15 Minutes of Fame

Chapter 2

UCLA Campus…

'This place is crazy,' Buffy thought, looking around. She was surrounded with more people than she had ever seen in one place together. Students were in a frenzy trying to register, find dorm rooms, and unload cars. Cardboard boxes and plastic totes were in high demand.

"Do we know where we're going?" Giles called from behind the box he carried.

"Stevenson Hall," Buffy called to her step dad. She looked desperately at the map in her hands, trying to figure out exactly where they were headed. Looking around, she noticed a dirt path with a small sign reading Bike Path near the sidewalk. "I'm pretty sure we go this way."

"Pretty sure?" Giles asked incredulously. "This box isn't getting any lighter you know."

"Hey!" Buffy stopped in her tracks at the sound of the voice. A peppy, red-head came running into her range of vision, yelling and waving her arms. "Did I hear you say that you were headed to Stevenson Hall?"

"Um yeah," Buffy finally said.

"Me too," the girl screeched. "I'm Willow Rosenberg, chemistry major," she introduced herself thrusting her hand at Buffy.

"Buffy Summers, undecided," Buffy replied.

"And I'm Queen Elizabeth," Giles joked almost breathlessly. "Can we please get on with it before my bloody arms are separated from my body?"

"Sorry," Buffy laughed. "Do you know where you're going?" she asked Willow.

"Yeah, it's just down this path a bit," she explained. "I've already been to my room. Surprisingly they're quite spacious. There's enough room for everything."

"Have you met your roommate yet?" Buffy asked. She and Giles followed the girl down the dirt path.

"Not yet, I'm kinda hopin' that she'll be there by the time I get back." Within a few moments a large, stone building rose in front of them. A sign reading: Stevenson Hall hung above the double glass doors.

"Here we are," Willow announced. "So what room are you in?"

Buffy searched the piece of paper she clutched between her hands. "Um…326."

"Oh you're just across the hall from me!" the red head shouted gleefully. "I'm in 325."

'Well at least I know someone in my dorm,' Buffy thought dryly. The group climbed the steps, three flights in all, and moved down the hall. '322, 324, 326! Here we go.' Buffy slid her key into the lock, turned it, and shoved the door open.

A small-framed brunette stood to one side, unpacking her belonging from a cardboard box. She had already made up one of the beds—the one on the left—and somehow managed to set up a computer on one of the small desks. Once Buffy entered she looked up from her task.

"Hello there! I'm Anya, Anya Christina Emanuela Jenkins. Nice to meet you."

"Uh yeah," was all Buffy could muster. 'Sure is spunky isn't she?'

"I took the left side because, well, I wanted to and I figured since I was here first it's my right to choose which side I want." Even as she spoke, Anya continued to unpack her things.

Giles entered the room behind Buffy and rushed to the open bed, depositing the large box on it. "Thank God," he breathed. "What do you have in there? Bricks?"

Buffy laughed and turned back to her roommate. "I'm Buffy Summers. This is Giles."

"Rupert Giles, nice to meet you." Giles extended his hand in a polite greeting.

"I'm Anya," she said taking his hand and shaking it thoroughly.

"Is there a young lady in here who would like to unload her belongings from my backseat?"

Buffy turned around to find her mother standing in the doorway. "Mom, how did you know which room was mine?"

"I met a lovely friend of yours in the lobby downstairs, Willow something-or-other, she brought me up here," Joyce explained.

"Mom this is Anya," Buffy said, once again starting the introductions. Joyce and Anya exchanged awkward nods of acknowledgement.

"Shall we unpack the car?" Giles suggested.

"Let's," Buffy joked.

Almost a full hour later the small car was completely void of all cardboard boxes and rubber totes. Everything had been hauled up the three flights of steps and into Buffy dorm room. Buffy herself had begun to unpack her clothes and hang them up in the closet on her side of the room.

"Well I believe we're done here," Buffy announced. "Thank you guys so much."

"You didn't get everything," Joyce said; she had a mischievous look in her eye.

"What?" Buffy asked. "What did you guys do?"

Giles produced a rather large, rectangular object from behind his back. "Just a little something from your mother and I." He handed the gift to his step-daughter and stood back to watch.

"You guys didn't have to do this," Buffy smiled as she tore into the shiny paper. "Oh my God. You didn't. You bought—you got me a laptop!" Immediately she set the gift aside and attacked both of her parents, throwing her arms around their neck and kissing them on the cheek. "Thank you guys so much."

"Well we better get moving, Joyce," Giles said. "We've still got a drive home."

"All right," Joyce said, her voice wavering; a stray tear slid down her cheek.

"Mom, don't start," Buffy teased. "I'm not dead just a phone call away."

"I know, it's just that…well my baby's growing up."

Buffy hugged her mother again, more tightly this time. "I'll call you guys all the time, I swear. Not to mention email. Expect one from me at least twice a day."

Joyce laughed before stepping away from her. She quickly left the room before another set of sobs started.

"Stay in touch," Giles said pausing at the doorway. He embraced Buffy quickly before adding, "We both love you. Very much."

"I know," Buffy said. "I love you guys too."

New York City…

'This place is insane! People are just downright rude!' Spike thought as yet another random stranger pushed passed him and onto the subway. Although he'd been in New York for nearly two weeks, Spike just couldn't get used to the amount of people. It just seemed that everywhere he went someone was there.

Boarding the train Spike prayed to God that he would end up in Central Park or at least somewhere near to there. The ride was short but rocky. When the train screeched to a halt half a dozen rushed the automatic doors, Spike was among them. Making sure that his messenger bag was still around his shoulder, he took the steps two at a time.

At the top Spike was greeted by a bright, sunny day. It was surprisingly warm for being mid-September in New York. Making his way down the streets, Spike was ecstatic to see the road sign that read: Central Park.

"Maybe I am getting the hang of this," he admitted to himself out loud.

Once inside the park, Spike found a spot on the grass and sat down. Pulling the computer out of his bag, he flipped the top up and turned it on. 'Thank God for wireless Internet,' he thought as he logged into his email account. He thought for a moment before beginning to type.

Buffy,
You would not believe this city. There are so many people here, it's unreal. I'm sitting in Central Park right now, emailing my favorite girl. I'm finally unpacked and settled into my room. My roommate is a bit of a whelp, but what can you do, right?
I miss Sunnydale and the warm weather. But what I really miss is you. Everything here is so new, just wish I had someone to share it with. I miss talking to you most of all.
How are things back in Cali? How's Captain Cardboard (I saw you laugh, admit it).
Hope to talk to you soon luv. Give me a call sometime.
Spike

Satisfied with the text, Spike sent the message and closed his computer down. Then he just sat, watching the people and thinking about different things: home, school, and most importantly Buffy.

Spike was clueless when it came to how a certain blonde's head worked. He couldn't understand what she saw in that wanker of a boyfriend she had. 'He's not good enough for 'er,' he thought bitterly. Every time Spike saw Riley wrap his arms around Buffy, her fought off the urge to punch him right there. He wanted desperately to be able to hold her like he did, but Buffy only saw him as a friend, nothing more.

'That's all gonna change,' he thought. 'I'm gonna make it change.'

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