A/N : Thanx for the latest review; electricgurl, spikeswife1, Mita427, i luv spike, wicked-angel3, sPIKeaNDmE, Lady Savage, sunnyhell, pixiecorn - you guys rock! Here's the new chapter!
(For disclaimer, etc - see chapter 1)
Chapter 13 - To Be Or Not To Be
"Miss Summers!" the voice of English teacher Jenny Calendar caught Buffy off guard and she snapped out of her daydream fast. Of course in truth it was not so much a dream more of a memory. Friday night with Spike had been the most incredible night of her life and she'd spent many hours of her weekend replaying the scenes in her mind or telling Willow some of the highlights. The red-head seemed a little worried about her friends apparent obsession with this mystery guy but she didn't like to say anything. This was the happiest Buffy had been in months and there was no way Willow was going to be the one to spoil it.
As Buffy spent the entire weekend floating around on a cloud, Dawn smiled secretly to herself and crept out of the house to see Spike. One thing she was kind of glad about was it seemed as yet Will had not given up his secret identity. She liked the mystery thing and she knew that was part of what attracted her sister. She wanted to make sure things were strong enough between Buffy and Spike before he admitted to being William, at least that way he stood a chance of Buffy forgiving him for lying all this time.
He himself had a similar floaty feeling throughout the weekend and his mother noticed he was not without a grin all weekend! She liked to see him so happy after so many years of being apparently friendless and lonely. It now seemed life was getting better for her son and she was very pleased.
William was of course thrilled to know that Buffy was in love with him as he was now with her, and moments they'd shared on Friday night would stay in his memory forever. It had been a hell of a night and he wanted more but he also knew the dream couldn't last forever. Eventually he would have to confess to her that her dream man was nothing more than a geek with new clothes and a bit of borrowed attitude.
Now here he sat, just a few feet from the girl he loved and who had freely admitted to feeling the same way about him, and at this moment she barely knew he was alive. There had to be a way to make her see that he and Spike were one and the same, without her going completely crazy at him and never wanting to see him again.
The bell rang to signal the lesson was over and the teacher yelled over the sounds of scraping chairs and quiet voices.
"I want to see Buffy Summers, Percy West, and Amy Madison before you leave this room" she told them as the rest of the class filtered out. William hung back so he was last out of the classroom and was still by the door when Buffy came out muttering to herself.
"I suppose Miss Calendar didn't like your Shakespeare essay?" he asked her carefully.
"Like I need to know this crap anyway!" she complained as an answer to his question, "I have to write the whole thing again, what sense does that even make?!" she yelled as she stormed off down the corridor and he hurried to keep up with her.
"I could help, with the re-write" he told her, making her slow down and listen to him but not stop as they headed towards the row of lockers where hers resided, "If you want we could meet and go over your essay together, it shouldn't take long"
By now they had arrived at her locker and the gang were all already there, watching with amusement and expecting to see Will get knocked back again. They had figured he'd given in with the whole Buffy obsession but apparently not.
The blonde looked over at her friends, catching sight of Angels' nasty grin. He really loved to see people like William get shut down and Buffy so wanted to piss him off right now.
"Thanks William, that'd be great" she smiled, surprising the whole group, "We could meet in the Espresso Pump after school" she suggested, "today if you're free or tomorrow?"
William was shocked almost into silence when Buffy continued to smile at him and agree with his suggestion. Angel slammed his locker door shut, shoved an arm around Faith and stormed away as the gang stifled both shocked looks and smiles as they too filtered away.
William and Buffy set their study-date for tomorrow at four and then went their separate ways down the hall.
- - - - - - -
"I can't believe you actually got my stupid sister to agree to date you as yourself" Dawn laughed at the absurdity of it all as she sat in William's living room and waited for him to come down the stairs, "If it was so easy, why did we do the whole Spike thing?"
"It's not that easy" Will shook his head as he came down the stairs and responded to the young girl's yelling, "She only agreed to this because of Angel" he admitted somewhat sadly, "and because of the ridiculously good mood her date with Spike has put her in" he realised with a frown, it was still quite strange to talk about oneself in the third person.
"Y'know you look pretty cool for your geek-self" the girl smiled, hoping that would cheer him up.
"The more time you spend with Ripper, the cheekier you become, madam" he laughed as she did the same, though he appreciated her half-compliment really.
"So" William sighed, picking up his books, "do you have any plans of your own?" he asked her.
"Andrew said he was going to the record store tonight to pick out some new stuff" she shrugged, "I might go see what he's getting"
William smiled to himself, glad that Dawn liked this other boy. He wasn't vicious like Angel or ridiculous like Xander, he seemed decent enough and it was comfort to know that Dawn didn't like himself too much beyond friendship.
"You hoping he'll invite you to the Prom?" he asked and watched his young friend blush profusely.
"I don't know" she shrugged, "I mean, I know he's older and everything and a lot of people think he's weird but, I think he's cute and sweet and...oh God this is embarrassing" she laughed nervously and tried to hide behind her hair.
