35. The Call of Duty
DAY 16 -- continued
"Mom, that's not fair!"
"Buffy, this has nothing to do with what's fair," Joyce said softly, trying to get her daughter to calm down. They were in the middle of the cafeteria, and she could not allow a shouting match to take place in front of the campers. "First of all, I am not your mother here; I am your boss. Second of all, a day off is a luxury, you have responsibilities that take priority."
Buffy leaned towards Joyce, "But I really need . . ."
Joyce sighed, "I know sweetie, you've been working really hard and you need a break; but these shows have got to get finished. We're way behind schedule."
Buffy nodded, and forced down the tears that were getting ready to spill from her eyes. "I know."
The older woman placed a gentle hand on her daughter's shoulder. "If a lot gets completed during the day, we can discuss you taking off a few hours in the evening, ok?"
Buffy nodded solemnly, "I understand." She rose from the chair and made her way back to her table. She couldn't help but think that if it were any other counselor, her mother would never have demanded they skip a day-off to work. 'Being the owner's daughter sucks.' Buffy plopped down in the seat next to Dawn, who was busy whispering something to Janice. "Forget whatever it is you're planning ladies, because I'm still going to be here tomorrow, to muck up all your scheming."
"What?" three voices asked at once.
Buffy looked around the table; Dawn and Janice were staring at her in shock, obviously upset that they wouldn't be able to carry out one of their sneaky pranks, Spike was frozen, a clear look of disappointment on his face. She hadn't seen him since the costume shop, and really couldn't take it if he were to yell at her for what she pulled. The way the evening was going, she'd probably burst into tears and fall into a coma, or something. "I'm on duty tomorrow. No day-off for Buffy this week. . ." she said with a pout.
Spike glanced over to the petite blonde. He had been planning on giving her the silent treatment through dinner and then resume their usual banter, but now, he didn't have the heart. "I'm sorry to hear that, luv."
"Definitely not as sorry as we are," Dawn piped in, indicating herself and Janice.
"I'm sure," Buffy said, raising her eyebrows to the girl. "So, lift my spirits," she said sarcastically, "and tell me what Oz had planned for us all?"
Spike cleared his throat, and moved to the seat next to Buffy. "You sure you want to hear about it, pet?"
Buffy took a deep breath and nodded. "Could this day really get any worse?"
"I was the one trapped in neon ruffles, luv, so don't ask me," he said with a smirk, trying to get her to cheer up. It seemed to work, because the mention of his situation in the costume shop made a huge grin spread across her face. He cleared his throat, "Anyway, we were going to leave tonight for LA - stay at Oz's, check out a few clubs in the city, and explore Hollywood in the morning."
Buffy groaned, "That's not fair! Even though I was just there, I really wanted to show you. . .I mean, EVERYONE around my city," she quickly covered her little slip. After the whole Angel fiasco, and re-arranging the bus line-up at the beginning of camp, she wanted to make it up to him - spend time in Los Angeles, exploring the city together, like they should have before.
"Well, I could stay behind if you want me to," he said softly. He really didn't want to take the trip without her. Besides, a whole day with two couples didn't sound like much fun.
Buffy shook her head quickly, "No . . . you go," she gazed into his eyes momentarily then began playing with a napkin that was on the table. "You've never been to LA. Plus, you deserve a little break."
Spike placed his hand on her knee gently, "LA will always be there. I can go another time." He leaned in closer to her and tilted his head slightly to the side. "I could stay around here, so we could spend a little time together," he offered.
Buffy turned to face him, and gave him a small smile. As much as she would have loved that, she knew that she'd be spending most of her time in the theater. She shook her head and gave his hand a quick squeeze. "It's ok." When he raised his eyebrows at her, she re-emphasized her position. "Really, I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" he asked one final time.
"Yah," she nodded. "I'm going to be working a lot anyway. I don't even know if I'm going to get any time off tomorrow night." Spike sighed and rose from the chair, allowing Buffy to grab his hand quickly. He turned to face her and met her wide thankful eyes. "Thank you, though. . .for offering. It means a lot," she said softly.
Spike took his free hand and patted the one that was holding his. "No problem, luv. If you change your mind, we're heading out about 9 or 10, I think."
She yanked his arm lightly, bringing him down to her level. "I know I don't deserve anymore of your help after what I did to you today, but . . .do you think. . ."
"Spit it out, pet."
She avoided his eyes and looked to the ground. "Do you think you could come into the Guys & Dolls rehearsal tonight, before you go, and demonstrate the dance with me?" Off his raised eyebrows she elaborated. "I swear you don't have to wear ruffles OR leather." When he still didn't respond, she resorted to begging. "Please! We need to convince one of the guys to do the scene, or the whole Havana segment is shot."
