Chapter 6
Lesson Number One

"How was your meeting?" Buffy called out excitedly as Spike entered the apartment; books and a satchel in hand. She was on her way to class and had just gotten of the shower. When she'd heard the door she threw on her robe and quickly ran out to greet him. Giles' had said he could pull a few strings to get Spike into the grad program at UCSD, but no one was sure how quickly that could happen and Spike was getting restless without school or a job.

He smiled as he watched her bound happily down the stairs to meet him in the kitchen.

"Rupes' chicken dinner, pet. It was bloody fantastic," he explained as he milled about to fix himself a snack.

Buffy scowled, "Rupes' is what?"

Spike looked up at her briefly before laughing, "He's a winner," he clarified. "Good bloke, nice guy, helpful, all that rot."

Buffy giggled as he resumed his sandwich preparation; hopping onto the counter of the island where he worked. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she'd jumped, smiling to himself when her robe hiked up slightly to reveal the glistening skin of her thigh. She swung her dangling legs absently as he spread the mayonnaise onto a slice of bread, still watching her subtly.

"So, when do you start?" She asked innocently; reaching over his arm to steal a slice of the salami he was preparing to use for his sandwich.

Spike reared back as her body lurched over his prep station; catching a whiff of her shampoo and distracting him from the question. She smelled like vanilla….and something distinctly fruity. Though he couldn't be sure what exactly it was.

His senses were reeling as she sat back down on the tile and looked at him expectantly.

"In about a month; paperwork, politics and all that…is that papaya?" He inhaled again, still trying to pinpoint the wonderful smell.

Buffy snorted and gave him a funny look, "My shampoo?" she guessed.

Spike nodded distractedly, tilting his head to regard her. Buffy suddenly became aware of his staring and smiled nervously. "Umm…it's mango….I think…"

He quirked his lips into a half-smile, still gazing at her intently. "Knew it was something sweet and juicy," he growled huskily, sending her a devilish smirk.

Buffy's face flushed as she giggled again and bit her lip before hopping off the counter.

"Well," she said with a deliberately stoic pat on the shoulder, "Congratulations. I've got class in an hour so…." She trailed off, fidgeting as she backed out of the kitchen, slamming into the wall. Spike stifled a chuckle as she went wide-eyed in embarrassment before spinning around quickly back toward the bathroom.

Spike just stood there smirking as he watched her bumble away from him. He'd made her nervous just now. He laughed at the thought. He'd been the tiniest bit suggestive and she'd blushed and ran away. A few years ago her fast escape would have been insulting (if not typical). But now, it kind of made him smile.

***

"Stop smiling," Buffy nudged the young girl.

"Oww!" Dawn hissed, smacking the older girl in response. "What was that for?"

Spike had long since returned his rental car; having kept it a week longer than he'd originally planned. But the cost was adding up, so he'd finally relinquished it. Of course, that had left him with no means of getting anywhere on his own. It had been fine for the first few weeks, seeing as his schedule was still up in the air and public transportation wasn't completely unheard of. But now as his return to University was drawing nearer and the desperate need to find employment arose; Spike found himself needing his own vehicle in the worst way.

He'd been shocked and a bit amused to discover that Buffy not only didn't own a car but, still didn't have a license. He catalogued that fact for later when she mentioned that Giles' had an 'old clunker' in his garage. Spike was intrigued and asked to set up a time to meet with the older man regarding said automobile.

Rupert obliged; proposing a deal that would not only solve Spike's transportation problems but some of his financial ones as well. Since the DeSoto had not been driven since Buffy's failed attempt at learning, it had sat unused for quite some time. Additionally, the damaged the young girl's driving practices had done to the vehicle had left it rather….well….not functioning. Spike relayed that he knew a thing or two about car mechanics and so began the deal: Giles would pay Spike to fix the DeSoto and if by the end wanted to buy it, Giles would sell it to him.

Spike was grateful for not only the work but the prospect of a car and happily agreed. Though now of course, he'd need to see the specimen to examine its problems.

