A/N : This chapter is a rewrite of one of my favourite parts of '10 Things...'. I hope I did it justice and that nobody thinks I copied the movie too much.
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 8 - Party Time
"Well, didn't exactly bank on playin' babysitter on our first date, pet" Spike smirked as he and Buffy got out of the car and walked a little behind Dawn and Andrew.
"This is so not a date" the blonde scoffed, shrugging away from Spike's arm when he tried to put it around her shoulders, "I came here to prove a point, and so Dawnie got to go to this stupid party" she complained as they went in through the doors of the Bronze and she surveyed the scene.
"Right then" Spike sighed, "This is gonna be a fun night" he muttered to himself as he followed the feisty girl over to the bar. She ordered a drink without even bothering to ask if he wanted one too. When the barman returned he paid for Buffy's drink before she got the chance to and ordered his own at the same time.
"You're not old enough to get alcohol" Buffy hissed as Spike's bourbon was placed on the bar in front of him. He smirked as he downed it in one.
"He doesn't know that" he shrugged, gesturing vaguely at the retreating barman, "'Sides it'd be legal back home. Everything's legal at eighteen" he explained as she gave up listening to him and scanned the crowd of writhing bodies on the dancefloor.
"Bitch!" she cursed, laughing as she said it. Clearly the insulting word was not meant to be half so harsh as it sounded as Spike followed her gaze to where Faith was dancing in the middle of the floor, surrounded by guys encouraging her in her sexy moves.
"Looks like she's havin' a good time" Spike smirked, "Though I wouldn't have thought this was the usual place you'd find her"
"Oh yeah, cos you're here all the time" Buffy rolled her eyes, "You don't exactly look like you fit in"
"Well I didn't see a 'Welcome heinous bitch' sign either" he shot back smartly, making Buffy increasingly angry as well as upset, though she'd never admit his words wounded her. She'd liked him better when he was trying to be nice to her, and though arguing with him was almost just as much fun, she could do without his real insults. She had agreed to come out with him tonight to this dive after all, albeit under protest.
It was then Buffy spotted her sister hanging all over Connor Angelus. In a second she was off her stool and storming through the crowds, Spike following her with a frown as he wondered what was going on now!
"Dawn!" Buffy snapped as she got within ear-shot of the younger girl, catching both her attention and Connor's and truth be told everybody in a five foot radius, "What are you doing?" she asked angrily.
"I'm hanging out with my friends, Buffy" Dawn shot back, moving in closer to her sister and whispering, "Please do not make me look entirely lame" she begged as Connor reached for her from behind and pulled her back to him.
"Hey, I thought we were going to dance?" he reminded her and Dawn smiled, making a face at her sister a second later.
"Sure, we'll dance" she said evenly, "Buffy can go... do her own thing now, right sis?" her eyes begging still. With a sound of annoyance Buffy stormed back through the crowds, bumping into a gyrating Faith on the way.
"Geez, who the hell...! B!" she reacted loudly at the sight of her friend, "What the frickin' hell are you doing at the Bronze?" she checked and Buffy shook her head.
"I wish I knew" she sighed, "Didn't exactly expect to see you here either"
"What can I say, B" Faith shrugged, "Semi-drunk football players are just too easy to pass up" she winked, before throwing herself back in amongst the men she'd previously been dancing with.
Buffy continued her route across the club, back to the bar and Spike dutifully went after, feeling like he'd run half a marathon already - did the woman never stop running about and yelling at people! She sat down on a stool then and turned around to find him right behind her.
"Do you have to stick to me like glue?" she rolled her eyes, "Just cos you drove me here doesn't make us joined at the hip or anything" she complained.
"Look, pet" Spike sighed, sitting on a stool beside her, "I don't rightly know what your problem is with fellas, though I got an idea it comes from your Mum" he said without the fear most people would have when confronting Buffy Summers about her bad attitude, "Thing is, I brought you here cos I fancied to get to know you better and it seems your sister and your mate can manage without you tonight, so how about it?"
"How about what?" Buffy frowned, remembering the many lines men were prone to use to get you to do what they wanted, just as her mother had listed them so many times before.
"How about we have a drink and, I dunno, talk or something?" Spike suggested, "Get to know each other a little bit better?"
Buffy glanced at Faith having a good time, Dawn fawning all over Connor and then Angel who eyed her up with barely disguised interest. It all made her feel sick.