Spike groaned and rolled his eyes. "Fine. But only since I feel sorry for you. I don't actually like doing that silly dance."
Buffy snorted, knowing exactly how much he 'hated' it. "We'll only do it once for them, that should be enough."
"Good," he said, before turning to walk away. Buffy giggled as he walked off, then was surprised to have him back at her side in a flash. "But if we have to do it two or three more times . . .you know . . .to convince 'em. . .that would be al'right," he said seriously. "For the good of the kids . . .and the show."
"Of course," Buffy said, trying to hold a straight face. "For the good of Sunny-D."
"Right then," he cleared his throat, "as long as we've got that straight." He stood tall and left the table for the food line, leaving Buffy fighting to sustain her calm demeanor. When he was finally out of sight, she burst out in laughter, startling the table of campers.
-----------------------
Spike and Buffy finished the dance - toned down for young eyes, of course - and turned to face their audience of kids, who were staring at them in silence. Buffy turned to Spike nervously, "I really thought that would work."
A young girl in the second row spoke up. "Now THAT was hot," Rona announced to the room. A few giggles sounded around through the theater.
Buffy saw a hand shoot up from the crowd. "Yes, Molly."
The teen stood up and looked around. "So are we all supposed to make out with him or somethin'? 'Cuz that would be al'right."
Spike blushed at the remark and finally noticed how close he and Buffy were standing and took a few steps away from her.
Buffy giggled nervously. "No, Molly. You don't get to make out with Spike." She walked downstage and jumped off to the main floor. Eyeing the kids knowingly, she continued her pitch. "But, whoever does this scene does get to do a few smoochies."
At that, a dozen hands waved eagerly in the air. Buffy smiled widely and turned to her dancing partner and mouthed a quick: 'Thank you.'
Spike nodded and smiled shyly before turning to the youngsters in front of him. "I have to go now, so don't give Buffy a hard time." The girls began to whine, begging him to stay for the rest of the rehearsal. The boys didn't want him to go either, as it was kind of nice seeing such a macho guy lead the way.
Buffy quieted them down. "I'm sorry; Spike has to get back to his own responsibilities now. Everyone thank him for his time."
They all groaned and shouted words of thanks. Spike waved and gave a small bow before walking over to Buffy. "You sure you don't want me to stay."
"Get going," she said, giving him a playful push. "You need to finish up your own crap so you can hit the road with everyone else."
"Come on . . .I KNOW you wanna dance," he said, leering at her from underneath his eyebrows.
She laughed, and smacked him on the arm. "Shoo - I have a rehearsal to finish up."
He sighed, and jutted out his lower lip in a pout. "Fine, if that's the way you want it. I'll see you when I get back."
She nodded. "Thank you," she said sincerely, "and have a great time." As he left the theater she watched him leave sadly. She regained her composure and turned back to the group. "Ok, let's get to work."
-------------------
"Where's Buffy?" Xander asked the group.
"She better get a move on - cause at this rate, we're not going to hit LA til dawn," Cordy whined.
"She had to stay back for rehearsals," Willow said, eyeing Spike, who silently threw his bag into the back of the van. "I guess her mom wouldn't let her out of it."
"Wow, that sucks," Cordelia said. "I guess being the boss' daughter isn't all about the great perks. I always thought she could get away with . . ."
"Well, you thought wrong," Spike snapped. He took a deep breath and looked around at the group in front of him, all shocked at his outburst.
"I just meant . . ." Cordy started defensively.
"Don't worry about it," Willow said, placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's a common misconception."
Cordy nodded, and climbed into the van with Xander.
"Let's get going then," Oz said, as he made his way towards the driver's seat.
Willow walked over to Spike, who was staring off into the distance. "You ok?"
He stomped out his cigarette and turned to face the redhead. "Just kinda worried, is all. She's trying to be all strong about it, but I can tell she's in bad shape."
Willow smiled at the caring man. "She'll be fine." She paused, and squeezed his hand. "Besides, I wasn't asking about her."
He grinned at the perceptive girl, and nodded quickly. "I'll be ok, Red."
"Good . . .now get your cute butt in the van." She smacked him playfully on the backside and jumped into the passenger seat.
Spike looked around one more time, hoping that Buffy would miraculously appear with the news that her mom changed her mind, or even to ask him to stay. When he saw no sign of her he climbed into the back with Xander and Cordy, sliding the door closed behind him.
In the distance, Buffy watched Spike close the door to the van. She sighed, as the van pulled off into the night. "Well, I guess that's that," she muttered before walking back to Revello.
