To Star-Crossed Lover1: I didn't mean to sound bitchy about the Shakespeare thing, but that was mostly for the reviewers who got rude about it. ;)
Chapter 6Spike was sitting in the gym with Xander when Angel walked up.
"Hey. How you doing?"
Spike just ignored Angel, and turned his head the other direction. Angel tried again.
"So, I ate some great duck last night."
Spike turned to Angel and glared.
"Do I know you?"
Angel ignored him and continued.
"You see that girl?", he pointed at Buffy across the gym. She was practicing karate moves with another guy. Spike looked up.
"Yeah."
"That's Buffy Summers. I want you to go out with her."
Spike looked at Angel with a shocked expression before he burst out in hysterical laughter. After he calmed down he replied.
"Yeah, sure, Peaches."
He looked at Xander and shook his head, and they both chuckled. Angel rolled his eyes.
"Look. I can't take out her sister Dawn until Buffy starts dating. See, their dad is seriously nuts. He has this rule where the girls—"
Spike interrupted.
"That's a beautiful story. It really is. But it's not my problem."
"Would you be willing to make it your problem if I provide generous compensation?"
Spike laughed.
"So, you're going to pay me to take out some silly bint?"
Angel looked momentarily confused at the use of the word 'bint'.
"Uh, yeah."
Spike laughed again and shook his head.
"How much?"
"Twenty bucks. Should be enough for the movies."
Spike and Angel looked up as Buffy nailed a poor guy in the stomach. The boy doubled over in pain and Buffy shrugged. Angel winced.
"Uh, make that thirty."
Spike looked at Buffy again, and then back at Angel.
"Ok, let's think about this. We go to the movies, that's fifteen bucks. She wants popcorn, that's fifty-three. And she'll want Milk Duds, right? So, we're looking at seventy-five bucks."
Angel glared at Spike.
"This isn't a negotiation. Take it or leave it."
"Fifty bucks and we have a deal, peaches."
Angel rolled his eyes and gave a slight nod. He handed Spike a fifty dollar bill. Buffy's instructor blew the whistle, and told them to go. The instructor turned to Buffy.
"Great roundhouse Buffy."
"Thank you Wesley."
Buffy headed towards the bench where her things were sitting. She took out a water bottle and gathered her things to leave. Spike saw his opportunity and walked over.
"Hello cutie. How are you?"
Buffy smiled sweetly, rolling her eyes.
"Actually, I'm sweating like a pig. And you?"
Spike looked at her and chuckled.
"Now that's a way of getting a guy's attention."
"Yep. It's my mission in life. But, obviously, I struck your fancy. So, you see, it works. And the world makes since again."
Buffy picked up her things and walked away. Spike followed her.
"So, I'll pick you up on Friday then. At nine?"
She shook her head and laughed. She stopped walking and turned to Spike.
"Oh, Yeah. Right. Friday. Uh huh."
Spike took this opportunity to lean over and whisper in her ear.
"I'll take you places you've never been before."
Despite the immediate urge to hit him, Buffy found herself shivering at the sound of his voice. To her relief, he didn't seem to notice. She quickly regained her composure.
"Like where?" She snapped her fingers. "Oh, I know. I bet you take all the girls to Willy's bar. Ugh, do you even know my name?"
Spike looked at her.
"I know a lot more than you think, blondie."
"Don't call me that. And about you knowing me, doubtful. Very doubtful."
Buffy turned and walked away leaving Spike staring after her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Conner and Jesse were sitting across the gym. They watched as Spike hit on Buffy and the conversation that followed. Conner saw Buffy say something to Spike, then turn abruptly and leave. Spike didn't look too happy. Conner shook his head.
"We. Are. Screwed."
Jesse looked over, looking equally disappointed.
"Hey. I don't want to hear that attitude. You need to be more upbeat. More optimistic."
Conner rolled his eyes and humored Jesse.
"We're screwed!", he said, making a vain attempt at sounding cheerful.
"Yeah. That's it. Optimistic!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Spike arrived at Xander's house just in time to hear him recounting the events in the gym to Oz.
"And then, Buffy was like, 'You don't know me!'. And then she left. Man, she looked pissed." Xander looked up as Spike entered. "Oh, hey man."
Spike nodded at Xander. Oz looked at Spike.
"So, let's see if I have this right: Angel is paying you to go out with Buffy, just so he can take out her sister Dawn?"
Spike nodded and sat down with his guitar.
"She's a tough girl, Spike. It won't be easy. I mean, if you pull the wrong move, you could get castrated. Remember Scott Hope?", Xander said chuckling.
They looked up as Devon walked in.
"Alright dudes, let's practice."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Buffy went home and took a quick shower. When she was done, she put on a black leather skirt and a black, backless halter top. She put on some light makeup and went downstairs.
She left to go to Tara's house. The entire drive, she kept thinking about Spike.
'Why would he ask me out? He's never bothered to talk to me before.'
She just brushed it off as a momentary lapse of sanity and figured it would probably never happen again. She parked in front of Tara's house and got out. She went to the door and rang the bell. The door opened.
"Hi Buffy!", Tara greeted her.
