Chapter Seven – Packed to the Rafters

Willow squeaked quietly and almost dropped her nearly empty bowl of oatmeal when a shirtless Spike stepped into the kitchen and mumbled, "Mornin', pet."

She stammered, "Morning, Spike," then watched him open several cupboards. "What are you looking for?"

"Coffee. Buffy said she needs some 'fore her brain will switch on."

Willow smirked. "We live above a coffee shop. Where do you think we keep the coffee?"

Spike closed the cupboard he'd been peering into and turned to face her. "Sorry, luv, not used to wakin' up this early. Usually goin' to sleep around now. What kind of demon professor schedules a class at seven in the bloody mornin' on a Monday?"

Willow laughed, "Go back to bed. I was just about to go down and open the shop, so I'll bring it up to her in a few minutes."

Spike shook his head. "I'll go with you. Want to learn how she takes it so I can make it for her."

"Okay." Willow took the last bite of her oatmeal and put the bowl in the sink then started for the front door, saying as they stepped onto the landing, "So, I guess things went okay since you're still here."

Spike followed her down the stairs to the shop as his face melted into a smile. "She's gonna take a chance on me, so get used to havin' me around, luv. Don't plan to be anywhere else."

Willow switched on lights and started turning on machines. "And the huge guy snoring on the couch? He gonna be hanging around, too?"

Spike chuckled, "That's Brad, my bodyguard. Tried to send him home last night, but he wasn't havin' it. Not sure what I'm gonna do with him."

"Does he stay with you at your apartment or house or whatever?"

"No, he doesn't stay at my flat 'cause I live in a controlled entry building. You have to get past the doorman and then the security bloke at the front desk and you need a code for the lift and the stairs. It's secure. Anybody can walk into this building, so he's a bit on edge."

"Would he be very happy that you're down here without him?"

Spike shook his head with a wry smile, "No, he wouldn't be, so let's just keep that between us, all right, pet?"

Willow set up one of the machines to brew then pulled a large steel travel mug out of the cupboard under the register. "This is Buffy's cup. When the light turns green, it's ready. Fill her cup about two-thirds of the way and I'll show you what else she puts in it."

Spike nodded and took the mug, prying the lid off the top and setting it aside. Willow set up the rest of the machines to brew then moved around the shop turning on display case lights and flipping the sign to open before unlocking the door. She motioned to the reading pit and asked, "Whose idea was the candles?"

Spike glanced at her and smiled, "Mine. We danced by candlelight." He nodded at the camera. "You and Tara didn't watch the show?"

Willow shook her head with a laugh, "No. We were um… doing some… dancing of our own."

Spike gave her a knowing look and she blushed slightly then hurried into the small room beside the kitchen and emerged with a cash drawer that she slid into the register. "Should I give you an employee code so you can ring stuff up?"

Spike looked over his shoulder at her as he filled Buffy's cup. "I don't know how much anythin' costs, pet. Haven't had proper trainin' on that, but I can frost a cinnamon roll and scrub a kitchen like nobody's business." He held out the mostly full cup. "Okay, what else goes in here?"

Willow took the cup and showed Spike the different things Buffy liked in her coffee and how much of each to add. By the time she was done, the liquid was kissing the top edge of the cup and Spike wasn't sure the lid would snap on. Willow held it out to him. "You have to take a sip to get it down far enough for the lid and to test that it's okay."

Spike nodded and took the cup, taking a small sip. It was good. He took another sip then snapped the lid on. "You do this all the time?"

Willow shook her head with a smirk. "No, Buffy usually makes her own coffee, but she was up pretty late last night, so…"

Spike grinned. "Yeah, seems we all were." He nodded at the stairs. "Gonna take this up so her brain will switch on and she can go cram it full of likely useless information." The bell over the shop door jingled and Willow laughed quietly then turned to the handful of sleepy college kids who had just shambled into the shop. She started taking their orders and Spike headed for the stairs, hoping that none of them were awake enough to realize who he was.

