"So, Spike. That's not your real name I presume. What is it?"
"William. I must say though, Mother wasn't all too happy to learn that I had adopted the name Spike as my nickname. In fact, sometimes I wonder if it's really just coincidence that she died only a week later. She was a very conservative woman." Buffy could see that his mother's death was still a hard subject for Spike to talk about so she let it go and briefly filled him in on how it was just Buffy and her mother.
"So, do you live with your father Spike?" It had seemed like a reasonable question to Buffy, until she heard his answer.
"I'm twenty-one years old Buffy! Living with the old man has never been a lifelong dream of mine. Besides, he lives in England. My mum died only a couple years back so I was old enough to come here on my own. I work at Domino's for some quick cash. I actually come from one of the wealthiest families in England, but my dad pretty much disowns me for moving away."
"Wow. Harsh. Whoa, wait a second. Did you say you were TWENTY-ONE!"
"Buffy, be honest. How old are you?"
"Well, if I said twenty-one, I would be lying. So, in truth, I'm seventeen."
"Oh shit. Well, that explains why you still live with your mother then."
"There is nothing wrong with my mother. And well, yeah, I see your point. But hey, who knew people were delivery boys when they're past nineteen?" (Small laugh, from Buffy)
"Hey, well it's not easy being on my own. No family. No girlfriend. Hell, not all too many friends at all, and I've been here over a year and a half." While he was speaking, Buffy could see a certain sadness creep into his beautiful blue eyes. His eyes basically told the story of his life. Beautiful; yet lonely. Buffy hoped to change that.
"That sounds lonely. Hey, have you heard of the Bronze? My friends and I go there almost every night. It's a nightclub on the bad side of town. Which, in case you don't know, is about half a mile from the good part of town." Buffy smiled at this. She really wanted to get to know Spike better. He may be lonely, but she had plans to fix this.
"Sounds great. Only problem, I'm four years older than you. I think your friends might notice that. Also, Buffy, your seventeen, I doubt that your mother would approve of our relationship. Am I wrong?"
"Well, my friends are very kind. They would be happy for me to have met someone, though how I met you, kind of different. Who knows, they might get a kick out of it. As for my mother, well, she isn't home a lot. Like for the next week. She's in England for her art gallery right now."
"Well, don't get me wrong Buffy, it was nice that she wasn't around last night, but she has a right to know who her daughter is hanging out with. Especially since it's technically illegal for me to be dating you because you're under eighteen."
"She knows who I hang out with. And I don't think she'll mind us being together if you make me happy. Plus, no one is saying she has to know. And anyways, we're not dating... yet. But anytime you want to offer..."
"Well Buffy, would you like to go to the Bronze with me tonight around eight? It could be our first date."
"Sounds perfect."
"So, a date it is then. I'll pick you up around eight."
"I can't wait." Buffy leaned in and kissed Spike.
"Well, I'm going to go home and clean up. See you later?"
"Sure. Oh, and by the way, thanks for bringing the pizza."
"Thanks for the nice tip. And hopefully the beginning of an amazing relationship." Spike smiled brightly. Any fool could see he was falling for Buffy. And he was falling hard. Sure, they may have gotten off to a very quick start, but Spike had a feeling this girl had a lot more to her. Age difference was a problem, but they could try to avoid it. Something told Spike that this was the girl of his dreams.
After Spike got back from work at 6:30, he took a shower and got ready for his first date with Buffy. He was beyond excited. He chose to wear a silk dark blue button down shirt with a pair of jeans, going for a nice but casual look.
At the Summers' house, Buffy was already working on her makeup. She had already put on her outfit of a new black halter top, that made her look nice but not slutty, and her favorite jeans from Express. She was so thrilled to see Spike tonight and she really wanted to impress him.
At exactly 8 o'clock, the doorbell rang at Buffy's house. A man loyal to his word got to admire that. Buffy thought before answering the door.
"Hey." Buffy answered joyfully, "right on time."
"You look great Buffy." Spike was still staring her.
"Thanks, you too. Ready to go?"
"Yep, let's go."
Buffy and Spike entered the Bronze looking like the world's happiest couple. Almost immediately Buffy found her friends in the back corner of the club sitting in a big circle laughing at something or other. Buffy led Spike over to them with a huge smile on her face.