"Fine" she sighed, tuning her attention back to the not-bad-to-look-at bleached blond beside her, "Vodka tonic"
"Luv, you know you shouldn't..." he began, until her eyes flashed angrily at him, "Right then, lady wants, lady shall have" he muttered as he called the barman over and ordered her drink, along with another bourbon for himself. It seemed the guy behind the bar either didn't realise, or didn't care that these two were kids here for the party and not old enough for alcohol as he served them and watched then down the drinks fast, immediately asking for another.
"...and the best part is, she doesn't even care" Buffy laughed like a drain as she continued to ramble on and on about nothing much. Spike had been talking to the girl, buying her drinks, and it was all going relatively okay til he realised she was slowly getting more and more drunk. Her sentences started to run on into each other and the girl was doing some high class babbling worthy of a brook by now after more vodka tonics than Spike had been able to keep count of, and a couple of his own bourbons too when his back was turned. Now she was half sitting on the stool, half laying on the bar, giggling like an idiot and telling him all manner of things, none of which were really making a whole lot of sense.
The bleached blond himself could handle his booze and since he hadn't even had as many drinks as Buffy he was still feeling fine, and functioning completely correctly. He glanced away from his date and spotted Angel gesturing for him to come over. With another glance at Buffy, Spike knew he couldn't just leave her there half cut, anything could happen. Faith spun up to the bar just at that moment, gasping to the bartender that she needed water desperately.
"Faith" Spike called her name, "Be a love and keep an eye on your mate here for me, just for a sec, would you?" he asked her and Faith frowned a little at the sight of a drunken Buffy before agreeing she'd watch over her for a while. That promise was forgotten just seconds later as a guy she'd been working on all night came and whispered something in her ear. With a dirty laugh she took his hand, agreeing to his proposition as they slipped beneath the balcony, kissing and pulling at each others clothes before they were even completely out of sight.
"What do you want, you great poofter?" Spike complained as he strode over to where Angel stood, "Standing over here beckonin' me over. You want people to think we're a pair of raving nancies?"
"Shut up" Angel ground out, pushing the other young man roughly against the wall, "You wanna be a pain in the ass and start a fight with me, that's fine, but not here" he warned Spike who stood tall and straightened his coat to show Angel's attacks and threats meant very little too him.
"So what do you want?" he asked, trying to see if Buffy was still okay but unable to do so through the crowd of people.
"Just wanted a progress report" Angel told him easily as he drank from the bottle of beer in his hand, "Connor's getting pretty serious about Dawn and that suits me fine, but it's all going to go down the toilet if you screw up with Buffy"
"You keep on paying me, I'll take her out, as many times as you want" Spike smirked, speaking with more confidence than he felt, "Bird's mad about me" he lied easily.
"Really?" Angel said, that one word edged with anger and jealousy, but not enough for Spike to really notice. He did however see, when the crowds parted slightly, that Buffy was no longer where he'd left her.
"Bugger" he muttered to himself, "Look if that's all you wanted mate, I've got to get back to my date" he said, quickly moving away, "Gotta keep the little woman happy" he added before he was out of Angel's ear shot. He was pushing through crowds of rowdy young people, desperately searching out a girl he found he really did sort of care for, when someone tapped him on the shoulder.
"Er, hey" Andrew called, finally getting Spike's attention, though he kind of wished he hadn't bothered when the taller boy looked daggers at him, "Um, I wanted you to know, it's all off"
"Off?" Spike frowned, not getting it, and excessively annoyed at not being able to find Buffy too, "What the bleedin' hell are you talking about?"
"The deal, the whole you dating Buffy so I can date Dawnie thing... it's not gonna happen" he sighed, glancing over at where Connor and Dawn stood together by the bar surrounded by his other adoring fans and assorted friends.
"You're giving up that easily?" Spike asked incredulously, actually focusing a little bit of attention on Andrew and then Dawn for a moment. As much as it might seem she was having a great time, stuck to Connor Angelus, Spike wondered if she truly was. Besides he was damned if he fancied knowing he helped a little git like that end up with a sweet girl like Dawnie.
"...and he's just better than me in all kinds of ways..." the boy was rambling when Spike turned into his words once again.
"Andrew, for God sakes" he sighed, interrupting him, "You like Dawn right, really like her? Maybe love her?" he checked and Andrew barely had to consider before he nodded in agreement.
"Then pull yourself together and have at it!" Spike commanded him, "You ponce about like a poof, telling yourself and everyone else how much better off little Dawnie'd be with Connor than with you then you're never going to get anywhere!" he half-yelled over the din of the music he despised that spilled out from the speakers all around him, "Fight for her Andrew, she might just love you for it" Spike told the boy, slapping him on the back and almost breaking bones on the poor kid who wasn't used to such violent gestures of friendship as Spike strode off in the opposite direction, hoping to find Buffy again.
