AN: I borrowed some clips of dialogue from the episode "Wild at Heart" (just for ambience and context. The text deviates quickly into my own original writing, though! Not to worry!) I hope no one will begrudge me borrowing bits and pieces. I own nothing!

Chapter 7
Lesson Number Two

"The Bronze is more fun this year, isn't it?" Willow mused, scanning the room while absently stroking her boyfriend's arm.

"Cause of the gloating factor alone, you know? We're all about college now. We've got heady discourse," Buffy nodded dutifully.

Oz smirked as his head unconsciously bopped to the music, "Yeah. Curfew-free nights of mom and popless hootenanny."

Xander leaned in, not missing a beat, "Coed dating prospects who find townies sexy and dangerous," he added before the table turned to stare at him skeptically. "What? I can dream."

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Right. So, if college is so great, what are we doing here and why is it more fun?" Buffy checked.

"Because The Bronze is nice and familiar. It's like a big comfy blanky," Willow supplied.

Oz turned to her; his brow knit in what appeared to be confusion, "I was under the impression that I was your big comfy blanky."

Willow shot him a goofy grin and linked her arms around his right one tightly, "Aw, you're my… my person blanky," she assured him before gesturing to the space around them, "This is my place blanky."

Buffy smirked as the couple rubbed noses and whispered adorable nothings to each other while Xander grimaced; clearing his throat to break the silence that had fallen.

"So, Buffster," he said, turning to address the blonde, "I noticed you're sans Bleach Boy this evening. What happened? New roommate not working out like you'd planned?" he asked hopefully.

Buffy dismissed the jealous subtext and gave the brunette a small smile, "Spike's helping Dawn with her English paper. Turns out he's quite the Shakespeare whiz."

"Really?" Willow chimed in, suddenly intrigued.

"Yeah," Xander agreed, "Who knew the guy could even read?" He mused bitterly.

Buffy pressed on, ignoring the boy's nasty comments. "Yeah, Giles' told me he was studying poetry and literature back when they met at Oxford," she relayed proudly, "And since Dawn's got this thing on Sonnets, he recommended Spike to help her out. It's actually kind of perfect."

"You know despite the hair and that whole badass punk thing he's got going, Spike's surprisingly sensitive," Willow commented.

"It's a British thing," Oz said sagely.

The girls giggled as Xander mimed nausea before the emcee announced the next band's commencement.

"Veruca's playing tonight," Willow said suddenly, noticing the woman in question approaching the stage with her band in tow. Her statement filled with the slightest trace of annoyance as Oz shot her a look.

"Yeah, every Wednesday. I told you," he said; looking hurt that his girlfriend sounded mad.

The band started up; the crowd enjoying the slow, ambient sound. Xander and Oz among the many men in the crowd who were now entranced with the group's lead singer.

Willow's gaze shifted worriedly between the stage and her boyfriend who seemed completely transfixed. Buffy caught her best friend's concern and sought to break the growing tension.

"So, Oz, what about Dingoes?" She chimed in, "When are you guys here again?"

Oz turned to her distractedly; his eyes never leaving the stage for too long, "Oh, we're up next Friday."

Willow cleared her throat and nodded toward the band, "They're good, aren't they?" she asked meekly, wanting to believe that perhaps the musician part of her boyfriend was just mesmerized by the artistry of the band performing and not the deliriously attractive lead female singer.

But Oz was barely listening. He gave a quick shrug before catching himself and turning back to give Willow a small smile, "Nothing special," he lied.

Buffy jumped to agree; if only to assuage Willow, "Yeah, she's quell Fiona!" she said emphatically, "Color me bored."

Willow shot her friend a grateful smile before turning back to watch her boyfriend still staring off intently at the band he'd claimed we're 'nothing special.'

***

"Hello?" Buffy called out; two paper cups balancing inside their cardboard tray as she entered the apartment, looking for Spike.

She'd finished her classes for the day and had meant to meet up with Willow, Oz and Xander at the café afterwards. When only Xander showed; explaining vaguely how Willow and Oz were kind of out of sorts, they'd cancelled their lunch date and decided to go home. The boy offered to drop Buffy off, which she gratefully accepted; stopping first to pick up a coffee for herself and a tea for Spike.

Spike heard the door open and shut and heard her call his name. Quickly wrapping the towel around his waist, he popped out of his room to greet her quickly before he'd need to go back and get dressed.

"Hello, pet," he smiled, running a hand through his hair as stared at him aghast.

"I uh…" she stuttered; unable to tear her gaze away from the sight of his ridiculously gorgeous body; sinewy but well-defined muscles covered his smooth and surprisingly pale skin. The towel that hung dangerously low around his hips sent a sudden shiver down her spine as he slowly approached her and reached for the drink holder.

