The Tortured Poets Department.
Chapter One
Damn it. Damn it.
She was late, she hated being late at the best of times but to be late for your first day of work at one of the most prestigious publishers in New York City was definitely of the bad.
It all started when she failed to wake up for her alarm this morning. Luckily her new roommate Faith had just gotten in from her night out and in her drunken state started blasting music. Buffy didn't even have the time to shower which in itself was just icky. She hurried to get dressed and make herself look at least a little bit presentable before heading across the city in the middle of rush hour to get to the office for 9am.
She was making good time until she was a block away and some guy talking loudly bumped into her spilling his coffee over her and her new cream blouse without even stopping to say sorry.
"Hey!" She yelled after him, she looked down at the fresh stain on her blouse and sighed heavily. Today just wasn't her day.
She didn't have the time to go and change or to even go and buy anything new. She wrapped her jacket around her covering the stain and pressed on towards the office.
She practically ran into the foyer and tapped the elevator button excessively. She entered and pressed '6' for her floor, tapping her foot in anticipation. Finally the doors opened, her eyes flicked up at the clock on the wall 9:01. Damn she was late.
She sighed heavily as a leggy brunette, wearing a matching skirt and blazer with a red satin shirt beneath it approached her.
"You must be Elizabeth? Elizabeth Summers?" The woman asked
"Yes, uh you can call me Buffy, nobody calls me Elizabeth anymore. I'm so sorry I'm a little late. I had a head on collision with a coffee cup" Buffy said revealing the coffee stain on her blouse
"First time in New York?" The corner of her mouth turned up into a small smile "I'm Cordelia Chase, I'm Mr Pratt's first assistant. You'll be his secondary. Let's take you on the tour"
Buffy nodded and followed along behind as they walked across the office passing desk cubicles as they went.
"So where are you from?" Cordelia asked
"Oh California… Sunnydale to be exact but originally from LA" said Buffy
"I'd kill to live in LA! That close to that many shoes!" Cordelia said dreamily
Buffy laughed politely.
They passed by a man, in snappy looking suit with a green shirt.
"Lorney Tunes!" Cordelia squealed excitedly
"Queen C! You are a sight for sore eyes!" He grinned as the air kissed "And who's this delectable little blondie?"
"Hi, I'm Buffy" she smiled
"Pleasure sweetheart, I'm Lorne… I'm your marketing man" he smiled back
"Pleased to meet you" said Buffy
"We can't stop Lorne, we've got a ton to do today and you know how Mr Pratt gets…" said Cordelia
He saw Buffy tense a little "Oh don't worry Crumcake, William's bark is worse than his bite and I should know" he said with a wink before walking away.
"He's a breath of fresh air isn't he" said Buffy
"Oh you bet! He keeps things light around here" said Cordelia motioning with her head for Buffy to follow her.
"Oh Oz!" Cordelia called over to a red headed man sat behind a desk
He looked up from his computer "Hey Cordy" he smiled shyly
"This is Oz… Daniel Osbourne. But Oz, he's the tech guy, total genius with anything microchippy" Cordelia smiled "Hey Oz, did you manage to get a laptop for Buffy here?"
"Yeah, it should all work but if you have any problems just let me know" he said handing over the computer to Cordelia
"Thanks!" She smiled before walking on.
"He's kinda quiet" Cordelia told Buffy before they finally got to their desks that sat across from each other just outside of the boss's office.
"So that's your desk over there, no personal items to be kept on your desk apart from a photograph of your loved ones if you chose to… personally? I have this" she said showing Buffy a framed photograph of a pair of black Christian Louboutin's
"You have a framed picture of Loubs?" Buffy giggled
"They're my dream shoes okay?" Cordelia said hugging the frame close to her chest.
The intercom on Cordelia's desk buzzed "Chase! Get in here!" The voice bellowed
Cordelia took a deep breath "Time to meet the boss man" she told Buffy.
Buffy quickly buttoned up her jacket and followed Cordelia into the office.
Mr Pratt sat behind his desk, scribbling down something in front of him. "Mornin'" he said not looking up from his desk.
Buffy had heard a lot about William Pratt over the years. He was the youngest commissioning editor in the US, it seemed everything he touched turned to gold. Buffy heard about him in her college years and knew instantly she had to get to his publishing house to learn everything there was to know from him.
"Good morning Mr Pratt, this is Elizabeth Summers your new Editorial Assistant" said Cordelia
He paused and looked up for a moment "Hello Ms Summers"
Buffy looked at him and immediately felt her stomach flip.
The previous evening*
Buffy sat at the bar she had been dragged out to by her roommate Faith in an attempt to bond. It hadn't gone to plan, Faith saw an ex boyfriend and had been macking on him in the middle of the dancefloor for the majority of the evening.
Buffy contemplated leaving several times but she was new to the city and didn't quite know her way around yet. The stories her best friend Willow from back home echoed in her mind about how dangerous New York was for a girl her age, she decided to stay put and have a drink. One drink turned into four and before she knew it she was wasted.
