Chapter Six
Buffy woke the next morning to find Spike sleeping soundly next to her. She whimpered a little, she hadn't meant to sleep with him again. It seemed that they just couldn't stay away from each other, especially when alcohol was involved. She threw back the sheet and quickly grabbed her robe and threw it on and tiptoed out of the room being sure not to disturb him as she closed the door behind her.
As soon as she closed the door Faith popped up out of nowhere.
"Hey, did you borrow my blue sweater?" Faith asked
"What? No" Buffy said sheepishly her eyes darting back and forth from Faith to the door.
"I could've sworn you did.. lemme just look" said Faith trying to get into Buffy's room.
Buffy stood in front of the door blocking her way "I didn't take your stupid sweater" Buffy snapped
A knowing smile crept across Faith's lips "You've got a guy in there don't ya"
"No!" Buffy replied
Faith chuckled "Who is it?… ohhh is it that Parker dude?"
"No! There's nobody in there!" said Buffy
The door opened, making Buffy stumble backwards a little. Spike stood there, nervous. But thankfully fully clothed.
"Mornin'" he said softly
"This must be Mr nobody" Faith grinned "Hi I'm Faith, Buffy's cousin and roommate, who the hell are you?"
"I'm Spike… or Mr Nobody so it seems" he looked at Buffy
Buffy mouthed an apology.
"Spike huh?" Faith folded her arms
"Yes, this is Spike… he was just leaving" said Buffy
"I was?" Spike frowned, Buffy looked at him intensely
"Don't leave on my account… I'm out" said Faith, shooting Buffy a look before leaving.
"Well… that wasn't awkward" said Buffy sighing
"She knows who I am?" He asked
Buffy looked at her feet "Yes…"
"Buffy it's okay… I shouldn't have put you in this position" he said
"No, it's totally my fault… for the positions" she smirked
"Yeah, the positions were uh… fun" he smiled at her
"God what are we doing Spike?" She groaned
"I don't know, but I don't regret it" he told her
"You don't?" She asked
"No not at all. I told you Buffy, my marriage is over" he told her
"Isn't that what all men say to their mistresses? Y'know… 'I'm gunna leave her' yada yada"
Spike tensed and took a deep breath "But you're not my mistress Buffy"
"Then what am I?" She asked "A slutty McSlut bag from homewrecker city?"
"Don't say that!" He yelled "You're not a mistress, you're not just some girl…"
"I'm sure your wife will see it that way too" Buffy said sarcastically
"I don't give one shit what she thinks" he said sternly
"Whatever this is, whatever I am to you, we can't keep doing this" She said sadly
"I don't think I can stay away from you" he whimpered
"We have to try okay? Just keep focused on our work together, we don't see each other outside of the office and then eventually whatever this is will fizzle out" she sighed
"Did it work?" He asked
"What?" She frowned in confusion
"Did you convince yourself?" He asked
"Spike" she warned
"You know that's not going to happen" he told her as he closed the gap between them "We have something Buffy"
"We do, but we can't… this is wrong" she said, her voice tinged with sadness
"It feels right though" he replied
"It doesn't matter, I can't be the other woman Spike… then I'd be no better than-" she stopped herself
"No better than who?" He asked
Buffy took a deep breath "I just can't okay? Please leave"
"I'm sorry… I'll leave you alone" he said, pushing past her and left her apartment.
Buffy looked up to stop the tears in her eyes from spilling down her face. She didn't know why he had such an effect on her, she barely knew him but when he looked at her she felt butterflies in her stomach. The whole situation was so messed up.
She opened the door to her bedroom and flopped on to her bed. She didn't know whether it was her emotions or the fact she was hungover but she felt weak.
She lay there for a moment when her cellphone began to ring. She grabbed it and looked at the caller ID
*Dawn Calling…*
Buffy answered it "Hello?"
"Finally! I've been calling you for hours! I thought you were in a ditch somewhere! Mom always used to talk about the ditches!" Dawn yelled down the phone
"I'm sorry Dawn" Buffy said softly
"Well you should be! I've been worried sick… How was the party last night?" Dawn asked
"It was… eventful…" Buffy sighed
"Oh yeah? What happened?"
