Thank you to everyone for reading hope you're enjoying it. Thank you to blairtime, Leeann, Higgy, loosestring, and GoldenAngl99 for their thoughts and review on the last chapter, and everyone else who's thought enough of the story to write something good or bad. M. J.

The Gypsy 12: Poetic Day's End

The bell rang at the end of the day and classes were dismissed. Spike picked up his bag and filed out of the classroom behind Buffy, Willow, and Xander. Out side the building they all went in different direction Xander got on his bus, and the two girls were going to walk over to the middle school to walk home with Dawn. It wasn't quite 3:30 yet when Spike's dad said he'd get there so Spike leaned against the brick front of the school and waited. He watched as all kinds of kid filed out of the air conditioned school and into the late summer heat. He saw preps, jocks, geeks, honors students, potheads, skaters, and he wondered if he was going to fit in anywhere. Then he saw the girl from his art class walk by, the one with the long dark hair and big eyes. He couldn't remember her name but she was unforgettable, her pale skin like and contrasting with her dark clothing. Spike thought she looked like what was called "goth". He wondered what would make her want to dress like that, well like him.

"William!" Spike's head snapped back from the direction of the girl to see that the buses had left and his Dad was parked in their stead and was calling for him.

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Buffy, Willow, and Dawn were walking to the Summers's house. "I'm so glad we all got into British Litureature class together." Willow mused as she walked along.

"Sure that's what you're glad about." Buffy teased. Willow blushed, it was no secret that she harbor a hard core crush on Mr. Price.

"Personally I don't care how cute he is the man gave use homework on the first day of school which equals demerits in my book."

"Buffy it's not like it's that hard, you just have to pick a poem by a British Author that you like and write why you like it and bring it to class tomorrow."

"That's hard enough, what British poet do I know? I can't even think of any American poets at the moment."

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"Why don't you come back to the University Library with me you can look through the stacks there are lots of books of poetry. Lewis Carroll, Chaucer, Elizabeth Browning, Lord Byron, Shakespeare of course, Oscar Wilde, Percy Shelly, William Butler Yeats. Is there a certain time range your teacher asked for?" Giles was very enthusiastic about his sons assignment mostly because it was something he could really help with, unlike math or science.

Spike sighed it seemed like he was doing that a lot today. He thought about it for a minuet, going with his day won't kill him. He had nothing waiting for him at home, and all the books to look through was appealing. And Spike thought selflessly it would make his dad happy, he hadn't made his dad happy in a while.

"UUmmm yeah sure Dad lets go to the Library." Spike looked side long at his father who smiled happy with his son's apparent willingness to spend time with him.

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Dawn was fasinated by the older girls talking about high school but what she really wanted to know was "Did you have any classes with Spike?"

"Yeah Spike was in a few classes with me and Willow."

Willow laughed "yeah he ate lunch with us too,"

"ooohhh I wish he would come eat lunch with me." Dawn said dreamly and the other girls burst out in fits of giggles.

"Shut up!" Dawn shouted hurt at the other girls reaction and stormed ahead of them. Willow stopped laughing and look guiltly at Buffy.

"Aaaww we're sorry Dawn." Willow apologized she knew the pain of a crush and she and Buffy picked up their pace to catch up with the younger girl.

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"did you have any classes with Buffy and the other kids?" Giles asked his son quietly as they walked back through the shelves of the huge old library. Spike noticed the musty smell of books he like the antiquity of the place, it was homey.

"Yeah I had a few with them, they were all in my Brit lit class. I have lunch period with them." Giles pulled a few thick books off the shelf.

"So what else happened today?" Spike bit the inside of his cheek.

"Well math was ok the teacher seems enthusiastic. Computers class seems boring. I think History will be interesting. Art, well I think that'll be pretty easy." And there was that girl. "Science well it's science blah. English is looking like it might be enjoyable be I'm not sure. Buffy, Willow, and Xander introduced me to a couple people. And uummm the guidance counselor called me in today, she said it was what they did with all new students." Giles nodded that seemed reasonable but he did wonder if the counselor knew his son's history, he wouldn't have to call her tomorrow and check.

Spike searched his dad's face for a reaction when he didn't get one he moved on. Spike didn't know why he felt like talking today it was just nice to have a civil conversation for once. His Dad better tread lightly his good nature probably wouldn't last long.

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"Today seemed to be a good day for everyone." Joyce commented on the phone to Rupert as they discussed they're children's first day of school.

"I was very proud of William he did well today and even came to the University with me this afternoon." Rupert was very happy and Joyce was very happy for him.

"That's wonderful."

"Yes and we worked on his homework for English class. He did tell me that he the guidance counselor called him in today, he said it was what they did for new students?" Giles was looking for Joyce's thoughts on this.

"That is true, they did call Buffy in when she started school. Did William say which counselor it was?"

"Ms. McClay."

"Oh she's wonderful. She's been very helpful to Buffy in the past. She really seems to have a good report with the kids."

"That's very interesting. I'm thinking about giving her a call tomorrow."

"That's a good idea, I know that she's always kept up with Buffy and Buffy has confided in her things I don't know she would have come to me about. It would be good to contact her on William's behalf."

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Spike looked threw the books that his father had picked out there were so many poems picking one was turning out to be harder than Spike had anticipated. Spike loved the words. The whole expression of it all, he was looking for a poem that really spoke to him. Looking threw the pages he kept coming back to one poem.

Oscar Wilde's The Grave of Keats

Rid of the world's injustice, and his pain,
He rests at last beneath God's veil of blue:
Taken from life when life and love were new
The youngest of the martyrs here is lain,
Fair as Sebastian, and as early slain.
No cypress shades his grave, no funeral yew,
But gentle violets weeping with the dew
Weave on his bones an ever-blossoming chain.
O proudest heart that broke for misery!
O sweetest lips since those of Mitylene!
O poet-painter of our English Land!
Thy name was writ in water-it shall stand:
And tears like mine will keep thy memory green,
As Isabella did her Basil-tree.

ROME.

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Buffy was also looking at poems for her English homework. She was looking through sonnets on There were lots and she didn't feel like spending a great deal of time on it. She quickly scrolled down the long web page and picked the one that caught her eye. Buffy printed it out and wrote a few lines about how she liked it's imagery and went to go see what was on tv.

SONNET 14

Not from the stars do I my judgment pluck;

And yet methinks I have astronomy,

But not to tell of good or evil luck,

Of plagues, of dearths, or seasons' quality;

Nor can I fortune to brief minutes tell,

Pointing to each his thunder, rain and wind,

Or say with princes if it shall go well,

By oft predict that I in heaven find:

But from thine eyes my knowledge I derive,

And, constant stars, in them I read such art

As truth and beauty shall together thrive,

If from thyself to store thou wouldst convert;

Or else of thee this I prognosticate:

Thy end is truth's and beauty's doom and date.

To be continued…