Chapter 4: You and I Mix

'This is crazy, this is crazy…' Buffy kept thinking as she hid behind her menu. She peeked up for a moment and looked a couple of tables away and saw Xander and Spike chatting and laughing while eating their meals.

After running out her house, Buffy had the crazy idea to follow her two neighbors instead of calling Angel and going out with him. She didn't know why she followed them all over Sunnydale and into the restaurant she was now seated at on the boardwalk. Maybe she just wanted to do something different that day instead going out with her so called 'drinking pals'.

"Can I take your order?" a waitress came up to Buffy's table and startled her.

"Oh…oh…" Buffy glanced at the menu, "I'll just have lemonade." Buffy said while glancing back at the boys, making sure they haven't spotted her.

"Okay." The lady wrote down the order and grabbed the edge of the menu from Buffy but Buffy held a strong grip.

"Umm…can I keep this a while?" Buffy asked, referring to her menu. Buffy hoped that the waitress wouldn't make a scene about the fact that she wouldn't give up her menu in front of the whole restaurant, and drawing attention to Spike and Xander.

"Why?" the waitress asked.

"Umm…I might order more later…" Buffy said and smiled.

"Alright." The waitress said and walked away rolling her eyes.

Buffy sighed and continued to hide behind her menu and sometimes glance up towards the guys.

"Buffy!" a voice came from the restaurant entrance across the room.

The voice was so loud that it drew interest to a few customers, including Xander and Spike. Both boys looked at the direction of the caller and then looked and saw Buffy sitting nervously alone in a booth a few table away.

'Oh great…it's Harmony.' Buffy thought to herself and then gave a quick glance to Spike and saw he was looking her way, 'And he's now looking at me…just great.' She thought to herself.

"Buffy…what are you doing here all by yourself? Where's Angel?" Harmony said as she came walking up to Buffy and sitting down in the booth with Buffy, blocking Buffy's view of Spike and Xander.

"Oh, I don't know." Buffy gave little shrug and smile, trying to act nothing was going on.

"So you think about coming down to the beach with us tonight?" Harmony asked.

"Umm…no I'm not going to go." Buffy shook her head.

"Why!" Harmony exclaimed, "You had fun the other night right?"

"It was okay…" Buffy said but as she thought about the other night she couldn't really remember anything.

"Come. Angel and Cordy are going to be upset if you don't." Harmony said.

"Look, I really don't think I'm up for another party Harm...it's—", Buffy said but was interrupted by Harmony.

"Oh…my…god. Who is that!" Harmony whispered to Buffy as she stared at somebody walking pass the booth and towards the exit.

Buffy looked over her shoulder and saw Xander and Spike at the counter paying for their meals. 'Crap…' she thought, 'They're leaving.'

"Oh…that's uh Spike and Xander." Buffy said to Harmony, trying to act like it was no big deal.

"Spike huh?" Harmony smiled as she kept staring at the bleached blonde at the counter, "Sounds dangerous…"

"I guess." Buffy sighed.

"You met him?" Harmony looked Buffy.

"Uh…yeah…he's staying the Giles's…I guess he's a relative or something." Buffy said.

"I don't see the resemblance." Harmony said as she watched Spike and Xander walk out the restaurant door.

"Maybe he's a distance relative…" Buffy guessed. 'I wonder why he IS staying with them…I never asked' Buffy thought to herself.

"Well he's defiantly a hottie; I don't think Sunnydale is disappointed." Harmony said and then her eyes lit up, "You think he would want to come to the beach with us tonight?"

'Man, does anyone EVER listen to me!' Buffy thought to herself, 'I just told her I'm not going. Besides…I don't think Spike would be too fond of these so called Sunnydale rich kids…'

"I don't think he would fit in." Buffy said honestly.

"How do you know? You just said you hardly know him yourself." Harmony said.

"He just doesn't seem like the type…" Buffy said.

"Whatever…" Harmony said and got up from the booth, "So I'll see you and Angel tonight?"

Buffy opened her mouth to tell Harmony she wasn't coming but Harmony spoke before Buffy could.

"Great…I'll see you tonight Buffy. It's going to be SO fun." Harmony said with a smile and left.

Buffy slouched in her booth and shook her head in disbelief.

Later that night Buffy arrived at the beach party with Angel. He seemed upset that she blew off his call earlier.

"I'm sorry okay…" Buffy said to Angel.

"I mean I thought you weren't going out all day…are you avoiding me?" Angel stopped and turned to Buffy.

"No…look can we just go to the party?" Buffy pointed down to the crowd of kids. She was tired of arguing with Angel.

"Alright…" Angel said and he put his arm around her shoulder and they started to walk to the crowd of kids.

"Yo Angel!" a boy called out and ran up with a beer and gave it to Angel.

"Yo!" Angel said and they both gave a weird little childish hand shake.