"One of these for me?" He asked, relieving her of the tray as she nodded numbly, swallowing the lump in her throat when his slightly damp skin brushed her hands.

"Thanks, love," he smirked; setting the drinks on the island in the kitchen and proceeding to check which cup was his.

"Just took a shower?" She bumbled, cursing herself at the obvious question.

Spike chuckled as he remembered his current state of undress, "Yeah, sorry, love," he snickered, "Just about to head over to Rupert's place. Work some more on the DeSoto."

"Oh," she nodded, her nervousness slightly dissolving, "Well, do you want some company?"

Spike gave her a smile and shrugged, "If you're not needed elsewhere…" he supposed.

She shook her head, assuring him she was free enough to join him, "Nope. I'm done for the day. Let me just change and I'll be ready whenever you are."

Spike nodded, "Right. S'pose I should get dressed myself, then, eh?"

Buffy giggled and reached for her coffee; tracing the rim of the lid with her finger; her hand quivering slightly.

They were both silent for a moment, neither speaking nor making a move to leave before Spike finally broke.

"Uh, well…cheers, then," he nodded again, clearing his throat and briskly making the move back to his room to change before Buffy stopped him once more.

"Oh, shoot!" She huffed, realizing how early in the afternoon it was, "Dawnie's not out of school yet. How are we gonna get over there?"

Spike shot her a smirk; his hand on the doorknob to his room, "Nibblet left me her car," he explained, "S' pose to pick her up on my way over."

Buffy stared at the man incredulously. When had he and her sister become such good pals? She supposed she knew the real reason for Dawn's generosity and though Buffy didn't mind, it was still a bit disarming to think of how close the two had grown together in the last month. He was just being chivalrous and big-brotherly, right? And why would that factor into anything? Surely she wasn't jealous of the attention Spike paid her kid sister? No, how ridiculous was that?

"Oh," she covered her surprise with a smile, "Okay then. Well, see you in a minute!"

Spike nodded before retreating back inside his room; Buffy watching for a moment as the door closed behind him before she too, made the move upstairs to get ready.

***.

"I think I'm in love," Xander squawked, dropping unceremoniously into a seat behind Willow and Buffy as the rest of the lecture hall became silent.

"Who is it this time, Xander?" Willow snickered, paying him no mind as she sought out a fresh page in her notebook for today's note-taking.

"Green sweater, four rows down, next to the yokel with no neck," he whispered conspiratorially.

"This walking green sweater got a name?" Buffy mocked, echoing his film noir delivery.

"Anya Jenkins, junior class," he pressed on; his friend's teasing a non-issue.

The girls spared a quick glance in the direction Xander had relayed as Buffy's eyes went wide in recognition of the 'yokel' her friend had mentioned.

"Is that Riley Finn?" She hissed, nudging Willow.

The red head cocked her head in consideration, "Yeah, I think it is."

Buffy sank into her seat, "Oh my god! How did I not notice he was in this class?"

Xander forced himself to break away from staring at the back of Anya's head and turned to Buffy with concern, "Why the spooked look, Buffness? Old crush with a short shelf life?"

"Try old crush that never goes bad," Willow smirked as Buffy cringed. "Riley Finn's pretty much the Twinkie of Buffy crushes."

"Shut up, Willow!" Buffy scowled, smacking the girl playfully on the arm.

Xander was miffed upon receiving this bit of information. Though whether it was because his friend had failed to ever mention it to him or because it was yet another example of how he'd been permanently forgotten about as crush material in Buffy's eyes, he wasn't sure.

"Oh look," Willow chirped, "Looks like Anya and Riley are getting buddy-buddy."

"What?" Buffy and Xander replied in horrified unison; much to Willow's amusement.

"You two are so easy," the redhead gloated as her friends now watched their respective crushes still merely sitting next to one another; neither interested or aware of the other.

Xander slapped a hand to his neck, checking his pulse to confirm his heart was still beating. "I hate you a little bit more everyday, Rosenburg," he huffed.

"Feeling's mutual, Harris," she sang as their teacher finally entered the room and started the class.

***

"Bloody brilliant, ain't it?" Spike reasoned as they both stared at the car in admiration.

Giles sighed wistfully as he gazed at the precious vintage automobile, "I almost feel inclined to back out of our arrangement."

Spike's eyes widened, "Oh no you don't, Ripper! A deal's a deal. Spent the last month fixin' this soup can on wheels!"

Giles scowled at the younger man, "Yes, of course I'm going to honor the agreement," he assured him defensively, "I'm just a tad red for my negligence."

Spike clapped a hand to the old man's back, "Don't be, Rupes. Practically gettin' a full return when I buy it from you."

Giles nodded skeptically, "Yes…yes, I suppose that's worth something, isn't it?"

