A/N : Firstly, thanx to everyone for the wonderful reviews - it's always great to know that my writing is appreciated. Many reviews (of the nice kind) makes a happy author and happy authors do tend to write more often [subtle hint]. Oh, to Sport - no I've never read the Regeneration books, it's just a coincidence about the character name.
I'm trying to alternate my updates of this and 'Always Remember - I Love You' just in case anyone was wondering about that. Anyway, here's the next chapter of this one...enjoy!
(For disclaimer, etc - see chapter 1)
Chapter 10
"Miss Summers! Mr Hart!" a loud and angry voice boomed across the school grounds and Buffy and Spike were jolted out of there passion by it. The voice belonged to the school Principal, Mr Flutie, and he was far from amused to find two of his students who should have been in class actually just inside school parameters successfully re-enacting, as far as he could see, the meeting of two sink plungers.
Buffy went a bright shade of pink as she moved as far away from Spike as she could. Principal Flutie was hardly her biggest fan anyway and she knew he was going to be really mad about this. Spike just seemed annoyed about the interruption the Principal had caused, adding to the frustration he was already feeling about his whole situation in Sunny-hell!
"I believe you two have classes you should be in?" the angry man asked, and Buffy shuffled nervously.
"Yes, sir" she answered while Spike just looked the other way and made no response.
"Then I might suggest you get there...NOW, before my patience runs out and I put you both in detention!" the Principals voice rose in volume throughout the sentence and Buffy immediately obeyed, determined not to land herself in any more trouble with either her school teachers or her mother.
Spike followed her as she walked towards the school building and she was sure she heard him mutter 'wanker' under his breath, referring of course to the oblivious man behind them.
Buffy couldn't concentrate in class. History lost all it's appeal as her mind whirled round with scary thoughts. A girl who spends her spare time battling demons and vampires without a sliver of fear, was now petrified because of what she was feeling. Life had been complicated enough before but now, it was getting worse every minute. Her best friend left, her new neighbours arrived, she hated him, then she liked him, he turned out to be Giles's son and now...Buffy really wasn't sure what was supposed to happen now. Things were simple for everyone else, why couldn't she have a normal life!
Well, maybe things weren't so simple for Giles. Having his ex-girlfriend and a son turn up out of nowhere had to be a shock...actually the thought of Giles ever having had a girlfriend and doing what is required to make a child gave Buffy the heebie-jeebies, but that wasn't the point. His life had just got about ten times more complicated too.
But Willow and Xander, their lives were simple, why couldn't Buffy have an easy life like them? Well, their lives are fairly simple, except for the helping with the slayage and the fact Willow is learning control her witch powers and Xander has to cope with being the only normal human amongst them, and...maybe their lives aren't so simple either.
Buffy was starting to realise perhaps it wasn't just her with the complex life after all. Maybe everyone's life was complex when you looked at it carefully. Maybe Spike was right, maybe it was Sunnydale that screwed up everyone's lives. Maybe that's why, maybe in other places, lives are simpler...but then she didn't know everybody in Sunnydale, maybe it was just her friends and family that had the problems maybe the cause of all the trouble was...her.
"Oh my God" Buffy exclaimed aloud, at her sudden realisation, causing all the students in the class, plus the teacher, to turn and stare.
"Something you'd like to share with the class Miss Summers?" the teacher asked and Buffy remembered where she was.
"No, no, no" she stuttered, "I was just, er, no" she said quickly, looking down at her books and hoping everyone would stop staring.
"Late to class and now this, Miss Summers, it really isn't good enough" she was told.
"I'm sorry" she said, as innocently as she could and after a long stare the teacher turned away and continued his lesson. Buffy let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding as she zoned out again and resumed her thoughts.
'Giles would never have left England if I wasn't the Slayer' she mused, 'he wouldn't have left Jessica and Spike would have had a proper father. Also, Willow wouldn't be a witch and Xander wouldn't feel so inadequate...oh my God, everyone would be better off without me! This is all my fault!'
"You're right you know" a voice said behind her and she turned to see Spike behind her. The classroom was empty, save her and him.
"What?" she didn't understand what was happening.
"It is all your fault, my life is a wreck because of you" the bleached blond before her said, leaning over her.
"And mine" said a second voice as Willow appeared to her left and Xander to her right.
"It's all your fault that our lives are ruined" the brunette taunted as they all leaned over her in her seat.
"No, no, no" she repeated trying to get away but finding she was stuck to the chair.
"Buffy" she heard the kindly voice of her Watcher and turning back she saw Giles and Jessica in front of her.
"It's not my fault, Giles, help me" she begged as tears streamed down her face.
"It is your fault, Buffy" the man told her, "All your fault"
"No" she cried, burying her face into the desk and putting her arms over her head, she couldn't bear to see them there, to hear them taunt her. She didn't mean to cause problems for anyone.
"Buffy" she heard one voice clearer than all the others, it was Spike, but she didn't want to look at him, she couldn't bear to.
"Buffy, luv, come on" he called again and with a jolt she turned to him, screaming; "No!"
She was surprised to find that she was alone in the room, save for Spike and that he was looking at her with a worried expression.
"You okay, pet?" he asked her and she blinked hard.
"I...I think I was dreaming..."
"That you were, pet" Spike nodded, crouching down beside her seat, "Must have been some sort of nightmare you were screaming like a banshee when I came in and the more I tried to wake you up the louder you got"
"I..I'm sorry" she stuttered, both confused and embarrassed, noticing that although the images she saw and words she'd heard had been a dream her tears were very real.
"You wanna tell me about it?" he asked, moving to sit in the seat beside her.
"Er, ...I don't know" she said, still disorientated, "Where is everyone?"
"Class ended ten minutes ago" Spike told her, "teacher was gonna give you a right tellin' off for dropping off while she was talkin'"
"Why didn't she then?" she wondered aloud.
"Told her you were ill, didn't I?" he explained, "Said you weren't feeling well and that I'd been told to come and get you cos your Mum was here to take you home"
"My Mom?" Buffy wiped her face with the back of her hand and looked worried and confused.
"It was a lie, Buffy" he smiled, "Don't look so panicked. Just told a bit of a fib to save your skin is all"
The Slayer was silent thinking about what had happened. Her dream was still haunting her in the back of her mind and now Spike was here and he wasn't helping her think particularly clearly, what with his lying and her own guilt and also the feelings she was having for him.
"Buffy luv, I'm not so sure I was completely lying now, are you feeling alright?" Spike looked really concerned about her and that only made things worse.
"I'm fine" she lied, "I should go" she pulled herself up from her seat, grabbed her books and made for the door.
"Buffy?!" Spike called behind her. He really wanted to talk to her, about a lot of things, the main thing being the two bouts of kissing they'd shared in the short time they'd known each other, but more than that he also needed to talk to someone about his other feelings. What he felt about his parents, things like that, he really had no-one else in Sunnydale who he could call a friend, only Buffy. She clearly didn't want to talk to him right now though and that dream she'd had, the way she'd acted afterwards, it had really scared him. He really liked the Slayer, and he couldn't understand why he felt so close to her, why he thought maybe...did he love her? That he wasn't sure of, but he cared for her a lot and he'd never felt like that about anyone. His Mum meant the world to him, but that was different, this was...he didn't know what it was, but he wasn't going to find out sitting in an empty classroom all day.
"Slayer's not in the mood for a chat right now" he said to himself as he stood up again, "Maybe I should see what's happening with the parents"
