Chapter 12 - Breaking Out

"You're really serious about this" Faith laughed incredulously as she followed an incensed Buffy down the school hall. The final bell had rung more than ten minutes ago and almost every other student had cleared out of the High School. For once Buffy and Faith had not landed themselves in detention, but Spike had.

"You heard that song, Faith, he's in there because of me" Buffy explained to her friend, "If I'd've just listened to him before he wouldn't have detention every night this week and I'd be able to apologise to him properly"

"Okay, first off I ain't heard you apologise for jack the whole time I've known you" Faith reminded her, "and second, it was a frickin' song, B. It wasn't even that good, what is it about this guy that has you acting like a mental patient?"

Buffy sighed as they stopped walking a couple of feet from the door of the room where detention was being held.

"I don't know" she admitted, "I know he's just another guy that'll probably screw me over..."

"Only if you're lucky" Faith said suggestively, taking Buffy's words in entirely the wrong way. The blonde just rolled her eyes and continued.

"It's insane but... he matters to me, he means something, and I don't know what exactly I just know I feel stuff and... okay, so I sound like a lame fifth grader right now but I like him okay, I really like him and I want to help him out"

"Okay" Faith sighed, knowing it was pointless to continue to argue with her friend on this.

She personally did not understand all this liking to the point of loving stuff, romance was for losers as far as she was concerned. Guys were good for one thing only, and most of them weren't too good at that. She was sure Spike would be a Viking in the sack but why Buffy was getting so hot and bothered over the guy was beyond her. Still, they were friends, and she'd help her out with her little scheme today. If nothing else it was always fun to get her kicks playing up to Principal Wood. He was quite the hottie for an older guy.

"Here's what we're gonna do" Faith told her friend as they peered through the glass panel in the door, "I'll play diversion girl, you get your guy over to the window and down the fire escape. Got it?"

"I guess" Buffy shrugged, "How exactly are you gonna create a diversion?" she asked Faith, a little worried by how far she might go with this.

"Relax, B" the brunette rolled her eyes as she adjusted the strap of her bag across her shoulder, "I promise not to get arrested if you don't" she smirked before tapping on the door and barging straight in without waiting for an answer.

"Miss Lehane" Principal Wood frowned slightly as he glanced up from his desk at the approaching girl, "As surprising as it is, I wasn't actually expecting you today"

"Guess I'm just a wicked-cool surprise then, huh?" she smirked as she sruck a pose right in front of him. He glanced between the desk and Faith, giving Buffy a few seconds to sneak in the door.

There were only five kids in detention today, and none of them were likely to tell if they saw what Faith and Buffy were doing, especially not Spike who was half way down one side of the room, picking at his black nail polish and not paying much attention to anything. The next row over from him was Charles Gunn, who was no doubt in detention for the latest fight he'd got into, and over on the other side of the room was Anya, who had the less than flattering reputation of the school bike - almost every guy having had a ride over the past year. Further back in the room was Illyria who had no doubt told some teacher how insignificant they and their class were, and her little friend Knox was sat beside her. He wasn't a bad guy so much but he adored Illyria and so often ended up in trouble whenever she was, just for being on her side. Though Buffy wasn't exactly best friends with any of them they were unlikely to scupper her plan, after all it was entertaining when anyone got away with something like this right under the Principal's nose.

"As nice as it is to have you here with us, Faith" Wood smiled warily at her, "I don't believe I have you on my list" he said, glancing down at the page on the desk in front of him.

"Well, y'know you should, I'm a very naughty girl" Faith told him, leaning over the desk in such a way so that he got a good view of her assets as Buffy ducked behind desks, making her way down the side of the room to where Spike was. He jumped slightly when he spotted her and she shushed him fast when he opened his mouth to speak.

Checking the Principal wasn't looking, the bleached blond glanced down at Buffy and mouthed his question to her silently.

"What are you doing?"

"Breaking you out" she 'said' back to him with a smile as she watched Faith perch herself on the edge of the desk, blocking Woods' view of the left side of the room. Spike slid out of his chair in one fluid movement, trying not to make a sound as the rest of the detentionees spotted what he was doing. Gunn smirked as he glanced between Faith showing it all off to a bemused Wood, and Buffy and Spike inching towards the window at the side of the room.

"Really, Faith, I'm not sure what it is you want but..." the Principal began, looking like he was about to stand up. The brunette pushed herself further towards him over the desk, putting her hand on his shoulder to keep him in his seat, if he stood up he'd easily spot the two blondes escaping.

"Ain't it obvious what I want?" she asked him with a smirk. She'd always thought Robin Wood was way hot for an older guy, and as much as she was kind of acting right now, she could seriously consider taking it all the way if he would.

"Miss Lehane" Wood said, closing his eyes to keep his composure. He may be a school Principal but he wasn't blind to the fact that Faith was an extremely attractive and sexy young woman, still he had to keep his head in this kind of situation, "Not that I'm not flattered, I mean obviously you're a... charming girl" he opted for.

Spike stifled a laugh at that as he swung his legs out of the open window, out onto the fire escape. Buffy was about to do the same, when Principal Wood pushed himself to his feet. In a panic Faith scrambled up too and did the only thing she could think of guaranteed to avert the Principal's attention from the window - she pulled up her top and flashed him.

Buffy was too busy scrambling out of the window as quickly and quietly as possible to know what her friend had done, but Spike told her as they ran down the fire escape hand in hand, the loud reactions of the detenionees and the Principal still audible as they descended.

"S'pose I ought to thank your mate Faithie for doing such a good job of busting me out of detention" Spike smirked as he and Buffy sat in the food court of the Sunnydale Mall. With no real idea of where they were going the young couple had just started walking until they got hungry and then found the nearest place to get food.

