Chapter 23

No more Hatred

Spike was dying; the scent was getting to him and having the windows open blowing it all about the car made it worse. Spike was drowning in the scent of vanilla and he loved it.

One guess where it was coming from…Buffy.

After they had finished their detention Spike had offered to give her a ride home, and she happily accepted it. Over the duration of their time in detention they had gotten to know each other a bit and no longer hated each other. Buffy learned that Spike was not just the bleached blonde troublemaker, that she'd made him out to be, and Buffy was no longer the stuck up bitch that Spike had made her out to be.

The two could finally have a conversation that did not involve calling each other names and shouting insults.

Spike was glad that they had gotten past the hating each other stage, but prayed to god that his friends would not find out before he had a chance to restore Buffy to her former self. He would be completely humiliated if they found out sooner than intended. But Spike also knew that he couldn't help Buffy on his own, he needed to tell at least one other person. Some one who would not be as judgmental of him as the others. Spike needed Andrew.

Buffy smiled as she rode home in Spike's car, she was starting to feel more comfortable around him and apparently he was feeling the same thing about her. Buffy was ever so grateful that he had helped with her homework because she was sure that if it hadn't been for him, she wouldn't have turned anything in tomorrow.

Spike was a pretty cool guy when you got to know him, he wasn't exactly the 'Big Bad' that he constantly said he was, in fact he was kinda sweet and gentlemanly. She was already starting to like him better than Angel.

Though Buffy was enjoying thinking about Spike's cool hair and sexy accent, her thoughts couldn't help but stray back to her friends and the bet that she had made. Now that Spike and I are friends it would fun to hang together for a bit so we can gradually transition into something a little closer. Maybe I could ask him out to the bronze or to get some coffee. I could invite him to the beach, he could use a nice tan to complete that sexy bad boy look that he's got going on.

As soon as they pulled up to Buffy's house, Spike jumped out of the car and went around opening the door for her and bowing, "Milady" as she stepped out.

Buffy couldn't help but giggle and Spike smiled glad that he was amble to amuse her.

"Spike, you really don't have to do that"

Spike patted the pockets of his duster, " Not really the point love" his face lit up as he found what he was looking for.

Buffy sighed when as she watched him pull a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his duster, "You know, that is really not good for your heath."

Spike frowned when he saw that the package was empty, "Oh bollocks"

"Did you hear me?"

Spike threw the empty pack into the backseat, "Didn't know you cared so much pet" he said giving her a wicked grin, "Or maybe the Slayer doesn't want the big bad to smoke 'cause it might ruin the snoggin' "

"What is snogging and why do I care if it gets ruined?"

Spike chuckled," I guess Faith was right when she told me I use too much British slang, snoggin' is the same as kissin' "

Buffy wrinkled her nose, "well it sounds gross"

Spike leaned against the car, "Friends are getting' kinda close eh Slayer"attempting to change the subject.

Buffy leaned against the car next to him, "what do you mean?

"I meant your girly pal Anya, her and Andrew are goin' out from what I hear"

"Anya didn't tell us much, she did say that they were going out, and on Sunday they went to a football game. But that's as much as I know. Anya usually likes to share every bit of info with Cecily and I, this time she was pretty vague on their relationship so far, I just hope she doesn't get to caught up and forgets what she is"

Spike stiffened, "And what's that?"

Buffy had felt him stiffen next to her, seems he already knew what she was going to say, and apparently he didn't like it, "You know what she is"

"What if Anya wanted to get out of it, the whole Slayer deal"

"I don't know, I guess I would let her. Its not like we would shun her if she dropped out, well, I wouldn't at least. Cecily takes this Slayer thing really seriously."

Spike relaxed a bit, "So your not serious 'bout it?"

Buffy shrugged, "I don't know, I started the whole thing. I created the Slayers so its important to me but I'm not going to go around not talking to people just because they declined their invitation or they decided to drop out. It's their choices. Cecily is different, either your in or your out. For her the Slayers are in everyone else is out."

"Why did you do it?"

Buffy shifted uncomfortably, "Its not really your business Spike. And I would not recommend asking around because no one in Sunnydale knows. I created it when I first moved here last year. Not even Anya and Cecily know."

"Come on Slayer, time to go in," he reminded her, "It's getting' late, don't know what sort of creatures of the darkness are roamin' about. Lookin' for a nice, pretty teenage girls to feed off of" Spike walked to the sidewalk and waited for her to join him.

Buffy smiled at him, "Exaggerate much?" and walked past him up the sidewalk to her house.

Spike grinned as she went past, "It's true. Saw one myself one time,"

Buffy looked at him and shook her head, "You smoke too much, its starting to go to your head now"

Spike chuckled and ran to catch up with her, "Don't blame it on the fags if you don't have an imagination pet"

Buffy stopped and starred at him, "What are you talking about"

Spike slapped himself in the head, "Right, forgot again. Gonna have to lighten up on the slang aren't I. A fag is a cigarette."

Buffy shook her head, "you do need to lighten up, otherwise I will have no idea what you're talking about" she said and climbed the steps of her porch.

Spike followed her onto the porch, then sat on the rail, "Guess this is goodbye then love"

Buffy nodded, "Guess so" come on Buffy ask him to go out with you.

Spike looked down and cleared his throat before looking back at Buffy, "Buffy I was wonderin' –"

"What?"

"You want to go to the beach tomorrow?"

Buffy's face lit up, Oh my god he asked me out. Cheers times three for me! "Sure, but I think the sun will pretty much be gone by the time we get out of school."

Spike hopped off the rail, "I didn't mean after school pet, I meant during."

"During school, you want me to skip school?"

Spike ran a hand through his hair, "Well yeah, no point in goin' if the suns gone down now is there"

Buffy thought about this a minute, Spike was asking her to skip school and go to the beach with him. She had only skipped school once and that was in L.A. and she never did it again, "I don't know. I might get another detention"

Spike smiled at her, "Don't worry love, I'll be in there with you, I seem to get myself in there at least twice to three times a week anyways."

"Well alright, but what should I do if the school calls the house, my mom will find out when she gets home from the gallery"

"We can stop by the house before she gets home and delete the message"

Buffy smiled, it sounded like Spike had the whole thing planned out, "What about you, won't you get in trouble with your dad if your not at school?"

Spike glanced up at the sky, "Don't worry 'bout me love, I can handle my Step if he finds out, but he won't because the whelp is too busy hangin' out at bars getting' 'im self drunk and broodin'"

Buffy sensed the anger in his voice as he spoke and put a hand on his shoulder.

Spike looked down at her and smiled, "You'd better get inside better, the temperature is changin', might catch a cold. Meet me in the basement first period"

Buffy nodded and turned to open the front door but Spike grabbed her arm, she looked up at him, confusion on her face.

Spike let go of her arm, leaned forward and kissed her.