Author's Note: I've gotten SO many encouraging reviews on this fic. Thank you so much for the comments! They give me a happy. :) And a special thanks to Dee12, whose comment made me grin. :-D
--= =-- --= =-- --= =--
Half an hour later, Kathy had finished maniacally scrubbing the bus down with her industrial-size cleaner bottle and sponges. This was the peak of our journey; we had all reached the point of no return and nothing could save us now.
Having wandered around separately for some of the time, I met up with Spike again. He was toying with something in his hands.
"Whatcha got there?" I asked behind his shoulder.
"Nothing," he said as tucked it into his duster pocket. After a short wrestling match, I finally got it and realised it was a wallet.
"Spike!"
"What?" He asked innocently.
"'Property of Cordelia Chase'? You stole this," I said accusingly.
"Well...yeah. Evil, remember, pet?"
"Give it back to her."
"Hmm...no."
"You're a pig, Spike."
"Yeah, well, you're a bitch."
"Don't steal!"
"S'not my fault the bint can't look after her own things."
"Just don't steal things. It's wrong."
"Don't tell me what to do."
I could feel my face flushing. Now I remembered why the ass was my arch- nemesis.
"Bite me!"
He flipped up two fingers and stalked past me, leaving me holding Cordelia's red leather wallet.
"Get back on the bus," Bus Driver Richard called out loudly. The students began heading for the Yellow Fever and Bus Driver Richard climbed into his seat.
Sulking, I just tossed the wallet at Cordelia, determined to avoid Spike before remembering I had been assigned a seat.
Spike and I didn't say much to each other after we had clambered back into our seats, although he still rested his arm on the top of the seat behind me, he didn't actually touch me. We stubbornly didn't meet the other's eyes throughout the rest of the bus ride. Although I was moping on the inside, I was too accustomed to never showing Spike any weakness to let up now. He seemed to be thinking along the same lines.
Taking a shot in the dark, Bus Driver Richard took the first left he encountered and coincidentally, stumbled upon the Sunnydale County Milk Museum. And just like that, it was over. We had journeyed to the outer limits of our souls and came out safely on the other side.
Given the other side held an extremely furious Ms. French, but that was unavoidable. A few minutes after we had hit solid ground, she lined us all up like convicts and spoke slowly and loudly as she paced before us.
"Although Faith has said nothing, I am not ignorant. One of you deliberately cut the strings of her top which, I admit, is outrageous for a field trip to the countryside but still, I will not abide by such behaviour. Whoever you are, you're going to pay for the whole class. You will receive an F for the project..."
"Poor Buffy," I heard Willow whisper to Xander.
I hung my head realizing what a stupid thing cutting Faith's shirt was. And I was supposed to be her friend.
"...and a full week's detention. Who is the culprit? Speak up!"
I took three tiny steps forward before I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I glanced up and did a double-take.
"I did it," Spike said, his thumbs hooked around the waist of his jeans. My mouth dropped open.
Ms. French raised an eyebrow, pursed her lips, and walked toward Spike.
"I should have suspected something like this from you, William. It only surprises me that you came forward."
"Save you the trouble of sniffing me out, yeah?" Spike said, cocky as always.
Ms. French wasn't amused.
"You will have the pleasure of staying on the bus. The rest of you: inside!"
She turned to strut in the direction of the entrance and everyone began walking after her. Darla shook her head in disbelief as she followed the class. She had known Spike to be many things but self-sacrificing was never one of them.
I studied my shoes.
"I'm sorry," said a voice and I looked up to find Sam biting her lip.
"For what?"
"I...I shouldn't have sent that note to Riley."
"You sent the note?" I said with disbelief.
She made some helpless gestures before saying:
"I...I guess it was wrong but I thought you guys are just friends."
I gave her a smile.
"We are...or we were or...I don't even care anymore. Go get him. He's had a crush on you for a while."
She looked surprised.
"Really?"
I nodded. She giggled and glanced down shyly.
"Thanks," she said before scampering off to catch up with him.
I took a few steps and encountered Faith, who looked, if anything, amused.
"Why'd you nail me, B?"
"I...Sorry Faith."
She exhaled and cocked her head.
