Chapter Eighteen
Spike looked down at the battered pillow. He looked at it sadly and fluffed it gently. "Sorry pillow." He laid it down on his bed and stood up. Spike put both his hands on his head and intertwined his fingers. This bloody blows. He dropped his hands and left his room. He walked to Buffy's room, where she was running her brush through her hair. "Hey," he said casually.
"Hey," she said with a smile. "What's up?"
"Nothin'." Spike scratched the back of his head and took a couple steps into her room. "Uh, so… you're really goin' to this poofs party?"
"Yeah, why not? I got nothin' else to do and it sounds like fun."
"Yeah, loads of fun," he scoffed.
Buffy ceased her brushing and placed the comb on her nightstand. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothin'," Spike insisted, holding his hands up in surrender.
"Really? 'Cause the sarcasm hinted to something." Buffy rose from her desk and kept her eyes on Spike.
"Why are you goin' there?" Spike asked, a little whiney.
"Because he invited me and I think it'll be fun."
"So you're gonna go to this ponce's house where he lives and has a bedroom with a bed that is his."
"Yes, beds tend to reside in bedrooms," Buffy said slowly, trying to make him see how absurd he was acting. Spike shook his head because Buffy wasn't seeing his point. "Why wouldn't I go? I have no reason not to." She paused for minute, perceiving he was getting jealous. "Unless you have a reason."
"Huh? No. Go ahead. Go to the wankers party. See if I care."
"I'm not doing this to make you jealous Spike, I'm doing this because it would be good for me. It'll be fun."
"You just happen to want to go to Captain Forehead's house, of all places, to have a good time."
"Can you just call him Angel or are you too immature for that?" Buffy asked with frustration.
"Just go. It's fine." Spike paced over to her window and watched the empty streets with animosity.
"Spike. Just tell me what you want." Spike took a small breath before turning his head to face her. "What do you want me to do?"
Spike walked over to her and took both her hands in his. "I don't want you to go."
"Thank you." She gave him a quick peck on the lips.
"So you're not goin'?" he asked with optimism.
"No I'm still going, I just wanted you to tell me what you really wanted to say." Buffy picked up a few stray clothes and tossed them in her hamper that was hidden in her closet.
"Well, where was the point in that?"
"For you to open up to me."
"Yeah but usually in the movies the chick caves and does what the guy asks."
"This isn't a movie Spike. If it were I would've asked for a comedy, not a drama."
"I'm not bein' dramatic," Spike protested with his index finger pointed out.
"Whoah, put that away," she joked. Buffy curled his finger back.
"Can I at least come?"
"Did you get an invitation?"
"No, but you did."
"Yes but it has my name on it. It doesn't say Buffy Summers and emotionally inept fiancée. However it does say bring a friend."
"There, I'm a friend."
"In what universe?"
"Since when did we start not gettin' along?" Spike asked, following Buffy out of her room and down the stairs.
Buffy stopped and turned to face him. "We are getting along, I just don't want you to come because I have a feeling you're not so much going to want to ignore Angel as introduce his face to your fist."
"I would never… yeah okay." Spike admitted.
There was a knock at the door. Buffy ran down the rest of the stairs and opened it. "Willow! Hey!" She went outside and shut it. "Guess who's New Year's party I got an invitation to?"
"Kari's? Ooo, Johnny Depp's?" Willow uttered, throwing in a joke.
"Big no. And sadly." She grabbed Willow's hands and held them tightly. "Angel Connors."
"Really?"
"Yes!" Buffy exclaimed, a huge smile taking over her face.
"I'm so happy for you." Willow gave her best friend a hug. "That is very worth not telling me on the phone." They let go of each other.
"I know. And, I want you to come with me. It says bring a friend and guess who I thought of?"
"Johnny Depp?"
"Actually yeah but it turns out he's busy that day. So then I thought all right, I'll go with my second choice."
"Me?"
"Yeah."
"Great. I can bring Oz."
Buffy's smile turned into a fake one. "Uh, Oz?"
"Yeah. You know, Oz. My boyfriend."
"I know Will, but it says bring a friend and I'm sure that's not code for more than one," Buffy debated.
"Can't your friend bring a friend?"
"Then where does it stop? Your friend could bring a friend and then they could bring a friend and so on and so forth until Angel's house is like Woodstock. I mean, don't get me wrong, Oz and I are buds. Two peas in a pod even, but I just don't want to push the guest list buttons."
"Ah, you're afraid of NYI," Willow stated.
"NYI?" Buffy asked, baffled.
"New Years interaction. You want me there, by myself, so I can be your safety net for bad conversations."
"No," Buffy protested. "Yes."
"Buffy, I can do that with Oz there. With him there it makes it easier because if one of us is in the bathroom, the other will be there to help."
"Does Oz ever go to the bathroom?" Buffy questioned.
Willow gave it a quick thought. "I don't know."
"Okay, so, you, me, and Oz at Angel's on New Year's Eve."
"Sounds great. I'll head home and call him."
"You can call from here."
"I know but I need to get home. I'll call you tomorrow though all right?"
"Okay. Bye Will!" Buffy waved to her friend as she climbed into her mom's station wagon and drove off. Buffy went back in the house and was greeted by Spike's sudden presence, making her jump. "You have got to stop doing that. Seriously I will drop dead from that some day."
"Willow and Oz?"
"You were listening?" Buffy asked, offended.
"It's kind of hard to block out the squeal of a seventeen year old girl."
"I was not squealing!"
"Please, for a minute there I thought I was at Old Mac Donald's," Spike insulted.
"Someone woke up on the grumpy side of the bed this morning."
"Maybe it's the knife that's jabbed in my back."
"Well I guess my aim's off. You're not dead!" Buffy yelled. She raced upstairs and into her room. Spike followed her and burst through her door. "Excuse me, you weren't invited."
"Seems to be happening a lot today."
"Not my problem."
"Buffy, please, just don't go to this party.," Spike begged.
"I'm not going to avoid Angel's because you have an ego issue."
"Is that the real excuse or is it because you still like him and hope to ring in the New Year with more than a kiss?"
Buffy threw her fist against his right cheek as hard as she could. He spun around and held it in pain. Buffy shook her fist from the sudden agony of her nerves, but made no noise so he wouldn't know.
Spike opened his mouth wide, making sure it wasn't broken. It felt like she just tossed a cement block at him. He looked at her, leaving his hand over his cheek. He gave her a small smile and shook his head. He stormed out and slammed her door shut.
Buffy opened it and yelled out, "Hey, only I can slam my door!" With that she belted it shut, making the whole floor shake.