"Hey Buff and…?" You can always trust Xander to get right to the point.
"Hey everyone. This is Spike, my boyfriend. Spike, this is Xander, Anya, Willow, and Oz."
"Hey Spike! Wow, I'm so excited for Buffy. When did you guys meet and how come I didn't find out until now?"
"Calm down Willow. I met Spike last night. He's the Domino's pizza guy! How great is that!" Happiness was more than evident in Buffy's voice, though Xander, the very protective friend, still had his doubts about Spike.
"So, Spike? Where are you from? How old are you? Do you have any other girlfriends? And what are your intentions with Buffy? If you can answer these questions correctly, then it's great to meet you. Any wrong answers and you're out of here." Xander had his own way of sucking up to people, it's just that no one understands it.
"Umm… I'm from England, I have no other girlfriends, and my intentions are to be Buffy's boyfriend and make her happy."
"Aww… that's so sweet. I think you hit the jackpot this time Buffy." Willow was glad Buffy had finally found a great guy.
"Wait guys, he forgot a question. How old are you, Spike" Suspicion dipped off Xander's voice like snow falling from the sky during a snowstorm.
"Well, I'm 21. But Buffy will be 18 on her next birthday so we won't be illegal for long."
"Well, actually I just turned 17 so I will not be 18 until next March, which is 11 months from now." Buffy looked slightly embarrassed at having to mention this. 11 months was going to be a long time to hide something this big from her mother, whether she was there often or not.
Spike noticed Buffy's look of slight fear on her face.
"Don't worry pet, we'll get through 11 months. It's not that long." Spike's voice alone was enough to make Buffy calm down and know for a fact that everything would work out in the end.
"Yeah you're right." Buffy gave Spike a quick peck on the lips.
"You want to dance, pet?" Spike asked Buffy.
"Sure. See you guys."
Spike led Buffy to the dance floor leaving Buffy four best friends by themselves.
"Aren't they just they a cute couple?" Willow asked as she watched them dancing to the slow song that was currently playing.
"Yes. They are both beautiful and I bet there sex was terrific." Anya finally spoke up.
"They met last night! They have NOT slept together yet. Don't you agree Will? Oz? Anybody?" Xander added the last word in a very small voice.
"I don't know Xander. I'll ask sometime later." Willow was sure Buffy would be spilling out details later tonight.
"It's obvious! The way they act around each other says it all." Anya usually was a good evaluator; her judgment was usually respected in these discussions.
"Alright then, let's ask." With that, Xander got up and walked over to where Buffy and Spike were dancing.
"Hey guys." he interrupted.
"Xander, what the fuck are you doing. I'm busy here." Buffy stopped dancing to deal with him.
"Oh, well yes I can that. We just wanted to know if you guys have slept together. This was kind of our conversation piece."
"None of your business Xander. Now go."
"Not till you tell me."
"Okay yes now go." And Xander left.
"Sorry Spike. Xander's very protective, also kind of nosy."
"That's alright pet. He's definitely an interesting guy."
"Yeah. Well, at least we can forget about him now." And then they resumed dancing.
"Yeah."
Later that night Spike dropped Buffy off at her house. They were both tired from 4 hours of dancing.
"Thanks for a wonderful night Buffy. It was great meeting your friends, even Xander. I hope I'll call you tomorrow."
"I can't wait." Buffy passionately kissed Spike goodnight then went inside and shut the door.
London, England
"Your collection of ancient artifacts is quite impressive Mrs. Summers."
"Why thank you Mr. Giles."
"You know, some of your showcases would bring the our museums here in London much money and tourism. I happen to be close friends with some of the museum owners here. How much would you want for a showcase?"
"I am very sorry Mr. Giles but none of my collection is for sale, whether its for a museum or not."
"2 million per showcase. Think about it Mrs. Summers, you wouldn't have to travel to show your collection anymore and you could have more time with your daughter."
"My answer is no Mr. Giles. I'm sorry. Now leave." Mrs. Summers' never wished to see Mr. Giles again. He was a rude, arrogant bastard from what she could tell. With that Mr. Rupert Giles left Mrs. Joyce Summers' showcase she had set up while visiting England.