave Dawn the same longing look, and she managed to put on an awkward smile. "So. See you guys at the Bronze tomorrow? At eight?" Buffy asked.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Angel responded.
*Downtown Sunnydale, same evening*
In an alley, a brown haired, twenty-one year old man dressed in khaki pants and a Hawaiian, blue flowered shirt made his way to a door underneath a sign that said Willy's, Bar Open in yellow neon letters. He stepped in, took a look around at the visible clientele, and greeted the bartender. "Hey, Willy. Where is he holding up?"
"What, Xander? Uncle Willy don't even get a 'How you been?' or 'How's business?'" The bartender replied. Xander shuddered at the uncle reference, remembering all too clear back when he was a little boy and his father would bring him to this place and 'dear old Uncle Willy' had to take care of him. When his father either became too drunk and passed out, or would get drunk and strike at him, the outcome was either getting Uncle Willy to call a cab, or get Uncle Willy to patch him up.
"Where's Riley?" Xander's voice was thick and croaking with emotion of past memories, and Willy let it go. "In the back."
Xander made his way to the back of the not-so-fine establishment, and threw disgusted glances at the familiar faces of times past. He shrugged his memory off, remembering he had a friend in need of some help.
"Riley," Xander called out.
"Harris," Riley Finn responded, tilting his glass of cheap bourbon in a greeting, before guzzling down its contents.
"Man, you look like shit," Xander commented. Riley really did look awful. His dark blond hair was greasy and tousled, his light blue shirt and jeans were stained with yellow marks. "We have to get you out of here! No good will come of it if you sit around this dump, feeling sorry for yourself. How about we head back to your place and you clean yourself up? Then we can head down to the Bronze. Sound good? The gang misses you," Xander lied. Okay, it was a small, but required, lie.
He was the only one in the gang that really had connected with Riley. The reason the girls didn't care was obvious. They were biased in the whole Riley-Buffy situation. The guys, Devon and Oz, just didn't really care. They were too caught up in their own life. Xander figured there were two reasons he couldn't stand idly by, while Riley flushed his life down the drain. One was Xander couldn't stand seeing yet another life ruined by alcohol. Two was Riley had become Jessie's replacement. Jessie had been Xander's best friend, up to the car accident that killed him. The driver had been drunk, of course.
When he'd befriended Devon and Oz in high school, it was different. They sort of had each other, and Xander would always be an outsider when they started talking about music. When Riley moved from Iowa to Sunnydale, Xander had found a friend with the same interests as he and for the first time after Jessie, he didn't feel left out.
"I...I can't. I'm not ready to see her," came Riley's quiet response.
"Don't worry about it, man. She's busy with some family thing. Anya told me," Xander replied, not bothering to question who 'her' was. He knew all too well. Buffy could very well hold the demise of every male in Sunnydale. Riley wasn't the first to get the unrequited love treatment. Xander had felt it to, back in high school, when he had a crush on Buffy and she had started to date Scott Hope.
Riley nodded, and stood up reluctantly. He knew Xander had his best interest in mind. After paying the tab, they left.
*At Bronze, in the same evening*
Cordelia tapped her manicured nails against the bar. The noise it made seemingly soothed her nerves to a certain extent. Her friends and boyfriend were late. It didn't look good for an ex-prom queen and cheerleader to stand alone like this. She shifted in her seat and ran a hand through her dark, silk tresses in frustration. She shifted from looking at the entrance to her watch. She reached for her frappachino to take a sip from the straw. When she moved her lips from it, a drop fell from the straw and into the lap of her beige, chamois leather skirt. It left a very visible and disgusting stain. "Damn," she frowned as she stood up, applying a napkin to the stain
"What? Is little princess making a mess? Are my eyes deceiving me, Harmony?" A chill went down Cordelia's spine at the sound of the all too familiar British voice commenting behind her. She turned around, facing the fair skinned brunette in question, and her herd of sheep.