"Thank her?" Buffy scoffed, "All she did was flutter her eyelashes at the Principal, and hello, she does that everyday anyway" she explained.

"So this was all your plan then?" Spike checked as he stared at her across the table, head tilting to one side as he watched her stir her ice-cream around in the dish, "Knew you didn't hate me that much, can't do if you're risking life and limb to get me out of there"

"It's not like it's a big deal" Buffy shrugged, finding it weird how embarrassed and uncomfortable this guy could make her feel, "You did something nice for me, the song and everything, so I did you a favour" she explained, making Spike smirk.

"Ought to be nice to you more often then" he said, sipping his drink, "Like the idea of you owing me favours, pet"

"Don't think this means I like you or anything" Buffy scoffed, though she couldn't look him in the eye when she said it, "I just felt kinda bad for you getting stuck in detention when you were trying to do something nice for me is all" she shrugged, "Did you... did you really write that song for me?" she checked, glancing up at him through her eyelashes and feeling so girly and silly right now.

"That I did, luv" he nodded, "Seemed you weren't too eager to listen when I tried talkin' to you. Figured you couldn't avoid me if I was broadcasting to the whole bloody school" he smirked, "First song I've written it a long while but then there's nothin' like a beautiful young woman to get the inspiration flowing" he told her, his compliments making her blush, though she tried to hide it.

"You think all these compliments are gonna get you anywhere you are so mistaken" she shook her head, smiling as she got out some cash and they both paid for their food and drink. Pulling her jacket back on, Buffy began walking and Spike dutifully followed.

"So where to now then?" he asked as they continued to walk through the mall.

Buffy was about to say she didn't know or care when a store caught her eye, she hadn't realised they'd walked this far down.

"Oh, I love this place" she enthused, grabbing Spike's arm and forcibly dragging him into 'Ethan's Records'. The sign in the window, which Spike barely got to read as he was bundled through the door stated the store was selling old, used, and rare CDs and records. Sounded like his kind of place too.

"Decent place this" he commented as they moved down the shelves.

"Oh please, this stuff is as old as my mother" Buffy scoffed, looking entirely unimpressed by the particular titles Spike was looking at, "I mean, what kinda name for a band is The Sex Pistols anyway?" she rolled her eyes, unable to hold in a laugh when she caught sight of Spike's incredulous expression.

"They are classic, little girl" he told her firmly, "Not like the crap boybands and such of today"

"I am so not boyband girl" Buffy told him, just as steadfastly, "You don't know me well enough to know that, then you don't know me at all" she said, folding her arms over her chest and turning away to look at some other CDs in the section marked 'Limited Editions'.

Spike rolled his eyes and followed her, opting for the opposite end of the alphabet to Buffy.

"Honestly, you think The Sex Pistols is a stupid name, get a load of some of these" he laughed, "What sort of a name for a band is 'Vamp Attack'?"

"Oh my God, are you crazy!" Buffy yelled all of a sudden, making him jump, "Tell me that's not what I think it is in your hand!" she asked, eyes wide as she practically bounced on the spot trying to see the red coloured CD case Spike held in his hand.

"Depends on what you think it is, luv?" he asked, smirking at her childish behaviour and deliberately holding the CD away from her.

"A Limited Edition copy of Vamp Attack's greatest album 'Blood Lust'!" she said, eyes almost wild as she tried desperately to get the album from his hand, "They broke up the day before it officially got released, and everywhere sold out within hours!" she was practically screaming by now and Spike found it very amusing as he held the CD over his head where she couldn't reach it no matter how hard she tried.

"Well, I could hand it over, I s'pose" he smirked, "If you asked me nicely"

Buffy looked daggers at him as he grinned, looking all smug and annoying, and somehow incredibly sexy at the same time. She wanted that CD, and she could easily get it, all she had to do was execute a couple of well practised martial arts moved, and Spike would be flat on his back in seconds. That thought twisted itself around in her mind and she smiled slightly at the thought of getting this guy flat on his back in other non-fighty ways. It was only when she blinked her way back to reality she realised she had him backed against the shelves, her body pressed close to his as her hand reached for the disc in his hand.

"Give it to me" she said, more softly than she'd meant to, and in such a way as her words might be taken in a completey different context to that which she intended, "Please" she added, unsure by now whether she was talking about the CD anymore as Spike's blue eyes bored into her own. In one swift and sudden movement he brought his lips down onto hers and kissed her hungrily. She responded instantly, unable to fight what he made her feel any longer.

Their arms wrapped around each others bodies as various other shoppers looked on, one of the younger boys wolf-whistling when he saw the passionate display. Still Buffy and Spike did not part, and the CD in his hand seemed entirely forgotten for a while.

When they finally broke for air Buffy smiled and then laughed slightly.

"What's amusing you so much then, luv?" Spike asked her with a smirk, "Would've thought I was the one who should be laughing. Just proved myself right about you, didn't I?"

"Maybe" she conceded, forehead still touching his as she got her breath back, "But I just proved how easy you are to play" she giggled as she showed him the CD he'd been holding before, now in her own hand. As glorious as their kissing had been, she was aware enough of the world to extract the disc from his fingers.

She giggled in uncharacteristically girly fashion as she pulled from his grasp and hurried towards the counter to purchase the item. Spike yelled after her what a 'bloody minx' she was as he followed her through the store, threatening to exact revenge for her crime when he caught up with her. Buffy planned on getting caught on purpose, since it seemed his revenge was likely to be as sweet for her as it was for him.

To Be Continued...