A/N : Okay, so this chapter takes a turn into a world thats not so much '10 Things...' and then back into it a little later. Hope you like it!
(For disclaimer etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 7 - The Fire Inside

Spike hadn't reckoned on Andrew and Xander being of much use to him where Buffy was concerned. The information they had about her he could easily have sussed out for himself he reckoned, it was all pretty obvious. Seemed they'd got her sister on side though. Whether she wanted to date Andrew or not, Dawnie was willing enough to get Big Sis hooked up with someone and apparently she thought Spike would do nicely. She helped out with the information gathering and the two geeks passed on what she told them to the bleached blond. This was how it came to be that Spike was standing outside the Sunnydale Gym complex, asking himself what the hell he was doing here, and why he'd agreed to give up cigarettes!

Buffy and her mate Faith came here in the evening at least once or twice a week and tonight was one of the chosen nights. Apparently in order to help out Andrew, Spike needed to convince Buffy to go to the grand re-opening of the Bronze with him on Saturday night, and obviously to keep the money coming in from Liam Angelus he had to get in the girls good books and secure several dates eventually.

"Right then, here goes" he sighed as he pushed off the wall and went in through the glass doors at the front of the building. At the front desk sat a blonde girl, one hand holding a telephone at her ear whilst the other played with her several necklaces as she giggled like a kid on helium. Spike winced at the sound but tried not to be too obvious in his pain as the girl, who's name badge said Harmony, glanced up and saw him there.

"I have to go" she told the person on the other end of the line, "I have... customers to see" she smiled brightly at Spike who forced a grin back at her. Since all doors beyond this point seemed to be marked Members Only he was going to have to sweet talk Little Miss Giggles here if he wanted to get to Buffy without paying out untold amounts of cash.

"Hi, can I help you?" she grinned at him.

"Well that all depends, luv" he smiled leaning over the counter.

"That was almost too easy" Spike said to himself as he strolled through the door, knowing exactly where he was headed now to find Buffy. Not only had the ditz at the desk willingly told him her full name, phone number, and everything else about herself including the colour of her underwear, he'd also managed to get himself access to any part of the gym he wanted and a map with the room where Buffy and Faith were marked on it, and all without spending a dime.

"X marks the spot" he said quietly as he peered in through the glass panel of the door. Seemed to be a sort of aerobics class or some such. A whole mass of women in lycra, working up a sweat. Spike certainly was not going to complain about the view, that was for sure.

All too soon the class was over and the women grabbed up towels and bottles of water as they headed for the door, all chattering away to each other, about the class and their lives and the men that were screwing them over right under their noses. Spike rolled his eyes as he listened to the inane babbling of all of them, and leaned back against the wall a few feet from the door. He only paid attention when he heard Buffy's voice and then he was by her side in a second.

"Hello, luv" he smirked, "Well, fancy seein' you here. S'pose it really is a small world" he feigned surprise at seeing her but neither Buffy nor Faith were buying it.

"What are you doing here?" the blonde snapped half-heartedly. This guy was kind of weird but he seemed to have a definite interested in her and he wasn't a complete moron like so many guys at school.

"Don't tell me the great Spike Giles is gonna join the gym" Faith laughed. She knew this guy by his reputation, just as he knew her the same way. Of course their fame was for very different reasons, but it was all the same world.

"What's the matter, pet, don't think I could take the pace?" Spike smirked.

"Wouldn't mind finding out sometime" Faith smiled, a definite look of interest in her eyes as Buffy sighed.

"Do you two wanna be alone?" she asked and Spike shook his head.

"Not a bit of it, luv" he assured her, looking her over, "Was meaning to ask you why exactly you come here though. 'S not like you need to lose weight or anything"

"I just like to watch my figure is all" she explained, wondering why she was bothering but carrying on with the conversation none the less.

"Can't blame you on that score, been watching it myself" he told her with a smirk. That would've made most girls blush, but not Buffy.

Faith was bored by now and told Buffy she'd see her in the locker room when she was done with BleachBoy as she put it. Spike was glad to see her go, he didn't need someone like her getting in the way of his plans.