"Why, Dru! I'm surprised to see you up and about already. I mean, with the little accident the surgeon had when he performed..." Cordelia stepped closer and changed her tone to a mock whisper, making sure everyone overheard, "well, you know...your nose job." At the 'nose job' part, Cordelia lifted her finger to Drusilla's nose for emphasis. Cordelia mock gasped and continued, "Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie. He wasn't able to fix it, was he? Oh well, you know what? Some people say it has its charm to have abnormal features. Everybody loved Quasimodo." At the last bit of Cordelia's, speech, Melody, one of Drusilla's said sheep, couldn't help but snort.
Drusilla scowled at Melody, before returning her attention to Cordelia. Dru's eyes flashed red for a moment, before slapping away the offending finger pointing in her face. "I'm glad to see that you haven't lost your sense of humor on top of losing...well, everything else." With her last comment, Drusilla and her sheep headed out to the dance floor.
Cordelia started reminiscing back to the time when she was the leader of the herd. It had all come to an end when Drusilla Wyndham-Price had moved to Sunnydale. Her father, Wesley, was a loaded investor, so she was immediately approved as a member of the very closed club of Cordelia, Harmony, Melody, Amy and a few other selected sheep. Its admission required a platinum card and good looks. They were the girls envied by all.
Drusilla played everyone like pawns in a game of chess. It wasn't long before Cordelia was squeezed out, the excuse being her that the man she was dating was beneath her. She started dating Alexander Harris, the son of a drunk, unemployed man. Things were really good with Xander for awhile. Right up until he and Willow couldn't manage to suppress their imagined romantic feelings for one another. Cordelia and Oz, Willow's boyfriend at the time, were crushed.
Cordelia and Oz took time comforting each other, giving each other words of encouragement. It didn't take too much time before Oz realized that Cordelia wasn't quite the airhead everyone assumed her to be. Equally, it didn't take Cordelia too much time to realize that there was more beneath the label 'freak' she had put on Daniel 'Oz' Osmond.
It was kind of funny how they actually got together. As soon as they realized the emotions the other stirred up, they started denying it and avoided each other. It went fine for a week, until one night at the Bronze. Oz and Devon had just finished playing a set with their band, Dingoes Ate My Baby, when Cordelia walked up and asked why he had been avoiding her. Oz asked her the same question and a vocal fight soon ensued. It ended in a world-altering kiss.
They had been together since, and made quite the odd couple. But it didn't matter what people thought. They made each other happy.
"Aww. My little airhead really shouldn't do all that thinking. You know how much your head will hurt after overload."
Cordelia's smile grew wider at the sound of her boyfriend's voice. "Well, if my little freak would bother to show up on time, I wouldn't have to worry my pretty little head, would I?" Cordelia responded, before putting her arms around Oz's shoulders.
Willow watched the happy couple for a few seconds, before interrupting to say 'hello' to them both. She looked around the place and spotted Anya with Tara over at one of the tables. 'Oh God, please let my eyes deceive me. Anya isn't over there, trying to convince Tara to move back in, because of the money, is she?' Willow hurried over to her ex and roommate, trying to avoid the possible catastrophe.
Anya left as soon as she spotted her boyfriend at the entrance, and Willow and Tara were left alone. Tara was the first to break the awkward silence. She stared intently at her redheaded ex-lover, before finding the voice to speak. "Listen, Willow. I've been thinking. I want to move back in with you and Anya." Willow looked shocked, but as soon as she realized the implications of the blonde's words, a huge smile spread across her face.
Tara continued, "If this is going to work, I need to know for sure that you'll never take ecstasy again. I want you to take tests every week until I'm sure you're not using."
"Anything, baby. I'll do anything to have you back in my life!" Willow squealed.
"Why don't you come over here and kiss me already?" Tara asked, pouting. Willow didn't need to be asked twice.
A little while later, Oz, Cordelia, Xander, Anya, Tara, Willow, and Devon were all gathered around the table. "Did anyone see where Riley went?" Xander asked.
