A/N: To start, I want to greatly thank all reviewers. Well, I figured it was more than time that I got around to posting some stuff. Had some delays because of finals and school ending for the summer as well as a friend needing a place to stay for a couple weeks and a few other things. It's been hectic, but I got this and a new chapter of "the Darkness" finally! I've even got the next chapters of both of those started. Well, here's the update!


Chapter 3: Who's That Girl?

Buffy was sitting on the couch eating chips and watching TV. It was Monday, but there was a teacher in-service so the students didn't have to go to classes that day. She was kind of glad she wouldn't have to deal with the Cordettes yet, especially after what had happened Friday night, but she'd had nothing to do all day. Except, of course, think of Spike which since she'd woken up that morning, she had barely been able to stop.

He seemed so nice. And that girl last night was supposed to be his sister. But seriously, a little sister in college? Well, maybe he was just a year or two older… Or maybe not. Spike made her feel like she was cared for which no one really had since her mother. He seemed to really want her to trust him, and he'd gone to a lot of trouble with the gifts he'd gotten her. Not that the gifts were all that mattered to her, but what teenage girl didn't like being spoiled by a gorgeous guy?

Buffy looked at the clock. It was almost five. She sighed. She had effectively wasted the day pretending to watch TV while thinking about Spike. At least she could use the cloudy weather as some kind of excuse in her mind.

A knock on the front door got Buffy to her feet. She was glad she had thrown on jeans and a t-shirt rather than staying in her pajamas all day when she opened the door to see Spike.

"Hi," she said. He smiled back at her.

"You busy, pet?"

"Well, uh, not really, no," she looked at him curiously.

"C'mon, then. Get some shoes. We're going shopping."

Buffy simply stared at him.

"Well? Hurry it up. We've got appointments. Or really, you do," he smirked.

Buffy grinned and ran upstairs to get sneakers and the purse from Spike before racing downstairs again and out the door with Spike.


The first stop Spike and Buffy made was at a fancy salon. There, Buffy was shown magazine after magazine until she found a hairstyle she thought was nice. She hadn't realized how much would be done to her hair however, until they started. Once the washing, cutting, drying, highlighting, and styling were done, Spike whisked her off once again. Now they were at a nail place, and Buffy was getting her first manicure and pedicure. She noticed Spike grab some black nail polish and start doing his own nails while they were there. She smiled at that. The final, but what looked to be the longest stop, they made was the mall. Spike was taking Buffy around to stores she had never known existed, let alone been anywhere within a 2-mile radius of. As Buffy tried on what seemed like thousands of different outfits in so many different colors, she felt like she was one of those girls that won makeovers on TV. They went to shoe stores, jewelry stores, sunglasses shops, make-up and perfume stores, clothing stores, everything.

"Try on that blue one again, love," Spike requested of Buffy. "I like this one, but I still think the other was better.

Buffy smiled and went back to the dressing rooms to change into a blue dress once again. So far they had about a dozen bags, and it didn't look like Spike had any intention of stopping anytime soon, no matter how much he had to carry since he wouldn't allow her to hold a thing except her purse. She couldn't believe the amount of money he was spending, and she was trying hard to ignore it. She was uncomfortable with it being spent on her, especially with no idea where it came from in the first place.

After finally picking the new batch of clothes from the store they were in, Buffy was waiting for Spike to pay so they could be off to the next store when a woman walked up to her.

"You know, you're very lucky," she smiled. "When I was your age, I wish I could have had a such a gorgeous guy who doted on me and spoiled me as much as yours does. Hell, I'd even like one now!" laughed the woman. "I must say, and I believe any other woman here would agree with me, I am quite jealous," she gave a little wave as she walked off. "Don't let him slip away!" she said.

Buffy wasn't sure whether what the woman had said was good or bad. While it was nice to have all this attention, she didn't much care either way. Though she did have to agree about the gorgeous part... She shook it off as Spike came back though, and they continued their shopping until the mall closed. By then, Buffy was sure Spike was broke, but the smile on his face as they crammed all the bags into his Desoto, which had also shocked her with its Classic American beauty, assured her that he couldn't be happier.


The next day at school, Buffy was more nervous than she'd ever been. The previous night, Spike had insisted that she get rid of nearly her entire wardrobe. He'd more than replaced everything, and helped her carry things into her home and she was sure he wouldn't have minded helping her sort it all out, but she wasn't near comfortable enough with that thought. She almost rethought his offer to help her put things away when they were piling an amazing amount of shopping bags into her home.