"Well..." she said, slapping me on the back. "No hard feelings."
"So we're okay?" I said with a smile.
"Five by five," she said, slipping her hands into her pockets and walking away with a grin.
Spike and Angelus had their backs to me but I could hear their conversation.
"That was stupid," Angelus said.
"Yeah well. Love's bitch, right?"
"You always were."
Spike grinned and Angelus turned and walked away.
"Enjoy the milk!"
Angelus flipped him the bird over his shoulder.
Spike turned toward the bus entrance when my voice drifted towards him.
"That was brave."
He turned, looking for me behind him, before realising that I had stuck my head out from behind the first seat on the Yellow Fever. I favoured him with a small sheepish smile and said:
"I guess we both went a little crazy back there."
He looked down for a minute before meeting my eyes.
"Yeah...listen, Buffy, all that stuff I said to you...I didn't mean it."
I paused for a second, taking in how honest he sounded, and then granted him a smile.
"Same here."
He rolled his eyes. "And I figure I can stop pick-pocketing."
He smirked in a way I found myself loving.
"Gonna sit with me on the way back?"
"How bout now?" I giggled and disappeared back into the bus.
He followed me and sat down next to me on the back seat. With a sardonic smile, he pulled the 'Stake Me' sign Faith had stuck to my back off.
"This an invitation?" He said with a grin.
I rolled my eyes and he crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it at me. It smacked me on my forehead and bounced to the floor so I wrinkled my nose and stuck my tongue out. In retaliation, he tickled me and I fell over, landing on Angelus' portable radio.
"Ow."
He helped me up and then snatched up the scratched-up radio, which was now emitting some quiet static.
After him toying with the radio for a few seconds, it finally began choking out some old song. He grinned at me and I fluttered my eyelashes. And then he granted me another one of his toe-curling kisses.
There were no lectures or brochures but Spike and I had learned more about ourselves than we could ever learn about milk, or computers, or even the army. Who knew what we'd learn on the way back.
Cobwebs in the rain
making patterns as we walk down lover's lane;
seems that each new step is somehow preordained.
I've not travelled this way before.
Rainbows in the sky
seem forever but we know by and by.
The End
--= =-- --= =-- --= =--
Half an hour later, Kathy had finished maniacally scrubbing the bus down with her industrial-size cleaner bottle and sponges. This was the peak of our journey; we had all reached the point of no return and nothing could save us now.
Having wandered around separately for some of the time, I met up with Spike again. He was toying with something in his hands.
"Whatcha got there?" I asked behind his shoulder.
"Nothing," he said as tucked it into his duster pocket. After a short wrestling match, I finally got it and realised it was a wallet.
"Spike!"
"What?" He asked innocently.
"'Property of Cordelia Chase'? You stole this," I said accusingly.
"Well...yeah. Evil, remember, pet?"
"Give it back to her."
"Hmm...no."
"You're a pig, Spike."
"Yeah, well, you're a bitch."
"Don't steal!"
"S'not my fault the bint can't look after her own things."
"Just don't steal things. It's wrong."
"Don't tell me what to do."
I could feel my face flushing. Now I remembered why the ass was my arch- nemesis.
"Bite me!"
He flipped up two fingers and stalked past me, leaving me holding Cordelia's red leather wallet.
"Get back on the bus," Bus Driver Richard called out loudly. The students began heading for the Yellow Fever and Bus Driver Richard climbed into his seat.
Sulking, I just tossed the wallet at Cordelia, determined to avoid Spike before remembering I had been assigned a seat.
Spike and I didn't say much to each other after we had clambered back into our seats, although he still rested his arm on the top of the seat behind me, he didn't actually touch me. We stubbornly didn't meet the other's eyes throughout the rest of the bus ride. Although I was moping on the inside, I was too accustomed to never showing Spike any weakness to let up now. He seemed to be thinking along the same lines.
Taking a shot in the dark, Bus Driver Richard took the first left he encountered and coincidentally, stumbled upon the Sunnydale County Milk Museum. And just like that, it was over. We had journeyed to the outer limits of our souls and came out safely on the other side.