"Hey Tara. So, is everyone ready to go?"
Willow walked up.
"You betcha."
Anya was looking in a compact reapplying her lipstick.
"Well, I sure am ready to dance with a lot of guys. Maybe get orgasms."
They looked at her. Fred broke the silence.
"So, who's car are we taking?"
"We can take mine." Buffy said.
Amy walked in and kissed Tara on the cheek, then turned to the group.
"Let's go!" she said.
They all grabbed their things and headed out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The girls entered the Bronze just as Dingoes Ate my Baby began the third song of the set. Buffy saw Spike onstage and her heart skipped a beat.
'Whoa. What was that. God, he looks hot.'
The girls found a table and sat down. They listened to the band play before deciding to dance.
The dance floor was crowded as they made their way towards the front where there were fewer people. As the Dingoes went into another song, Buffy looked at Spike, but when he saw her looking, she turned around and continued dancing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Spike saw Buffy on the dance floor. She was dancing with her friends and laughing. She looked at him once or twice, but she would quickly look away.
'Damn, she looks good.' , he thought as he continued playing.
Oz was on the other side of the stage playing his guitar. He looked up and out into the dance floor, his eyes scanning the crowd. Then he saw her. She had flame red hair and a beautiful smile. He watched her as she danced with her friends, one of them he recognized as the infamous Buffy.
Devon stopped singing as Spike and Oz kept playing. Oz called to Devon.
"Hey. Who's that?" he pointed to Willow.
"Uh, Willow something, I think. She's in my Biology class. I copy her notes."
Devon went back to the microphone. Oz smiled, watching the girl intently.
The Dingoes ended their set and the crowd applauded. The exited the stage.
Devon left, leaving Spike, Xander, and Oz.
"Buffy's here." Spike told them.
Oz looked at him.
"Well, maybe you should introduce us to her and her friends."
"Oz, does this have anything to do with a certain red head that you were so blatantly staring at?" Xander questioned.
Oz looked at him.
"Yeah. I want to meet her and I figured that if Spike went to talk with Buffy it would be a good excuse."
Spike looked at them.
"Well, then, let's go over and chat."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The girls left the dance floor and went back to their table and sat down.
They ordered drinks, and were sitting there talking about the Spike situation.
"I dunno, Buffy. Maybe you should give him a chance." Tara told her.
Buffy looked at her.
"Nuh uh. I keep telling you, me plus any guy equals total heartbreak." , she said glumly.
"How do you know for sure it won't work out?" Anya questioned.
"Just…because! Remember, the last guy I was in love with slept with me, cheated on me, and left me. I'm not gonna take that chance again."
"Buffy, that was Angel." Tara told her.
"Angel's a prick." Anya told her.
"Come on Buffy, you never know, Spike could be the right guy. You'll never find out though if you never try." Willow told her.
Buffy looked at Willow hopefully.
"I'll think about it.", she replied.
Anya looked over Buffy's shoulder. She saw Spike walking over with two other guys.
"Well, Buffy. It looks like you have a chance right now." Anya told her.
"Huh? What are you—"
Spike walked up to the table.
"Hello blondie."
She jumped at the sound of his voice. She turned around and looked at him.
"I told you not to call me that. What do you want?"
Anya rolled her eyes.
"Well, that idea went to hell quick."
The girls held back giggles as Spike looked over.
"What?", he asked Anya.
"Oh nothing."
He turned to Buffy.
"So, pet. Aren't introductions in order?"
Buffy rolled her eyes. She went around the table introducing everyone. They all looked at Spike and said hello.
"So, what about your friends, Spike?"
"These are my friends, and bandmates, Xander and Oz."
"Hey" Xander said.
Oz smiled and nodded looking at Willow. She nervously smiled back.
"So, would you like to sit down?" Willow asked them.
"Sure." Oz said.
The guys sat down and they began talking. The time passed by too quickly. About two hours later, they all stood up to leave and said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Buffy dropped off everyone and went home. She was in the bathroom washing her face when Dawn walked in. She circled Buffy, looking her over.
"Have you ever considered a new look? Something other than leather and dark colors? You know, something a little more girly? You could have a lot of potential under all of that hostility."
Buffy rolled her eyes.
"I'm not hostile. I'm annoyed. You forget, I don't care what other people think."
Buffy watched as Dawn brushed her hair.
"You don't have to always be what they want you to be.", she told her.
Dawn turned around and faced Buffy.
"I happen to like being adored thank you very much."
Buffy noticed the locket around Dawn's neck. She thought it looked vaguely familiar.
"Where'd you get the locket?"
"It's Mom's."
Remembering the locket, anger filled Buffy.
"So what? You've been hiding it for three years?", she yelled, tears threatening to spill.
"No. Daddy found it in a drawer last week."
"So, you're just gonna start wearing her locket now?"
"It's not like she's going to come back to claim it! Besides, it looks good on me." Dawn said, admiring her reflection in the mirror.
Buffy started to shake. She gritted her teeth and glared at Dawn.
"Trust me, it doesn't!"
She practically ran from the bathroom. She went in to her bedroom and slammed the door just as tears began streaming down her cheeks.