Chapter 42
“B-Buffy?” Mrs. Summers repeated; her eyes widening in shock.
The four remained frozen in place, staring at each other.
“M-mom, I can explain…” Buffy stuttered, clutching the covers tightly against her chest.
Joyce remained speechless while Giles suddenly felt the compulsive need to thoroughly clean his glasses, taking them off and rubbing them with the hem of his pullover.
“D-Da, I-“ Spike tried but was interrupted by Mrs. Summers:
“You two, get dressed. Now.” Without another word she turned on her heels and left the room, an extremely confused Giles trailed behind her.
“Oh, my God!” Buffy breathed; her gaze unfocussed as the scene which had just occurred replayed in her mind.
“It’s gonna be alright, pet.” Spike tried to reassure her, rubbing his hand on her back.
“Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!” She repeated incessantly as she suddenly began to move.
Her movements were clumsy and uncoordinated as she struggled to find her clothes under the large pile scattered around her bed. Spike mimicked her actions with a little more precision and a little less trembling.
“Buffy, relax don’t-“
“Relax?! My mom and your father just caught us in bed together!” She practically shouted before adding: “Naked!”
“Yes, but-“
“What were they doing here, anyway?” Buffy didn’t even bother to hear what the bleached teen standing next to her was saying. “She is supposed to be at work. She’s not supposed be at home for another two or three hours.” She protested. Suddenly, another question popped into her head. “What is *your* father doing here? Isn’t he supposed to be at the shop?”
Spike had pretty much figured why their parents had come home earlier but, seeing the Buffy’s anxious state of mind, he decided it was best for her to figure it out on her own. So he simply shrugged.
“Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!” The initial mantra returned as she pulled her jeans on and flattened her sweater against her stomach.
She glanced over at Spike to find him completely dressed and sitting on the bed.
“What are we gonna tell them?” She wondered out loud.
“I don’t think the whole ‘It’s not what you think’ speech is gonna work here, so I suggest we tell the truth.” He offered standing up straight.
“Everything?”
“Well, it would be a good idea not to mention the nights at the cabin. Or the Chase’s New Year’s Eve party. Somehow I don’t think your mom could handle that right now.” Spike explained.
Buffy let out a long sigh.
“We better go then.” She mumbled, turning the knob and walking out into the hallway and down the stairs.
The two teens reached the living room to find Giles and Joyce standing in the middle of it.
“Sit.” Mrs. Summers ordered and the two blondes obliged, taking a seat on the couch. “Explain.”
“Well…” Buffy started; her heart pounding in her chest with such strength she was afraid it might jump out. “Spike and I are… dating.”
“Dating?” Joyce inquired.
“Spike has been my boyfriend since before the Homecoming dance.” Buffy blurted out nervously as she rubbed her sweaty palms together.
“How?” The older woman continued questioning.
The two teens exchanged a glance before Buffy continued:
“We kinda started hanging out together a lot and one thing lead to another and…”
“You ended up in bed together?” Joyce offered sarcastically.
“No! It wasn’t like that.” ‘Well, come to think of it, it was exactly like that.’ Buffy’s mind reminded her, but somehow, admitting that to her mother didn’t seem like a very sane option at the moment so she mumbled: “W-we really like each other and we’ve been going out together for a while and… yes, we did have sex.” Buffy finally confessed.
“Then why did you lie to me and tell me he was gay?” Mrs. Summers inquired outraged.
“I didn’t!” Buffy defended herself sticking out her index finger. “I-I never said he was gay. You just assumed that he was because I told you I definitely wasn’t his type.”
To that Joyce seemed to have run out of ideas.
“So, you two…” Her finger pointed from Buffy to Spike and back to Buffy.
“Yes, we’ve together.” Spike spoke up for the first time.
“Well, I don’t know how Rupert feels about this but…” Mrs. Summers, who had, single-handedly, lead the inquiry up to that point, trailed off and turned to Giles for an opinion.