Buffy rolled her eyes and walked away from Angel and the kid and towards the group of girls that were seating in the sand alone.

"Buffy, you made it!" Cordelia yelled.

"Yeah…" Buffy gave a little smile, 'I had no choice to come…Angel came to my house and won't leave until I came' She thought to herself.

"You will not believe who's here…" Cordelia started but was interrupted when Harmony came running towards them.

"Buffy, hey!" Harmony said and gave her bottle of beer.

Buffy simply took the beer and held it, not wanting to open it.

"Look who I brought…" Harmony said with a smile and turned Buffy around to face another group of guys. Buffy's eyes widen when she saw Spike and Xander standing chatting with another guy.

"You brought Spike?" Buffy whispered to Harmony in panic.

"Yeah…I told you he would want to come…bringing Xander was not my idea, it was his. He wouldn't go without him." Harmony rolled her eyes.

Buffy watched as Spike laughed with Xander and two girls from a distance. 'I got to get out of here' was Buffy's instant thought. She looked around the party and spotted Angel. Buffy dropped the beer in the sand and ran up to him.

"Angel!" Buffy said as she approached him and his group of friends.

"Theirs my babe!" Angel smiled and pulled Buffy close to him, "Having fun babe?"

"Let's go." Buffy begged.

"Go! We just got here." He laughed.

"Please…" Buffy said softly to Angel personally, not wanting any of his friends to hear her.

"Angel!" Harmony called out.

Buffy and Angel turned to Harmony and saw she was walking towards them with Xander and Spike.

'Oh God!' Buffy thought to herself.

"Hey Harm…" Angel shouted.

Buffy turned to Angel and whispered, "Please let's go."

"What's wrong with you?" Angel whispered back, "These are your friends..." He turned back to Harmony and directed his question about Spike and Xander, "Who's these two?"

When Spike, Harmony, and Xander reached Buffy and Angel Harmony started to introduce everyone.

"Angel this is Spike…he just moved to Sunnydale from London." Harmony said with a smile, "And you know Xander…"

"Hi." Angel shook Spike's hand, "I'm Angel…and this Buffy." Angel smiled at Buffy.

"Nice to meet you…" Spike said to Angel and turned to Buffy and he stared at her, "Nice to meet you Buffy…" He pretended to be meeting her for the first time.

Buffy looked down at the sand, avoiding Spike's eyes.

"So Spike you play any sports? Waterpolo? Street hockey?" Angel asked while his arm still hung around Buffy.

"No…not really…" Spike answered.

"You should try surfing with us one time…" Angel said and then turned to Xander, "And you too…" Angel didn't really want Xander to come but he did his best to be polite.

"Uh…thanks." Xander seemed surprise; "I'm going to go over and annoy Cordy." Xander said to Spike, "Bet she would love to see me." Xander walked away leaving Spike with Angel and Buffy.

"Hey Angel, Buffy come play the drinking game with us!" A girl called out from across the beach, motioning for Angel to come over.

"Alright!" Angel yelled back, "Come on babe." He grabbed Buffy's hand and was about to pull her towards the party.

"Umm…I'm going to sit this one out." Buffy said and pulled her hand away.

"Oh…you sure…going to be fun." Angel smiled and looked at Spike, "How about you buddy…what to come?"

"Nay…I'm cool." Spike waved Angel off.

"Alright…" Angel shrugged, "Keep my girl company then." He said to Spike and ran off to the others.

When Angel ran off Buffy and Spike were left alone; they both looked up at each other and then quickly looked away.

"So…" Spike broke the silence.

"I'm just going leave…" Buffy said and started to turn away and walk up towards the car.

"Hey wait!" Spike ran up beside her, "Why you leaving?"

"Because I don't want to stay…" Buffy said as she kept walking.

Spike raced in front of her so she would stop, "Your boyfriend told me to keep you company."

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Well I don't need company okay…" Buffy moved around Spike and started to walk, Spike didn't follow.

"I knew you weren't the party type pet…" Spike yelled out from behind her. Buffy stopped walking and slowly turned around.

"Really? Then what type am I?" Buffy asked. Honestly she really wanted the answer to the question because she had no idea what type she was herself.

Spike started to walk towards her slowly. "Not sure…but would like to find out." He said softly as he stood close to her; Buffy could practically feel his breath. She noted that he smelled of cigarettes.

"Why?" Buffy asked softly looking up into his blue eyes.

"Because ever since I got here…you are the one person I feel like I can connect with." Spike said.

"Tell me about it." Buffy said.

"Why don't we get out of here and I'll tell you." Spike said.

Buffy stared into his blue eyes and then she looked behind him at the party, 'They wouldn't even notice I was gone…do I dare?' she thought as she looked back at Spike.

"Alright…" Buffy said.

TBC...