Chapter 2
"Well yeah," Buffy said "Sorry it's not up to your taste but it's all I have and it will have to do for tonight, Ok" he hears the sadness in her voice.
That is when he really notices her, taking in her appearance fully. She has blonde hair, greenish-blue eyes, a cute little nose and she wore old cloths. Her face was make-up free and he never seen anyone prettier.
Spike just says, "I am so sorry, that was rude of me. I spoke before I thought; will you forgive me, pet? Buffy pulls up in front of the broken down house. She hadn't thought of what he might think of her falling apart home.
The house is gutted on the inside with support beams holding up some walls. The only rooms that were not were the bedrooms. "Please come in and make yourself comfortable," she says as she opens the door for him. He walks into a tiny space that was bare of furniture: except for a TV and DVD player. A chair sat next to a small end table. Across one wall sat a bookcase full of DVD's, some his and most not. The kitchen/dining room so small that maybe two people could fit in it at one time. This house was old but she had done great things with what she had. Spike asks her were the phone was, she states that she didn't have one. Claiming it was cheaper to use her cell. So when Buffy asks if he was hungry, Spike asks what she had.
"There is peanut butter maybe some cereal or I could warm up some soup if you want. Sorry, with me being single I have no need to keep food in the house at all times. You know how it goes, friends asking you to eat at their house all the time." She was so embarrassed, she was poor and now he knew it. She wasn't his equal, far from it.
He said "no thanks I ate up the highway before the car broke down." This was a lie. He now knew why she was so vocal about being the same as he was back at the store. She was covering up her situation that she found herself in.
Later after she showed him were he would sleep Spike thought (should I ask her about all this so I can try to help or do I keep my mouth shut. What would mum have done?). Spike decides to ask her. He went to her door to knock but founds she was crying. He went to thank her for her kindness but when he saw her crying his heart sink into his toes. She had her back to him when he looked thru the half opened door, as she turned and saw him she tried to dry her eyes.
"Are you alright Pet? That is a stupid question. Do you want to talk about it?" Spike says blushing red from his own stupidity.
She just shakes her head. Then she turns her back to him again so he would not see her cry like a little baby.
"Buffy it is alright if you want to tell me, maybe I can help. You never know until you tell me." Spike says as he walks up behind her. "Remember just a normal person here. If you want to talk I will be in the guest room."
She laughs, "That is no guest room that was my mother's old room before she went missing."
"She left you luv? But why would someone do that?" Spike asked surprised.
Buffy turns so she can see if he is serious finding him so she starts telling him. "I really would like to tell you all my dirty secrets, but I know you don't care about my life" she says sarcastically. Spike takes her hand and leads her to the bed. He sits her down and then sits by her.
"Look Buffy I know I'm a jerk sometime but it seems you need a friend right about now. Do you want me to leave, because I will if that is what you want?"
Buffy shakes her head no and tries to keep control of herself better.
"Why don't you tell me what's the problem and maybe I can help?"
She thinks for a moment and finally decides to tell him. "My mother left us when I was 15. We all lived here until last year when I finished high school and my mother's aunt came to give me my graduation present. That's when she found out it was just my sisters and me here. I tried to lie like all the other times but she could tell my mom had not been here for awhile. She called the police and they told that they already knew about our moms' disappearance. They found out all my lies to keep my sisters with me. After they found out about all the lies, they took my sisters away. I tried to get them back, but when only make $6.25 an hour it is hard to take care of myself much less them. Two thirteen year old girls are hard for normal people to kept, I just didn't have the money to keep them. They were taken by the state. I haven't seen them since. I tried but the state says I am a bad influence on them." She was crying harder now as Spike held her hand to give her the courage to finish.
"Did you know I finished in the top of my class and made a 1400 on my SAT's? If I could just have got them out of this house they would still be here with me now. I got piles of accepts letters to go to school, they were even fighting over me at one time. That is until I couldn't pay my way, then it was oh so sorry don't have money to help you."
Spike was shocked that she had done so well and not been able to go on with her schooling.
He said, "Did you try for grants and all that rot? I mean that is what they are there for, right?"
"I didn't have time to fill out the forms. Also if I did fill them out then they would know my mom was gone. The schools need proof of income which we had none."
"Well, maybe you can go back to school real soon." He said as he paced the floor at the injustice of it all.
As Spike spoke, Buffy was thinking about her mother and didn't hear Spike speaking. "Hello, earth to Blondie, what's wrong?"
"I was just thinking about my mom. You know she was a nurse at the hospital up the road. Then one-day poof she was gone, it's not like her to do that you know. She loved us. She moved us into this house. She was going to fix it up herself, add rooms and expand rooms that felt were too small. That's why the house looks like it does: she never got a chance to start. She went missing about two months after buying it out right. I think something happen to her that day she went missing. She worked 3-11 swing shifted I would warm up our dinner she left us. We would do our homework; she called every night to check on us before bed. That night everything went like normal. We all went to bed but when we woke she was not there. I called her work they said she left after her shifted. There was no sign of her car or her from that day on. When I got home from school and she was not there I called the police. After they came I lied and told them my dad was on his way. When I called dad, he was to busy shacking up with his new toy of the week. I took over the job as head of the house hold. All he did was double our child support payment. I was able to pay the bills and all that stuff but I had to work down at the station for food and cloths etc. If it was not for my friends we would have been in a lot of trouble. Xander and Willow drove us to school and work anything I needed they would help."
Buffy sighs "Well let's get to bed. There are more covers in the cedar chest at the foot of your bed, if your get cold." Spike nods and leaves the room.
