The phone rang in his office and he picked it up, hoping it was Buffy.
"Hello?"
"Mr. O'Connor, Miss Chase wishes to see you."
He groaned.
"Should I tell her that you are busy, sir?" His secretary asked.
"No, that shouldn't be necessary. Send her in." He squinted his eyes and brushed his hair back with his hand frantically. He stood up.
Cordelia walked in nonchalantly.
"Angel, how are you? I haven't seen you-" Her act was completely fake and he knew it.
"Sit down." He ordered.
"Bossy much?" She whined as she sat down.
"Why are you here, Cordelia? You've already screwed things up for me."
"I wouldn't say that. You've got one of the highest paid jobs in the entire magazine, all because I made a little mistake and cursed out John Cusack during an interview." She smiled, the corner of her lip twitching.
"Why are you here?" He barked.
"No need to get nasty, Mr. O'Connor! I'm here to give you a copy of Ellison's latest publication. There's a note of interest on page 3C." She pointed as she handed it to him from the couch.
He flipped it open and narrowed his eyes "Ms. Summers' column? This is a note of interest?" He exclaimed.
"If you actually read it, you might understand where I'm coming from."
He perused it briefly "So what? She's got a modeling contract with Chanel. Why on Earth would I care about that?" It made him flinch, he'd see her on billboards, on the subway. He was actually a little scared but he couldn't let Cordelia see him that way, she couldn't see his vulnerability.
"If she has a modeling contract, more people will read her column to read about her new found celebrity. It's instant publicity. The only way to beat that is to become the next Calvin Klein underwear model or sabotage her. Which would you prefer?" She smirked.
There was a knock on her office door.
"Come in." Buffy blinked.
He came in.
"Oh, hello, Spike." She gave a weak smile.
"Buffy, you look a little bummed. What's wrong?"
"Um…I didn't have my coffee this morning, it's actually really nothing." She shrugged. "So, what did you want to talk about, Spike?"
"I was wondering…" He fiddled with something in his pocket "Would you like to go for noodles and dim sum with me tonight? I know this really great place down in Chinatown…"
"That would be nice." She smiled. She leaned back in her chair. "I haven't had noodles in the longest time."
"Um, 7:00 at Noodle Boy, then?" He looked at his watch.
"oh-" She slapped her forehead "I am so sorry, William…er, Spike. But I've just remembered that I promised my friend Willow that I would eat dinner with her tonight, we were going to see Spamalot on Broadway. Is tomorrow okay?"
He sighed, disappointed "I suppose."
"I really want to go…but, I just can't. I am so sorry. Shun me if you must." She smiled.
"I don't think I should 'shun' you, Buffy." He laughed.
"As long as that's clear, then."
"He was really sweet." Buffy sighed happily
"Uh-oh." Willow noted and took another sip of her coffee.
"What does that mean?" Buffy was confused.
"'Sweet' doesn't usually equate to a lasting relationship for Buffy. Even I know that much." Willow scoffed.
"Hey! Sweet guys are awesome-!"
"C'mon, Buffy! How many guys have you dated that you originally pinned down as sweet and only as sweet?"
"Well there was…wait, no…uh, no he was dating Harmony…okay! Fine! How about Riley?" Buffy pointed out.
"That is the one and only exception."
"Crap. No sweet guys for Buffy." She grumbled.
"Are you still going to pursue this 'conquest'?"
"He's probably that guy…y'know? The one that always leaves me crap? And sweet notes?" Buffy pondered aloud.
"Probably. Potential stalker-type."
Buffy laughed "William is so not the stalker-type, he's just that weepy kinda 'I write upsetting poetry' guy."
"Someone's got the major issues." Willow muttered.
"Mhmm." Buffy looked around and glanced out the window and wrinkled her forehead in confusion.
"What is it?" Willow asked.
"Is that…William?" Buffy pointed out the window to a man in all leather with bleached blonde hair.
"Uh, you didn't tell me that William's other name was Captain Peroxide." Willow chuckled.
"It wasn't." Buffy whispered. She noticed that a girl was hanging all over him.
"Drusilla!" She alsoheard him cry. "You're a beauty!"
"Drusilla? Transylvania much?" Willow laughed.
"Apparently. Hey, I'll be right back." Buffy walked outside and watched at how 'Spike' was caught off guard.
"Be careful!" Willow called after her.
"Spike?" She asked.
"Oh, hullo, Buffy." He spoke in a completely different accent as he took a drag off his cigarette.
"Since when do you smoke?" She wrinkled her nose at the smell.
She saw him whisper something in Drusilla's ear and she left, mumbling obscenities.
"Today." He laughed.
"Ookay. Where'd the weird Billy Idol complex come from? You're usually so prim and proper."
"'S more manly." He grinned confidently.
"Sure. Puhretty kick-ass." She nodded, stunned.
"Instead of noodles, y'think maybe we could go out boozing?" He took another drag.
"Uh, probably not." She shook her head, whooshing away the noxious fumes from his cigarette.
"Aww, c'mon, baby." He sidled up to her and put his arm around her. "Spike'll show you a good time."
"Don't 'baby' me, Captain Peroxide." She stormed off, completely mad at how she'd taken herself for a fool.
Another party. It was on a more advanced scale at this point. There was even a frozen ice swan at this party. Buffy wore a stunning floor-sweeping gown. It was vintage Chanel, she'd accidentally worn the same dress as Cordelia at the party before-last. She was making sure that never happened again. Or else she'd cross her heart and really really hope to die.
She saw him from across the room, his date, a trashy blonde, was practically mating with him. He didn't notice what was going on,of course. That discovery madeBuffy smirk and look away.
Buffy put the ladle into the punch bowl and filled her cup, a tendril of hair kept falling in front of her eyes.
"Let me get that, pet." Rough fingers tucked the tendril behind her ear. She turned and frowned.
"Leave me alone." She said bitterly.
"I'm sorry, Buffy. I was pretty drunk that night-"
"Save it." She whispered and walked away.
She sat down and began her next novel. Misery by Stephen King arrested her attention for approximately ten minutes until a voice interrupted her. "Buffy."
"Angel." She replied gently as she kept reading.
"I'm sorry. Did you get my messages?"
"Sorry, Angel, I deleted them before I could listen to them."
"Stop being this way." He sat next to her.
"Where's your girlfriend?"
"Girlfriend?" He bunched his eyebrows "Oh. You mean Darla?" He laughed.
"What's so funny?" Buffy darted him a look.
"She's my escort. The company hired her. She's not my date." He replied.
"Oh." Buffy sighed in relief. She paused. "But what about Cordelia?"
He looked her in the eyes and said "Buffy, I've already talked to you about this. I'm not interested in her. There's only one girl I'm interested in."
Buffy gulped. "That is me…right?"
"Yeah." He held her hand.
"Good." She whispered.
yup yup, still s'more on the way...I'm sorry I changed the William character so much so quickly...I was just gonna give him a cameo and take him out of the "romantic picture"...don't get all offended, Spuffy fans... much love...click the button and leave the most wonderful reviews...lotsa reviews make quicker updates:D