"Riley is here?" Willow spat.
"Hey, take pity on the guy. He was really drunk and hurt when you caught him trying to climb up to Buffy's window." To Xander's surprise, it was Devon who said it. Here he thought he was the only who cared.
"Speaking of that incident, I really don't think it would be healthy if Buffy ever found out. We need to keep it to ourselves," Tara said.
"I don't believe it!" Cordelia nearly shouted.
"What?" Xander asked, before everybody followed Cordelia's gaze.
Their eyes spotted Riley, kissing Drusilla.
"Well. She always was into competing with Buffy. Anybody remember the 'Parker incident?' Hell, she's always tried to make a move for Riley," Xander said. They all nodded their agreement, and went on trying to shake the disturbing image out of their mind, so they could have some usual Friday night fun. They made a silent pact not to mention anything to Buffy.
Chapter 2: Dinner Is Ready
The rest of the afternoon went along calmly in the Summers residence. *ahem.* Well, as calmly as it could, with two sisters preparing to fight for the attention of three boys. Buffy had caught her sister, when she came into her bedroom, trying to steal Buffy's favorite plaid skirt. Buffy had started to yell, but Dawn was saved by the bell when Buffy's phone rang.
"Hello?" Buffy answered the phone.
"Dish!" Came the excited and yet commanding voice at the other end.
"Oh, hi, Willow. What's up?" Buffy replied, before she spotted the figure calmly heading for the door, in the corner of her eye. She put a hand to the receiver and shouted, "Drop the skirt or I will so tell dad!" Dawn frowned and left the skirt, before stomping off to her own room.
"Where was I? Oh yeah. What do you mean, 'dish?'"
"Anya just came in and was all moonstruck. Seems like she drove by your street and nearly crashed as she saw, and I quote, 'The two most lickable chewtoys ever,' across the street from your house."
Buffy's eyes became hazy at remembering the two guys all too well. Then, she noticed the phone in her hand, and remembered she was talking to her best friend. "Dad has invited them over for dinner tonight, and I'm really looking forward to it. I just have to keep Dawn out of the way. What do you care about two boys anyway? Things are better between you and Tara, right?" Buffy asked, her voice full of worry.
"Tara and I are okay. I just wish she'd move back into the house with Anya and me. Anya and Xander can be a bit too much' considering I don't really have a snuggle buddy of my own at the moment. She holds out on the smooches, says we need to rebuild her trust in me. But, anyway, who says I can't be happy for my best friend, having two temptations across the street, helping her forget 'The Riley Incident?' Dinner with them tonight, you say? Call me later and give me all the details."
The phone was ripped from Willow's hand when Anya decided to put in a word. "Yes, we want all the details. Willow has to hang up now. You know, phone bill. Speaking of finances, when are you going to move in to help with rent money?"
Buffy let out a laugh. That was Anya for you; all about money and boys. "I already explained to you. I can't afford the rent, and staying with Mom and Dad is free. As for the dishing part, I'll report to you at the mall at twelve hundred hours, tomorrow. I have some money to burn. Call Cordy and Tara, bring them, and we'll have girl time."
" 'K. Bye."
"Bye. Love you both."
Buffy went into the shower and slowly started planning her moves for the evening. When she came out, she curled her hair, creating delicate waves, and put on some light makeup, before heading to the closet. She tried on a dozen outfits before coming to a decision of wearing a pale blue dress that went a bit lower than mid thigh. It was done in a silk imitation and wasn't too tight but, just tight enough to show off her curves. The skirt of it was the kind that swirled if she turned fast, similar to the kind of design that they pulled off in the 60s. The doorbell rang, and she headed for the stairs, where she bumped into her sister. They shared an angry look before continuing down the stairs. At the bottom, their guests were entering.
"Ah!There's my two angels now!" Hank announced, with a proud smile on his lips. "Buffy, Dawn. Say hello to Mr. Giles."