Now, Buffy had none of her normal clothes left for school. Well, technically, she did, but she was trying to go with Spike's idea of throwing it all out so most of her old things were piled in boxes in the basement now. As she walked through the halls of her school, she turned everyone's head. She was wearing a denim skirt that ended a bit more than half a foot above her knees, a pink tee that said "I BITE" in blazing red letters, and cute, red and black heels. She was also accessorized wonderfully. Buffy had never known that all those art classes she had taken in her earlier high school years would be used to color code her outfits some day, but really she was just grateful she was managing to survive in the shoes so far.

As she made her way to her first class, she heard whispers everywhere she went. Buffy was feeling incredibly self-conscious by the time she got to her class and took her usual seat in a front corner by a window. The bell rang, and her teacher was about to begin a lecture, when she suddenly noticed Buffy.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I hadn't known we were getting a new student today," Mrs. Stinson said.

"I-I'm not new," Buffy said, barely audible.

"What was that, dear?" Mrs. Stinson stepped closer.

"I-I said, I'm not new," Buffy repeated, a little louder.

"Oh, well it's just I don't recognize you…" the teacher trailed off with a perplexed look.

"Buffy Summers," the blonde barely managed. She could feel the stares of disbelief from everyone, including the teacher, boring into her. She wanted nothing more than for the floor to split and start spawning hell demons so everyone's attention would be off of her.

"Oh!" Mrs. Stinson exclaimed, rather shocked like the rest of the class. "Well, of course, dear. I see it now," the old woman said, clearly not telling the truth as she looked at Buffy in amazement.

Suddenly, there was a buzz that rippled throughout the room as everyone began talking about Buffy's drastic change.

By lunch, Buffy was all the entire school could talk about. Some people thought she was just pulling some cheap scam to be popular, but others, some of the guys, couldn't care less and just wanted to ask her out.

Angel walked up to Buffy. "Hey, Buff. Look, I know I was a real jackass Friday night, but you gotta understand, that was all those other peoples' fault. I was just forced to go along with it. I never wanted to do that to you. I've always liked you," he said into her ear as he sat down at her lonely table next to her. Buffy scooted away from him slightly, looking into his eyes. Now that he was so close, that her dream guy was offering himself hogtied on a platter to her, she couldn't seem to care less.

"I was wondering if you'd want to go out this Friday maybe?" Angel gave her his adorable half-smile that no girl

could turn down. But Buffy did the impossible; it seemed she was just full of surprises lately thanks to Spike.

"Sorry, Angel. I've all ready got a date this weekend," she gave him a too-sweet smile.

"Oh, well, uh, Saturday?" he suggested lamely after a few seconds, obviously dumbstruck at being turned down for the first time.

"Actually, I'm booked all weekend," Buffy said before getting up and walking out of the cafeteria, to the awe of everyone, including an extremely insulted looking Angel.

Once Buffy turned down Angel, the school was talking about her more than ever. None of Buffy's teachers recognized her, and she doubted that anyone else did either until she was pointed out.

Now it was Buffy's last class, study hall, once again. Today, however, was like she was in an entirely different world than on Friday. She stared outside at the dark clouds that were still looming, wondering when it would rain. She liked the rain. There was just always something so… special about it. She smiled and turned to concentrate on the book she was reading.

About fifteen minutes into the period, Buffy heard sudden whispering behind her.

"Oh my God! Look at that guy!" Cordelia said in a true valley girl fashion.

"What guy?" Harmony whispered back.

"Look out the window!" Cordelia hissed back. Buffy did the same as Harmony. She gasped at who was there.

Spike waved at her. Buffy glanced at the teacher, but she was too engrossed with typing away on her computer, as per usual, to notice anything going on amongst the students. Buffy looked back at Spike. He smirked and made a movement with his head for her to go outside with him. She stared at him like a deer caught in the headlights. She could barely even hear the whispers behind her still.

"He's gorgeous," Harmony breathed.

"Is he talking to Buffy?" Cordelia asked, shocked.

Spike raised an eyebrow, staring straight at Buffy. He smirked at her dumbfounded look. His smirk seemed to snap her out of her stupor as she threw her book into her bag and rushed out. When she reached the door and burst out, Spike was waiting for her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Rescuing you from hell," he smirked. She laughed at him

"Well, what for?"

Spike shrugged. "Whatever you want, pet," he grinned. Buffy smiled at him and thought for a moment.

"C'mon," she suddenly said, grabbing his hand and pulling him with her. "I want you to meet someone," she said as she led him away from the school.

Buffy and Spike had soon made their way to the cemetery. They hadn't let go of one another's hands yet. Spike had a confused look on his face; he had no idea what a human girl would be doing in a cemetery, but as she brought him to a particular gravesite, he understood her smile and nervousness.