Spike sniffed proudly as he resumed his appraisal, "Even managed to suss out the bumps and bruises Goldilocks inflicted, yeah?"

Giles chuckled dryly before pulling off his glasses, "Yes, as I say, you've done quite a remarkable job. Seeing you take ownership after all your hard work is really the least I can do, I suppose."

"There you are!"

The two men turned to see Buffy and Dawn running toward them. Giles' leaning in to receive a hug from Buffy as Spike ruffled the younger girl's hair.

"Hey!" she feigned annoyance as the group laughed.

"How'd the Sonnets piece, go?" Spike asked immediately.

Dawn proudly displayed the essay in question; a giant 'A' emblazoned at the top corner.

"Oh my," Giles smiled as the girl handed him the sheet.

"Best in the class," she smugly replied.

"Bloody genius, you are, Little Bit!" Spike beamed, picking her hug and twirling her in place.

Buffy giggled at the display before turning back to the older man, "That's one for the fridge, you know," she told him with a smirk.

Giles laughed as he nodded, "Yes, I do believe it is," he said absently, scanning the page thoughtfully.

"So, what's the what?" Buffy continued, "How's the car fixiness going? She road worthy yet?"

Spike set a giggling and hysterical Dawn back to the ground and turned to face the other blonde, reaching for her hand to pull her further into the garage.

Buffy's face lit up when she saw the recondition vehicle, "Oh wow!"

Dawn gasped as she saw it too, "It's looks amazing!"

Giles and Spike stood back proudly as the girls took in the sight.

"Quite extraordinary, wouldn't you say?" Giles asked, "You'd hardly ever guess she'd been abused," he teased; looking pointedly at Buffy.

Buffy's reverie was stifled for a minute as she shot the fatherly figure a decidedly hurt look, "Hey! You were the one who thought I could learn to drive this crazy thing!"

"A mistake that I will, no doubt, never make again," he flung back airily.

"Can I drive it sometime Giles?" Dawn questioned, receiving an assortment of looks from the adults around her. "It's a stick shift, you see…and since I'm all with the driveyness…" she trailed off nervously.

Buffy was shooting the teen daggers for reminding the world yet again that she, as the younger sister was better equipped to handle a vehicle than her college-aged sibling. While Giles was looking slightly unsure that he should be the one to administer such permission seeing as he'd already offered the car to Spike. And Spike….well, Spike was already daydreaming of all the things he'd like to accomplish now that he was about to own his own vehicle again.

"I was actually meaning to ask you about that, Rupes," the blonde man suddenly spoke, eyeing the group anxiously. "Umm, would it be a bit too forthcoming to take the girls out for a joyride now that she's all up and running?"

Her earlier question forgotten, Dawn eyes lit up in excitement and hope as she nodded furtively. "Oh yes, yes! That'd be so cool! We totally could," She looked to the older man, "Right?"

Giles looked a bit overwhelmed, "Well, you certainly don't need my permission, Spike…" the man supposed.

Dawn clapped and clung to Spike's arm, "Told ya," she chirped, "This is so awesome."

Spike laughed at the girl's excitement before casting a nervous glance toward Buffy; who, as it stood, looked decidedly less thrilled than her younger sister at the entire prospect.

It really did him no good if she declined. He enjoyed the Bit's company, and they'd grown surprisingly close in a pleasant sense but, among the many fortuitous happenings Spike had been privy to this last month and a half; Buffy was who he had really made the offer for. He'd been developing feelings for his blonde counterpart the more time he spent with her. Though, he wasn't sure where exactly they stood in that respect. It was easy enough to admit that they liked one another, or at least, found each other attractive. And they enjoyed living together. They were accommodating roommates and burgeoning friends but…anything more? Neither one had mentioned anything remotely resembling romantic feelings. But despite all of that, he really needed her to accompany him now. It was a silly offer, just another excuse to be near her really but…there were certainly less honorable scenarios he could think of.

"Buffy?" Spike questioned, "You want to join us?" He reiterated; tilting his head

expectantly.

Buffy gave him a curt smile as she unfolded her arms from her chest, "No thanks," she said quietly. "I'm just…I've got a lot…I should really get home and study."

Giles nodded respectfully and turned to head inside without a word as Buffy made to follow. Dawn frowned at her sister's response before Spike caught Buffy's wrist in his hand; forcing back around to face him.

"Join us for a bit then I can drive us back to the flat together," he argued gently.

Buffy's jaw clenched as she prised Spike's hand off of her and forced another smile his way, "I'll walk. But thanks."

Spike scowled as he watched her exit, Dawn stepping up to offer a consoling hand to his shoulder. "Don't mind Buffy," she told him, "She gets like this sometimes."

