Lose Yourself - By Hazel
AN: You guys are too, too kind. Thanks for all the awesome reviews. I would have loved to thank each and every one of you individually but it's really impossible. Also a big thanks to Red for the lovely betaing. Read on slayer fans.
*********************
It was a rather rattled Scooby Gang that made their way out of the auditorium.
"OK that," said Cordelia incredulously, jerking her thumb in the direction of the auditorium doors, "Did not just happen!"
A worried frown creased Willow's brow and even the normally stoic Oz looked relatively shocked.
Xander however, bounded energetically round the small company.
"Ok, here's my theory. One of you three," he said brightly, pointing at each person in turn, "Is having a really, really weird dream. Wake up!" he added pleadingly.
Cordelia stared at her boyfriend.
"How do you figure it isn't you?"
"'Cause I would never dream up anything this scary. I mean Buffy and Spike. I just don't have the imagination."
Cordelia pondered this for a moment and then, "I think you're right. And I don't think I like the idea of being in somebody else's imagination. So whoever it is better wake up."
She glared pointedly at Willow.
Willow snapped out of her nebulous trance. "Wha... why me?"
"It's obvious isn't it?" said Cordelia briskly. "Xander doesn't have the imagination. I, frankly, don't care enough about either Spike or Buffy to dream about them. And Oz isn't twisted enough to think this up."
"Hey! I am not twisted," protested Willow. "And I am not dreaming. Am I?"
The worried look replaced itself on Willow's features.
"What do you mean you don't care enough about Spike," interjected Xander. "You practically started an 'I love Spike' fan club when he first moved here."
"Am I dreaming? Someone pinch me," Willow said, beginning to get flustered.
"You're not," Oz put in comfortingly. "She's not," he insisted to the adjacent bickering couple.
"It wasn't a fan club I just..."
*********************
Buffy stood as if frozen, mouth agape, hands clenched into fists in mid air.
Married to Spike!
That went well beyond even her wildest nightmare!
A soft sound reached her ears and she wheeled around to face Spike.
"You're laughing! Pray tell what is funny in this situation!"
"You... you think I'm laughing 'coz I'm happy?" Spike gasped in between snickers.
"That is normally the conclusion one draws from laughter, yes," replied Buffy testily.
"This is the laughter of a doomed man. My Da' is going to bloody murder me when he finds out I've been expelled."
"We're not expelled yet. And this is all your fault anyway."
Spike stopped laughing abruptly.
"My fault?" he whispered dangerously. "I'm sorry. I thought you were the one who decided it's a better idea to throw food around instead of eat it!"
Buffy felt the anger rise to the surface once more.
God! This was so not good. She had to get away from him or they'd really end up expelled.
"You came up to me and... and... said things," she called angrily over her shoulder as she practically ran toward the nearest exit.
To her horror Spike began to follow her out.
"Well excuse me for inquiring into your well being!" he spat, outraged.
"You were needling me," sputtered Buffy as she increased her speed.
"Look Summers we're..."
Buffy halted and Spike almost crashed into her small frame.
"Let's get one thing straight OK bleach boy? We're going to hang out with my friends as long as this stupid project lasts. If I'm going to be expelled I want to spend the last few weeks with my friends."
With that she stalked up to the arguing Scoobies.
"Hey guys!"
"Hi Buffy. This isn't real. I've dreamed it all up," Willow said seriously.
Spike, who had followed Buffy, stared at Willow.
Then he turned to Buffy.
"You want me to hang around with this lot? That's it. We're going to be packing by next Tuesday."
*********************
Home Sweet Home, thought Buffy wearily, as she closed the door behind her.
She still hadn't figured out how she was going to tell her mom about the impending expulsion.
Maybe she could ask her for cooking lessons and slip it in during the course of said lessons. Then her mom would be so happy that she was finally showing some interest in cookery she probably wouldn't think much of the news.
Buffy shuddered. 'Mom' and 'cooking' were the two most unlikely words she could string together in a sentence. Other than 'Spike' and 'marriage' of course.
