"You're late love," Spike said without opening his eyes. He was leaning against the mailbox that he had agreed to meet the slayer at, casually smoking a cigarette, eyes closed. Buffy rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"I met three vamps on the way here," She explained.
"If you'd been running on time you still wouldn't gotten here sooner," Spike said.
"Bite me," Buffy murmured. However, she was unable to contain a small smile from forming on her lips. He knew her so well.
"So….verdict on the pants?" Buffy asked, spinning once to give Willow a good view of her outfit.
"Definitely the pants. I mean you guys are going dancing, so normally you'd think skirt. However, if you really analyze the situation you'd realize that-" The slayer cut Willow off before the redhead began babbling.
"Got it, Wills. God, I didn't expect to be this nervous. I mean, it's been forever since I've been on a date. And the last time I was on a date the guy had already seen me at my sweatiest and grossest."
"I think it's good that you're so excited. I mean, this guy doesn't have to be the one, but it will be nice for you to get out of the house more, have a good time dancing with someone besides Xander," Willow said, standing from her spot on the slayer's bed and walking over to the dresser where Buffy was putting on her makeup. Willow fiddled nervously with some of the objects on the Buffy's nightstand while the slayer put on some makeup. "Buffy, I was just thinking that….never mind," Willow said quickly. Buffy didn't pause in the process of applying her lipstick. "I just mean that…" The redhead trailed off again, and this time Buffy stopped and put down her makeup.
"Tell me."
"I know that these past four months have been hard for you. And I know that you're still a little angry at Xander for forcing you to go out on this date. But-" Willow was cut off by the slayer.
"Wills, at first I was angry with Xander. But he didn't force me to go out on this date. He was just trying to get me to move on. And he was right," Buffy explained. Willow nodded and watched in silence as Buffy finished dressing. When the slayer turned to Willow for a final okay the redhead nodded and stayed silent when Buffy opened her bedroom door.
"Willow," Buffy whispered softly.
"Yeah."
"I know that this guy isn't the one. I think….I think I missed my chance. I got my one perfect guy, and I let him go. And the only reason I'm going out tonight. What I mean is…I'm not looking for someone to love, I'm never going to find them again…I'm just looking for someone to pass the time with," Buffy explained, her voice resigned, yet somehow still strong and steady. A silence fell over the room, broken a few moments later.
"Buffy," Willow began. However, when the redhead looked up, the slayer was gone, and she had taken Spike's duster off the hook from behind her door.
"So moving on from this topic of discussion that is certain to end with your ass being kicked…where are we headed?" Buffy asked Spike as he led her away from her apartment and their training building and towards a more unfamiliar part of town.
"I was telling you today about fighting being like a dance. But you still don't get it. You have this amazing style, and you think on your feet. But you're not dancing," Spike explained.
"And this scenic tour of LA will help how?" Buffy asked sarcastically, earning a glare from Spike. However, the vampire didn't dignify her remark with anything more than that, and instead kept speaking.
"A friend of mine, a demon friend, owns a dance studio."
"You're taking me to your demon friend's dance studio?" Buffy asked.
"She's not evil, if that's what you're thinking, and she's one hell of a dancer. I just think that there's something there that you should see. Don't worry love, it's not more than a few blocks from here."
"Have you ever been here before?" Josh asked Buffy as the pair walked towards the entrance of the club.
"The Bronze, of course. It's the coolest place in Sunnydale," Buffy responded as she allowed Josh to pay both of their cover charges and take her hand, leading her to a table near the dance floor. The slayer shed Spike's leather duster and threw it over the back of her chair. Josh did the same with his coat and then took Buffy's hand, leading her towards the dance floor.
Neither of the two had spoken much for the first few songs, content to dance. However, soon the silence had gotten too much for Josh and he attempted to strike up conversation.
"You dance a lot?" He asked.
"Not so much anymore. I used to. When I lived in LA especially. There was this club, Karma that I used to attend religiously. But, then I got involved with other things. I still danced but…a different kind of dancing," Buffy said.
"What do you mean, different kind of dancing?" Josh asked politely.
"You know….different…"
"William!" A plump, middle-aged woman exclaimed happily as she came running towards Spike and embraced him tightly. Spike looked mildly embarrassed and tried to gently disengage himself from the woman's arms. However, she'd have none of it and only held him tighter. The woman released Spike only when she spotted the slayer standing awkwardly beside the vampire. Kissing Spike on the cheek the woman took Buffy into her arms, babbling something to the extent of "any friend of William's is a friend of mine."
"Lola, if you're done embarrassing me then I guess it's time for introductions," Spike said.
"Oh, of course darling," Lola gushed, standing in front of Spike and Buffy, smiling widely.