Spike snickered but nodded accordingly before turning back to the younger Summers bird and flashing her a smile; as though all was forgiven.

"Looks like it's just you and me then, kitten."

***

"There always together and it's really starting to wig me out!"

"Willow, I'm sure it's nothing," Buffy assured her friend, "You said it yourself, they're both musiciany. Probably just like talking shop with a likeminded person, right?"

"But he thinks she's sexy. He gets this blushy thing going on behind his ears. That's for me only," the redhead pouted.

"That doesn't mean anything. So Oz checks out another girl? He loves you," Buffy reminded her.

"I know, I know," Willow insisted, "And I don't wanna be the kind of girl who freaks every time my boyfriend notices somebody else. I mean, I have wrong feelings about other guys sometimes, but I feel guilty, and I flog and punish!"

Buffy nodded, "Exactly. I'm sure Oz is flogging and punishing himself right n--" she cringed, "This is sounding wrong before I even finish. Look, I promise you, in a couple of days it's gonna be like, 'Veruca who?'"

"You think?"

"Absolutely. Oz just isn't the type to stray."

"Oh my god, you'll never believe what just happened," Xander bombarded them suddenly, falling into the chair beside Buffy.

Willow whimpered and shot Buffy an accusatory look, "I knew it! See? What'd I say?" the girl squeaked hysterically, "Oh, don't be stupid, Willow…Oz would never cheat on you…blah blah blahhhhhhh…..I knew it!"

The boy and girl stared back at the redhead in awe before Xander dismissed her outburst and continued on with his story.

"So, you know that Anya chick I was telling you abowowow…wait a cotton pickin' minute!" he stuttered; suddenly having caught Willow's claim a minute ago, "Oz is cheating on you?"

Buffy stopped the girl before she could start, "Nobody's cheating on anybody, Xand," she said; shooting Willow a stern look. "Oz is just kinda blushy around that Veruca girl."

Willow whimpered again at the thought before Buffy wrapped an arm around her and squeezed. "It's okay, Wil. Nothing's going on."

"Yeah!" Xander nodded, "I'd have heard about!"

The girls shot the boy unimpressed glares before he added, "…aaand then of course I would have defended your honor," he finished sheepishly.

Buffy rolled her eyes and relinquished her hold of Willow once the girl's breathing had steadied once more. The redhead sat up and addressed her friend again.

"Sorry, Xand," Willow gave him a smile, "What's the progress with Anya?"

"Uh," Xander muttered, "Well, actually nothing."

"What?" Willow grimaced and Buffy snickered.

"Yeah, she just…well I thought she waving at me and it turned out she was just shooing away a fly."

"Oh my little Xander-wander," Willow patronized; holding out her arms maternally as Xander saddled into her hug like a little boy while Buffy just laughed.

"Look at you two," Buffy scoffed playfully, "All with the love and bunnies routine."

The pair looked up at her suddenly, breaking their game in a strategic effort to confront the blonde now.

"What about you, Buffster?" Xander wondered incredulously, "Any progress on the Riley front?"

Buffy sent him a cross-eyed look as Willow unleashed her own line of accusations, "Or Spike?" the redhead asked with a smirk.

"Spike?" Xander and Buffy said together, shooting each other a brief look of suspicion before turning back to Willow.

"Buffy doesn't like Spike!" Xander balked before looking back at the blonde once again, "Do you?"

"Whereinthewhawiththehuh?"

Willow giggled as Buffy suddenly felt herself blush under her friend's knowing gaze. Sure, she'd grown quite fond of her new roommate over the last few weeks; getting to know him beyond what had initially brought them together. And she had been more than happy to help him when he'd first shown up, seeing the irony of their situations. And sure, there were those two brief incidents with the shampoo comment and seeing him in nothing but a towel but… well, that was harmless, right? Surely there's no denying she'd found Spike attractive. And the more she got to know him the more attractive he became. And of course there was the Dawn factor. Buffy knew it was stupid to be jealous of her little sister's relationship with the blond. The fact that he and Dawn got along so well endeared him to Buffy. All of them, really. And it wasn't as though either of them had expressed anything remotely resembling romantic feelings. Spike was her roommate. Her insanely attractive, smart, funny, charming roommate. Who was like a son to her own self-proclaimed father figure. And who was really attentive to her little sister. And who got along with her friends, except Xander…and who was slowly becoming a better friend to her. But something more? She hadn't really given it a thought…nope, not even a musing….not even for a second.

"Buffy?"

Her name being called suddenly alerted her back to reality. When the realization hit of just who exactly had said her name.

She blinked a few times before noticing that Willow and Xander were not facing her; instead staring up sheepishly at someone they'd just been talking about.

Buffy swallowed the lump in her throat before greeting the man, "Riley! Hi!"

To Be Continued...