DAY 16 -- continued
"Mom, that's not fair!"
"Buffy, this has nothing to do with what's fair," Joyce said softly, trying to get her daughter to calm down. They were in the middle of the cafeteria, and she could not allow a shouting match to take place in front of the campers. "First of all, I am not your mother here; I am your boss. Second of all, a day off is a luxury, you have responsibilities that take priority."
Buffy leaned towards Joyce, "But I really need . . ."
Joyce sighed, "I know sweetie, you've been working really hard and you need a break; but these shows have got to get finished. We're way behind schedule."
Buffy nodded, and forced down the tears that were getting ready to spill from her eyes. "I know."
The older woman placed a gentle hand on her daughter's shoulder. "If a lot gets completed during the day, we can discuss you taking off a few hours in the evening, ok?"
Buffy nodded solemnly, "I understand." She rose from the chair and made her way back to her table. She couldn't help but think that if it were any other counselor, her mother would never have demanded they skip a day-off to work. 'Being the owner's daughter sucks.' Buffy plopped down in the seat next to Dawn, who was busy whispering something to Janice. "Forget whatever it is you're planning ladies, because I'm still going to be here tomorrow, to muck up all your scheming."
"What?" three voices asked at once.
Buffy looked around the table; Dawn and Janice were staring at her in shock, obviously upset that they wouldn't be able to carry out one of their sneaky pranks, Spike was frozen, a clear look of disappointment on his face. She hadn't seen him since the costume shop, and really couldn't take it if he were to yell at her for what she pulled. The way the evening was going, she'd probably burst into tears and fall into a coma, or something. "I'm on duty tomorrow. No day-off for Buffy this week. . ." she said with a pout.
Spike glanced over to the petite blonde. He had been planning on giving her the silent treatment through dinner and then resume their usual banter, but now, he didn't have the heart. "I'm sorry to hear that, luv."
"Definitely not as sorry as we are," Dawn piped in, indicating herself and Janice.
"I'm sure," Buffy said, raising her eyebrows to the girl. "So, lift my spirits," she said sarcastically, "and tell me what Oz had planned for us all?"
Spike cleared his throat, and moved to the seat next to Buffy. "You sure you want to hear about it, pet?"
Buffy took a deep breath and nodded. "Could this day really get any worse?"
"I was the one trapped in neon ruffles, luv, so don't ask me," he said with a smirk, trying to get her to cheer up. It seemed to work, because the mention of his situation in the costume shop made a huge grin spread across her face. He cleared his throat, "Anyway, we were going to leave tonight for LA - stay at Oz's, check out a few clubs in the city, and explore Hollywood in the morning."
Buffy groaned, "That's not fair! Even though I was just there, I really wanted to show you. . .I mean, EVERYONE around my city," she quickly covered her little slip. After the whole Angel fiasco, and re-arranging the bus line-up at the beginning of camp, she wanted to make it up to him - spend time in Los Angeles, exploring the city together, like they should have before.
"Well, I could stay behind if you want me to," he said softly. He really didn't want to take the trip without her. Besides, a whole day with two couples didn't sound like much fun.
Buffy shook her head quickly, "No . . . you go," she gazed into his eyes momentarily then began playing with a napkin that was on the table. "You've never been to LA. Plus, you deserve a little break."
Spike placed his hand on her knee gently, "LA will always be there. I can go another time." He leaned in closer to her and tilted his head slightly to the side. "I could stay around here, so we could spend a little time together," he offered.
Buffy turned to face him, and gave him a small smile. As much as she would have loved that, she knew that she'd be spending most of her time in the theater. She shook her head and gave his hand a quick squeeze. "It's ok." When he raised his eyebrows at her, she re-emphasized her position. "Really, I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" he asked one final time.
"Yah," she nodded. "I'm going to be working a lot anyway. I don't even know if I'm going to get any time off tomorrow night." Spike sighed and rose from the chair, allowing Buffy to grab his hand quickly. He turned to face her and met her wide thankful eyes. "Thank you, though. . .for offering. It means a lot," she said softly.
Spike took his free hand and patted the one that was holding his. "No problem, luv. If you change your mind, we're heading out about 9 or 10, I think."
She yanked his arm lightly, bringing him down to her level. "I know I don't deserve anymore of your help after what I did to you today, but . . .do you think. . ."
"Spit it out, pet."
She avoided his eyes and looked to the ground. "Do you think you could come into the Guys & Dolls rehearsal tonight, before you go, and demonstrate the dance with me?" Off his raised eyebrows she elaborated. "I swear you don't have to wear ruffles OR leather." When he still didn't respond, she resorted to begging. "Please! We need to convince one of the guys to do the scene, or the whole Havana segment is shot."
