Chapter Nineteen
The next couple days were filled with more tension than usual between the un-loving couple. Buffy had Willow over every other night so she would have an excuse to be locked in her room. When Willow wasn't over, Spike went to Xander's so he could enjoy her lack of company there.
The big day had come, New Year's Eve. Willow stayed over at Buffy's so they could prepare themselves once they woke up. Buffy and Willow rushed down the stairs for early breakfast, well as early as a student wakes over vacation.
"Morning mom," Buffy said with a huge smile on her face. She placed a kiss on Joyce's left cheek.
"Morning," Joyce answered with a small chuckle. "Someone woke up on the sunny side of the bed."
"Not just sunny mom. The fabulous, awesome night to come side of the bed." Buffy grabbed her and Willow a white cereal bowl.
"What's tonight?"
"Angel's New Year's bash," Willow answered. "I'm surprised how contained she is right now."
"This is contained?"
"Well, I was expecting back flips and possibly a cheer."
"Back flips? I can do a back flip. I'll do one right now." Buffy put her bowl down and readied herself.
"No, Buffy please," Joyce interfered. "I just don't want you hurting yourself. Or my China."
"Cereal sounds like the best idea right now," Willow said, her lip pouty.
"You're right. A good day starts off with a good breakfast." Buffy grabbed the box of Cocoa Puffs from the cabinet and poured herself a bowl.
"And this is a good breakfast?" Joyce asked.
"We're in high school mom. Fake chocolate and sugar are two of our four food groups."
"What are the other two?"
"Pizza and Prozac."
"Will you at least eat a banana?" Joyce asked, ripping one free from the bunch.
"Sure. I can have a banana." Buffy grabbed the banana from her mom after pouring milk in her bowl.
"Can you have a banana too Willow?" Joyce offered her one.
"Thank you Mrs. Summers." Willow put away the milk and followed Buffy upstairs after grabbing the banana.
The front door opened and Spike and Xander walked through. "I'm just saying, if you're going to breast feed, can you at least do it somewhere private."
"Xander she's not gonna walk to a bathroom just to feed her kid."
"Well I'm not sure I feel comfortable living in a society where women breast feed openly."
"That's how the society feels about you." They trudged to the kitchen for some breakfast food. The Harris's idea of food is Fruit Roll-Ups and beer. "Morning Joyce."
"Good morning Spike. Good morning Xander."
"Hey Joyce. You didn't happen to cook any scrambled eggs and bacon did ya?" Xander asked, plopping down on a stool.
"Actually, no I didn't. Would you like me too?"
"That would be-"
"Unnecessary," Spike intruded. "We can have cereal."
"We can, but eggs and bacon sounds simply-" Xander looked over at Spike who was giving him his 'don't tread on me' stare. "Disgusting right now. Ugh, all the eggs and the… pig bits. I'm feelin' coo coo for Cocoa Puffs. Hold the sarcastic comments please." Xander knew the approaching remark once the words left his mouth.
Spike threw his hands up. "No comment." He grabbed two bowls and the Cocoa Puffs. "Pour mine too."
"What am I your little imp?" Xander asked.
"Would you prefer to eat the lint from your pockets?"
"Pouring." Xander filled both bowls. Spike slid over the milk and then got them some spoons. Xander slid back the milk, after pouring the desired amount in their breakfast cereal. Spike grabbed a bowl and headed upstairs.
"It was a pleasure sitting in your kitchen Joyce," Xander shmoozed as he took his bowl.
"Well thank you Xander. I hope we can do it again."
"Count on it." Xander smiled and went up the stairs. He noticed Spike was listening through Buffy's door. "Isn't your room this way?" Spike put his right index finger to his lips, telling Xander to be quiet. "Are they talking about something interesting? Horrible rashes? Revealing underwear stories?"
"Xander, shut up," Spike whispered.
"Kissed? You and Spike! Willingly?!"
"I know. Crazy huh?"
"Kissed?" Xander asked, his mouth full of Cocoa Puffs.
"Why?" Willow asked.
"I don't know. We just… did. And we actually wanted to. Then that night we slept together."
"Buffy!" Willow exclaimed.
"When I say slept together I mean in the same bed. Not sex."
Willow put her hand to her heart. "Scared me for a minute."
"We were getting along great until this whole invitation thing. He is so jealous."
"So?" Willow asked, a huge smile taking over her face.
"What?"
"How was it? The kiss?"
"It was-"
"Ow!" Xander exclaimed.
Buffy and Willow looked at each other, both puzzled. Buffy stood from her bed and walked to the door. Spike darted down the hallway and into his room. Xander tried balancing his bowl while holing his lip in pain. "Xander?"
Xander stopped and turned around. "Hey Buffy."
"What're you doing?" Buffy stepped into the hallway.
"I just… I was in the bathroom and stubbed my toe on the… wall."
"You brought your cereal in the bathroom with you?"
"I was hungry."
"Ew!" She went in her room and shut her door.
Xander made it to Spike's room and entered. "Man, you left me hangin' there."
"You're the one that made noise."
"Ya know what, let's pay attention to the important matter at hand."
"You mean the kiss," Spike said, knowing what he was thinking.
"No, my lip. I think it's gonna swell up like a balloon. Can you see the bite marks?" Xander put the bowl on his bedside table and rolled his lip over.
"Xander!" Spike stood up and walked away from him.
"Kidding… Kinda." He slid his tongue over the injured surface. "So you and Buffy kissed?"
"Christmas night. And the day after." Spike fell on his bed.
"Intense." Xander dropped down on the mattress. "How was it?"
Spike gave it a quick thought, knowing the answer from playing the events over and over in his head. "Really good."
"Who'd of thought."
Spike arose and started pacing. "And now she's going to Captain Forehead's New Year's Eve party."
"Who?"
"Angel."
"Oh." Xander thought about it for a minute. "Ha, he does have an extreme forehead doesn't he?"
"Ya don't understand. This guy who Buffy's had a crush on, for who knows how long, invited her to a party where you kiss at midnight, if not sooner. He wants to kiss my fiancée! Maybe even more."
"You're really pissed right now. Gotta say, feelin' a little panicky."
"I'm not gonna hurt you Xander."
"I know," he said with a laugh. Xander nonchalantly moved a couple inches away from Spike.
"Aww, you like him," Willow said adoringly.
"That does not deserve an aww."
"Of coarse it does. You love your fiancée. A very good thing in my book." Buffy was smiling almost was much as Willow. "Why don't you take him?"
"Because he was being a jerk earlier and this way I can make him jealous."
"Buffy, this isn't a soap opera or a Friday night movie. You should ask the person you like to go to parties and other… things." Willow held Buffy's hands.
"But he's being a pain in the butt and I would prefer to be away from him. When I'm around him it could either go extremely good or extremely bad but when I'm not around him, it tends to go good most the time. Now, I would like to ring in the New Year's on a good note, so please, no more 'ask Spike' talk."
Willow sighed. "Agreed."
"Good. Now, we need to pick out our outfits."
Author's Note: Yes I know, this is chapter 18, but funny thing, I realized that when I was loading up chapter twenty, there wasn't even a nineteen. So, I went back and checked what happened. Turns out I forgot to post the real chapter eighteen. So chapter eighteen is actually new to you.