Buffy and Dawn went up to the tweed-clad man, smiling and taking his hand. "How do you do?" Giles answered in his upper class British accent.
"And his wife, Mrs. Calendar."
"Please. Call me Jenny," the brunette answered, greeting the girls. "These are my two sons, Connor and Liam," she said, gesturing to her boys.
"And this is my son, William," Giles said, nudging a go-ahead to Spike. Buffy and Dawn both, blushed shamelessly at hand-to-hand contact with the boys in question. The trio just gave their best cocky grin in response, measuring the girls up and down.
At Joyce's invitation, they proceeded to the dining room and sat down. Buffy sat opposite of Spike, and blushed like a schoolgirl every time he and Angel looked at her. Dawn sat across Connor, and enviously looked at the way Spike and Angel were measuring up her sister. She didn't even notice that she had an admirer of her own right across the table.
Connor studied the brunette intently. She was beauty incarnated, he thought. Sure, she didn't have the grace of her older sister, and seemed a bit unhappy at the moment. She wore a beautiful pastel pink dress much like her sister's, but Dawn didn't fill it out quite the way Buffy did. Still, there was something about the way her mouth sometimes twitched that had him wondering what it would be like to feel those lips pressed up against his own.
Dinner conversations went along, much like first meeting conversations usually do, everyone praising the hostess' cooking, and with the younger attendants only speaking when spoken to. Buffy and Angel learned from their mothers that they had taken the same artistic drawing course in freshman year, and soon found themselves discussing what type of pencil stroke was best, applying to different types of shadows.
Dawn found herself interrogated by Jenny, about school and extracurricular activities for her son, and Joyce asking Dawn to meet up with Connor, give him the tour of the school and introduce him to her friends on Monday morning. Connor didn't look too happy at the moment, with his mother embarrassing him and treating him like a kid with absolutely no social skills.
Hank and Giles learned they shared three interests; mythical literature, fine scotch, and Cuban cigars. "Honey! While you finish dessert, and put on the coffee, Giles and I, here, are going to go to my study. I want to show him this copy of Vampire: Myth and Lore that I got when we went to England last year," Hank announced to his wife.
"Are you referring to the one Quentin Travers wrote?" Giles replied, failing to hide the excitement in his voice.
"You two do that. Dessert will be ready in fifteen minutes. And go easy on the whiskey," Joyce whispered to her husband, patting his shoulder while standing up and heading towards the kitchen.
"I'll help you," Jenny said, following Joyce back to the kitchen. "Besides, I absolutely have to get your recipe for that marinade you used on the roast."
"Oh, that's actually Buffy's," Joyce replied, and winked at her daughter.
"Wow! A great cook and beautiful. Tell me, Miss Summers, are there any other talents you're hiding?" Angel asked, in a seductive manner.
Dawn mentally stuck her tongue out at her sister, and was just about to interrupt Angel's and Buffy's shameless flirting, when Spike did. He didn't like the way Angel was obviously putting his best moves on the girl. "So, what do you do for fun around here?" Spike asked, his question directed to Buffy.
"Well," Buffy hesitated. "There's a mall about a ten minute drive from here, and by campus there are a few coffee shops to get your caffeine fix and socialize with other students. There's also a great athletic wing on campus where I swim and have my diving practices. At night, there's a few clubs, but I think the Bronze is the best."
Buffy didn't get to continue, as her sister jumped in. "The Bronze is so cool. It's like, the coolest place in Sunnydale."
Both Angel and Spike raised eyebrows at Dawn's exclamation. Buffy caught their expressions and decided to continue. "Well, yeah, they do let teenagers in, so they don't serve hard liquor, but they have bands playing weeknights that are really good. On Fridays and Saturdays they have a band playing first, and then throw out everyone under twenty-one, and keep the place open till 3 AM. Besides, Sunnydale doesn't have a lot of clubs to choose from. There's a bar called Willy's that have your average drunk, and the country club is full of really stuck-up people that you usually find in country clubs. You should come to the Bronze tomorrow night. My friends, Oz and Devon, are playing with their band and...and I'm gonna stop rambling now." Buffy came to a halt in her speech, once again her face flushed at the realization she was making a complete fool of herself. Or so she thought.