"Hi, mom," Buffy said. "This is Spike, he's the guy I was talking about the other day. I just thought you might want to meet him." Spike stared at her in shock. She had come to her mother's grace and talked about him?

"He's been really nice," Buffy continued. "And look, he even got me a whole new look," she gestured to herself.

Spike smiled. "'Lo, Mrs. Summers." Spike speaking seemed to bring Buffy back to reality. Even though she was talking about him like he was there and could feel his hand holding hers, she had somehow forgotten he was there.

Buffy stood awkwardly, especially once she realized that she and Spike were holding hands. She didn't know if she should let go or not. He wasn't. But was that just because he thought she wouldn't want him to? Or maybe it was some kind of trick, something to get her mind away from, uh, something else!

"So do you come here a lot?" Spike asked her.

"What? Oh, uh, yeah," Buffy said, calming herself. "I do. My mom's my best friend, even though now she's… She's still the one I tell everything to. Spend a lot of time here. But only in the daytime. My mom wouldn't have liked me going alone at night," she smiled. Spike smirked. That was more like the girl that he'd been expecting. They stood for a bit more in silence before Buffy spoke up again.

"Uh, I guess we ought to go," she said slowly, not really sure what to do. Spike smiled. Time for more of the plan Dawn had devised. He had all ready gotten her away from her classes, now he just had to find someway to get her to let him do what he wanted to next.

"You want to watch a movie?" Spike asked. Buffy looked up at him, slightly startled.

"A movie?" she repeated dumbly.

"Yeah. Sound good to you?" Spike suggested again.

"Like, at the theatre?" Buffy checked. She turned away from the grave, signaling they should leave.

"Anything you want, love," Spike told her as they began to walk.

"Well, I have no idea what's playing right now," she shrugged.

"What kind of movies you like?" Spike asked.

"Stuff you'd probably hate," she laughed. Spike raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I love Ever After," Buffy said slowly. "And Moulin Rouge."

Spike cocked his head to the side. "Well, never heard of the first one, and the second is a bit, uh, I don't know you want my opinion of it," he smirked.

She laughed at him. "What about Ever After?" her eyes twinkled.

"What's it about?" Spike asked cautiously.

She grinned up at him. "Maybe you'll just have to watch and see," she teased.

Spike heaved an exaggerated sigh. "I suppose," he said, looking towards the sky. He noticed that the clouds were still more than blocking out the sun. That was definitely a good thing; he didn't want to have to try explaining making a sudden mad dash for any kind of shade or the nearest sewer entrance.

"So where exactly we going, pet?" Spike asked, hoping he'd get the answer he wanted. Buffy came to a halt beside him, they're still conjoined hands causing Spike to stop next to her as well. She realized it hadn't occurred to her where they would be going as she'd just started walking with him. Looking at where they were, she noticed they were heading in the direction of her home, and she wasn't sure if one or both of them had steered them in this direction, or if it had just happened. Peering up at him in a slightly suspicious manner, she thought over the possibilities.

"Well, so you want to watch a movie?" she checked. He smiled at her.

"Sure, pet," he reaffirmed, knowing she was debating where to go.

"Well, we could go by and see what's playing at the theatre," Buffy said slowly.

Spike was slightly disappointed. Part of the plan was that they were supposed to go to her house, but he couldn't exactly force her without raising her suspicions. With a shrug of feigned nonchalance, he responded, "Course, love. Like I said, whatever you want today." He squeezed her hand as they changed directions slightly, towards Sunnydale's one and only movie theatre.

Both their minds were racing as they continued walking. Buffy was pondering over the sudden handholding, but in a way it didn't seem so sudden. Technically, they'd been on two dates all ready, and this was the first time he'd made a move to make any kind of prolonged physical contact with her. But then, now that he had it he didn't seem to want to let go. She didn't think she minded, but still…

With a sigh, she tried to sooth her confused hormones and lay her thoughts to rest so she could try to simply enjoy the attention while someone was willing to offer it. And someone so attractive, she reminded herself.

Spike's eyes shot sideways to look at Buffy as he heard her sigh. He saw her downcast eyes and her crestfallen expression. He was considering saying something as he saw her gaze raise slightly, a determined light entering her eyes. He wondered what was going through her head, but didn't have any time to ask her as he realized they'd reached the theatre.

"Closed?" Buffy's nose wrinkled in confusion as she read the sign over the box office window. Spike squinted his eyes as he took a closer look at the paper, reading the rest of it.

"Says their remodeling, pet," he told her, unable to believe his luck, but managing to contain his happiness.

Oh," Buffy said thoughtfully.

"So what now?" Spike turned to face her. He wanted to suggest going somewhere else, like her house, but was still afraid to scare her off by pushing anything.