"There's nothing embarrassing about it" William said matter-of-factly, "You like him, there's no reason on Earth why he shouldn't like you. I only hope one of you has the nerve to do something about it" he told her with a smile.
"This was supposed to be about your date not mine" she reminded him and he looked at his watch with a moment's panic.
"Oh bugger" he cursed when he saw the time and hurried to the door with Dawn right behind him. She stifled a giggle as they said their goodbyes and he practically ran down the street. He was most definitely still William underneath it all but there was a small part of Spike that wasn't so very manufactured either.
- - - - - - -
"Hello Buffy" William tried to greet the girl without sounding so obviously out of breath, "I'm sorry if I'm a little late"
"No problem" she shrugged as he sat down on the stool beside her, "Let's just get this over with"
William wished she sounded a little more enthusiastic about spending time with him. She was so thrilled to be near him when he was Spike, but this way he might as well be anyone. Still, he comforted himself with the thought that she was probably just in a bad mood because she had to do extra homework and not because it was him she was doing it with.
Buffy got out her essay and passed it to William who frowned as he read her work. It was not what one could call good at all, which surprised him because she seemed like a fairly intelligent young woman.
"I'm usually not so bad at English" she defended herself, as if she'd read his mind "I just...lately things have been a little crazy" she shook her head and smiled as she thought about the craziness and just how fun it'd been.
"Anything you want to talk about?" William asked her, trying not to smile himself. The grin on her face right now was just the same as the one she wore when she was with Spike.
"No, it's not school stuff" she assured him, looking into the back of a spoon someone had left on the table "It really doesn't matter"
He nodded and looked back at her essay.
"Okay, well..." he stopped short when the spoon clattered to the table and Buffy threw her head in her hands.
"It's just this guy!" she complained a little to loudly, seeming as if she'd forgotten where she was and who she was talking to.
"Which guy?" Will asked casually as he could manage. Buffy looked at him seriously, wondering why he cared. He'd stooped hanging around her like a little lost puppy quite a while ago, and Willow really liked him as a friend so she said Hi to him in the halls sometimes but they weren't really more than indifferent acquaintances. Still, she had to tell someone because the whole situation with Spike and the gang was driving her crazy.
"Okay" she began "You remember I had this stupid idea about like my perfect boyfriend or whatever?"
"Er, yes" William managed to sound fairly casual, as if he could vaguely recall the conversation. In truth he was certain he remembered it by heart, it had hurt so much to hear that he never stood a chance with the woman of his dreams.
"Well, all of a sudden, I met him!" Buffy explained, and William couldn't help the smile that formed on his face.
"Your perfect man?" he checked, loving that she was talking about him this way, and, however wrong it was, getting a bit of a thrill out of knowing she had no clue.
"Pretty much" Buffy nodded "but y'see the problem is, I've met him twice now, I don't even know his real name and I haven't really seen his face cos he has these sunglasses..." she trailed off, looking a bit dejected. William panicked a little.
"And this is a problem?" he asked her "I thought you liked mysterious"
"I do" Buffy agreed "but...I mean, he could be anybody. What if underneath all the leather and bleach and attitude he's just, well, normal" she looked at him like she really did want a proper answer. William really didn't know what to say, since it was true. Underneath it all Spike was him, a regular, less-than-average geek.
"That would be a bad thing?" he said, half as a question, half as a statement.
"I don't know, I..." Buffy's voice disappeared as she realised he looked far from happy now.
'Of course, great move Buff' she thought to herself, 'No ordinary guy is good enough for you, not even him!'
"I think maybe we should get back to Shakespeare" she said with a half-smile and William nodded, glad to let that particular topic of conversation go, though for different reasons to those that Buffy was thinking of.
For something else to do, William began to turn the pages of Buffy's essay and couldn't help but laugh when he stumbled across one particular paragraph.
"What?" Buffy wasn't sure whether to be insulted or amused by the way he was staring at the page in apparent disbelief. Clearing his throat, the young man read aloud what had made him laugh.
" 'Juliet shoved a knife in herself because she came around and Romeo had already kicked it...' "
"I know, it sucks" Buffy tried not to laugh herself at how ridiculous it sounded. Her mind really hadn't been on her school work lately, but if she didn't get this right Miss Calendar would fail her in English and her parents would go nuts!
"Well, what you said was correct in theory" William assured her it wasn't so bad when she rested her chin on her hand and looked a little grumpy "you just could have worded it better"
"Okay" Buffy nodded picking up her pencil, her hand hovering above a new piece of paper "how would you say it?"
"Er, well..." the boy thought about it for a moment and then answered with his own version " 'Tormented by her lover's untimely demise, Juliet sheathed Romeo's dagger in her bosom and joined him in eternal rest...' "
He felt a little stupid when he looked over at Buffy and found she was just staring at him.
"Wow" was all she could find to say "I mean, that is just...wow" she repeated, as she put pencil to paper and frantically wrote down what he'd just said. William tried his best not to blush but found it was ridiculously difficult, despite the fact that when he was Spike he never got the least bit embarrassed or nervous about anything.
