A/N: Hey, I think this update was a little sooner than my others blushes … a little?
Fine. Two whole months it took me. Two whole months. To the day.
death lies2: Thankyou! Haha. Alex is sixteen. I know that now everyone is sitting on the edge of their chairs thinking 'it's gonna be an AlexBuffy affair'. But why? Why have an affair when you can have friendship? I know that sounds gay, but I think that Alex and Buffy can't be together because it's a Spike and Buffy story. It's making me want to pair them up though.
ArinnaMarie: Aw! Thank you so much!
General Mac: haha, sure.
Pulchra Nex: Really? That's great, because I was really worried that people were going to get all cut at me for making non-Buffy related characters. I can't resist throwing a few self-invented characters into fictions.
AnimeAngel41: I try, really, I do. It just takes a while for the inspiration.
Spuffy2008: The site's pretty much up at the moment. Click on souled-angel above and you get transferred to my User Page or something. Then click 'Home Page' and it should hopefully transfer you there.
pinkyblue-ice: Thanks!
AmethystDragon81: haha! Thank you:P Not all that good at writing British… being an Aussie and all. But hey. I've seen movies. And from what I've heard, the UK is similar to Aus.
LoveHiei-Rine: Don't kill me! I'll write more, I swear!
Thankyou again for reviewing! You guys are so cool! My heros... and heroines, of course.
Buffy heard a splash in the pool. She looked down at her white dress. She had changed into it earlier that morning. After wearing one of Spike's red button down shirts to bed and driving him crazy intentionally by sliding around on the bed and feeling the shirt riding up her thighs, where her swimmers were underneath.
Walking out in the hall with Joey, she stuck her head in Emma-Maye's room to find her still fast asleep.
Smiling softly, Buffy pulled the door closed, following Joey back down the hall to the stairs. Buffy was led out the back by Joey, where Buffy watched Ally swimming around the pool, accompanied by Natalie, who had just bombed in, professionally tucking her legs up to curl herself into a ball.
Alex came and stood behind Buffy and Joey, placing a hand on Joey's shoulder.
Buffy turned, spotting him. "Hey," she greeted, smiling widely.
"Buffy…" Alex could barely contain himself. Buffy seemed like she was… missing something. Her spark wasn't as strong. He had to tell her. See if it bought the light back into her green eyes.
She raised her eyebrows at him. "Hmm?"
A movement caught Alex's eye. "Uh… nevermind. I'll… be back in a tick, yeah?"
She laughed. "You're so much like him, yet… at the same time… you're so different. We're going to get along so well."
He couldn't help it. A huge smile crossed over his face uncontrollably. "Great mates, sure."
"And that accent. It's to die for. Love it," she told him, biting her lip. "Gotta say though. Spike? It's gorgeous… to me. But with that voice? I just want to die listening to him talk."
Alex frowned. Will's voice was that irritating to her.
Buffy laughed. "No! No, no, no, no! You don't understand," she laughed harder, wiping at tears gathering in her eyes. "No, I don't literally want to die, because… no. I just think his voice is sexy. Hey. I'm American… must have come out wrong."
Chuckling, Alex shook his head. "I'll be back in a minute."
He disappeared back inside and Joey looked up at Buffy. "I'm not goin' in the pool till Alexy gets back, 'kay?" Joey told her, head tilted backwards to see her.
She smiled. "Sure. We can wait."
"Where your bikini?" Joey asked. "Natty says that girls wear bikini's in the pool."
"I have it on under my dress, see?" she pulled her dress down a bit and showed him. He smiled triumphantly.
"Will?" he whispered loudly, peaking into the kitchen, where Spike was lazily propped up against a cupboard picking at his teeth.
"Al! How's everything been?" Spike asked, grinning.
"Man, why are you back?"
Spike shrugged. "Mum an' I arrived… turns out the hotel hired her a… personal bodyguard and chauffeur or some soddin' likes of. She sends me off home. Waste of bloody gas, it was."
Alex laughed. "That's mum for you. Go get in your togs. Surprise Buffy in the pool."
"You like?" Spike asked, truly wanting his brother's opinion.
Alex paused, noting the sudden serious turn of the conversation. He pondered it for a moment, before smiling. "I love her. She's perfect for you, Will. Absolutely perfect."
Spike smiled thankfully, nodding. "Pool it is."
"Ready to hop in the pool?" Alex asked, passing Buffy on the veranda, and jogging over to the pool.
"Sure. Coming, Joey?"
Joey smiled, running down to the pool and picking up his pool floats, sliding them up his arms.
Alex picked him up, and carried him into the pool, walking down the stairs and enjoying the coolness of the water.