"So much for a quiet drink to celebrate my first day of work tomorrow" she whispered to herself.
"Excuse me, is anybody sitting here?" A man with piercing blue eyes and a British accent asked
"Knock yourself out" she slurred "hey! You're British?"
"Last time I checked" he grinned
"Cool" she giggled
"I'm Spike…" he told her
"What kind of name is Spike?" She asked
"A nickname Pet" he laughed "And what's your name?"
"Buffy" she told him
"Buffy? And you're here takin' the piss out of my name" he chuckled
"What's wrong with Buffy?" She asked
"You're joking right?" He replied
Buffy frowned at him
"Uh nothing… it's quite… cute" he smiled
"You think I'm cute?" She asked
"I think your name is cute luv" he corrected "You on the other hand… you're beautiful"
Buffy laughed "I bet you say that to all the girls in bars"
"Nope, not really one for all this" he gestured to the drunk patrons around them "Don't get me wrong, I love a good bourbon but I'd prefer to be somewhere less… hyperactive"
"So what are you doing here?" She asked
"My bother dragged me out" he sighed gesturing over to the dance floor where his brother was dancing with Faith
"He's uhm… enthusiastic?" Buffy said as they watched Spike's brother flap around the dance floor
Spike chuckled "Oi Doyle!" He shouted over and tapped his watch.
Doyle gave him the brush off and continued to dance.
"Well… looks like I'm here for the duration" Spike sighed "What about you why are you here sitting all alone?"
"See the brunette that your brother is dancing with? She's my roommate" said Buffy "This isn't exactly my scene either"
"That works out nicely then" he smiled
Buffy and Spike spent the evening talking about music.
"She's the one who sings about her exes right?" Spike asked
"She doesn't just sing about her ex boyfriends, she's a lyrically genius!" said Buffy
"We're talking about the same chit right? Taylor Swift?" He arched his brow
"Yes! Honestly have you ever even listened to her songs? I mean really listened?" asked Buffy
"Not so much… I'm into bands like The Ramones, The Sex Pistols y'know proper music" he told her
"Oh you mean the guys that just shout expletives into a microphone accompanied by a guitar and call it music?" She taunted
"They're so much more than that!" said Spike
"Hmm I'll have to take your word for it" Buffy laughed
"Oi Spike!" said Doyle approaching the bar "Hi!" he shot Buffy a bright smile "You ready to push off?"
"I thought you were dancing" Spike joked
"Yeah, the bird disappeared. Think she was here with another fella… I'm not getting into that mess" he said
"This is Buffy" Spike introduced her
"Hi" she smiled
"Hello beautiful" said Doyle
"Oi! Tone it down brother… Buffy this is Doyle, my annoying little brother" Spike sighed
Buffy frowned "But you're English and he's Irish?"
"Different mums luv" Spike told her
"Yeah, our dad was a little rambunctious in his day" Doyle laughed
"Tell you what, Allen… here's a pineapple. Get yourself off home" said Spike handing his brother some money
Doyle raised his eyebrows suggestively before walking away.
"Allen?" Buffy asked
"His Sunday name pet, Doyle is a nickname" Spike explained.
"Gotcha" said Buffy "Well, it's getting late I should find Faith and head home"
"C'mon it's still early yet" he smirked
"I can't, I kind have a big day tomorrow" she told him
"Let me make sure you get home okay… or we could go grab a coffee?" He asked
"We've just met…" said Buffy "How do I know you're not some weirdo?"
"I guess you'll just have to trust me luv" he smiled
Buffy was dubious but Faith had skedaddled and she wasn't that sure of her way home. Plus she had remembered the pepper spray that Xander, her friend from home sent her to New York with.
"Okay. Coffee at my place?" she smiled
"C'mon" he said offering his hand, she cautiously took it and he lead her out of the bar and into the cool night air.
He paused for a moment then hailed a cab.
"How did you do that?" She asked amazed
"I've lived in this city for 10 years, it's a skill" he shrugged as he opened the car door for her.
They got in and Buffy gave her apartment address. They sat in silence for most of the journey. Spike paid for the cab and they stood outside her apartment building awkwardly.
"So coffee?" She asked
"Sure, but first…" he trailed off, he pulled her closer to him and kissed her. Buffy stood stunned for a moment before kissing him back. Her head was swimming, she didn't usually do this. Especially with a man she'd just met but something told her that she'd regret it if she didn't throw caution to the wind.
She stopped kissing him and lead him up to her apartment, she quickly opened the door and they went inside. She locked the door behind them.
Spike looked around at her apartment, it was a two bedroom, separate kitchen, living and bathroom areas. It was huge by most apartment standards because the building was part of a housing development built in the 1950's before building developers learned to maximize square footage and making apartments like closets, today.
Buffy headed into the kitchen to make the coffee. "Take a seat" she called behind her.