Dawn had been called to give Spike and Buffy a ride over to Rupert's place, another fact that Spike had stored away for another day. As it was, Dawn was happy to oblige. Driving was still new and exciting for the teenager and it didn't hurt if her friends saw her escorting her big sister and her super hunky roommate around town.

Buffy glared at her sister, "You're drooling," she whispered with a smirk.

Dawn blushed, "I am not!"

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Whatever," she laughed knowingly as the end of Giles cleared his throat.

Buffy spun around and stared at the man sheepishly. Spike chuckled behind the older man as he watched her blink in confusion.

The blonde had been aware of her kid sister's crush on Spike since they'd all gone to dinner that night and was determined to weasel a confession out of the girl. So far, Dawn had admitted to nothing. But Buffy knew better, and the younger girl's reactions to the bleached blond man had only gotten more and more obvious.

"Huh?" she asked innocently.

Giles' sighed and repeated his question, "Would you please show Spike where the garage is?"

"Oh, right," Buffy said with a nervous laugh as Dawn cut in.

"I can show him!" She said eagerly as Buffy cringed and spun back to glare at the girl once more.

Giles' shrugged as he crossed back toward the stairs, "Very well, whomever would like to show Spike, please do it and do it quickly. I have a lecture to prepare for."

Buffy pinched Dawn's arm as the young girl smiled smugly before rushing over to Spike and grabbing his arm.

"It's this way," she beamed as Buffy stood watching; crossing her arms in a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

She didn't care that her sister kept giving the man moon eyes; it was actually really sweet. But she wanted Dawn to be careful. She was still only sixteen after all. And Spike was…well, Spike was older and by the looks of him more experienced; something Buffy definitely knew Dawn didn't need to know anything about right now. Though she supposed the whole bad boy persona and his advanced years is what made him so appealing in the first place. And hoped she could trust Spike to keep Dawn's infatuation realistic. Like she'd considered before; it was actually really sweet.

Spike laughed at the girl's enthusiasm before shooting Buffy a curious smile, "You'll still be here when we get back, pet?"

Buffy returned his smile and nodded, "Well, since Dawnie's my ride…I'm just gonna study for awhile."

They shared another brief smile before Dawn whined and tugged him further out the door. Buffy shaking her head with a laugh as she set off to start her homework.

***

"You know a lot about cars, huh?" Dawn asked dreamily as she watched him.

Spike's head was buried in the engine of the DeSoto; the hood braced up with a spare 2x4. There'd been some superficial damage to the side of the car; but nothing he couldn't repair quickly. Something else internally was definitely keeping the car from running and he hadn't managed to suss out what it was yet.

"Not really," Spike mused as he tinkered with some wires, "Changed a flat a few times, jump started a mate's junker once or twice."

Dawn laughed, "I thought you told Giles you could fix his car."

Spike laughed in kind, "Yeah, and he said he'd pay me if I could. What was I gonna do? Tell him the truth?"

Dawn rolled her eyes, "That's so bad," she giggled.

Spike smirked. He was on to the Bit. He knew she'd had some schoolgirl thing for him that night at the Pizza place. It was sweet, really. The chit was a cutie, but way too young. He didn't go for that. Now, if this bird had an older sister maybe…oh, that's right. She did.

"Reckon it's the starter," Spike finally surmised, standing up from his bent position and stretched, slamming the hood shut before lighting up a cigarette.

Dawn snorted, "I thought you said you didn't know."

Spike chuckled as he wiped his hands off with a rag; the cigarette dangling sexily from his lips as he spoke, "Shot in the dark, Nibblet. Could be the battery, s'pose…"

Dawn studied him; the tilt of his head as he considered the car, the way his jaw muscles flexed as he rolled his neck to crack it, the shadows cast along his chest and upper arms as he leant back against the work bench on his elbows; highlighting what was sure to be sculpted muscle underneath the tight black t-shirt he wore. His eyes were closed as he braced himself with one arm, lifting the other to suck another drag off his cigarette. The feathery string of smoke escaped his lips as he exhaled; making him smile unconsciously as the nicotine invaded him system.

"Is smoking fun?" Dawn asked suddenly.

