Chapter 10
The days passed, and Buffy stood up in her room, going over her final dress decision, while waiting to leave for the O’Shea’s party. She knew it would be a formal occasion, so she chose a black, silk floor length gown with two spaghetti straps on each side that split into a V-shape on each shoulder and came together again on the back of the dress. The sweetheart neckline showed off a hint of cleavage, and the slender fit of the silk hugged her curves in a sensuous manner without being risqué. The skirt flowed out away from her body, leaving her with enough freedom to move comfortably. She left her hair loose around her shoulders and falling down her back with a slight curl to it. Buffy quickly pulled on her stockings and the silver high-heeled sandals she had chosen before turning her attention back to the mirror. The problem she was having with her wardrobe was her earrings. She looked in the mirror to stare at the garnet stones outlined with tiny diamonds. It was her birthstone, and they did compliment the dress nicely, but Spike had sent them to her for her previous birthday. After debating a few more minutes, she gave a shrug and turned to walk out the door. They were meant to be worn, and she would wear them. Besides, it’s not like she and Spike were ignoring each other anymore. It would be a nice gesture on her part.
Grabbing her black shawl from the doorknob, Buffy wrapped it around herself and headed down to the kitchen. Upon entering, she smiled at her sister trying to steal bites of the Christmas cookies left cooling on the counter. Each time she tried to sneak past her mom, she was rewarded with a slap on the hand by her mother. Buffy cleared her throat from the door and spread the shawl to show off her outfit. With a playful spin, she laughed at the round of applause she received.
“You look beautiful, dear,” her mother said.
“You don’t look half-bad yourself,” she teased, walking over to give her mom a kiss on the cheek before standing back and critiquing the simple burgundy dress.
“Do I meet your approval?” Joyce asked.
Buffy gave a firm nod. “Definitely not mommyish.”
“And why is it okay to not look like a mom? That’s what I am, after all.”
“Come on, mom, there could be single guys there, and you have been without a date for years.”
“Buffy!”
“What? I can’t help it if I want my mother to be happy.”
Joyce smiled at her daughter.
“You do look nice, Buffy.”
“Thanks, Dawnie. You, on the other hand, are in need of a big sister makeover,” she said, tossing her shawl on the kitchen island. “Come on,” she said, grabbing her sister’s arm.
“Buffy.” her mother said in a warning tone.
“What? Again, mom, there could be single guys there. Only this time, closer to Dawnie’s age. She is almost 16, after all.”
Dawn looked at her mother with a hopeful gleam in her eyes.
“Oh, alright, but we leave this house in fifteen minutes!”
With a squeal, Dawn grabbed her mother in a hug. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.” Turning, the sisters ran up the stairs as fast as their shoes would allow.
Dawn began to head down the hall to her room, but Buffy grabbed her arm and pulled her into her own. Dawn stood staring in the mirror at her black skirt, white blouse, and flat shoes. “It is babyish,” she decided.
“It’s not babyish, Dawnie. Mom just wants to keep you from growing up too fast. It just isn’t dressy enough for this party,” Buffy said, pulling dresses from the back of her closet. “Ah hah!” She yelled triumphantly. Laying out the emerald green dress on the bed, Dawn had to bite her lip to suppress the excited giggle. The dress had a modest square neckline with capped sleeves, and the velvet material fell down to the floor from the empire waist.
“Okay,” said Buffy. “First thing’s first- hair and make-up.” Sitting her sister in front of her dresser, Buffy pulled the elastic holding her ponytail out and let the ringlets fall around her shoulders. With careful, quick precision, Buffy turned the mass of curls into an elegant upsweep before lining her eyes with dark green eyeliner and shimmery pale eye shadow. Finishing off the look with a pale lip gloss, Buffy handed the dress to Dawn and shooed her off to the bathroom. “We have five minutes. I’ll find some shoes.”
Digging around in her closet, she finally came across the matching shoes and ran to meet Dawn as the bathroom door swung open.
“Perfect,” Buffy said with a bright smile when her sister emerged.
“You sure?”
“Absolutely,” she said, handing her the shoes.
“Girls! We have to leave!”
“Coming, mom!”
The girls headed downstairs and were greeted with a huge smile when Joyce saw them. “My babies are growing up,” she said with tears in her eyes.
Buffy raised an eyebrow at her sister. “See what I mean.”
The girls shared a laugh when the doorbell rang. Each woman exchanged a glance before Buffy stepped forward to open it. Shocked when she saw Giles and Spike, each in tuxedoes with matching sunglasses, Buffy had to laugh at the picture they made. Joyce and Dawn came up behind her, and before long, even the men were laughing.
“You guys do realize it’s nighttime, right?” Dawn asked.
“Well, what kind of an entrance would that be, Nibblet?” Spike asked, walking into the house, taking them off. “Besides, can’t see a damn thing with those on,” he continued, after giving Joyce a kiss on the cheek. “You ladies look lovely, by the way.”
“Yes, quite,” Giles agreed after offering Buffy a kiss on the hand. “We thought we’d offer you ladies a ride.”
“That’s so thoughtful,” Joyce said.
Spike turned to face Buffy, able to see her for the first time, and felt his throat close at the vision in front of him. Trying as hard as he could to swallow, he continued to stare at her.
“I hope that’s a good look,” she said with a smile. All Spike could do was nod. “Well, I need to grab my shawl, if you’ll excuse me,” she said, heading for the kitchen.
Grabbing it off of the island, she turned and nearly screamed when she was met with a solid chest.
Spike grabbed her arms to steady her, but instead of letting go, he found his hands trailing down to rest on her hips before leaning close and kissing her cheek. “You look stunning,” he whispered.
Buffy felt a shiver go down her spine at the feel of him. Running her hands up the smooth expanse of his chest, her arms found the back of his neck and slowly pulled him closer to her.
“HEY GUYS! We’re gonna be late!” Dawn yelled from the entryway.
Spike sighed. “Guess we better be going, luv.”
“Yeah,” she said quietly, wrapping her shawl around her shoulders and heading for the door.