"Seriously, you're pretty smart" Buffy smiled, finishing off her sentence "You must think I'm so stupid"
"Not at all" William shook his head "Actually I think you're perfect" he blurted it out without thinking and her eyes darted up to meet his.
There was a moment when she wondered what it was she'd ever disliked about this guy, and a similar moment when he thought about telling her all about his being Spike, but that moment was all too quickly broken when a waitress walked over and waited to take their order.
"Er, you want a coffee?" Buffy offered, shaking her head to bring her out of a slight daze.
"Sure" William nodded with a small smile. Could it be that Buffy was beginning to like him for himself now? He'd see how the rest of their study-date went before he did anything stupid.
- - - - - - -
Buffy was almost disappointed when she realised that she now had all the tips and help she needed to re-write her essay to Miss Calendars standards. William had been so helpful, as well as kind of fun she realised as they exited the Espresso Pump together.
"Thanks for this" she smiled and gestured with her papers. William smiled.
"You're welcome" he told her, feeling that the time they'd spent together had gone even better than he'd hoped "Buffy, I was wondering if you would re-consider my offer of going out sometime?" he dared to ask, finding his shoes very interesting as he awaited her answer.
"Oh Will, I'm sorry" she shook her head and looked very awkward "I mean this was fun but it was a homework thing and..."
"And you actually don't like me at all" William couldn't believe he'd been so stupid as to think his real self would actually be of any interest to Buffy what-so-ever.
"Of course I like you" the blonde surprised herself by saying, though it was true "it's just complicated" she told him, hoping he'd understand, but knowing he really wouldn't since she barely did herself!
"Yeah" William laughed painfully as he turned to walk away "Y'know maybe Dawn was right" he called over his shoulder "She said you weren't worth the effort"
Buffy mumbled curses under her breath as she leant back against the wall by the coffee shop. Why did she have to be such a bitch to the poor guy? When had life gotten so complicated?
"Could today get any worse?" she asked the sky, before bringing her eyes back down and seeing two guys walking towards her, both in black leather jackets.
"Oh, thankyou" she said sarcastically as Angel and Xander arrived in front of her, neither looking very happy.
"Buffy" the taller of the two tried to control his temper "What's with spending time with the freakazoid?" he gestured with his head in the direction William was disappearing down the street.
"Well he helped you with your essays right?" she reminded him "Now he's helping me with mine" she shrugged like it was no big deal. In truth she knew one of the main reasons she'd accepted William's offer of help was because it would bug Angel to no end.
"You looked...friendly" he told her as if it were the worse thing in the world. She knew why he felt that way, it had always been the unwritten rule that their group of friends were above spending time with the other students termed as the freaks and geeks. It just seemed like a really stupid way to live these days.
"And it's a crime to have friends now?" she shot back. Angel opened his mouth to reply but Xander jumped in, always eager to back-up his 'leader' in an attempt to be as cool.
"It is when they're freaks like him!" he said forcefully until Buffy practically shot daggers from, her eyes at him and Angel have him a shove towards the door of the coffee shop.
"Xand, go wait for me inside" he ordered.
"But I..." the less tough brunette started to protest until both Angel and Buffy gave him a look that made him move his ass like he'd been told.
"Angel, what is this really all about?" Buffy asked him, as soon as their friend was gone. She knew it was more than just Will helping with her essay, and more to do with her going out with Spike on Friday night.
"We're really over, aren't we?" he said almost sadly "I mean, totally"
The look on his face, like a puppy that just got kicked, was making Buffy feel awful, despite the fact that she'd dumped Angel for a totally valid reason, and he'd got with Faith way before she'd even met Spike.
She couldn't really understand at first why that seemed to hurt him so much, but when you thought about it they had dated for quite a while. Besides it was more than just the end of their relationship they were taking about, it was getting close to Graduation, the end of their 'gang', a complete change to their lives.
"Yeah, we really are" she nodded "I've moved on, so have you"
"Easy as that, huh?" Angel shook his head, he'd never thought he and Buffy would end. He cared for Faith a lot and he was almost certain he meant it when he said he loved her, but it still hurt to know Buffy could be happy without him "And here was me thinking you were one of us" he said too nastily for her liking, "Guess your new friends mean more to you these days" with that he stormed into the coffee shop and Buffy's mouth opened and closed like a fish.
She should have expected a tantrum from Angel, he was incapable of letting things go. Still she'd had a decent time with Will today, and Spike had promised to meet her at the Pre-Prom event at the Bronze on Saturday...though that really was bugging her. How the hell did her magically appearing dream guy know about her school dance?
To Be Continued...
A/N2 : Y'know, it is far from easy re-writing one of your fave scenes from a film, trying to be both original and true to the new characters you've inserted, and at the same time trying to keep the essence of the original scene! I hope I pulled it off, but only you guys can tell me that. Review and let me know what you think please! ;-)