Spike's eyes shot open as he quirked one eyebrow to address the girl, "S'pose."

Dawn bit her lip and tucked her hair behind her ears, "Cause, ya know they always tell you horror stories about how cigarettes are like, a gateway to other drugs and stuff and how people who smoke are stupid and just trying to look cool…"

Spike smirked as she stopped mid sentence. She was rambling and they both knew it. She blushed slightly before trying to regain her footing as he continued to stare at her curiously.

"But I mean, obviously not everybody who smokes cigarettes does other drugs or is stupid. Yeah, I mean smoking's bad for you and whatever but like, you smoke," she nervously steered her clumsy argument, "And, and…you're totally not stupid or uncool….and you don't do other drugs….right?"

Spike suppressed a laugh, though couldn't help his highly amused smile as he waited a minute before answering; silently considering the star-struck teenager before him. He would never lead the poor bird on, but it was still flattering to have this affect on the girl.

"No Bit," he reasoned, "Just nicotine. Though I admit I do like a bit of the other four basic food groups too."

"Basic food groups?" Dawn balked.

"Caffeine, nicotine, alcohol…" he trailed off, suddenly realizing that speaking the last one would constitute as highly inappropriate.

"And, what? What's the last one?" She whined.

He sucked on his teeth and shook his head, "Grown up stuff," he offered with a shrug, unable to say the actually word in front of the girl.

"Oh," she pouted, knowing full well that she was being humored because of her age.

"But thanks for thinking I'm not stupid or uncool," he added quickly, dashing out the last of the cigarette before pulling out another one and preparing to light it.

Dawn raised her head hopefully; glad he'd appreciated her compliments at least. "Oh sure!" she beamed, "You're like…the coolest and unstupidest."

Spike smirked as she flashed him a goofy, lopsided grin; her focus of him now becoming a bit awkward.

"Well, I'm mighty grateful to you Summers women and ol' Rupes for everything you done for me this past month," he assured her firmly.

"Yeah," she sighed, "It's really cool that you knew Giles' when he was younger. He's really neat and kind of cool for an old guy. And Buffy's the greatest. She's the best."

Spike snickered at the last thought, smiling to himself, "Yeah, Goldilocks is a right bird, ain't she?"

"Yeah," Dawn agreed, "I mean, obviously she's like, a total pain in my butt sometimes cause ya know, older sister and whatever but…"

Spike put out the cigarette once more and crossed back over to the front bumper of the DeSoto, squatting to inspect it more closely.

"Buffy did this, yeah?" he asked distractedly as he ran a hand over the busted metal.

Dawn rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Totally," she snickered, "Giles tried to take her out to practice one day. Didn't go very well, obviously."

Spike pursed his lips together contemplatively, "She still James Dean on learning?"

Dawn scowled, "What?"

Spike winced and gave the girl a pained smile, "She still wanting to learn?" He clarified. "Bloody hell, am I gonna need to write down how to talk to you people?"

Dawn giggled, "What is that, like code or something?"

Spike shrugged, "Well, yeah, s'pose it was once," he considered, "Now it's just…what d'you call it? Slang? Street talk."

"Cool," she cooed.

"So, is she? Buffy, I mean? She still wanting to learn how to drive?" He reiterated.

Dawn shrugged, "I don't know. I mean, I guess so. She doesn't really like to talk about the driving thing with me all that much."

Spike chuckled, "Embarrassed I reckon. Kid sister getting' her license right out the gate and all that."

Dawn grinned proudly, "Yep. First try and everything."

"Good for you, Kitten," he smiled back.

"Thanks," she blushed.

Spike gave a wry smile as they pair stood in companionable silence for a moment longer.

"Well, s'pose we should head back in. Give Rupes the report," he suggested.

"Yeah…" Dawn sighed as her stomach growled audibly.

Spike's eyes widened as Dawn grimaced, "You hungry, pet?'

"Guess so," she smiled sheepishly.

Spike laughed, "Come on then, let's get you some food while we're at it."

Dawn nodded gratefully as they shut down the garage and headed back toward the house.

To Be Continued...