"'Scuse me, luv" he said as a young woman came out from the bathroom, "Don't s'pose you've seen a blonde girl in there or anywhere else about, about this tall" he gestured, "Bit worse the wear for the drink and wearing, er, jeans and a dark red top" he said, as he tried to recall her outfit.
The girl before him just laughed, apparently drunk herself, one hand going to her mouth as she pointed passed Spike and up onto the bar.
"Oh bloody hell!" he cursed when he turned and saw what the girl had seen. Buffy was currently standing on the bar, gyrating and dancing like she belonged in some sort of strip joint to the pounding beat of some overly-loud pop tune he couldn't name if he tried.
"Woohoo!" Buffy whooped as she shook her assets for all to see, and the crowd of young and mostly drunk people all around her clapped and cheered right back. Angel was in the foreground, definitely enjoying the show. Spike was only glad that Dawn didn't seem to have caught sight of all this, she didn't seem to be anywhere around, as Connor stood with his brother, cheering Buffy on.
Spike fought his way through the crowds, arriving by the bar just as the song ended. Buffy had been moving around the surface of the bar top on her knees the past while as she stood up to take a bow to finish her dance, she clocked her head on a rail that hung from the ceiling. She fell backwards, landing straight in Spike's arms as the crowd continued to cheer.
"Soddin' hell, you stupid bint" Spike cursed spectacularly as he scooped the semi-conscious form of Buffy up into his arms and pushed his way to the doors.
"What happened?" she said sounding very shaky as Spike stood her on her feet outside the door, still holding her up since she looked ready to fall again.
"Before or after you got smashed, pet?" he smirked as she leant back against the wall and he held her steady.
"I'm not drunk" Buffy giggled uncontrollably, swaying around before eventually falling forwards into Spike, her head resting on his shoulder, "I'm just sleepy" she mumbled against his chest, her eyes closing. As nice as it felt to have a woman like her in his arms this way, Spike couldn't let Buffy stay there.
"No, pet, now come on" he said, putting her at arms length and shaking her slightly, "Can't have you dropping off to the land of nod now, can we? Might have a concussion, might lose you for good"
Buffy opened her eyes and glared at him a little.
"You don't care about me" she said, shrugging his hands away and stepping to the side, immediately regretting it as her stomach lurched and her head spun. She stumbled into the mouth of the alley beside the Bronze and Spike followed, helping her to her feet once again and holding against the wall to keep her stable.
"Course I care" he smirked, pushing her hair off her face, "If you died, I'd have to start hanging around girls that actually like me" he told her.
"Like you could find any" Buffy shot back, her witty comebacks not as impaired by her drunkenness as her walking skills it seemed.
"Whatever you say, luv" Spike said with an amused smile. He didn't mind letting her get a couple of easy shots in right now, so long as she kept smiling like that and letting him hold onto her. God but she was beautiful right now, bathed in the moonlight and being all giggly and almost sweet. Took every bit of strength he had not to take advantage of her clouded mind.
"You don't actually like me, I know that" she said, looking at him strangely, "You probably only got me out in this alley to..." the rest of her sentence was left unsaid though the weird little movement she made with her eyes told him what she was implying.
"I'm not bloody like that!" he protested loudly, "God, you ungrateful bint! Here's me trying to make sure you don't die and you're accusing me of trying to... Oh buggering hell!" his rant turned into cursing and frantic yelling of Buffy's name as her eyes fell shut and she seemed to pass out into his embrace.
"Buffy, come on, luv, open your eyes!" he begged her, "Sweetheart, talk to me"
With a startled expression she glanced up at him, eyes wide as she stared into his own and he breathed a sigh of relief that she was awake.
"Sweetheart, huh?" she questioned his term of endearment for her but he found it very hard to answer as she stared into his eyes as if she was reading his soul, "Y'know, you have the most beautiful blue eyes" she whispered, her lips just a fraction away from his own. Spike knew it was a really bad idea but he so wanted to kiss her and was just about to when Buffy pulled away from him, throwing up spectacularly all over the ground.
"Perfect end to a perfect night" Spike sighed to himself as he crouched down beside Buffy, rubbing her back as she coughed and spluttered. She might have acted like a stupid bint tonight, but he liked her all the same, and he wouldn't leave her in this state, he just couldn't.
To Be Continued...