"Elizabeth Anne, is that you?" came her mom's voice from the kitchen.
Ignoring the sudden alarms that went off in her head that were urging her to run away as fast as she could, Buffy made her way to the kitchen.
One look at her mom's face confirmed her suspicions.
She knew.
"I have invited William over tonight. Please behave yourself." Said Joyce, without preamble.
Huh. William...? Oh... OH SPIKE!!!
"But mooom.."
"No buts." There was a note of quiet finality in Joyce's voice.
Hmpfh!
*********************
An hour later found Buffy and Spike sitting as far away as possible from each other in Buffy's room.
Buffy had seated herself on her bed and Spike was perched on her dressing table near the window.
Buffy had tried to argue with her mother about 'showing William her room' but in vain.
On Joyce's suggestions that they find something to agree on they had tried making conversation about something. Anything.
Politics, sports, music, art... even the weather.
Buffy hadn't thought it was possible to disagree on so many topics.
She eyed Spike warily for about the six thousandth time.
Spike however, had had enough.
He jumped off the dressing table.
"I don't know what that bloody arsehole was thinking when he teamed us together!" he groused as he reached for the doorknob.
"Asshole is right," Buffy murmured as Joyce bustled into the room.
"And how is everything going," she inquired brightly.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Summers but we just can't agree on anything. Snyder is a git and we're never going to get along," said Spike indicating Buffy and then himself.
"Yeah mom. We're never going to make this work. God knows what Snyder was thinking when he paired us together. Bastard."
"What did you say about Mr. Snyder, Buffy?" asked Joyce with an innocent smile.
"Bastard," muttered Buffy stubbornly.
"And you William?"
"Bloody git," said Spike obligingly.
"I think you've found something to agree on," Joyce smiled serenely.
Spike and Buffy stared after her in amazement.
This is too much. Being allowed to have boys in my room and being encouraged to swear all in one night.
Buffy sighed in defeat.
She'd never figure out her mom.
AN: You guys are too, too kind. Thanks for all the awesome reviews. I would have loved to thank each and every one of you individually but it's really impossible. Also a big thanks to Red for the lovely betaing. Read on slayer fans.
*********************
It was a rather rattled Scooby Gang that made their way out of the auditorium.
"OK that," said Cordelia incredulously, jerking her thumb in the direction of the auditorium doors, "Did not just happen!"
A worried frown creased Willow's brow and even the normally stoic Oz looked relatively shocked.
Xander however, bounded energetically round the small company.
"Ok, here's my theory. One of you three," he said brightly, pointing at each person in turn, "Is having a really, really weird dream. Wake up!" he added pleadingly.
Cordelia stared at her boyfriend.
"How do you figure it isn't you?"
"'Cause I would never dream up anything this scary. I mean Buffy and Spike. I just don't have the imagination."
Cordelia pondered this for a moment and then, "I think you're right. And I don't think I like the idea of being in somebody else's imagination. So whoever it is better wake up."
She glared pointedly at Willow.
Willow snapped out of her nebulous trance. "Wha... why me?"
"It's obvious isn't it?" said Cordelia briskly. "Xander doesn't have the imagination. I, frankly, don't care enough about either Spike or Buffy to dream about them. And Oz isn't twisted enough to think this up."
"Hey! I am not twisted," protested Willow. "And I am not dreaming. Am I?"
The worried look replaced itself on Willow's features.
"What do you mean you don't care enough about Spike," interjected Xander. "You practically started an 'I love Spike' fan club when he first moved here."
"Am I dreaming? Someone pinch me," Willow said, beginning to get flustered.
"You're not," Oz put in comfortingly. "She's not," he insisted to the adjacent bickering couple.
"It wasn't a fan club I just..."
*********************
Buffy stood as if frozen, mouth agape, hands clenched into fists in mid air.
Married to Spike!
That went well beyond even her wildest nightmare!
A soft sound reached her ears and she wheeled around to face Spike.