"Um, I'm not sure," Buffy said, the tiniest hint of fear and nervousness creeping into her eyes.

With an internal groan at the discovery just how slow Spike would actually going to have to take things, he nodded his head down the street.

"How's 'bout we walk and see where we end up," he said before taking another glance at the sun. Even though the clouds were providing ample cover for the time being, he would prefer to be inside a building somewhere. Preferably, a dark, windowless one. This definitely wasn't one of the brightest ideas he'd ever had. He always had been too impatient. It wasn't like sundown was quite that long away. He mentally sighed; he was all ready out there, and he was with Buffy.

Buffy smiled and nodded up at him, oblivious to his slight worry and growing frustration. The pair began to walk down the sidewalk, peering into window shops as they walked past. Buffy's eyes lit up at the displays in some of the shops. The glitter of diamonds and allure of mannequins dressed in faded and ripped jeans held her attention, but what seemed to particularly catch her interest was the window of a shop called the "Magic Box." Seeing her enraptured gaze at the sight of jars of roots on shelves, bookcases of old looking books, candles that claimed they could conjure certain feelings out of a person, and more, Spike made a quick decision.

"Want to go in this one?" he asked her. Tearing her gaze from the window and turning it to him, Buffy at first looked shocked from being pulled from the world her mind had created before nodding enthusiastically.

The bell above the door jingled merrily, announcing Spike and Buffy's entrance.

"Hello, and welcome to the Magic Box! We hope you decide to spend great deals of money!" An over-enthusiastic girl greeted them from behind the counter. With a smirk of amusement, Spike nodded before nudging a stunned Buffy in front of him.

Shaking her head, Buffy let go of his hand as she wandered off to begin perusing the shelves, amazed by what they held. She had never gone to any of these stores really, and she almost wished she had sooner. Something about this shop had seemed to call to her, trying to pull her in. With a sudden grimace, she took a step back. Staring at the eyes in the bottle, she wondered what had drawn her to the place to begin with.

Seeing what had disturbed her, Spike gave a low chuckle. With a pout, she turned to him, crossing her arms across her chest. Spike took in a sharp intake of air at the additional cleavage she created with her action and struggled to keep his eyes locked on hers.

"What?" she whined up at him, unaware of what she'd done. Spike shook off the effect she was having on him instead forcing his eyes to move to the jar on the shelf.

"Nothing," he said with another smirk. "Just funny seeing you do that, s'all."

Her bottom lip jutted out slightly further. With a little "humph" emitting forth from her lips. The store suddenly creeping her out slightly, Buffy grabbed his hand again; she tugged on it, pulling him with her towards the door. The girl behind the counter sighed dramatically as they left without buying anything, and it made Buffy want to giggle.

As they got to the end of the street, and the end of the store windows, Buffy was uncertain again. She was having fun with Spike. She liked the aimless wandering and easy joking they had as they looked at things. Now they were done with that, and she was unsure where to go. She followed Spike's lead in a way, suspecting he was following hers as well. She wasn't sure how that worked, but they were on their way in a different direction now, so she didn't question it. She wondered if she should go home and get away from him, or stay out with him. Or maybe, a combination of the two? He had offered a movie, after all.

"So, we could, um, we could still see a m-movie," Buffy could have slapped herself for the way she said it. She had sounded so shy and uncertain, which she was, but she didn't want Spike to know that.

Spike, however, smiled at her demureness. "That so, pet?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah. We could, maybe, go to my place?" Buffy had been thinking of suggesting Spike's place as well, but decided against it. If she was going to be alone in a house with this man, she wanted to feel as comfortable as possible, and knowing where all the knives and such were kept could be a consolation.

"Sounds good to me," Spike nodded. Buffy swallowed nervously, unsure of what to expect.

As they changed directions slightly, a giggle suddenly erupted from Buffy's lips. Spike looked at her curiously.

"Guess you'll be finding out what Ever After is about after all," she grinned.

"And your giggling about this? Can't be good for me then," Spike said. "Right, well, I'll see you later!" he smiled to make sure she knew he was joking. Buffy laughed at him, playfully hitting his arm. Spike simply gave her a cheeky grin as he caught her hand in his for a response.

Buffy realized they had reached her home. As they went up the walk, she had no idea was could go on once they made it to the other side of that door, but it could be anything…


A/N: Haha! Cliffy! And I've got a pretty awkward moment planned for the start of the next chappy. Hehe. But does any of this seem too fast? I'm hoping not, but I just really want to get this type of stuff out of the way so that the fun stuff can begin! And sometimes it's just sooo hard to remember Spike was the creepy stalker guy… sigh lol. Well, Review, please everyone! Just click the little purple square down there and type a few words. It makes me so happy and reminds me to write!