One of the college kids wasn't as sleepy as she appeared, and her eyes widened when she saw Spike from Dingoes standing behind the barista. Shirtless Spike from Dingoes wearing only a pair of jeans and no boots. Her phone was in her hand in an instant and she snapped a photo just as Spike started up the stairs. The tweet that Spike from Dingoes was apparently living above the Magic Box in Sunnydale was retweeted almost a hundred times before she even exited the shop with her cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll.

XXXX

Buffy smiled down at Spike as she slung her bag across her body. He'd brought her coffee up and had tried valiantly to keep his eyes open while she'd gotten ready for class, but he'd fallen back to sleep about twenty minutes ago. She leaned down and kissed him gently then stood and turned for the door, stopping to lean down and sniff the bouquets of flowers she'd put on her desk. The basket of chocolate was sitting on her desk chair and she plucked several pieces out of the basket and tucked them into her bag for in class snacking then left the room.

Brad was still snoring on the couch, and she smirked at him as she walked to Willow and Tara's door and knocked lightly. Tara said, "Come in," and Buffy opened the door and stepped inside.

Tara turned a smile on Buffy as she finished plaiting her hair. "So, how was your date?"

Buffy grinned. "It was amazing, Tara. I'll tell you and Willow all about it later, but I just wanted to let you know that Spike's asleep in my room and his bodyguard, Brad, is asleep on the couch."

Tara nodded. "We weren't sure who he was or why he was in our living room, but from as big as he is, we kind of figured he was Spike's bodyguard."

"You knew Spike was up here?"

Tara smirked. "Unless you've started wearing big clompy engineer boots since yesterday, the smaller of the two pairs by the front door are Spike's."

Buffy laughed. "Sneaky we're not, apparently. I've gotta get to class. I'll be back in a couple hours."

"Okay. See you later."

Buffy hurried down the stairs and stopped dead at the bottom. The shop was full of people. Way more than should be there at 6:30 on a Monday morning. Willow was filling orders, but it seemed like most of the people were just standing around waiting for something. Buffy stepped up behind Willow as she filled a cup with coffee and whispered, "What are all these people doing here?"

Willow looked at her and whispered back. "I don't know. They just keep coming in, but they're not ordering anything. I've only been getting orders from the regulars. They rest are just standing there and they keep looking at their phones and then around the shop like they're checking that they're in the right place or something."

Buffy pulled out her phone and swiped down for her notifications. Her eyes widened at all the mentions of the Magic Box, and she tapped on a notification, opening a retweet of the picture of Spike just stepping onto the stairs in her shop. She groaned and showed it to Willow. "Figured it out. Looks like I'm skipping class today."

"You can go to class, Buffy. They're just standing around, so I've got this. Xander will be here in a few minutes and Tara will be down soon, too."

Buffy shook her head. "No, I'm not leaving you here by yourself. Who knows if something will trigger the herd to stampede up the damn stairs and," she dropped the volume of her whisper to something barely audible, "Spike and his bodyguard are both asleep." She turned slightly. "I'm gonna go wake Brad up and get him on the job then I'll be back down to help you wrangle these people." Buffy hurried back up the stairs and into the apartment, flinging her bag into a chair. She walked over to the couch and shook Brad's shoulder. "Brad? We have a situation downstairs."

He blinked twice then suddenly sat up. "What's the situation?"

Buffy showed him her phone. "Somebody saw Spike down there getting my coffee this morning. His secret location isn't a secret anymore. My shop is packed to the rafters with people."

"Is there any other way out of here besides through the shop?

Buffy pointed at the window near the corner of the room. "The fire escape, but that's it." She walked to the window over the shop door and looked down at the street. "And there's a bunch of people out there, too, so that probably won't work, either." She started for the door. "Just stay up here and I'll try to get rid of them somehow."

Buffy went back downstairs and lifted an apron off a hook, quickly sliding it over her head and tying the straps. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun and secured it with the tie on her wrist then stepped up beside Willow and announced loudly, "Good morning, everyone. What can we get you?"