Dawn let out a cackling laugh at her sister's expense, until Spike abruptly put his hand over Buffy's and got her attention. "I'd love to come with you, luv." The voice was low, accented, and loaded with emotions that sent tingles down Buffy's spine. She couldn't help swallowing, hard, as she looked into the deep blue eyes of the man that had spoken to her. I'm pretty sure I could drown in those She just kept staring at him, with eyes wide, until he pulled his hand back.
Angel came over the initial shock at his stepbrother's nerve, and realized what Spike's game was. 'Nah-ah, not gonna happen. This one's mine!' He pulled the conversation back to the previous topic of drawing, and soon got the sole attention of Buffy again.
Spike realized he didn't really have an opinion on single stroke versus cross strokes when creating shadows in twilight lighting, and decided to retreat to the outdoors to get his nicotine fix before dessert.
Dawn looked at the couple discussing drawing, and realized Angel was way to caught up in her sister, by the way he smiled and looked at her. Disgusting, really. 'Oh well. Angel may be a lost cause, but if he is, Spike is up for grabs'. She followed Spike out to the porch and sat down next to him. She studied the way he sucked on the fag, his already sharp jaw and cheekbones becoming even more accentuated when his chin sucked in and blew the smoke in, then out through his mouth and nostrils. His eyes were nearly closed, and Dawn thought for a moment that he hadn't even noticed he had company.
"What can I do for you, Bit?" His voice was soft.
'What he can do for me? Ah, one or two things come to my mind! Wait a minute, did he call me 'Bit?' As in 'Little Bit?'
"You know, I'm not a kid!" Dawn spat. "I've dated guys your age before! Xander even took me to the dance this spring!" She stood up and started pacing angrily.
Spike chuckled a bit at the scene she was making, and spoke. "Look, Bit. Not to say I'm not flattered or anything, but you're a bit young for my pallet, and I don't fancy big sis accusing me of robbing the cradle either. Secondly, my stepbrother has already set his eyes on you."
"Angel likes me?" Her eyes lit up as she considered this, and a smile grew wide.
"If it was Angel, I would 'ave hit on you just to piss him off. I'm talking about Connor. He's been gawking at you all night."
At this response, Dawn's smile contorted. "Eww! He's just a baby."
"And your point is?" Spike asked gently.
Dawn silently figured out if she called Connor a baby, and Connor was as old as she was, that would make her... 'No! So not going there!' The Nile is just a river in Egypt.
"Come on, Bit. Let's go have a look at what surprise your mum's made for dessert." They smiled at each other, went inside, found Hank and Giles coming back from the study, and joined the others at the table, when Jenny and Joyce brought out the blueberry pie and coffee.
Later, Giles and Jenny decided to call it a night, and the Summers followed their guests to the door. Spike and Angel gave Buffy a longing look, but Buffy only noticed Angel, and smiled. Connor gave Dawn the same longing look, and she managed to put on an awkward smile. "So. See you guys at the Bronze tomorrow? At eight?" Buffy asked.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Angel responded.
*Downtown Sunnydale, same evening*
In an alley, a brown haired, twenty-one year old man dressed in khaki pants and a Hawaiian, blue flowered shirt made his way to a door underneath a sign that said Willy's, Bar Open in yellow neon letters. He stepped in, took a look around at the visible clientele, and greeted the bartender. "Hey, Willy. Where is he holding up?"
"What, Xander? Uncle Willy don't even get a 'How you been?' or 'How's business?'" The bartender replied. Xander shuddered at the uncle reference, remembering all too clear back when he was a little boy and his father would bring him to this place and 'dear old Uncle Willy' had to take care of him. When his father either became too drunk and passed out, or would get drunk and strike at him, the outcome was either getting Uncle Willy to call a cab, or get Uncle Willy to patch him up.