Buffy giggled at the look on the younger boys face. Seconds later, she was undressing. Natalie hopped out of the water and undid the zipper on the dress for her, diving back into the pool straight after.
"Thanks, Nat," Buffy smiled. Then she frowned. "I can… call you… uh—"
Natalie dunked under the water for a minute, coming back up and wiping her hair away from her face. "Course you can."
Nodding happily, Buffy pulled off the dress, and hung it over the fence next to her. "Water warm?" she asked, never one to fear icy cold water, but not too fussed on it either.
Ally stroked over to the other end of the pool, away from Buffy. "Not tellin'. Give us a dive?"
Buffy giggled.
"You're a swimmer, aren't you?" Natalie asked, with a Spike-like tilt of her head.
"How did you know that!" Buffy gasped. "That's like… my deepest darkest secret!"
It was Natalie's turn to giggle. "I always know…"
Walking up to the water's edge, she saw Ally go wide-eyed as she stared into the house. She didn't notice Alex discretely press his finger to his lips, so she turned to the doorway, seeing nothing of any interest. "What?" she asked, looking back to Ally.
"Nothin'. Just thought I heard Emmy. False alarm…" Ally covered, glancing at Alex.
"Ah, she's fast asleep. I have the monitor over there on the window sill in case, though…" Buffy shrugged, indicating the window into the kitchen, where a baby monitor sat.
"Stop stalling. Dive, girl. Dive!" Natalie urged, also moving over the other end of the pool and giving Buffy diving space.
Buffy took in a deep breath, stepping back from the pool edge before bouncing on her heal and taking a step towards it, using the momentum of the bounce to dive perfectly into the pool, her hands slipping in, followed gracefully by her head, upper and lower body, and finally her feet, causing a small splash.
Swimming around under the water, she found Natalie's feet, picking her up and sliding her feet over her shoulders.
Then, she stood, picking Natalie up with her.
She heard Natalie's squeal and laughed.
"Teach me to dive, Buffy!" Natalie said, leaning forward a little to look into Buffy's eyes, which were gazing up at her.
"Sure. Now?"
Natalie shrugged, falling backwards off Buffy's shoulders. "No time like the present," she replied with a wink at Alex.
Buffy turned to Alex and raised an eyebrow. Alex mimicked Natalie's earlier shrug, smiling almost devilishly.
Think nothing of it, Buffy climbed out of the pool with Natalie. "I'll show you a simple dive first. Next time I'll teach you something a little more tricky… but this was my first dive," Buffy told her, bending over.
She touched her toes, and brought one foot backwards a bit. Natalie copied her, biting her lip as if to stop herself from laughing.
"Now, swing your arms back, and push off your front foot… but don't forget to bring your arms forward when you dive… really hurts otherwise."
Again, Natalie copied Buffy's moves, nodding.
"On three, we dive, 'kay?" Buffy instructed. "One… two…" Natalie dove in the pool perfectly on two. Buffy screamed.
Two arms wrapped around her waist, spinning her around twice, before planting her back on the ground and walking around to see her reaction. She had taken a fighting stance, eyes widening when she saw Spike.
"Spike!" she squealed, releasing her raised arms and throwing them around his neck, jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist.
Spike chuckled, holding her in his arms, perfectly aware that she was wearing nothing but that beautiful white swimsuit.
"Spike!" she repeated enthusiastically, hugging him closely. She pulled back for a moment and pressed her lips to his.
Alex came up behind them, smirking cheekily. "Get a bloody room!" he groaned, giving Spike a shove, forcing him to stumble forward with Buffy into the pool.
It was unexpected, and the first thing Spike did when he realised he was underwater with Buffy, unknowing whether or not she was okay, was push her up out of the water, crouching further under the water to get the strength.
He followed soon after, squinting his eyes shut and shaking his head to rid his hair of water.
Buffy span around in the water, a look of awe on her face.
"Allo, love," he grinned, sticking his tongue out comically.
"Hey!" she exclaimed. He marvelled her hair for a while. In the water, it had turned a damp golden colour. It had turned a little wavy… and it made her look really hot.
"You look gorgeous," he commented.
God bless her, she blushed.
"It's been… only hours. And I've missed you like soddin' Christmas morning," he said softly.
Natalie chose that time to swim up to Spike. "Hey, Will."
He smiled at her. "Hows my poppet?" he asked, treading water.
"Will! Can we play the pool for another year? We can make pictures! And, and, and… Buffy 'nd me made hats!" Joey said, splashing around near at the pools steps.
Spike chuckled. Home for barely five minutes after being out for barely a school day and still they missed him.
Buffy looked like she was about to say something to him, and he waited patiently to hear it. Then he realised that Joey had asked a question.
