A/N : Veering way off the beaten track of '10 Things...' here but hopefully you'll still like it. We'll be heading back to the plot of the movie later, more or less anyway. In the meantime, enjoy!
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 10 - Aftermath

"Okay, so looking back over the points discussed in chapter three, we can see that..." the teacher stopped mid-sentence as there was a clatter by the door and Spike came crashing in, looking both unkempt and a little pissed off.

"Ah, Mr Giles, so nice of you to join us" the teacher said sarcastically as the bleached blond shrugged his coat off and took the only available seat right at the front of the room. He hated sitting so close to the teacher, made it that much harder to block his ears to the constant droning voice of the man who seemed so excited by his history books. Spike's head was thumping like he'd got an entire samba band sitting in his frontal lobe, such was the effect of too much alcohol consumed over the weekend.

Spike drank when he was angry, or miserable, and sometimes when he was happy, though that didn't happen very often. It meant he was semi-drunk a not small portion of the time. He'd smoked half a small tobacco plantation too as he'd laid in his room, staring at the ceiling, playing his punk CDs at maximum volume to keep his Uncle away from him. His head was full of Buffy, and after all his thinking about her and the situation they'd found themselves in, he still had no idea how to handle it.

Spike was good with women, had been for years now, ever since he got the bad boy image. Girls went for the dangerous type, thrill of the possible danger he supposed, it didn't matter. Fact was he could have pretty much any girl he wanted, except Buffy.

That's what had started it, well, the money Angel gave him had been part of it, but even that wouldn't have kept him playing this game so long if Buffy had been easy. She wasn't afraid to give her opinion, and she hadn't exactly started out with a great one of him. She bitched, and she fought against it, but now she was genuinely starting to like him, if her pouting at him in the car on Saturday night was anything to go by. She wanted him to kiss her, he really wanted to, and yet he couldn't do it because it was all a lie.

Liam Angelus was a git, but he had cash to spend and he'd paid Spike for a service. Then there was poor pathetic little Andrew desperate for a date with Buffy's kid sister, Dawn. Somehow amongst all this Spike had found himself dating a woman with a temper to rival his own, and now for the first time in his life, he was genuinely falling in love. The problems that remained now were that Buffy was probably pissed at him for not kissing her on Saturday, and that if he explained why that was she'd probably kick him where it hurt so hard he'd never walk again. The girl had the moves, she could probably kill him, and being the idiot he was, he'd probably let her if it meant she'd touch him again.

The bell rang loudly, making Spike physically wince as his head buzzed for a long moment even after the ringing was over. Everybody seemed to be making the most noise right near his ears and the teacher warned him quite vocally that if he was late one more time he'd be spending a large amount of time in detention.

"Idiot" he heard someone mutter as they pushed passed his desk. he glanced up, frowning, just in time to see Buffy disappear out of sight, with Faith by her side. Seemed he wasn't wrong about the blonde being mad at him, what he needed to know was how mad, and if this was fixable in any way at all. Probably best to wait til his hangover had cleared some before he tried to do anything though, he decided, slipping off to the library to sleep through his free periods.

Spike just made it to a seat in the back corner when a pair of excited little geeks came running at him, making far too much noise in his opinion.

"Hey, Spike" Andrew grinned, "Isn't it an awesome day?"

"Not seein' it myself" the bleached blond sighed as he sat down heavily in the nearest chair, "You got any pills on you?" he asked hopefully, making Xander frown and back up a step.

"You mean drugs!" he asked with wide eyes, not liking the idea of getting so mixed up with this guy if he was taking something.

"Yeah" Spike rolled his eyes, "As in aspirin you half wit!" he snapped, wishing he hadn't raised his voice when his head throbbed some more.

"Er, kinda not" Andrew told him, taking the seat opposite, "but I do have good news. Me and Dawn, we're kinda coupledy" he grinned like an idiot, and Spike was sure if his smile got any wider the boys face would split in two.

"Good for you, mate" he sighed, "Can't say as things are so great with me and her sister"

"You upset the Buffster?" Xander asked, deciding it was safe to sit down now that the drugs issue had been cleared up, "Is that why you need painkillers? Did she beat you up?" he checked.