Spike groaned and rolled his eyes. "Fine. But only since I feel sorry for you. I don't actually like doing that silly dance."
Buffy snorted, knowing exactly how much he 'hated' it. "We'll only do it once for them, that should be enough."
"Good," he said, before turning to walk away. Buffy giggled as he walked off, then was surprised to have him back at her side in a flash. "But if we have to do it two or three more times . . .you know . . .to convince 'em. . .that would be al'right," he said seriously. "For the good of the kids . . .and the show."
"Of course," Buffy said, trying to hold a straight face. "For the good of Sunny-D."
"Right then," he cleared his throat, "as long as we've got that straight." He stood tall and left the table for the food line, leaving Buffy fighting to sustain her calm demeanor. When he was finally out of sight, she burst out in laughter, startling the table of campers.
-----------------------
Spike and Buffy finished the dance - toned down for young eyes, of course - and turned to face their audience of kids, who were staring at them in silence. Buffy turned to Spike nervously, "I really thought that would work."
A young girl in the second row spoke up. "Now THAT was hot," Rona announced to the room. A few giggles sounded around through the theater.
Buffy saw a hand shoot up from the crowd. "Yes, Molly."
The teen stood up and looked around. "So are we all supposed to make out with him or somethin'? 'Cuz that would be al'right."
Spike blushed at the remark and finally noticed how close he and Buffy were standing and took a few steps away from her.
Buffy giggled nervously. "No, Molly. You don't get to make out with Spike." She walked downstage and jumped off to the main floor. Eyeing the kids knowingly, she continued her pitch. "But, whoever does this scene does get to do a few smoochies."
At that, a dozen hands waved eagerly in the air. Buffy smiled widely and turned to her dancing partner and mouthed a quick: 'Thank you.'
Spike nodded and smiled shyly before turning to the youngsters in front of him. "I have to go now, so don't give Buffy a hard time." The girls began to whine, begging him to stay for the rest of the rehearsal. The boys didn't want him to go either, as it was kind of nice seeing such a macho guy lead the way.
Buffy quieted them down. "I'm sorry; Spike has to get back to his own responsibilities now. Everyone thank him for his time."
They all groaned and shouted words of thanks. Spike waved and gave a small bow before walking over to Buffy. "You sure you don't want me to stay."
"Get going," she said, giving him a playful push. "You need to finish up your own crap so you can hit the road with everyone else."
"Come on . . .I KNOW you wanna dance," he said, leering at her from underneath his eyebrows.
She laughed, and smacked him on the arm. "Shoo - I have a rehearsal to finish up."
He sighed, and jutted out his lower lip in a pout. "Fine, if that's the way you want it. I'll see you when I get back."
She nodded. "Thank you," she said sincerely, "and have a great time." As he left the theater she watched him leave sadly. She regained her composure and turned back to the group. "Ok, let's get to work."
-------------------
"Where's Buffy?" Xander asked the group.
"She better get a move on - cause at this rate, we're not going to hit LA til dawn," Cordy whined.
"She had to stay back for rehearsals," Willow said, eyeing Spike, who silently threw his bag into the back of the van. "I guess her mom wouldn't let her out of it."
"Wow, that sucks," Cordelia said. "I guess being the boss' daughter isn't all about the great perks. I always thought she could get away with . . ."
"Well, you thought wrong," Spike snapped. He took a deep breath and looked around at the group in front of him, all shocked at his outburst.
"I just meant . . ." Cordy started defensively.
"Don't worry about it," Willow said, placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's a common misconception."
Cordy nodded, and climbed into the van with Xander.
"Let's get going then," Oz said, as he made his way towards the driver's seat.
Willow walked over to Spike, who was staring off into the distance. "You ok?"
He stomped out his cigarette and turned to face the redhead. "Just kinda worried, is all. She's trying to be all strong about it, but I can tell she's in bad shape."
Willow smiled at the caring man. "She'll be fine." She paused, and squeezed his hand. "Besides, I wasn't asking about her."
He grinned at the perceptive girl, and nodded quickly. "I'll be ok, Red."
"Good . . .now get your cute butt in the van." She smacked him playfully on the backside and jumped into the passenger seat.
Spike looked around one more time, hoping that Buffy would miraculously appear with the news that her mom changed her mind, or even to ask him to stay. When he saw no sign of her he climbed into the back with Xander and Cordy, sliding the door closed behind him.
In the distance, Buffy watched Spike close the door to the van. She sighed, as the van pulled off into the night. "Well, I guess that's that," she muttered before walking back to Revello.