"Sure, Joey. We can stay in the pool for another hour. Might wanna keep down opening your eyes under water…Just got the pool chlorinated… what pictures you talkin' about, Joe?"
"We were usin' your camera, Will. Got some good pictures. Might do for a group photo later… Oh bollocks. I forgot to bring it outside!" Alex moved towards the house, stopped by Natalie, who sheepishly pulled a camera up from the pool's edge.
"I know it could have gotten wet and all… but I knew William was back… and the reunion thing was going to be something great for a photo album… you know?"
Spike chuckled. "Just don't ruin it, yeah?"
Natalie nodded, biting her lip and taking a few more photo's.
They'd been in the pool for hours. Not hour, singular, but hours, plural. Three to be exactly. Buffy's fingers were actually pruning.
She reached out for the lime green pool float and climbed up, lying on it and sunbathing.
Her eyes were stinging from the chlorine of the pool. Judging from the red of everyone else's eyes, hers weren't looking too flash either. But regardless, the blue of Spike's eye's still pierced right into her heart.
She turned her head on the pool float and looked over to him. He was sitting at the edge of the pool, studying her. Everyone around him was paddling, swimming and laughing. Emma-Maye was with Alex in a swimming-diaper, being twirled around in the pool to her delight.
Buffy scanned the pool with a soft smile on her face, looking back to Spike after, who was still staring at her. His expression was so serious. He was completely drinking her in, watching her, studying her.
"Can we go take those group pictures now?" Ally asked loudly, holding the camera up to Spike's face and taking a picture of his solemn expression.
Spike snapped out of his daze and grinned at Ally. "Sure, pet. Kitten, you wanna come take your place in our photos?" he looked back to Buffy, eyebrows raised.
She smiled. Kitten.
Alex arranged everyone on the small grassed area just outside the pool gate, setting the camera up on the fence and clicking auto.
"We got a twenty second countdown. Anyone need anything, be fast," Spike told them, inching his way over to Buffy.
"My hat!" Joey gasped running back to the house and reappearing seconds later with the orange cardboard hat.
"Ten seconds, people. Take your places! I've set it on five photo's. It's gonna click six times. Taking six photos. Strike some poses. I want to see these in five years and laugh!" Spike ordered, coming shoulder to shoulder with Buffy, wrapping an arm around her waist and sticking his tongue out as the first flash went off.
The second snap, everyone smiled.
The third time, she looked up at him, almost in surprise, and he looked down at her. The forth click, she was smiling, and he was smiling back at her. The fifth, her eyes were closed as she moved for his lips. The sixth, their mouths were fused together, her hands on his naked chest.
Natalie giggled. Alex chuckled. Ally made a small 'aw', and Joey screwed up his face in disgust. Emma-Maye simply grinned, trying to fit in with the crowd.
Pulling away from Buffy, he pressed a finger to her lips. He reached and snatched the camera roughly off it's perch. He stepped backwards from Buffy, holding it up and taking a photo of her.
"Spike!" she pouted.
"Will!" Natalie and Ally both scolded.
"What?" he asked, shocked. What could he have done wrong.
"It's awful to take a picture of someone when they aren't prepared for it!" Natalie hissed, slapping him on the arm lightly.
Buffy giggled. "Don't be too hard on him. He is male, after all."
"Hey!" Spike exclaimed, punctuated with a gaping mouth from Alex.
"Just joking, honey," Buffy smiled sweetly at him. He frowned at her, raising the camera and taking another photo. She pouted again. "If I pose for a photo, Will you quit it?"
Spike grinned. "Sure."
Natalie got excited, guiding Buffy over to a bushier part of the backyard, standing her in with the foliage.
"Lighting is good… right… here!" Natalie exclaimed, stopping Buffy at a perfect spot. Ally picked a white calla lily off the small bush near her feet and stuck it in the tree nearest to Buffy.
Natalie grabbed a few more and decorated the area.
"Calla Lilies suit you…" she whispered to Buffy. "You'll understand their relevance in a few years… or their importance to you…"
"Perfect…" Spike muttered, lifting up the camera and playing with the settings a bit.
"Buffy. Look over here… dreamily… like you're think of something… think of… stop! Think whatever you're thinking! It's great!" Ally said, smiling widely.
Spike took the photo quickly, before the subject of Buffy's thoughts went away.
Truth be told… Buffy was only thinking about how he had wanted a photo off her. In the picture, there was the hint of a fond smile on her face… and no-one was going to know why. Not even if they developed it.
A/N: I hate to end it there, but I have to go. Things to do, people to see, places to fall asleep. I'll write again soon! Promise. Just one thing I ask of you – reviews?
When I reach two hundred, I'm trying to think of a wicked treat. Any ideas? Throw some at me?
Please excuse any typo's. I had no time to read over the document and do a check.