"Lola, this is Buffy Summer's. Buffy, this is Lola. I met her around 1950. I had just broken up with Dru and I was a mess. Lola took me in off the street and helped me get back on my feet. She helped me get a new look for a new me. I became more independent," Spike explained, smiling with the memories of his year spent with Lola. She had been a second mother to him. A demon, but unlike any he'd ever met before. She was a Trukaht demon, a rare breed of refined demons. They fed from the roots of Oak Trees and were skilled in areas such as the arts. Throughout time they had been composers, dancers and artists. Martha Graham, Tchaikovsky, even Martha Stewart, though Spike had always guessed that she was more of an embarrassment to their race than anything to be proud of. And then there was Lola. A sweet grandmother type who had saved Spike, and now ran a dance studio that trained LA's finest. She was quite a woman. And not just for her talents in the arts. She was perceptive, even more than Spike, who prided himself in sensing other's feelings. When he had moped about Drusilla, Lola had sympathized with him for only so long before announcing that when he met the true love of his life he would be thankful that he had no attachments. Spike believed that he had met the love of his life….he was happy Drusilla wasn't around to bother him…Lola had been right. Now Spike could only hope that Lola had nice things to say about Buffy, and that Buffy liked Lola. However, by the look of things the slayer was quite fond of the demon, as the two of them had left Spike standing alone and retreating to a corner of Lola's dance studio where they were chatting and laughing. Spike wished, not for the first time in his un life, that his vampire hearing was better, as he'd love to know what Lola said to get Buffy to blush that delightful color pink.
"So, are you and William dating," Lola asked Buffy in a whisper. The slayer blushed and shook her head no with a quiet laugh.
"Of course not. We're just friends. Spike has been training me-" Buffy began. However, Lola cut her off.
"Spike! Don't tell me William has been going around all these years being called Spike."
"He has. Why do you mind?" Buffy asked Lola.
"Well, when William came to me I demanded that he stop being called that silly nickname Spike. And he listened. For the entire year he was at my house he insisted that he be called William, not only by myself, but by the other demons that visited him, and that he went out hunting with. I told him when he left that he was to give up his silly nickname. Alas, it appears that he has reverted back to being called Spike. I'll have to scold him for that. It isn't proper that a master vampire be running around calling himself Spike," Lola muttered.
"I think it's cute," Buffy said, glancing over at Spike who stood on the opposite side of the room from them, straining to hear what was being said.
"I bet you do darling," Lola said, watching
Buffy's face brighten when she looked at Spike. "So, why aren't the two of you dating. I think a girl like you is just what William needs."
"I don't think it would work out too well.
I don't know if Spike told you, but I'm the vampire slayer. Vampire and vampire slayer doesn't make for
the best relationship," Buffy said.
"Nonsense," Lola insisted, "I can see it in your eyes. You don't believe a word of that. A vampire and a slayer relationship sounds perfect. And it seems that William has taken a fancy to you."
"You think so?" Buffy asked, sounding more eager than she meant to.
"I know so. You should see the way he looks at you when you turn away. It seems that William's smitten. He just needs a push in the right direction. As do you. Who's to say that the girl can't make the first move?" Lola asked. Buffy smiled and blushed once more, overjoyed by Lola's reassurances of Spike's affection for her.
"We have kissed once, yesterday. But Spike and I haven't talked about it since. I just assumed. I mean…sometimes I think he likes me. The way he acts around me. He knows me so well. But other times, I think he looks at me like more of a sister than a lover," Buffy said.
"Than we'll just have to get his eyes checked," Lola whispered to the slayer, causing them both to giggle.
"Lola said that we could sit over here and watch her dance class. That way we can still talk softly," Spike said, leading Buffy over to a spot by the door where the pair then took seats on the floor and watched as the dancers stretched and warmed up.
"I still don't understand exactly what you're showing me," Buffy said.
"You'll see love, for now just watch. Lola's an amazing teacher, and a smart woman," Spike told the slayer.
"I know," Buffy replied mysteriously. Spike looked at her, forehead scrunched in an unasked question. However, her attention remained on the dancers, leaving Spike to watch her in amazement.
"You seem a bit distracted tonight. Are you okay?" Josh asked Buffy. They were slow dancing to some pop song that neither could name. The evening had been altogether enjoyable. The two had talked, danced, and drank significant amounts of coffee. Buffy had a wonderful time. She really liked Josh…as a friend. He was smart, funny. She understood why Xander liked him and instantly liked him also. But she didn't love him. She wanted to invite him over for pizza and Scooby meetings. But she didn't want to hold him and never let go. The slayer had decided months ago that she would never find love again. She just assumed that she would at least like someone again. That maybe, just maybe her stomach would be filled with butterflies. But that was never going to happen. She was never going to feel even a fraction of what she felt fro Spike. And it didn't make sense.
"I guess I just have a lot on my mind," Buffy said in response to Josh's question.
"I understand," Josh replied, closing his eyes once more as Buffy laid her head on his chest. She could feel his heartbeat…it was strange…
"They're amazing," Buffy whispered to Spike half way through the class.
"They are," Spike replied. "Look at the way they move, graceful. You move that way too. But watch. In a second Lola will call a different combination and they'll change the steps. No pause, no break in rhythm. The new combination will become part of them as quickly as the first. They won't just dance it, they'll feel it," Spike explained. Sure enough Lola called out a new combination for the dancers to do across the floor.
Lola called out a new combination and Buffy watched entranced as the dancers seamlessly changed the combination they were doing across the floor.
"When you fight, it should be like a dance. Every punch, every kick, every block becomes part of your heart, part of your soul. No matter what gets thrown at you, take it with grace and style. Think on your feet, and engrave the steps in your heart. Slaying isn't just what you do, it's who you are," Spike said, the words rolling off his tongue more naturally than any Buffy had heard him speak. "Get it?" Spike asked after a pause.
"I always knew," Buffy replied. But she wasn't watching the dancers; she was staring straight into Spike's eyes.