A/N : Woah, really glad you all liked the big meeting chapter! Thanx to everyone who reviewed; Soulful-Spikes-True-Love, wings(of)paper, spikeswife1, pixiecorn, electricgurl, NIME, bebluvspikey, spuffyfan-1, wicked-angel3, lindsay, i luv spike, Elizance, Kata Malfoy, Higgy's Red, sPIKEanDmE, Ellie, thorn, naiya-isis. Here's the next chapter...
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 9 - Where Do We Go From Here?
For once in Dawn Summers life, she couldn't wait to get to school. All day Sunday she'd wanted to call Spike, but she knew he didn't want his mother to know about his secret identity. He was a nice guy and getting him into trouble was not an option, especially now when things were just getting interesting.
The youngest Summers knew her friends timetable pretty well and skipped second period to go and find him in the library where she knew he'd be during his free.
'Yep, there he is' Dawn thought to herself as she peered around the side of a bookcase at William, now looking very much his geek-self. Still, since he'd ditched the glasses and got some slightly more fashionable clothes, he did look kinda hot.
"Hey Spike" she grinned as she practically leapt out at him. William physically bounced in his seat at the surprise, before pulling Dawn by the hand into the seat beside him, encouraging her to be quiet.
"Okay so libraries are quiet places, but let's not go to extremes Spike, I only said hello" she frowned as she put down her book bag.
"It's not that, Dawn" he told her in a whisper "but you cannot call me Spike in public, not when I'm not..Spike" he explained somewhat badly but she knew what he meant. She rolled her eyes as he looked around, checking no-one had heard.
"Y'know, if I didn't know better, I'd never believe you were the same person" she sighed, "but hey, I guess that is kinda the point..."
"It was kind of the point" he corrected and she frowned.
"Okay, you lost me" the brunette confessed, flipping her hair over her shoulder and leaning forward on the desk as they whispered their secrets, "What do you mean by the was?"
"The way I see it, Spike made a good impression on your sister" he began, causing Dawn to laugh.
"A good impression?" she echoed, "Will, you have no idea! She didn't talk for like an hour, she was so totally dazed, and when we finally got her to speak it was Spike this and Spike that and do you think he's okay, do you think he got away from the cops...hey actually" she suddenly had a thought, "how did you get away from those cops?"
"Really thought I wasn't going to for a while there" he admitted, before a decidedly cocky smirk settled on his face and a touch of his 'Spike voice' came through, "but I pulled a couple of choice moves, took a route down the back alleys, there was no way those cop cars were gonna make it"
"You loved it didn't you?" Dawn grinned as he finished his little narrative and he looked slightly embarrassed when he answered.
"The whole night was something else, but the best five minutes were when Buffy looked at me" he admitted, "No-one ever looked at me that way before, it was like I was all she ever wanted.
"You are" Dawn agreed immediately, "or at least Spike is"
"We're the same person Dawn" William pointed out as the girl dug through her bag for her books as the librarian walked past and shot her a look.
"You're so not the same" she said, giving up on her book searching as soon as the staff member was gone, "No offence intended but you're not half so cool looking today...I dunno why you can't leave your hair blond at least, it looked so much better"
"It'd give away my identity" he reminded her, "although I was thinking, maybe I should do it anyway"
"Dye your hair?" Dawn asked hopefully but William shook his head.
"No, admit my identity" he told her quietly, "to Buffy, to everyone"
"She'll freak!" Dawn exclaimed, "They all will. William, why when we've worked so hard, would you wanna go and throw it all away?"
"Because it's all a lie" he said sadly, "and I don't want my relationship with your sister to be based on lies"
"There is no other way!" Dawn tried to explain, getting extremely agitated about this, "If you don't have the lie-based relationship, then you don't have a relationship at all!"
William looked kind of upset by what she'd told him and Dawn hated to know she'd caused the sad look on his face. He really was a nice guy, and she didn't understand why he didn't want some nice average girl that might actually date him, instead of Buffy the impossible sister!
"I still think I should tell her" he sighed, closing the book in front of him. He really hadn't been reading it properly anyway.
"Then go ahead" he was surprised to hear Dawn say as she got up from the seat, swung her bag over her shoulder and hurried away. When William turned he saw Willow entering the library, Oz on her left side and Buffy on her right.
"Hi" he greeted them. The only one who answered was the red-haired girl, whilst her boyfriend nodded in his general direction and Buffy half-smiled. They all went to sit at the next table until Willow looked back at William and seemed to convince the others the should take pity on him.