"So, pet, what do you reckon my chances are of getting membership here?" he asked, for lack of any other way to make conversation right now as she stood there in front of him, arms folded across her chest.

"You wanna get in shape, Spike" she emphasised his unusual name, "I'd start by giving up smoking" she told him, remembering how he smelled of cigarettes when they met before, and he'd been buying them at the store too.

"One step ahead of you, luv" he told her, pushing his coat off his shoulders and moving his T-shirt to show her the top of his arm.

"You need two patches at once to get through the day?" she laughed slightly when she noticed.

"I've got an obsessive streak" he shrugged, pulling his coat back on, "Don't like givin' up on anything I develop a fancy for" he told her, the look on his face making his true meaning abundantly clear. He wanted her, he planned to have her, but as yet Buffy wasn't entirely sure whether she was prepared to let that happen or not.

"Whatever" she sighed, "I need to go shower and stuff" she said as she turned to walk away.

"Want any help, luv, you only have to ask" he told her and she looked back at him with an incredulous expression.

"You are so full of it" she said, unable to keep from smiling. Okay so he was kind of annoying, but he wasn't afraid of her, and he was so damn determined to get her attention. He was hot, it was flattering, she really could not find a way to complain.

"Doesn't stop you wanting me, does it, pet?" he said, more of a statement than a question as he approached her again.

Buffy didn't answer for a long moment, just stood a couple of inches in front of him, eyes locked onto his.

"Spike, I..." she said uncharacteristically softly, "I really think you should go home and take a cold shower" she told him in her regular voice, laughing as she turned to walk away. He was too quick for her, grabbing her wrist and spinning her back around to face him, he hadn't been as surprised by her trick as she'd expected.

"What are you doing?" she asked, less angrily than she'd meant to as she made him let go of her arm.

"The Bronze, Saturday night" he said in a low voice that made Buffy shiver involuntarily, "What d'ya say?"

"In your dreams, Spike" she told him after a moment, turning to walk away, which he let her do this time.

"Pick you up at seven thirty then" he called behind her, grinning to himself. She was a difficult bint, but she had a fire in her that excited him, and attracted him like no other girl he'd ever met.

Cash or not he reckoned he'd be trying to win her over anyway. He hadn't been lying about his obsessive nature, and Buffy was now the object of his desire. He didn't mind helping out that little geek Andrew or taking money off the poncin' Liam Angelus, but Spike was doing this for the pleasure of the sport alone now. He wanted Buffy at whatever cost, and he was going to get her.

Dawn was so completely over excited. She'd barely been able to believe it when she got to school on Wednesday and Andrew had told her Spike had managed to get Buffy to agree to a date on Saturday night. If her sister was going to the Bronze Re-Opening, that meant Dawnie could go to, and she couldn't be more thrilled. She couldn't imagine how Spike had managed to convince Buffy to date him, but she dare not ask her tempestuous sister. She sort of thought maybe she should thank her for agreeing to go out at all, thereby allowing her to go out too, but she doubted very much it was meant for her benefit. Besides, that kind of conversation could lead to Buffy finding out it was a set-up in a sense, since Spike was only trying to date the blonde to help out Andrew, or so the littlest Summers' had been told.

It made Dawn's head hurt to think about all the complications, so she stuck to the happy smiley topic of how great it would be to go to the party, and dance with Connor there. He'd asked her if she wanted to go with him and she'd been thrilled and yet disappointed because she knew she couldn't go if Buffy didn't. Now she was set to meet her crush at the Bronze where they could have the perfect date, at least she hoped that was what it would be. She had of course had to agree to see Andrew there too, after all it was down to him she was even allowed to go out at all. He was so sweet, and Dawn really liked him, but the fact remained, he was not Connor. The younger Angelus boy was the most gorgeous guy ever as far as Dawn was concerned and she was sure when she got to know him better he'd turn out to be just as sweet and thoughtful and kind as Andrew was, with the added bonus that he was totally hot.