"No she bloody didn't!" Spike argued, disliking intensely the fact this pratt was insinuating a girl could hurt him this much, "Got a hangover is all, what happened with Buffy... fact is nothing happened with Buffy and that's why she's so royally brassed off" he told them. Andrew's smile fell off his face immediately.

"But if Buffy is upset with you, she won't date you" he said worriedly, "and that means I can't take out Dawnie" he whined, "Oh my God, we have to fix this"

"Andrew, we will fix it" Spike assured him, "But I am gonna have to kill you slowly and painfully if you don't stop bleedin' whining in my ear, got it?" he said, in a dangerously low voice and more in Andrew's face than the boy was really comfortable with.

"Uh-huh" he agreed quietly and Spike leant back in the chair, closing his eyes against the bright electric light on the ceiling.

"So, what exactly happened with you and Buffy?" Xander asked carefully, knowing it was best not to make this guy anymore angry than he already was.

"I took her home, she was all up for a good snog and I... I couldn't do it" Spike sighed, hating his decision right now. Part of him knew he'd done the right thing in not making the move, but God he'd so wanted to and she had to. Now he was royally screwed and couldn't see a way to make this better. Any other girl, he could have them back in a second one way or another, but Buffy was different, that was the point. It was why he liked her so much.

"You hurt her feelings?" Xander checked, "Wow, I wasn't sure she had any anymore"

"Yeah, well, turns out you were wrong" Spike pointed out, "Just wish I knew how pissed she was before I try and fix this" he sighed, "Dating her's like being at bloody war, and knowing your enemy before the battle is vital"

"Speaking of enemies" Xander grimaced as Faith came into view, looking a little lost.

"Faith, what the bloody hell are you doing in a library?" Spike asked her, with a raised eyebrow, "You're just about the last person I'd expect to see amongst the bookshelves, unless your back was up against one" he smirked as she gave him the finger for that comment.

"Yeah, well, I got business to take care of" she shrugged, "Some geek was supposed to deliver my math homework this morning and didn't show, the creep" she snapped before seeming to suddenly realise that the notoriously badass Spike Giles was sitting with two losers, "Since when were you in with the out crowd?" she quipped.

"Doing business, luv, just like you" Spike told her.

Faith stared at him for along moment, before casting her eyes left and right, taking in Andrew and Xander sitting either side of the bleached blond. She smiled slowly.

"Y'know, a cynical person might think it's kinda suspicious" she said, hands on her hips as she looked at each of them in turn, "I see you hanging around Dawnie" she said, pointing at Andrew, "Then her Mom switches rules so the little princess can date if anyone can charm the pants off B. All of a sudden you get interested in my partner in crime" she continued, finger now pointing at Spike, "And I find you two cutting deals in dark corners"

"Question becomes then, Faithie" Spike said, propping his feet up on the desk, "You a cynic, pet?"

She laughed at his nonchalance. There was no reason for her to think he was doing anything other than play her friend, after all men were only good for one thing and though she was fairly certain Spike would be a stallion in the sack, she was sure he'd be just like every other guy in every other sense. No better, no worse.

"I'll tell you this much, BleachBoy" she said, with a shake of her head, "Whether you want B for real or not, that ain't none of my business, but she is damned mad at you today. We're talking all out kick your ass type crazed. So you might wanna avoid actually talking to her" she said right before she walked away, messing up Xander's hair as she did so. She'd seen him trying to straighten it out this morning by his locker, and she just loved to mess with that guy.

"Oh great" Spike sighed when Faith was gone, "Buffy hates me, and if I talk to her I'll get bitch-slapped into next week. 'S definitely a morning for agreeing with the Boomtown Rats. I don't like Mondays" he groaned, covering his eyes as his head spun some more.

"Yo, B!" Faith yelled down the hallway as she spotted her friend, standing by the notice board, "What's up?"

"Everything" Buffy said absently, "But in large part this kinda crap" she sighed, gesturing to the poster advertising the Homecoming Dance being held at the Bronze.