"You mind if we join you?" she asked with a bright smile and when he said he didn't they all took seats at the table.
Again William pretended to read his book, as the other three seemed to be doing homework or something. He stole glances at Buffy but her head was mostly down, concentrating hard on her work. The next time he looked she was also glancing up and he was thrilled when she gave him a small smile, which he returned.
"Buffy?" he dared to call back her attention, glad that Willow and Oz were discussing something quietly and not actually listening to what he and Buffy were saying.
"Yeah?" she answered as she looked over at him again with a puzzled expression.
"I was wondering, do you, I was...erm....did you have a nice weekend?" he asked instead, mentally kicking himself for being such an idiot. Where had that confidence gone that he had when he was Spike?
"Yeah, it was great, thanks" Buffy told him, a little unsure as to why he was asking, they usually didn't talk to each other much, especially about social stuff, "How about you?" she felt like she ought to be polite and ask him the same.
"It was...splendid" he smiled, collecting up his books and excusing himself from the table. Buffy watched him leave and shook her head. He really was just a little weird.
Outside the library, Dawn grabbed him as he tried to walk past.
"I'm guessing since I didn't hear the screaming from here, you didn't tell her" the brunette smirked, an expression William was pretty sure she'd got from Ripper.
"No, I didn't" he admitted, "Maybe it'd be easier if Spike told her"
"Now there's an idea" Dawn nodded, "Give her the best date of her life and then come clean, she can't be mad at you, she'll already be in love with you, right?"
"In love with me?" he coloured at the very idea, "I think that's a little strong, Dawn, she's only met my 'alter-ego' once" he air-quoted, an action he was ashamed to say he'd gotten from her.
"Will, she's been in love with the mystery guy since way before he was you" she tried to explain, "now that he's you and you're him, she'll still love him and therefore you and the other you as well when she finds out you're him"
William tried not to laugh at her, the girl really was trying to help, but she'd lost him with her little speech from practically the beginning. The bell rang before he had a chance to comment anyway.
"I guess I'll see you later" he told her, heading towards his next class.
"Count on it, Spike" she said quietly in the empty hall, causing him to shoot her a look. Still, William walked to class with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. Maybe Buffy was already in love with Spike, and if she wasn't, she very soon would be.
- - - - - -
At the end of the school day, William went into his house still grinning, ideas for the ultimate date Spike was going to take Buffy on filling his head. Dawn had seemed perfectly serious when she said that her sister was in love and William was more than sure he felt the same about her. The only small problem being, Buffy was in love with a man that technically didn't exist...his smile turned to a frown as he entered the kitchen where his mother was making a snack.
"Hello, son" she smiled, before noticing his expression, "Oh, whatever's the matter?" she asked as he sat down heavily on a stool by the breakfast bar and she took a seat the other side.
"It's nothing really" he shrugged, knowing that this time he was unable to confide in his mother. With all his other problems, he'd always gone straight to her for advice and comfort, was it really any wonder that his class-mates back in England had nick-named him Mummy's boy and Poofter? He smirked as he thought, they wouldn't be saying that if they'd seen him Saturday night.
"William" his mother sighed, putting her hand over his on the worktop, "You're hardly ever at home anymore, you spent hours in the bathroom on Sunday, and we never really talk anymore...you would tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?" she asked worriedly.
William got up from his seat, moving round the counter to kiss his mother on the cheek.
"I'm fine, Mum, I promise" he told her with a smile. He loved that she cared really, he just needed her to understand, "but I'm a big boy now and I s'pose I'm just growing up is all"
Mother and son shared a smile before he bounded off up the stairs to dump his bag and visit the bathroom, before heading back down to the kitchen to eat. There wasn't much homework that he really had to do tonight and he really wanted to go over to the garage to check on the bike. It'd got a couple of knocks Saturday night and Ripper had said he'd have a look if he had time, but William knew it'd ultimately be his responibility to fix anything that was broken. He only hoped Anne wouldn't make too much fuss when he mentioned going out again tonight.
- - - - - -
"Now here's a bloke that caused quite a stir" Ripper grinned as his young friend strolled into the garage.
Thankfully William's mother hadn't asked too many questions when he'd said he was going out to see a friend, he figured she was just pleased that he actually had friends these days "Seems the cops had more of an idea where you were going than you thought" the older Brit told the boy, whose expression went from smirking to panicked in seconds.
"They came here?" he asked worriedly as he walked across the room with Ripper to where the bike was waiting for him.