Spike sat on the couch, it was surrounded by boxes. He saw a couple of cd's sitting on top of the box. All Taylor Swift. 'Of course' he thought to himself chuckling.
Buffy emerged from the kitchen with two mugs of coffee and handed one to him before sitting down. "Sorry about the boxes" said Buffy "I've not had time to unpack"
"So you are like brand new to the city huh?" He asked
"Just got in three days ago" she smiled as she blew her coffee before taking a sip.
Spike grabbed one of the cd's from the box. "C'mon then… enlighten me" he said passing her the cd
Buffy grinned as she took the cd from him and excitedly put it into the cd player, skipping tracks until she settled on one. She turned the volume up a little. And sat down
*We gather here, we line up
Weepin' in a sunlit room, and
If I'm on fire, you'll be made of ashes too
Even on my worst day, did I deserve, babe
All the hell you gave me?
'Cause I loved you, I swear I loved you
'Til my dying day
I didn't have it in myself to go with grace
And you're the hero flying around, saving face
And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake?
Cursing my name, wishing I stayed
Look at how my tears ricochet
Spike looked over at Buffy who was mouthing the words. She noticed and quickly stopped and took a sip of her coffee.
We gather stones, never knowing what they'll mean
Some to throw, some to make a diamond ring
You know I didn't want to have to haunt you
But what a ghostly scene
You wear the same jewels that I gave you
As you bury me
As Spike listened he realised that he was wrong about Ms Swift. But he also realised that this song meant something to Buffy, she'd been hurt and most likely recently.
I didn't have it in myself to go with grace
'Cause when I'd fight, you used to tell me I was brave
And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake?
Cursing my name, wishing I stayed
Look at how my tears ricochet
And I can go anywhere I want
Anywhere I want, just not home
And you can aim for my heart, go for blood
But you would still miss me in your bones
And I still talk to you (when I'm screaming at the sky)
And when you can't sleep at night (you hear my stolen lullabies)
I didn't have it in myself to go with grace
And so the battleships will sink beneath the waves
You had to kill me, but it killed you just the same
Cursing my name, wishing I stayed
You turned into your worst fears
And you're tossing out blame, drunk on this pain
Crossing out the good years
And you're cursing my name, wishing I stayed
Look at how my tears ricochet*
As the song ended. Spike smiled "Okay, so maybe I prejudged"
Buffy laughed as she jumped up to turn the music off. With a smile, he strode over to where she was standing. He laced hands with hers, he noticed just how small they were now that her palms were pressed into his. He could wrap his fingers around her entire hand. There were no awkward pauses, no worries of what he was doing wrong — only him and her and their hands fitting together like puzzle pieces.
Just as quickly as her hands laced with his, he kissed her. She responded with such enthusiasm that he was taken aback at first, but regained his composure and reminded himself of what was happening.
"Wait!" She said suddenly stopping the kiss "I don't do this, this isn't me. I don't just meet someone and then…"
"We can stop if you want" he said softly
There was an awkward silence. Buffy took a deep breath and kissed him again. Butterflies erupted in her stomach as he laid a kiss on her forehead, then on her chin, then on her cheeks.
Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, with one swift movement he picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
He manoeuvred them back to the couch and laid her down softly. She looked up at him as he smiled and tilted his head "Are you sure?" He asked
She nodded and pulled him towards her and pressed her lips against his. Another moan escaped her as he slid his tongue down her neck and chest.
She watched as he removed her jeans and panties throwing them over his shoulder. He kissed her thighs, she squirmed a little.
"Is this okay?" He asked looking up at her
"Yeah… I just… I mean nobody has…" she stuttered
"Nobody has kissed you there?" He asked
She shook her head
"I'll take it slow" he smile, dipping his head between her legs, he softly licked against her folds.
Buffy threw her head back in ecstasy as he lapped her up.
"Oh my god" she whispered
Spike smirked against her as he took her into his mouth and sucked lightly.
"Oh my god… Spike. I'm gunna…" she came hard on his tongue.
He smiled as she lay there panting, trying to regain her thoughts in her post orgasm haze. He pulled down his jeans and his cock sprang free from the confines of the denim. He positioned himself at her entrance, and slowly slid himself inside her.
"Oh fuck… Buffy" he gasped as rocked back and forth into her.
She held on to his upper arms as their tongues danced around each other's mouths.
"That's it baby, come for me" he said huskily "I wanna see you get off on me"
She arched her back pulling him further in. He didn't think he could last for long so deep in her. Soon they were both panting, gasping. He moaned loudly as they both found their release.
He collapsed beside her, both of them trying to catch their breath.
"Oh my god" Buffy whispered
Present Day*
"Oh my god" Buffy whispered as her eyes were locked on him
"Do you two know each other?" Cordelia asked
"No" they both said in unison.
A/N: okay... so if you couldn't tell by the title I am a Swiftie. Taylor's music may feature here and there also. Song used My Tears Ricochet - Taylor Swift