A knock at the door signalled to Dawn that Janice had arrived and she pushed the top back on her lip gloss, threw it in her purse and hurried down the stairs. Joyce watched as Janice was let into the house and the two girls giggled in the hallway.

"Dawnie?" her mother frowned as she came from the living room, the paperwork she'd been doing still held in her hands, "You're very dressed up for studying, sweetie" she pointed out.

"Oh we're not studying tonight, Ms Summers" Janice told her, "It's the Grand Re-Opening of the Bronze"

"A party?" Joyce said with a look that could kill, "I'm assuming a party with boys and alcohol?"

"Well, kinda" Dawn admitted, "but Mom, you said I could go out if Buffy did" she whined, just as said blonde came down from upstairs, heading for the kitchen.

"Buffy, honey, what do you know about a party at the Bronze" Joyce asked her eldest daughter who didn't stop walking, just yelled her answer back over her shoulder.

"Nothing, except I'm not going!" she said firmly and Dawn stamped her foot, making an annoyed sound of indignation.

"That is so not fair!" she complained, in true teenage style.

"I'm sorry, honey" Joyce sympathised, "but we had a deal. If your sister doesn't go, you don't either"

"But she's not normal!" Dawn screeched, almost going hyper-sonic as Buffy returned from the kitchen with a can of soda in her hand, "What if she never goes on a date!"

"Then you'll never go on a date" Joyce told her, "I'm sorry, sweetie, but it's for your own good" she told her as she went back to the couch and sat down, casting an eye over the paperwork spread out on the coffee table.

Buffy smirked triumphantly at her sister, finding it highly amusing that her plans were ruined. She may be her sister, and yes she loved her really, but she could be such a whiny brat sometimes.

"People expect me to be at the party!" she continued.

"You mean Connor Angelus expects you to be there" Buffy amended as she sat down in the armchair and drank her soda.

"I'm willing to bet he expects a lot more than that too" Joyce added, "But it's all irrelevant, I already said you're not going Dawn"

The young teen launched into another supersonic whine-fest as she leant over her sister, pleading with her to be a decent human being for once. Janice was helping out with the argument as best she could, feeling bad for her friend who never seemed to get to have any proper fun. Joyce realised she was probably the only person to hear the knock at the door and so went to answer it, any excuse to avoid the teenage girls and their yelling for five seconds. She was more than a little surprised to find a young man with very blond hair and a long black leather coat standing on her front porch when she opened the door.

"Can I help you?" she asked, wondering if she shouldn't just shut the door again fast and call the police. He didn't exactly look the trustworthy type which was perhaps why the polite English voice that came from his mouth took her by surprise.

"You must be Mrs Summers" he said with a smile, "I'm William Jackson, but you can call me Spike" he said politely as he shook her hand, "I'm here to pick up your eldest, take her to a party"

"Huh?" Buffy said, in some kind of shock as she left her sister still complaining and came over to the door, "What the hell are you doing here?" she wanted to know as her mother looked on.

"We had a date, pet" he smirked annoyingly, "I did say seven thirty though, I s'pose I am a bit early"

Buffy looked at her mother who stared back with a questioning look, that was disapproving at the same time.

"Oh, I am so not going out with him" Buffy assured her.

"Oh come on, Buffy, please" Dawn whined from behind her as Janice chimed in saying it was just one night and what harm could it do, it might even be fun.

"Come on, luv" Spike said as he leant in the doorway, "What are you afraid of?"

Incensed by the fact she was being accused of being scared of anything at all, Buffy pushed past her sister, grabbed her jacket from where it hung on the end of the bannister rail and then turned to her mother as she pulled it on.

"Mom, we're going to a party" she said simply, "Come on you two" she added, as she glanced at Dawn and Janice who squealed with delight and followed her out of the house. Spike was smirking all the way, even if he did have to lengthen his stride to keep up with a fairly brassed-off Buffy, whilst Joyce stood on the porch yelling for her two daughters to be careful. Far too many dangers lurked at parties and night clubs she was sure, but her daughters didn't hear a word of her warnings.

To Be Continued...