Chapter 3
Buffy walked out of the college later that day and saw that Spike was already waiting by the car. She walked over to him and he gave her a smile. "So, how was the first day?" He said as he opened the door for her. She shrugged and got in.
"It was okay." She replied as he closed the door and went to his side of the car. He got in and started the car up as he drove away from the college. Again the silence was too much for Spike.
"How were the classes? I bet the teachers were boring." She smiled as she thought about Professor Donovan and then wiped the smile off of her face.
"Yep, very boring. Could hardly keep myself awake." Spike nodded in understanding when Buffy looked at him. "Right, I forgot. I'm not talking to you." She said as she looked out the window and away from him. Spike rolled his eyes.
"You know, you really are a brat." Buffy turned back to him and stuck her tongue out. He looked at her with a smirk. "I suggest you don't do that unless you want me to bite that tongue off." Buffy immediately put her tongue back in her mouth and continued to look out the window without talking to him the rest of the way home. They got home and Buffy went right upstairs without saying anything to her mother. Joyce looked at Spike.
"I see it went well." She said sarcastically and Spike shrugged.
"You know how she is; she's still mad at me and basically pissed at the world. She's a typical teenager. I wasn't that bad, was I?" Joyce smiled at him.
"You weren't as bad as you are now." Spike returned her smile taking it as a compliment.
"I was wondering if I could stay here tonight. I really don't feel like going to my apartment. It can get lonely sometimes." Joyce nodded in understanding.
"You still have your room. You know you can stay here anytime you want. Your father called and said he would be working late tonight." Spike rolled his eyes.
"What else is new? He's hardly ever around these days. Doesn't that bother you?" Spike asked her and Joyce shook her head.
"He has an important job, it's understandable." Spike laughed.
"An important job? The man is a high school librarian. He's not saving the world." Joyce thought about it.
"Well, it's an important job to him. He likes being around kids." Spike's voice took on a sad tone as he answered her.
"Yeah, except his own." Joyce put her hand on Spike's shoulder.
"You know how much your father loves you." Spike looked at her.
"He has a weird way of showing it. I know I don't get to see him much because I moved out, but I never really did even when I lived here. Buffy was telling me the other day that she feels like she hasn't seen him in weeks. He's never here for you or her it seems." Joyce nodded.
"I can handle your father, Spike. I know how much he loves this family." Spike nodded also and decided to drop the subject.
"I think I'm gonna head upstairs now. Maybe take a nap, feeling a bit knackered." He went upstairs and Joyce thought about what he said. She married Hank right out of college and they were so in love. Buffy came along and all that seemed to change. Hank decided that he was too young to deal with the responsibility of a child and he left when Buffy was only a year old. They haven't heard from him since. She met Rupert when Buffy was 6-years-old and she fell for him immediately. He just moved from England and was raising his son on his own after his wife died from a brain tumor. They got married a year later and Rupert along with little William moved in and they've been a family ever since. Joyce wasn't worried. She knew Rupert wasn't around all that much these days, but he loved her and Buffy and he would never do anything to hurt them. He was a good man and she was lucky to have found him. She smiled to herself as she went to do the dishes.