"You're laughing! Pray tell what is funny in this situation!"
"You... you think I'm laughing 'coz I'm happy?" Spike gasped in between snickers.
"That is normally the conclusion one draws from laughter, yes," replied Buffy testily.
"This is the laughter of a doomed man. My Da' is going to bloody murder me when he finds out I've been expelled."
"We're not expelled yet. And this is all your fault anyway."
Spike stopped laughing abruptly.
"My fault?" he whispered dangerously. "I'm sorry. I thought you were the one who decided it's a better idea to throw food around instead of eat it!"
Buffy felt the anger rise to the surface once more.
God! This was so not good. She had to get away from him or they'd really end up expelled.
"You came up to me and... and... said things," she called angrily over her shoulder as she practically ran toward the nearest exit.
To her horror Spike began to follow her out.
"Well excuse me for inquiring into your well being!" he spat, outraged.
"You were needling me," sputtered Buffy as she increased her speed.
"Look Summers we're..."
Buffy halted and Spike almost crashed into her small frame.
"Let's get one thing straight OK bleach boy? We're going to hang out with my friends as long as this stupid project lasts. If I'm going to be expelled I want to spend the last few weeks with my friends."
With that she stalked up to the arguing Scoobies.
"Hey guys!"
"Hi Buffy. This isn't real. I've dreamed it all up," Willow said seriously.
Spike, who had followed Buffy, stared at Willow.
Then he turned to Buffy.
"You want me to hang around with this lot? That's it. We're going to be packing by next Tuesday."
*********************
Home Sweet Home, thought Buffy wearily, as she closed the door behind her.
She still hadn't figured out how she was going to tell her mom about the impending expulsion.
Maybe she could ask her for cooking lessons and slip it in during the course of said lessons. Then her mom would be so happy that she was finally showing some interest in cookery she probably wouldn't think much of the news.
Buffy shuddered. 'Mom' and 'cooking' were the two most unlikely words she could string together in a sentence. Other than 'Spike' and 'marriage' of course.
"Elizabeth Anne, is that you?" came her mom's voice from the kitchen.
Ignoring the sudden alarms that went off in her head that were urging her to run away as fast as she could, Buffy made her way to the kitchen.
One look at her mom's face confirmed her suspicions.
She knew.
"I have invited William over tonight. Please behave yourself." Said Joyce, without preamble.
Huh. William...? Oh... OH SPIKE!!!
"But mooom.."
"No buts." There was a note of quiet finality in Joyce's voice.
Hmpfh!
*********************
An hour later found Buffy and Spike sitting as far away as possible from each other in Buffy's room.
Buffy had seated herself on her bed and Spike was perched on her dressing table near the window.
Buffy had tried to argue with her mother about 'showing William her room' but in vain.
On Joyce's suggestions that they find something to agree on they had tried making conversation about something. Anything.
Politics, sports, music, art... even the weather.
Buffy hadn't thought it was possible to disagree on so many topics.
She eyed Spike warily for about the six thousandth time.
Spike however, had had enough.
He jumped off the dressing table.
"I don't know what that bloody arsehole was thinking when he teamed us together!" he groused as he reached for the doorknob.
"Asshole is right," Buffy murmured as Joyce bustled into the room.
"And how is everything going," she inquired brightly.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Summers but we just can't agree on anything. Snyder is a git and we're never going to get along," said Spike indicating Buffy and then himself.
"Yeah mom. We're never going to make this work. God knows what Snyder was thinking when he paired us together. Bastard."
"What did you say about Mr. Snyder, Buffy?" asked Joyce with an innocent smile.
"Bastard," muttered Buffy stubbornly.
"And you William?"
"Bloody git," said Spike obligingly.
"I think you've found something to agree on," Joyce smiled serenely.
Spike and Buffy stared after her in amazement.
This is too much. Being allowed to have boys in my room and being encouraged to swear all in one night.
Buffy sighed in defeat.
She'd never figure out her mom.