Buffy thought back on the night before and although Dawn was now eighteen, Buffy still thought of her as her little baby sister "Oh y'know drinking, dancing the usual"
"Eh as long as you had fun… I saw Willow and Xander yesterday. Were all so excited about visiting you in a couple of weeks" Dawn said enthusiastically
"I can't wait! I miss you all so much!" said Buffy "How's life in the dorms?"
"Dorm life is fun, but my roomie is a bit of a weirdo… she has this Celine Dion poster…" Dawn began
"Well, who doesn't love 'My Heart Will Go On'?… She can't be that bad!" Buffy laughed
"She irons her jeans. She's evil. She has to be destroyed" said Dawn
Buffy laughed hard "Oh Dawnie I do miss you!"
"I miss you too!… I'm going over to Aunt Sandra's tonight for dinner. I think she's lonely with the whole my husband is a cheating nincompoop and my daughter left and hasn't been back to visit… do you think you could talk to Faith at all?" Dawn asked
"A world of no. I'm not getting involved in that whole mess. Faith will visit when she's ready to" said Buffy
"I guess so, I just feel sorry for her y'know?" Dawn said sadly
"I know…"
XXXXX
When Buffy arrived at work the next morning Spike was nowhere to be seen. She went and sat down at her desk and sighed. She began digging out the papers that she had packed away on Friday and started to read through them when Spike burst through the door on his cellphone.
"…Lilah please for me luv?" said Spike using his best silky voice before noticing that Buffy was already at her desk. "Look, I'll talk to you later okay?"
He ended the call abruptly. Buffy kept her head down, pretending to read.
"Mornin'" he greeted her
"Hi" said Buffy, still not looking at him.
'Another one of his many 'not mistresses' no doubt' Buffy thought to herself. Spike looked at her but she didn't return his gaze at all, he sighed and sat down at his desk.
"Don't forget I've got a meeting at 9:30, it shouldn't take long" said Spike
"Okay" Buffy said nonchalantly
XXXXX
Spike had his meeting then returned shortly after. They hadn't spoken a word all morning, they just quietly ready their respective poems and collated them as they went. Buffy was thankful it was lunch time to get a bit of a breather.
Buffy told Cordelia she would meet her in the lunch room. She noticed everybody stood around chattering, it seemed a little odd. Buffy thought that her affair with Spike had somehow gotten leaked.
She sat down at the table that was being occupied by Cordelia, Lorne and Oz.
"Oh my god Buffy!" Cordelia shrieked "Did you hear?"
"Hear what?" Buffy asked anxiously
"Mr Pratt fired Parker this morning!" Cordelia told her
"What?! Why?" Buffy asked
"Something about inappropriate behaviour at the party on Friday night" said Cordelia
"Yeah, word is he got caught getting jiggy with someone in the corridor" said Lorne "Can you believe?"
"No way" Buffy feigned shock
"Yeah, I mean you were dancing with him right?" asked Cordelia
"Briefly…" Buffy said a little too quickly
"Looks like you dodged a bullet Muffin… he was a seedy type" said Lorne "Sorry Oz, I know he was your friend"
"Hey, the guy made some questionable choices" Oz shrugged
"There were a string of girls that will be happy to see the back of him" Cordelia agreed
"Just glad I wasn't one of them" Buffy smiled
XXXXX
Buffy burst through the office door after lunch, to see Spike with his feet up on his desk on a call.
"I'll call you back" he said ending the call
"You fired Parker!?" Buffy yelled
"Well yeah" he shrugged
"Why would you do that?!" She asked slamming her hand down on the table "People are gunna figure it out y'know"
"Figure what out?" Spike asked
"About us!" Buffy yelled
"Right, so I should keep that predator on the pay roll" Spike rolled his eyes
"Well no… but-"
"Buffy this wasn't about us… I'd heard things before this and seeing it… I couldn't just turn a blind eye now could I?" He explained "I've got a duty of care to everybody here, not just you"
Buffy relaxed a little "Okay…" she said retreating to her desk.