"Where's Riley?" Xander's voice was thick and croaking with emotion of past memories, and Willy let it go. "In the back."
Xander made his way to the back of the not-so-fine establishment, and threw disgusted glances at the familiar faces of times past. He shrugged his memory off, remembering he had a friend in need of some help.
"Riley," Xander called out.
"Harris," Riley Finn responded, tilting his glass of cheap bourbon in a greeting, before guzzling down its contents.
"Man, you look like shit," Xander commented. Riley really did look awful. His dark blond hair was greasy and tousled, his light blue shirt and jeans were stained with yellow marks. "We have to get you out of here! No good will come of it if you sit around this dump, feeling sorry for yourself. How about we head back to your place and you clean yourself up? Then we can head down to the Bronze. Sound good? The gang misses you," Xander lied. Okay, it was a small, but required, lie.
He was the only one in the gang that really had connected with Riley. The reason the girls didn't care was obvious. They were biased in the whole Riley-Buffy situation. The guys, Devon and Oz, just didn't really care. They were too caught up in their own life. Xander figured there were two reasons he couldn't stand idly by, while Riley flushed his life down the drain. One was Xander couldn't stand seeing yet another life ruined by alcohol. Two was Riley had become Jessie's replacement. Jessie had been Xander's best friend, up to the car accident that killed him. The driver had been drunk, of course.
When he'd befriended Devon and Oz in high school, it was different. They sort of had each other, and Xander would always be an outsider when they started talking about music. When Riley moved from Iowa to Sunnydale, Xander had found a friend with the same interests as he and for the first time after Jessie, he didn't feel left out.
"I...I can't. I'm not ready to see her," came Riley's quiet response.
"Don't worry about it, man. She's busy with some family thing. Anya told me," Xander replied, not bothering to question who 'her' was. He knew all too well. Buffy could very well hold the demise of every male in Sunnydale. Riley wasn't the first to get the unrequited love treatment. Xander had felt it to, back in high school, when he had a crush on Buffy and she had started to date Scott Hope.
Riley nodded, and stood up reluctantly. He knew Xander had his best interest in mind. After paying the tab, they left.
*At Bronze, in the same evening*
Cordelia tapped her manicured nails against the bar. The noise it made seemingly soothed her nerves to a certain extent. Her friends and boyfriend were late. It didn't look good for an ex-prom queen and cheerleader to stand alone like this. She shifted in her seat and ran a hand through her dark, silk tresses in frustration. She shifted from looking at the entrance to her watch. She reached for her frappachino to take a sip from the straw. When she moved her lips from it, a drop fell from the straw and into the lap of her beige, chamois leather skirt. It left a very visible and disgusting stain. "Damn," she frowned as she stood up, applying a napkin to the stain
"What? Is little princess making a mess? Are my eyes deceiving me, Harmony?" A chill went down Cordelia's spine at the sound of the all too familiar British voice commenting behind her. She turned around, facing the fair skinned brunette in question, and her herd of sheep.
"Why, Dru! I'm surprised to see you up and about already. I mean, with the little accident the surgeon had when he performed..." Cordelia stepped closer and changed her tone to a mock whisper, making sure everyone overheard, "well, you know...your nose job." At the 'nose job' part, Cordelia lifted her finger to Drusilla's nose for emphasis. Cordelia mock gasped and continued, "Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie. He wasn't able to fix it, was he? Oh well, you know what? Some people say it has its charm to have abnormal features. Everybody loved Quasimodo." At the last bit of Cordelia's, speech, Melody, one of Drusilla's said sheep, couldn't help but snort.
Drusilla scowled at Melody, before returning her attention to Cordelia. Dru's eyes flashed red for a moment, before slapping away the offending finger pointing in her face. "I'm glad to see that you haven't lost your sense of humor on top of losing...well, everything else." With her last comment, Drusilla and her sheep headed out to the dance floor.
