Chapter 2
May 1998
Buffy sighed as she loaded her last suitcase in the back of her mom’s Jeep. She would be leaving for L.A. in a few hours to spend the summer with her dad. She had been dreading this for months and wished her father would call, telling her he had to go out of town for business and she wouldn’t be able to go, but the day had arrived, and no phone call.
‘Amazing,’ she thought. ‘When I don’t want him to cancel on me, he does, but when I actually want to stay, he finds an opening in his schedule.’ Closing the back of the Jeep, she leaned against it. The past year had been crazy. Her group of friends had, somehow, merged with Spike’s. Well, except for Drusilla. Anytime Spike wasn’t looking, the brunette felt it necessary to shoot death glares at Buffy. The others were nice, though. Willow and Oz had really hit it off and started dating around New Year’s. Xander found himself befriended by Gunn and Angel. Spike took a little more persuading, but eventually, he kept his ridiculing down. Now he only called him ‘whelp’. Gunn and Fred were still together, and Buffy found herself dating Angel. It only lasted from the start of the new school year to the day after her birthday. Both realized they were better off as friends, and though Buffy cared for him deeply, she couldn’t bring herself to want to sleep with him. Part of her realized that she was still fixated on Spike, but for the most part, she chose to ignore it.
Until recently. A few weeks ago, Drusilla had broken up with him, claiming he didn’t love her anymore, so she needed to move on. Spike was devastated at losing the woman he thought he was in love with. They had been together for years, and she dropped him like a bad habit. Eventually, he started the process of moving on, and a big part of that entailed stepping up the flirting with Buffy. She knew he was attracted to her, but other than the near kiss at the Bronze, he had never tried anything else. Flirty touches and glances were the only things ever exchanged.
Now she was about to leave for the entire summer, just when her dream guy was finally available. She sighed as she banged her head against the back of the car but immediately, a huge smile lit up her face as she saw him walking up the driveway, towards her.
“Whatcha doin’, pet?”
“Thinking about how much I want to stay here this summer.”
Reaching the car, Spike tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“I wish you could, too,” he said softly. “Take a walk with me.”
Her face immediately brightened, and she jogged up to the house to tell her mother she’d be back later. Heading back to the driveway, she took Spike’s outstretched hand and smiled even brighter when he entwined their fingers together.
Walking through the streets of Sunnydale, he led her to the city park and over to a grassy clearing. Spike plopped down on the grass and smiled at the giggle Buffy let out when he pulled her down into his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. Her smile faded as she looked into his face. He was so close, she could feel his breath mingling with hers. Reaching up, she stroked her fingers over his angular cheekbones and let them trail down to settle on the back of his neck.
Spike looked at the girl in his arms and felt his breath catch in his throat. She looked stunning as the fading sunlight brought out the highlights in her blonde hair. He looked at her moist lips and found his own being drawn towards them.
Buffy licked her lips as she saw him advancing on her, seconds before he made contact. Twining her hands through his hair, she felt him pull her even closer as they tasted each other. As the kiss deepened, she found herself drowning in the passion of it. Straining to get even closer to him, Buffy straddled his lap, never breaking contact with his lips, grinding her damp center against the hardness she encountered there. Breaking away, she gasped at the sensations he created in her as she pushed herself against him again and again.
“Spike…I want you,” she panted as he trailed kisses along her exposed neck.
“Buffy, I need you. God, I need you so much.”
Their lips fused together again as Spike rolled them, laying her down in the soft grass. Pulling away from her again, he stared down into her lust- filled eyes. ‘What am I doing?’ he thought. ‘This is a 17 year old girl. You can’t do this to her.’
Jumping away as if he’d been burned, Spike stood up.
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
“Buffy, we can’t do this.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re 17, I’m almost 21. I can’t take advantage of you like this.”
“Take advantage…Spike, I’m not some little kid,” she said, getting to her feet.
“I know, Buffy, we just can’t.”
“So what was all of this, Spike? A joke? You make me feel for you and then…just something to laugh about with your buddies, right? Poor, naïve, little Buffy.”
“Buffy, I would never do that. I want you so much, and it kills me not to have you, but we can’t.”
“Fine,” she said loudly. “I guess I’ll just go find someone my own age. I mean, I’m not that bad to look at…someone’s bound to come along and say, ‘Hey, I wouldn’t mind a piece of her’.”
“Don’t,” Spike growled. He knew she was just lashing out because she was hurt, but he couldn’t stop the possessiveness that flowed through him at the idea of anyone else touching her. He had never been more relieved in his life when she and Angel broke up. He knew she was still a virgin, and it killed him to think she might run out and sleep with someone else. They had gotten too close over the past year, sharing secrets and stories. Their families even ate together a few times a month, and she never missed a band rehearsal.
“Buffy,” he began again, trying to calm his voice. “I don’t want you to be mad at me. I want to be with you, more than I’ve ever wanted anything or anyone, but please try to understand what I’m trying to do.” He gently raised her eyes to his. “Please,” he whispered.
At the desperate note in his voice, Buffy felt her eyes tear.
“I’ve just wanted you for so long, Spike,” she said, taking a step closer to him. “Ever since the first day I saw you, and to think that what I feel for you might just be a big joke to you-“
“It’s not.” The urgent tone in his voice surprised her.
“You really want me?”
Spike didn’t answer, just pulled her to him, smashing his lips against hers. The kiss was almost brutal, as if she was being claimed by him. He molded her soft curves to his as the kiss deepened even more. His tongue dipped into her mouth to unite with her own. He never wanted to let her go. As he slowly began to soften it until their lips were barely touching with light caresses, he found himself already missing her. She was still in his arms, and he wanted to keep her there forever.
“Does that answer your question?” he asked with a smile.
Buffy, trying to catch her breath, could only nod.
“You’ll wait for me?” Buffy looked up at him in wonderment as she realized what he just asked her.
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“While you’re away,” he said, trailing his fingertips up and down her bare arms. “I want to see you when you get home.”
“See me as in…”
Spike kissed her softly. “I want you to be my girl, Buffy.”
Her face lit up in a smile as she realized what he just said. “Of course.”
“Well, then, now that that’s settled, how about a nice, proper good-bye kiss.”
“I can’t guarantee it’ll be proper,” she said with a devilish, little grin.