Puffy Marshmallow, karmawiccan, thank you for reviewing.
Me-Spike-4eva: It will be explained a bit in this chapter, and more in the next. Sorry for the confusion.
Buffy sat at a table in the Bronze alone. Spike had left to get them drinks, and she sat content, smiling. Their date had been going better then Buffy expected. He didn't seem wigged out that she wasn't an ordinary every day girl, like she had expected him to be.
She couldn't remember when she ever felt this happy since her mother had died. Spike had helped her build a new life in Sunnydale. And she was beginning to adjust to it.
"Buffy."
She heard her name, and didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. "Riley," she said, as he came out from behind her and sat down. "What are you doing here? At this table...With me?"
"I saw you sitting alone," he said. "I thought maybe you'd like some company."
"Um...Thank you, but I'm not really alone. I'm here with Spike," she said, happily. "Are you here with anyone?"
"Just friends...So, you and Spike...You're here as friends, too?"
"No, Riley. We're on a date," she said.
"Oh..."
"Yeah," Buffy said, uncomfortably. "Speaking of...Hey Spike."
"Buffy," Spike nodded, then looked over to Riley. "What are you doing here?"
"Riley came over to say hello. But, he was just leaving. Right Riley?" Buffy said.
"Yeah," he said, standing. "I'll see you at school Buffy."
Spike glared at Riley until he had disappeared, and took a seat across from Buffy. He slid her drink across the table, and she smiled up at him.
"Sorry about him," Buffy said. "I didn't think he'd actually come over here."
"Nothing you could do luv," he said. "Some guys just don't know how to accept rejection."
Buffy laughed. "Well aside from the Riley interlude, I'm having a great time."
"Me too," he said, putting his hand over hers.
She smiled, and looked around, her smile disappearing. "Shit," she said. "What time is it?"
He looked down at his watch. "Half past ten, why?"
"I have to...Giles, wanted me to go to his place," Buffy said, standing. "I'm sorry Spike. I'm ruining."
"'S not your fault. You have a duty," he said, standing as well.
"Um...You could come with...I mean, if you want to," she said. "I think Giles might just appreciate the extra help."
He smiled. "Sounds like fun."
"Member what I said, about this being fun?" Spike said, looking up from a book. "I take that back."
Buffy smiled at him, and walked over to the sofa, sitting down next to him. "You get used to it...But you can go home, if this is too much."
"As long as you're 'ere, I'm fine," he said, leaning over and kissing her.
"Ahem," Giles said, rubbing his glasses on his shirt. "Buffy, do you have any idea where your sister is?"
"Do you want me to lie? Because you seem to be asking me that question repeatedly, and I keep giving you the wrong answer, or so it seems."
"Oh...Um...Well, I guess I just wish she'd check in with me," he said. "That girl is going to drive me crazy."
Just then, Faith walked through the door in a hurry. She stopped when she saw the looks she was getting from the three.
"What?" she asked. "Was I...Oh, right, meeting thing. Sorry G."
"Where were you Ms. Smiley Pants?" Buffy said, leaning over the back of the sofa.
"I had a date with a nest of vampires," Faith said, throwing her jacket on a nearby chair. "Turns out G, that it was a hox. Waste of time. Nothing there but a stupid, newly risen vamp."
"Well, that is a bit...Odd," Giles said. "I was sure that is where I was told..."
"Maybe you need new sources," Buffy said.
Giles looked at her, then back to Faith. "Are you sure you didn't...Scare them off?"
"A nest of vampires, afraid of one Slayer, I doubt it," Faith said.
"You were going to take on a nest by yourself?" Buffy said. "You should've called me."
"We tried," Giles said. "Your cell phone was off."
"Oh..." Buffy said, looking away. "Oops."
"What's he doing here?" Faith asked, nodding towards Spike.
"I invited him," Buffy said. "He's an extra pair of eyes."
"What's the problem now?" Faith asked, sitting down in a chair across from Buffy. "Do we got a baddy?"
"Well...You mentioned that The Three told you, that they were only sent to kill one Slayer," Giles said.
"Yeah, so?" Faith said. "Do you think someone's got it in for B?"
"That's how it would seem," Giles said. "But maybe whoever sent The Three, didn't know that you were called. They might not have even heard of Buffy's death."
Spike, shocked, looked over to Buffy. When she caught his gaze, she turned her head, trying to avoid an explanation. But Spike wasn't going to just let this slip by.
"Buffy died?" he said, barely able to ask it.
"Oh..." Giles said, and the room went silent.
"Maybe we could talk about this later Spike," Buffy said. "There are more important things to concentrate on."
"Well, I find this pretty bloody important," he said, standing. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You only found out about us...I just never thought..."
"B, you don't have to explain to him," Faith said.
"Faith," Buffy said, softly.
"No B. You shouldn't have to tell him something that you aren't comfortable with."
"So you're just going to leave it to my imagination?" Spike asked, angrily.
"It's none of your business!" Faith yelled, standing up.
"Faith," Buffy said again. "Please...Just...Stop."
Faith looked back at Buffy, and returned to her spot in the chair. Buffy stood up, and walked over to Spike, pulling him over to the far corner.
"Spike, can we please just talk about this later?"
"Fine..." he said. "Fine, but I..."
"I know, it must be hard to think that I...But it's not like it was a piece of cake for me."
"I'm sorry Buffy," he said, cupping her chin in his hand. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. "I'll be...At home."
She nodded and watched as he grabbed his jacket and left. She turned to Giles and Faith, and walked over to where they sat.
"Are you okay Buffy?" Giles asked. "I wasn't thinking..."