Given the other side held an extremely furious Ms. French, but that was unavoidable. A few minutes after we had hit solid ground, she lined us all up like convicts and spoke slowly and loudly as she paced before us.
"Although Faith has said nothing, I am not ignorant. One of you deliberately cut the strings of her top which, I admit, is outrageous for a field trip to the countryside but still, I will not abide by such behaviour. Whoever you are, you're going to pay for the whole class. You will receive an F for the project..."
"Poor Buffy," I heard Willow whisper to Xander.
I hung my head realizing what a stupid thing cutting Faith's shirt was. And I was supposed to be her friend.
"...and a full week's detention. Who is the culprit? Speak up!"
I took three tiny steps forward before I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I glanced up and did a double-take.
"I did it," Spike said, his thumbs hooked around the waist of his jeans. My mouth dropped open.
Ms. French raised an eyebrow, pursed her lips, and walked toward Spike.
"I should have suspected something like this from you, William. It only surprises me that you came forward."
"Save you the trouble of sniffing me out, yeah?" Spike said, cocky as always.
Ms. French wasn't amused.
"You will have the pleasure of staying on the bus. The rest of you: inside!"
She turned to strut in the direction of the entrance and everyone began walking after her. Darla shook her head in disbelief as she followed the class. She had known Spike to be many things but self-sacrificing was never one of them.
I studied my shoes.
"I'm sorry," said a voice and I looked up to find Sam biting her lip.
"For what?"
"I...I shouldn't have sent that note to Riley."
"You sent the note?" I said with disbelief.
She made some helpless gestures before saying:
"I...I guess it was wrong but I thought you guys are just friends."
I gave her a smile.
"We are...or we were or...I don't even care anymore. Go get him. He's had a crush on you for a while."
She looked surprised.
"Really?"
I nodded. She giggled and glanced down shyly.
"Thanks," she said before scampering off to catch up with him.
I took a few steps and encountered Faith, who looked, if anything, amused.
"Why'd you nail me, B?"
"I...Sorry Faith."
She exhaled and cocked her head.
"Well..." she said, slapping me on the back. "No hard feelings."
"So we're okay?" I said with a smile.
"Five by five," she said, slipping her hands into her pockets and walking away with a grin.
Spike and Angelus had their backs to me but I could hear their conversation.
"That was stupid," Angelus said.
"Yeah well. Love's bitch, right?"
"You always were."
Spike grinned and Angelus turned and walked away.
"Enjoy the milk!"
Angelus flipped him the bird over his shoulder.
Spike turned toward the bus entrance when my voice drifted towards him.
"That was brave."
He turned, looking for me behind him, before realising that I had stuck my head out from behind the first seat on the Yellow Fever. I favoured him with a small sheepish smile and said:
"I guess we both went a little crazy back there."
He looked down for a minute before meeting my eyes.
"Yeah...listen, Buffy, all that stuff I said to you...I didn't mean it."
I paused for a second, taking in how honest he sounded, and then granted him a smile.
"Same here."
He rolled his eyes. "And I figure I can stop pick-pocketing."
He smirked in a way I found myself loving.
"Gonna sit with me on the way back?"
"How bout now?" I giggled and disappeared back into the bus.
He followed me and sat down next to me on the back seat. With a sardonic smile, he pulled the 'Stake Me' sign Faith had stuck to my back off.
"This an invitation?" He said with a grin.
I rolled my eyes and he crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it at me. It smacked me on my forehead and bounced to the floor so I wrinkled my nose and stuck my tongue out. In retaliation, he tickled me and I fell over, landing on Angelus' portable radio.
"Ow."
He helped me up and then snatched up the scratched-up radio, which was now emitting some quiet static.
After him toying with the radio for a few seconds, it finally began choking out some old song. He grinned at me and I fluttered my eyelashes. And then he granted me another one of his toe-curling kisses.
There were no lectures or brochures but Spike and I had learned more about ourselves than we could ever learn about milk, or computers, or even the army. Who knew what we'd learn on the way back.
Cobwebs in the rain
making patterns as we walk down lover's lane;
seems that each new step is somehow preordained.
I've not travelled this way before.
Rainbows in the sky
seem forever but we know by and by.
The End