"You're not going?" Faith asked her, "Not even if BleachBoy asks?" she smirked, knowing it would make Buffy so mad. Sometime that was just fun.

"Not if he were the last man alive" she said, suddenly ripping the poster down in a fit of rage, "I hate that guy" she snapped as she made to walk away and Faith went after her.

"Kay, B, don't sweat it" she told her, "We can hit the dance together, or not go at all, it's no big to me, it's all five by five" she shrugged.

"Yeah, well, I won't be going with any of the morons at this school" Buffy said firmly, "Call Saturday night a bout of temporary insanity. I am not dating these idiots again, they're all losers"

Buffy was still stuck in her I Hate Men riff at lunch and Faith was starting to get a little on the bored side. She was in total agreement with what her friend was saying, men were good for a ride and that was just about it, but the way Buffy was talking Faith knew Spike had seriously damaged her pride somehow. She liked him too, more than she thought the girl could like anyone and Faith only hoped she could take the blow if Spike hurt her badly.

"Hello, Buffy" aforementioned bleached blond said almost nervously as he appeared behind her seat in the cafeteria. Once his hangover had cleared he's decided it was time to face this girl he was rapidly falling for. She had to like him, he knew that from what happened on Saturday, and it wasn't as if he couldn't defend himself if she got violent.

"I don't think she wants to talk to you, Blondie" Faith told him as Buffy refused to turn and look at him.

"Oh what, and she can't tell me that for herself?" Spike checked, causing Buffy to get up suddenly, almost smacking into him.

"Yes, I can tell you myself" she snapped, "I can tell you that Saturday night was not special, or magical, it was barely even fun" she half-yelled, catching the attention of nearby students eating lunch, "I can tell you that you're a lousy date and that frankly I'm glad nothing happened, because if you'd have touched me like at all, I wouldn't be able to take enough hot showers to get the gross feeling off my body" she said nastily before storming out of the cafeteria to applause from a few other diners. Free entertainment during lunch was always fun.

Spike was like a man possessed as he went after her. God she made him mad, when all he wanted to do was apologise to her, to make things right. Her yelling and screaming did nothing to deter him, in fact when she was being all up in his face, high and mighty, tellin' him he was scum, somehow that was when she was most attractive to him, and she bloody turned him on that way too.

He caught up with her in the near-empty hall and grabbed her arm, pulling her around to face him.

"Get your hands off me!" she said angrily, pulling herself free, "Leave me alone"

"See, I don't think you want that" Spike told her, spinning her around and pinning her to the wall, he didn't hold her there, just stood right in front of her so she had nowhere to go. Oh he knew she could move him out of the way if she wanted to, she had the moves, he'd seen them, but that was the point. If she didn't use them now, just stuck to threats, then her wanting to get rid of him was all a facade as he suspected.

"I hate you" she seethed as he leaned into her.

"Hate now is it, pet?" he smirked, "'S not what it looked like when you were sitting in my car Saturday not, eyes shut and all pouty like you were"
"I was drunk" she defended her actions, though her eyes went to the floor when she said it. She knew it wasn't just the booze that made her want to kiss Spike, she wanted that anyway, she wanted it now, but she wouldn't let herself say so.

"And that's exactly why I backed off" he told her, "Don't take advantage of drunk young woman" he told her, "but... well, both sober now aren't we?" he smirked, and she really wasn't aware of what he was doing til he put his lips to hers.

For a few moments they both got lost in a deep, passion-filled kiss that drew the attention of several passers by. It was only when the bell rang, reminding Buffy where she was and what she was doing that she pulled away. She looked so angry and Spike was so startled by her sudden movement he didn't see her hand coming til he felt it strike his face.

"Stay away from me, or you'll regret it" she said angrily as she stormed off down the corridor, leaving Spike staring behind her. He hadn't planned on kissing her, told himself he wouldn't in fact, not yet, but she just got him going so easily he couldn't help himself.

"Well, least I got a reaction" he muttered to himself.

To Be Continued...