"It's not your fault Giles," she said. "So, about this guy who wants me dead."
Me-Spike-4eva: It will be explained a bit in this chapter, and more in the next. Sorry for the confusion.
Buffy sat at a table in the Bronze alone. Spike had left to get them drinks, and she sat content, smiling. Their date had been going better then Buffy expected. He didn't seem wigged out that she wasn't an ordinary every day girl, like she had expected him to be.
She couldn't remember when she ever felt this happy since her mother had died. Spike had helped her build a new life in Sunnydale. And she was beginning to adjust to it.
"Buffy."
She heard her name, and didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. "Riley," she said, as he came out from behind her and sat down. "What are you doing here? At this table...With me?"
"I saw you sitting alone," he said. "I thought maybe you'd like some company."
"Um...Thank you, but I'm not really alone. I'm here with Spike," she said, happily. "Are you here with anyone?"
"Just friends...So, you and Spike...You're here as friends, too?"
"No, Riley. We're on a date," she said.
"Oh..."
"Yeah," Buffy said, uncomfortably. "Speaking of...Hey Spike."
"Buffy," Spike nodded, then looked over to Riley. "What are you doing here?"
"Riley came over to say hello. But, he was just leaving. Right Riley?" Buffy said.
"Yeah," he said, standing. "I'll see you at school Buffy."
Spike glared at Riley until he had disappeared, and took a seat across from Buffy. He slid her drink across the table, and she smiled up at him.
"Sorry about him," Buffy said. "I didn't think he'd actually come over here."
"Nothing you could do luv," he said. "Some guys just don't know how to accept rejection."
Buffy laughed. "Well aside from the Riley interlude, I'm having a great time."
"Me too," he said, putting his hand over hers.
She smiled, and looked around, her smile disappearing. "Shit," she said. "What time is it?"
He looked down at his watch. "Half past ten, why?"
"I have to...Giles, wanted me to go to his place," Buffy said, standing. "I'm sorry Spike. I'm ruining."
"'S not your fault. You have a duty," he said, standing as well.
"Um...You could come with...I mean, if you want to," she said. "I think Giles might just appreciate the extra help."
He smiled. "Sounds like fun."
"Member what I said, about this being fun?" Spike said, looking up from a book. "I take that back."
Buffy smiled at him, and walked over to the sofa, sitting down next to him. "You get used to it...But you can go home, if this is too much."
"As long as you're 'ere, I'm fine," he said, leaning over and kissing her.
"Ahem," Giles said, rubbing his glasses on his shirt. "Buffy, do you have any idea where your sister is?"
"Do you want me to lie? Because you seem to be asking me that question repeatedly, and I keep giving you the wrong answer, or so it seems."
"Oh...Um...Well, I guess I just wish she'd check in with me," he said. "That girl is going to drive me crazy."
Just then, Faith walked through the door in a hurry. She stopped when she saw the looks she was getting from the three.
"What?" she asked. "Was I...Oh, right, meeting thing. Sorry G."
"Where were you Ms. Smiley Pants?" Buffy said, leaning over the back of the sofa.
"I had a date with a nest of vampires," Faith said, throwing her jacket on a nearby chair. "Turns out G, that it was a hox. Waste of time. Nothing there but a stupid, newly risen vamp."
"Well, that is a bit...Odd," Giles said. "I was sure that is where I was told..."
"Maybe you need new sources," Buffy said.
Giles looked at her, then back to Faith. "Are you sure you didn't...Scare them off?"
"A nest of vampires, afraid of one Slayer, I doubt it," Faith said.
"You were going to take on a nest by yourself?" Buffy said. "You should've called me."
"We tried," Giles said. "Your cell phone was off."
"Oh..." Buffy said, looking away. "Oops."
"What's he doing here?" Faith asked, nodding towards Spike.
"I invited him," Buffy said. "He's an extra pair of eyes."
"What's the problem now?" Faith asked, sitting down in a chair across from Buffy. "Do we got a baddy?"
"Well...You mentioned that The Three told you, that they were only sent to kill one Slayer," Giles said.
"Yeah, so?" Faith said. "Do you think someone's got it in for B?"
"That's how it would seem," Giles said. "But maybe whoever sent The Three, didn't know that you were called. They might not have even heard of Buffy's death."
Spike, shocked, looked over to Buffy. When she caught his gaze, she turned her head, trying to avoid an explanation. But Spike wasn't going to just let this slip by.
"Buffy died?" he said, barely able to ask it.
"Oh..." Giles said, and the room went silent.
"Maybe we could talk about this later Spike," Buffy said. "There are more important things to concentrate on."
"Well, I find this pretty bloody important," he said, standing. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You only found out about us...I just never thought..."
"B, you don't have to explain to him," Faith said.
"Faith," Buffy said, softly.
"No B. You shouldn't have to tell him something that you aren't comfortable with."
"So you're just going to leave it to my imagination?" Spike asked, angrily.
"It's none of your business!" Faith yelled, standing up.
"Faith," Buffy said again. "Please...Just...Stop."
Faith looked back at Buffy, and returned to her spot in the chair. Buffy stood up, and walked over to Spike, pulling him over to the far corner.
"Spike, can we please just talk about this later?"
"Fine..." he said. "Fine, but I..."
"I know, it must be hard to think that I...But it's not like it was a piece of cake for me."
"I'm sorry Buffy," he said, cupping her chin in his hand. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. "I'll be...At home."
She nodded and watched as he grabbed his jacket and left. She turned to Giles and Faith, and walked over to where they sat.
"Are you okay Buffy?" Giles asked. "I wasn't thinking..."
"It's not your fault Giles," she said. "So, about this guy who wants me dead."