Someone near the back of the group asked, "Is Spike here? Is this the right Magic Box?"

Buffy smiled. "It's the only Magic Box, but we don't have anybody named Spike working here."

A girl in the front of the group held up her phone, showing Buffy the picture. "This is Spike. He's the singer for Dingoes Ate My Baby, and he was in this shop." She pointed to the stairs. "Right over there. Is he upstairs?"

The crowd started talking loudly, most asking the same question, and Buffy held up her hands. "Look, this is a place of business, so if you're not going to purchase something, I'll have to ask you to leave."

Someone shouted, "He's here!" and Buffy spun around. Brad had just stepped off the stairs with Spike following behind. Spike was fully dressed, and he'd apparently used some of her gel in his hair because it was styled in his usual concert look.

He smiled and stepped up to the coffee bar and everyone surged forward. Brad took position next to the flip up countertop, placing his hand on it to prevent anyone from trying to lift it up, then scowled at the people crowding against the other side. Spike held up his hands until everyone had quieted down then he smirked. "Bit early for all this noise, yeah?" He motioned to Buffy and Willow. "These lovely ladies are tryin' to do their jobs and you lot are makin' that a bit difficult, so how 'bout this? I'll head over to the readin' pit for an impromptu meet and greet and we'll let them get on with their work. All right? Can you all behave yourselves?" There was a loud murmuring of assent and Spike nodded at Brad.

Brad's scowl deepened, but he flipped up the countertop and said loudly, "Keep your hands to yourselves or I'll make you regret it." A path opened in the crowd that led to the couch in the reading pit and Brad started down it, followed closely by Spike.

Spike looked back over his shoulder and gave Buffy a wink then sat down on the couch, pulling his Sharpie out of his pocket. "All right, let's get you all sorted, shall we? Everyone will get a chance to talk to me, so how 'bout we keep the pushin' and whatnot to a minimum, yeah?"

Some semblance of order was established, helped along by Brad's hulking form and dark scowls as he stood menacingly next to the couch nearly shouting directions at the assembled crowd. The fans formed a line leading from the couch and out the shop door that extended down the sidewalk and disappeared around the corner of the building. Spike chatted with each fan that sat down next to him on the couch, signed whatever they handed him to sign, and posed for pictures. He was apparently suggesting that each one purchase something, too, because the shop employees were kept busy ringing up coffee and food orders and book and knick-knack purchases.

Xander arrived shortly after the line had formed and he goggled at all the people in the usually quiet shop. He stepped behind the coffee bar and put on his apron then pulled both girls into the kitchen, saying to the customers on the other side of the bar, "Quick store meeting. Be right back." Once they were through the door, he asked, "What the hell is going on?"

Buffy nodded out the door at Spike who was posing for a selfie with a fan. "Somebody found out he was here and tweeted it, so he came down from the apartment to do a meet and greet to keep them from tearing the shop apart."

Xander nudged Buffy with a smirk. "Spent the night, huh?"

Buffy shushed him fiercely. "Nobody can know about us, Xander! It'll ruin his career, so just keep your mouth shut."

Xander blinked at her then nodded slowly. "Okay, Buff, I'll keep it quiet, but I'm sure people are wondering what he's doing in a small coffee shop in Sunnydale, especially at seven on a Monday morning, when he lives in LA. It's pretty obvious he slept here last night if he came down from the apartment, and it won't be hard to find out who lives up there."

Buffy sighed, "I know that, but if nobody confirms anything then it's just rumors."

Willow said, "Which can take on a life of their own. It might be better to just tell everyone the truth."

Buffy shout-whispered, "No! He could be visiting family for all they know, but nobody can know about us!"

Xander smirked. "Well, Wils, looks like you're Spike's cousin or something now, because Buffy can't be, since it would be skeevy for him to be macking on her."

Willow giggled. "He's not Jewish as far as I know, so Tara will have to be his cousin."