Cordelia started reminiscing back to the time when she was the leader of the herd. It had all come to an end when Drusilla Wyndham-Price had moved to Sunnydale. Her father, Wesley, was a loaded investor, so she was immediately approved as a member of the very closed club of Cordelia, Harmony, Melody, Amy and a few other selected sheep. Its admission required a platinum card and good looks. They were the girls envied by all.
Drusilla played everyone like pawns in a game of chess. It wasn't long before Cordelia was squeezed out, the excuse being her that the man she was dating was beneath her. She started dating Alexander Harris, the son of a drunk, unemployed man. Things were really good with Xander for awhile. Right up until he and Willow couldn't manage to suppress their imagined romantic feelings for one another. Cordelia and Oz, Willow's boyfriend at the time, were crushed.
Cordelia and Oz took time comforting each other, giving each other words of encouragement. It didn't take too much time before Oz realized that Cordelia wasn't quite the airhead everyone assumed her to be. Equally, it didn't take Cordelia too much time to realize that there was more beneath the label 'freak' she had put on Daniel 'Oz' Osmond.
It was kind of funny how they actually got together. As soon as they realized the emotions the other stirred up, they started denying it and avoided each other. It went fine for a week, until one night at the Bronze. Oz and Devon had just finished playing a set with their band, Dingoes Ate My Baby, when Cordelia walked up and asked why he had been avoiding her. Oz asked her the same question and a vocal fight soon ensued. It ended in a world-altering kiss.
They had been together since, and made quite the odd couple. But it didn't matter what people thought. They made each other happy.
"Aww. My little airhead really shouldn't do all that thinking. You know how much your head will hurt after overload."
Cordelia's smile grew wider at the sound of her boyfriend's voice. "Well, if my little freak would bother to show up on time, I wouldn't have to worry my pretty little head, would I?" Cordelia responded, before putting her arms around Oz's shoulders.
Willow watched the happy couple for a few seconds, before interrupting to say 'hello' to them both. She looked around the place and spotted Anya with Tara over at one of the tables. 'Oh God, please let my eyes deceive me. Anya isn't over there, trying to convince Tara to move back in, because of the money, is she?' Willow hurried over to her ex and roommate, trying to avoid the possible catastrophe.
Anya left as soon as she spotted her boyfriend at the entrance, and Willow and Tara were left alone. Tara was the first to break the awkward silence. She stared intently at her redheaded ex-lover, before finding the voice to speak. "Listen, Willow. I've been thinking. I want to move back in with you and Anya." Willow looked shocked, but as soon as she realized the implications of the blonde's words, a huge smile spread across her face.
Tara continued, "If this is going to work, I need to know for sure that you'll never take ecstasy again. I want you to take tests every week until I'm sure you're not using."
"Anything, baby. I'll do anything to have you back in my life!" Willow squealed.
"Why don't you come over here and kiss me already?" Tara asked, pouting. Willow didn't need to be asked twice.
A little while later, Oz, Cordelia, Xander, Anya, Tara, Willow, and Devon were all gathered around the table. "Did anyone see where Riley went?" Xander asked.
"Riley is here?" Willow spat.
"Hey, take pity on the guy. He was really drunk and hurt when you caught him trying to climb up to Buffy's window." To Xander's surprise, it was Devon who said it. Here he thought he was the only who cared.
"Speaking of that incident, I really don't think it would be healthy if Buffy ever found out. We need to keep it to ourselves," Tara said.
"I don't believe it!" Cordelia nearly shouted.
"What?" Xander asked, before everybody followed Cordelia's gaze.
Their eyes spotted Riley, kissing Drusilla.
"Well. She always was into competing with Buffy. Anybody remember the 'Parker incident?' Hell, she's always tried to make a move for Riley," Xander said. They all nodded their agreement, and went on trying to shake the disturbing image out of their mind, so they could have some usual Friday night fun. They made a silent pact not to mention anything to Buffy.