"Well yeah," Buffy said "Sorry it's not up to your taste but it's all I have and it will have to do for tonight, Ok" he hears the sadness in her voice.
That is when he really notices her, taking in her appearance fully. She has blonde hair, greenish-blue eyes, a cute little nose and she wore old cloths. Her face was make-up free and he never seen anyone prettier.
Spike just says, "I am so sorry, that was rude of me. I spoke before I thought; will you forgive me, pet? Buffy pulls up in front of the broken down house. She hadn't thought of what he might think of her falling apart home.
The house is gutted on the inside with support beams holding up some walls. The only rooms that were not were the bedrooms. "Please come in and make yourself comfortable," she says as she opens the door for him. He walks into a tiny space that was bare of furniture: except for a TV and DVD player. A chair sat next to a small end table. Across one wall sat a bookcase full of DVD's, some his and most not. The kitchen/dining room so small that maybe two people could fit in it at one time. This house was old but she had done great things with what she had. Spike asks her were the phone was, she states that she didn't have one. Claiming it was cheaper to use her cell. So when Buffy asks if he was hungry, Spike asks what she had.
"There is peanut butter maybe some cereal or I could warm up some soup if you want. Sorry, with me being single I have no need to keep food in the house at all times. You know how it goes, friends asking you to eat at their house all the time." She was so embarrassed, she was poor and now he knew it. She wasn't his equal, far from it.
He said "no thanks I ate up the highway before the car broke down." This was a lie. He now knew why she was so vocal about being the same as he was back at the store. She was covering up her situation that she found herself in.
Later after she showed him were he would sleep Spike thought (should I ask her about all this so I can try to help or do I keep my mouth shut. What would mum have done?). Spike decides to ask her. He went to her door to knock but founds she was crying. He went to thank her for her kindness but when he saw her crying his heart sink into his toes. She had her back to him when he looked thru the half opened door, as she turned and saw him she tried to dry her eyes.
"Are you alright Pet? That is a stupid question. Do you want to talk about it?" Spike says blushing red from his own stupidity.
She just shakes her head. Then she turns her back to him again so he would not see her cry like a little baby.
"Buffy it is alright if you want to tell me, maybe I can help. You never know until you tell me." Spike says as he walks up behind her. "Remember just a normal person here. If you want to talk I will be in the guest room."
She laughs, "That is no guest room that was my mother's old room before she went missing."
"She left you luv? But why would someone do that?" Spike asked surprised.
Buffy turns so she can see if he is serious finding him so she starts telling him. "I really would like to tell you all my dirty secrets, but I know you don't care about my life" she says sarcastically. Spike takes her hand and leads her to the bed. He sits her down and then sits by her.
"Look Buffy I know I'm a jerk sometime but it seems you need a friend right about now. Do you want me to leave, because I will if that is what you want?"
Buffy shakes her head no and tries to keep control of herself better.
"Why don't you tell me what's the problem and maybe I can help?"
She thinks for a moment and finally decides to tell him. "My mother left us when I was 15. We all lived here until last year when I finished high school and my mother's aunt came to give me my graduation present. That's when she found out it was just my sisters and me here. I tried to lie like all the other times but she could tell my mom had not been here for awhile. She called the police and they told that they already knew about our moms' disappearance. They found out all my lies to keep my sisters with me. After they found out about all the lies, they took my sisters away. I tried to get them back, but when only make $6.25 an hour it is hard to take care of myself much less them. Two thirteen year old girls are hard for normal people to kept, I just didn't have the money to keep them. They were taken by the state. I haven't seen them since. I tried but the state says I am a bad influence on them." She was crying harder now as Spike held her hand to give her the courage to finish.
"Did you know I finished in the top of my class and made a 1400 on my SAT's? If I could just have got them out of this house they would still be here with me now. I got piles of accepts letters to go to school, they were even fighting over me at one time. That is until I couldn't pay my way, then it was oh so sorry don't have money to help you."
Spike was shocked that she had done so well and not been able to go on with her schooling.
He said, "Did you try for grants and all that rot? I mean that is what they are there for, right?"
"I didn't have time to fill out the forms. Also if I did fill them out then they would know my mom was gone. The schools need proof of income which we had none."
"Well, maybe you can go back to school real soon." He said as he paced the floor at the injustice of it all.
As Spike spoke, Buffy was thinking about her mother and didn't hear Spike speaking. "Hello, earth to Blondie, what's wrong?"
"I was just thinking about my mom. You know she was a nurse at the hospital up the road. Then one-day poof she was gone, it's not like her to do that you know. She loved us. She moved us into this house. She was going to fix it up herself, add rooms and expand rooms that felt were too small. That's why the house looks like it does: she never got a chance to start. She went missing about two months after buying it out right. I think something happen to her that day she went missing. She worked 3-11 swing shifted I would warm up our dinner she left us. We would do our homework; she called every night to check on us before bed. That night everything went like normal. We all went to bed but when we woke she was not there. I called her work they said she left after her shifted. There was no sign of her car or her from that day on. When I got home from school and she was not there I called the police. After they came I lied and told them my dad was on his way. When I called dad, he was to busy shacking up with his new toy of the week. I took over the job as head of the house hold. All he did was double our child support payment. I was able to pay the bills and all that stuff but I had to work down at the station for food and cloths etc. If it was not for my friends we would have been in a lot of trouble. Xander and Willow drove us to school and work anything I needed they would help."
Buffy sighs "Well let's get to bed. There are more covers in the cedar chest at the foot of your bed, if your get cold." Spike nods and leaves the room.