Buffy scowled. "I'm glad you two think this is so funny. It's not like his entire life could come crashing down around him or anything when his fans find out he's dating Frankenstein's monster."

Willow gave Buffy a hard glare. "You are not a monster, Buffy. Goddess, I wish you'd stop with that. Spike wants to be with you."

Buffy sighed, "I know, it's just… people can be so mean, and I just don't think I could deal with all the hate I'd get."

Xander wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "If they find out, it won't be from us, okay?" He nodded at the shop. "We'd better get to work. The line is getting long at the register."

Buffy nodded and they walked back out into the shop and got busy ringing up customers. Tara joined them a few minutes later, not needing an explanation about the crowd since Brad and Spike had given her a quick rundown while she was eating her breakfast.

They spent the next several hours making coffee and pulling more snacks and treats out of the stock room and cooler. Buffy had to scrounge up a few more Sharpies for Spike when the one he had ran dry on him an hour or so into the meet and greet, but she had Xander take them over to the reading pit, not wanting anyone to draw any kind of conclusions about her relationship to Spike. Willow took over cold bottles of water a couple times, handing one to Spike and one to Brad, and she brought Brad a cup of coffee when he asked for one. The line didn't seem to be getting any shorter because Spike wasn't hurrying the fans away. He chatted with each one for several minutes and they all looked like they were leaving happy.

Tara walked up to the couch around noon and waited until Spike had finished with the current fan then asked, "You hungry?"

Spike nodded. "Could do with somethin', yeah. And Brad's probably half starved." He looked over at the coffee bar, noting the nearly empty display cases. "You have anythin' left?"

Tara nodded at the ceiling. "I'll go upstairs and make you two some lunch." She leaned down and whispered into Spike's ear, "I'm your cousin and you're visiting me if anyone asks what you're doing here, okay?" Spike nodded and she stood up and looked at Brad. "How many sandwiches do you want? I have roast beef, ham, and turkey for meat, and Swiss, cheddar, and provolone cheese."

Brad said, "Three. Turkey and ham with cheddar, please."

Tara nodded and looked at Spike. He said, "I'll take two, luv. Roast beef and cheddar if you would."

"Okay. I'll be back in little while."

When Tara stepped off the stairs with a tray of sandwiches, Brad got her attention then pointed at the kitchen. She took the tray in there and he announced to the waiting fans, "Spike's gonna take a break for lunch. He'll be back at…" Brad looked at his watch and continued, "One-thirty." He pointed at the door. "Everybody back it up outside and don't block the door." He said to the fan who was sitting on the couch next to Spike. "You can continue after he's eaten."

There was a little bit of groaning and grumbling from the people in the shop, but they passed the message along the line, and everyone moved outside the shop, most of them sitting down on the sidewalk to wait.

Spike stood and walked into the kitchen, followed by Brad. When he was out of sight of the shop he yawned widely and rolled his shoulders then cracked his neck. "Bloody hell, I'm knackered." He looked around the kitchen. "Need the loo as well."

Tara pointed to a small hallway on the opposite side of the kitchen. "There's a bathroom over there, down the hall past the dish pit. We don't really use it because we keep the mop buckets in there, so you'll have to move them out, but if you don't want to go upstairs or out to the customer bathroom in the shop…"

Spike turned for the hall. "I'll be out in a few, luv." He disappeared into the bathroom and two mop buckets were pushed out into the hall before the door closed.

Several minutes later, the door opened and Spike leaned out, grasping the handle of the nearest mop bucket. Brad said, "Leave them out. I'll put them back."

Spike stepped into the hall and walked back over to the table. "Might want to give it a few, mate. Just sayin'."

Brad smirked, "I'd planned to," then nodded at the sandwiches. "Eat something."

"Yes, mum." He looked at Tara. "When does the shop close?"

"We close at eight on weekdays, but I don't really think we'll be closing at eight today. They just keep showing up."

"Don't you lot have classes today?"

Tara nodded. "Yeah. I'd be in class right now and Willow has a class at one. Xander missed a class this morning and Buffy missed hers, too."

