Chapter 3

" William Malcolm, come here this instance!", a deeply British accented voice hollered from somewhere in the house. " COME HERE, NOW, IN THE KITCHEN!!", the voice hollered, louder and angrier.

Spike sighed. 'Bloody hell. Can't a bloke get a moment of peace in this house?', he muttered to himself, walking downstairs toward the kitchen. "You called.", he said leaning against the wall, seeing his Uncle Giles's back toward him.

"Guess who I just got off the phone with.", Rupert Giles said turning around, revealing his face red with anger.

Spike shrugged ,with a bored expression on his face. "I don't know…. Cut to the chase, I didn't bring my ass down here to play guessing games."

Giles ignored him. "That was the school. They just called to inform me, that you don't have a good chance of graduating high school this year with your classmates."

Spike pulled up a chair, knowing that it was going to be a loong lecture, with a lot of yelling and arguing.

"Why didn't you tell me that you had problems with schoolwork?", Giles demanded, his voice raising.

"I don't know. I didn't know that I was doing that bad.", Spike said in a even tone.

" DIDN'T KNOW? WHAT DO YOU MEAN DIDN'T KNOW? IF YOU DIDN'T SPEND SO MUCH TIME WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND PARTYING, YOU WOULD BE GETTING BETTER GRADES!", Giles roared.

" So what? I don't care about graduating, going to college, or any of that stuff.", Spike answered back.

"I don't know what to do anymore.", Giles said, calming down. He took a seat beside Spike. "I mean I tried grounding you, that didn't work, I tried taking away your car, but that didn't work either. I don't know what I'm going to do with you anymore."

"Well, I got a simple solution. Don't do anything. Stay out of my life and my problems.", Spike stood up and started to leave.

"You hold it right there. You're not going anywhere.", Giles yelled, standing up.

Spike looked at him with a look of hatred. "You're not my da' nor my mum so you can't tell me what to do. You're just my lousy uncle, that took me to live with you because you felt pity for me. Poor Spike with no mum or da'."

"You will not use that tone with me. You live under my house with my rules."

Spike glared at him, then ran upstairs, slamming his bedroom door.

Giles shook his head. That boy is so stubborn and pig-headed. He thought for a moment and took the kitchen phone ,dialing the one person he could talk to.

~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*

Buffy took her seat at the dinner table. Today ,Sunday, was the only day they had dinner together ,as a family, in the week. Joyce was always working late at her art gallery, and Faith was barely ever at the house doing God-knows-what and Buffy, well she had better things to do then stay at a empty house, alone.

"So, Buffy how is your science project going?", Joyce said, trying to strike up a conversation.

Buffy sighed. "Mom, I turned in that project like a week ago. I got a A."

Awkward silence. "Oh", Joyce finally replied. "That's great honey."

Faith rolled her eyes.

"What about you Faith? How is school?", Joyce asked turning to her eldest daughter.

" Fine." Faith never really said more then 5 words at the table. She completely ignored everyone in her family. She and Buffy were close, once, in their life, before, Hank, their father left them. They were joined by hip, Joyce used to say. But after the divorce, when Buffy was 11 and Faith was 12, they completely acted like they were complete strangers. The only time they talked to each other was when they were trading insults.

" That's great to hear..", Joyce said, disappointed her daughter didn't even say anything more. " I hope you're doing much better then last semester. I know that if you put alittle more work into your studies, and less out of the house, you will certainly get better grades."

Faith looked at her mother, disgusted. "Mom, you're not ever a home, so why are you telling me what to do? You never act like a mother, except when you're nagging!"

"Faith Summers.", Joyce said, warning her. Faith kept her mouth shut. She didn't feel like arguing with anyone today, especially her mother.

Another silence passed by. The occasion "pass the butter, or "pass the rolls", were said, and the noise of chewing and knives and forks clattering together.

"Er, Buffy, I have some news for you.", Joyce said, breaking the silence once again.

Buffy looked up at her mom. "What is it?", she became suspicious at her mother's smile.

"Well, you know William."

"You mean Spike.", Faith corrected, staring coldly at her

"William, Spike, same difference, though I don't know why he changed his name to such a barbaric name. But anyway, his uncle , Rupert Giles you know him, called me up today."

"Yeah…so?", Buffy said, hinting to go on. "You always talk to Spike's uncle."

"He told me that William-er I mean Spike has some serious school problems. I asked him if there was any way to help him, and I figured out a solution. I told him that you would be glad to tutor Spike.", Joyce said happily.

"WHAT?!?!", Buffy and Faith cried out at the same time.

Buffy almost spitted out her half-chewed piece of pot roast, while Faith was just sitting there with her mouth open and eyes wide.

"WHAT?", Faith repeated, finally snapping out of her dazed moment. "Please, tell me I didn't hear, what I just heard."

Joyce sighed, hoping it wouldn't turn out like this. "Buffy will be tutoring Spike for a while, until he makes more progress in his grades and schoolwork. ", Joyce said.

"MOM, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING-", Faith got cut off.

"I don't know why you're overreacting, Faith. Honestly, isn't Spike one of your closest friends? Don't you want him to graduate high school, with you?", Joyce interrupted.

"MOM, THIS IS BUFFY, MY SISTER. LITTLE SISTER. I ALREADY HATE IT THAT SHE SKIPPED A GRADE AND IS IN THE SAME CLASSES WITH ME, BUT NOW SHE HAS TO INTERFERE WITH MY SOCIAL LIFE?"

"Faith calm down. Stop yelling!", Joyce said her voice raising.

"MOM, HAVE YOU ONCE THOUGHT, THAT HAVING MY SISTER TUTOR ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS IS GOING TO-"

"FAITH SUMMERS!", Joyce yelled, standing up, pounding her hand onto the table.

Faith had enough. She couldn't take it anymore. "Mom, I hate you. I hate everyone in this whole damn family. You always have to butt into my life.", she said rising up.

"Faith, I just want Buffy tutoring Spike. Now I understand you don't want your little sister -", Joyce was interrupted.

"FORGET IT!", Faith ran out of the room.

Buffy the whole time was just staring at her plate, not saying anything the whole time. "Its okay mom. I'll tutor Spike. I don't really mind.", she spoke up.

Joyce looked at her Buffy. "At least I have one daughter who's not so overdramatic.", she said, sighing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Can you believe it? My little sister, tutoring you?", Faith said over the phone.

" It could be worse.", Spike replied, laying on his bed.

"Like how?", Faith asked, twirling the phone cord with her finger.

"I could be sent to military school, like Rupes always threatens.", he said referring to his uncle.

"Whatever.", Faith said still alittle angry from the argument at supper. "How are you doing? You know with breaking up with Drusilla and all.", she asked changing the subject.

Spike flinched at the sound of her name. "I'm alittle better I guess. Just staying locked up in my room, for the rest of my life."

" You can't just be staying in your room forever. Drusilla is hardly worth mourning for."

"Yeah, I know.", he replied, quietly.

A/N: Yeah, people, I know what you're thinking. WHEN IS THE SPUFFINESS COMING? It'll happen soon, I swear!

~*~DI~*~