"So that's it?" He asked
"What?" She frowned
"We're back to sitting in silence again?" He asked as he approached her desk
Buffy sighed and looked up shaking her head "What do you want from me?"
"I just-"
"You are married!" Buffy yelled "You have a whole ass wife! And by the sounds of it other little mistresses too!"
"What are you talking about" he asked
"I heard you on the phone earlier… Lilah, please for me luv?" She mocked his earlier conversation
Spike sighed "She's not my mistress! She's my bloody lawyer!"
"What?" She asked
"My divorce lawyer, to be precise" he told her "You really think that little of me?"
"No… it's just…" Buffy faltered
"Just what? You think I'm the type of bloke that just sleeps with anybody? Buffy, something drew me to you. Call it fate or whatever but there's something between us" he finished quietly
"I know, I know and it scares me because you don't lose anything if this goes wrong, whereas me? I lose everything!" said Buffy
"Goes wrong? We've barely even begun luv" he sighed
"Mr Pratt" Cordelia buzzed through on the intercom
"Balls" Spike sighed as he went over to his desk and pushed a button "What is it Chase? I'm busy"
"Sorry Sir, it's just your wife is here" said Cordelia
"Oh my god" Buffy sighed heavily
"Right, send her in" he said
Cecily burst through the door seconds later. Buffy's stomach lurched when she saw her, she was beautiful. Her curly brunette hair sat at her shoulders, Buffy studied her as she walked in.
"Cecily" he acknowledged her
"Is that any way to greet your wife?" She asked
He dutifully came around to the other side of the desk and kissed her cheek.
"That's better" Cecily grinned
Spike looked over at Buffy and saw the hurt displayed across her face. Cecily turned around to see Buffy stood there uncomfortably.
"And you must be Miss Summers, Miss Chase was just telling me about you and my husband" Cecily smiled sweetly
"Yes, I'm Buffy. Nice to meet you" Buffy managed to sound friendly
"I'm excited to hear all about your new project" said Cecily "You've been keeping my husband busy by sound of things"
"Uh… well y'know its uh very time consuming with the reading and uh the…" Buffy stuttered
"Oh darling, I'm only joking" Cecily smiled "Although I was hoping I could speak to my husband privately"
"Oh right, yes of course. I'll leave you guys to it" said Buffy hurrying out of the room.
Cecily watched Buffy leave and close the door behind her "She's… cute" said Cecily
"What do you want?" Spike asked
"Oh c'mon William, does a wife have to have a reason to visit her husband at work?" She asked smirking
"Not faithful wives no" said Spike
"William" she batted his arm playfully "I'm as faithful as you are"
"I'm sure you are" he said angrily "So what are you doing here?"
"We need to talk, not here… away from prying eyes" she said firmly
"Couldn't you have just called?" He asked
"I could but you don't answer my calls… come with me William" she answered
He was curious to see what it was she wanted from him so he followed her. As they reached the door she gestured for him to open it for her, he rolled his eyes and opened it for her. As they emerged from the office, Cecily grabbed his hand.
A move that didn't go unnoticed by Buffy who was sat with Cordelia at her desk.
"Lovely to meet you Buffy, but I'm stealing William for the afternoon. You know how it is when you haven't seen your husband for a while…" Cecily pulled him closer to her "I need his undivided attention" Cecily smirked suggestively before kissing him on the cheek.
"I'll see you tomorrow" said Spike
Buffy nodded.
"Come along William" said Cecily pulling him away.
"Don't they just seem like a perfect couple" said Cordelia
"Yeah, really perfect" said Buffy sadly "Hey, y'know what I'm not feeling too good"
Cordelia took a few steps back from Buffy "Are you contagious?"
"I don't think so? I just feel a little nauseous" said Buffy
"Go home and rest Buffy" said Cordelia
"Thanks" Buffy said softly
Cordelia grabbed the tin of Lysol she kept in her desk and sprayed it into the air as Buffy left.