"Yeah, asked if I'd had anyone with a bike in here for service or whatever" the older man didn't seem at all phased by the police visit. Unbeknownst to William, he'd had a few run-ins with the law when he was young, and they really didn't scare him.
"And you said no?" William checked, causing Ripper to roll his eyes as he pulled on the tarp that covered the machine.
"Course I said no, you pillock" he almost laughed at the panic on Will's face "Still, they had a look around, couldn't prove the bike here was the one they were after, and then they pissed off again"
William sighed audibly, staring down at the bike and running a hand over his face and back through his hair.
"Why am I doing this?" he asked rhetorically, but Ripper had an answer. He pulled something from his back pocket and held it up for the boy to see.
"Cos of a certain blonde you've got the hots for?" he suggested. William smiled at the photograph being held in front of his face, the one picture of Buffy that he owned.
"I wondered where I'd left that" he said, taking it from his friend and continuing to stare at it, mentally reminding himself to thank Dawn again for all her help, the picture in particular.
"She is a beauty" Ripper told him, a hand on his shoulder. He knew the effect a pretty girl could have on a young man. Years ago, he had been just like William, though these days he'd never admit it.
"She's everything, and I love her" the young man blurted out without thinking, trying not to blush as he pushed the photo into his pocket out of sight. "You think I'm crazy?" he asked Ripper who was now back under the hood of a Chevy where he had been when William came in. The older man shrugged his shoulders.
"Maybe" he agreed "but love does that to you, I should know" he added with an eye roll. William went over to lean on the side of the car and watch what he was doing.
"You always say stuff like that but you never explain it to me" he pressed, Ripper just looked up and smirked that smirk of his.
"And neither will I" he laughed, throwing an oily rag at the boy, who thought fast and caught it just as Dawn walked on.
"Hey!" she smiled brightly at her two favourite Brits. They both smiled back.
"Hello, pet" Ripper greeted her "How's things?"
"Pretty good" she told him "in fact better than good right now. Spike, I had this great idea" she enthused as she moved over to where he was standing.
"I told you not to get into the habit of calling me that when I'm not dressed that way" he shifted uncomfortably as Ripper shot him a look, this was the first he'd heard of it.
"Spike?" he echoed "Now there's a name. Buffy like that kind of thing does she?" he asked with a look that was decidedly filthy. William continued to look uneasy.
"Well I had to have a name" he said in his defence "besides her last bloke was called Angel"
"Say no more" Ripper held up his hands in mock surrender and went back to his work. Angel? Now that was a real Nancy-boy name! He thanked his lucky stars that the kids hadn't found out his real name. Ripper sounded cool and dangerous, Rupert was a ponce's name.
"Spike, will you listen, I have info" the youngest Summers was determined that her friend was going to listen to her, even if she had to physically bounce up and down to get his attention.
"Okay, Dawn, what it is?" he smiled at her enthusiasm, as she took a deep breath and launched into her ramble.
"Okay, so, my Dad was totally spazzing cos he part owns this new-agey fake magic store in town and one of the shop assistants quit today without notice, and the lady, Tara, who works there can't cope alone" William really couldn't understand where this was going, and he didn't have time to ask, since Dawn didn't seem to be stopping to draw breath yet "Point is Dad fast shuffled Buffy into working Friday after school, cos Amy, the girl who quit, used to do Thursday and Friday afternoons, and I got picked for Thursday, anyway, I figured if I was around on Friday too, you could show up and totally sweep Buffy off her feet. She could go out with you, I could cover the store with Tara, and everyone would be happy!" she ended with a big grin, showing no signs of being out-of-breath and William would have found the fact incredible if he wasn't still trying to process all the information he'd just been given.
"The kid talks bloody fast" Ripper observed with a chuckle "but what she says makes some sense"
"Seems like it" William grinned as he finally realised the girl had the perfect plan worked out for him "Dawn, you're amazing" he announced, acting on impulse and kissing her on the cheek, making her blush seven different shades.
"Er, I gotta go" she said quickly, practically running for the door. Ripper laughed loudly, clapping William on the back of the shoulder.
"If you can get Buffy to like you half as much as she does, I think you're onto a winner mate" he said, still laughing as he walked away to his small office.
"Yeah" the boy said absently, thinking solely of Buffy right now "Friday night, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna sweep her off her feet" he smiled, turning back to his bike and preparing to fix it up for his big date.
To Be Continued...
A/N2 : Please let me know what you think in the usual way - Review! :-)