Spike sighed and sat down in the chair Tara had brought into the kitchen then picked up a sandwich. "I'm sorry 'bout this, luv. Didn't mean to bollocks up your whole day. Are you missin' anythin' important? Exams or the like?"

"I don't think so. Finals are next week, so we're mostly just reviewing stuff. At least in my classes. Not sure about everyone else's."

Willow stepped into the kitchen and handed Brad a bottle of juice. She gave the other one to Spike and said, "This is the last of the juice. We're out of almost everything. Good thing we have a truck tonight, although it's just a regular order, so we'll still be out of some stuff until Thursday. Our supplier is probably going to wonder why our order is almost three times its usual size."

Spike swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "Shop's doin' pretty good business, at least. Been hintin' to nearly everyone that they should buy somethin' to make up for all the bother I've caused."

Willow said, "It's not your fault, Spike. I should've waited to open until after you were back upstairs."

Spike shrugged. "I should've shifted my arse soon as the door opened, but what's done is done. Can't change it now that my bloody pic's all over bleeding Twitter." He looked up at Willow. "Where's Buffy?"

Willow nodded at the shop. "Out there. She doesn't want to be seen talking to you so nobody figures out why you're really here."

"Some bloke named Scott and his bird Harmony saw us together last night, so I imagine the word's already out. Gave her an autograph, too."

Willow sighed. "Harmony. Great. Yeah, she's probably told everyone she knows by now."

Spike scowled. "I promised Buffy there wouldn't be any publicity and I've gone and fouled that right up, haven't I?"

"She didn't take any pictures of you two, did she?" Spike shook his head. "Then she can't prove anything, so as long as you two keep your distance, hopefully any rumors Harmony starts will die off quick. Also, everyone knows how she is, so I doubt anyone will take her seriously anyway."

"Let's hope not." He sighed again. "I wanted to stay here with Buffy, but it's lookin' like I'll need to go home and leave her be for a while. Balls. This is the bit 'bout bein' famous that I hate. Can't do anythin' a normal person would be able to, like spend time with my girl."

Brad said, "I could clear them all out. Tell them we're scheduling an official meet and greet somewhere else." He smirked. "Or I could call Dru and get her down here."

Spike chuckled and shook his head. "No. She's probably right pissed 'bout this already, and I'd rather not have to deal with her face to face just now. I imagine she's been ringin' me all day, which is why I left my mobile upstairs in the flat."

"You realize that when she can't get hold of you, she'll come down here. She's probably already on the way." Brad pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at it. "Yep. Already on the way. She texted me almost two hours ago, so she'll be here soon." He scrolled up the text thread. "She saw the tweet at eight this morning and tried to get you for two hours before she got in the car. You are in so much trouble right now."

Spike tipped his head back with a tired sigh. "Bloody hell. That's all I need. My bleedin' ex haranguing me in my girl's shop." He raised his head. "Maybe we should just go. Is there a back door out of this place?"

Willow nodded. "Sort of. There's an exit out of the stock room, but you have to go through the shop to get there."

Spike nodded at the door in the back wall of the kitchen. "That's not an exit?"

"It is, but the alley opens right where the line is, so you'd still be seen. The stock room door leads to the loading dock we share with the building next door, so you'd be able to go around the back of that building to the next street over."

Spike sighed again. "Anythin' I do is gonna piss somebody off. If I stay, Dru will be livid that the band's not makin' any dosh off this, and if I go, the fans will be livid that I bailed on 'em."

"How would the band be making any money?"

"We usually don't do things like this unless it's tied to a show, and by the time they get to us, they've purchased tickets and merchandise and what all. We charge extra for VIP access and backstage passes, too, so me doin' this for no charge will chap her arse at all the lost revenue. Plus, it's costing us money due to Brad's overtime. He's been on the clock since he picked me up at my flat yesterday, although, if I offer to cover his time, that should alleviate some of the chappin', I hope."

Brad glanced out into the shop then said, "Looks like you're about to find out. She's here."