“Um… I… um…” He mumbled, being caught off guard by the sudden attention. Truth was there was only one question hammering in his mind: “Does this mean you’re not gay?” He blurted out with a confused frown over his eyebrows.
“No, da, I’m not gay.” Spike sighed, running his hands through the thick locks of his hair.
“Oh, thank God!” Giles breathed; the relief evident as his square shoulders relaxed noticeably. “N-Not that there’s anything wrong with that, understand.” He stiffened again when he felt Joyce swat him across his arm
“Rupert, is that all you have to say?” She asked a bit shocked.
“W-well, n-no, of course not, b-but…” The shopkeeper stuttered, taking off his spectacles and once again cleaning them with his pullover. “W-what you two did was… um… wrong. I mean, misleading us like that, i-is just inconsiderate and… um… wrong and… Oh, bloody hell…I’m just happy that my son isn’t gay.” He finally admitted.
“Rupert?!” Joyce scolded. “I think we need to have this conversation alone.” She announced. “Buffy, come with me. Spike, you stay here and talk to your father.”
Buffy glanced at Spike for support and he brushed his hand over her shoulder, patting it lightly as she stood up to follow her mother into the kitchen.
The teen took her place on one of the stools while her mother remained standing across from her. They stood in excruciating silence for a while until Buffy couldn’t take it anymore and uttered:
“Look, mom. I’m really sorry. I realise what we did wasn’t right, going out behind your back but it all just happened so fast and we really weren’t together yet when all of a sudden you brought Giles home for dinner and announced that he was your boyfriend.” She pointed out as the words seem to rush out of her mouth, never giving her time to inhale properly. “A-and then we started getting along but then we fought and broke up a-and then we made up and we have been trying to tell you guys about us but it’s all been so confusing.” She came to a halt for a sharp intake of breath.
“Are you done?” Was Mrs. Summers’ simple reply.
“Please don’t be mad.” She begged with a painful frown.
Joyce let out a sigh, walking over to the refrigerator and taking out a carton of orange juice. She poured it into two glasses and handed one to Buffy.
“I’m not mad.” She reassured her daughter and the teen relaxed. “I’m just hurt.”
Buffy winced at that. She hated when her mother did that. Most of the times she would prefer having her shouting, screaming at her, anything was better than seeing the look her mother had that instant.
~+~
“So…” Giles started taking a seat on the couch.
“So…” Spike replied. He sat next to the older man, his elbow resting on his knees, his hands clamped together.
“You a-and Buffy…”
“Buffy and I…” The teen repeated.
“You-You’re…” Giles waved his spectacles in the air.
“Together?”
The shopkeeper nodded.
“Yes. We’re together.”
There was complete silence between them, the only sound breaking it came from the heel of Spike’s boot as he nervously tapped it on the floor.
“S-since when?” Giles inquired, tilting his head.
“Since before the dance.”
“Oh, that long…”
Silence…
~+~
“I thought you and I had a special relationship, Buffy. I thought that you could tell me anything. No matter what.” She paused and then added: “I guess I was wrong.”
“Mom…” Buffy trailed off.
There was a ghostly silence between them and Buffy could swear she could hear her own heartbeat.
“It’s not like you tell me everything.” She finally whispered. “You didn’t tell me about Giles until two mouths after you started dating him.
“That’s different.”
“How come?”
“First of all I am the mother and you are the daughter. Not the other way around.”
“Ah, so I have to tell *you* everything, but you don’t tell me anything?” Buffy demanded. “That’s not fair!”
“Too bad! That’s the way things are. You are still under age and-“
“I’ll be eighteen next month.” The teen countered raising her voice a bit.
“Exactly! Till then you are still under age.”
“But-“
“No, ‘but’s young lady.” Mrs. Summers warned her.
“So what? You are just going to forbid me to see Spike? Is that it? ‘Cause I’m telling you I am not going to stop seeing him.” Buffy finished by crossing her arms over her chest.
“Do you really think I would do that?” Joyce asked a bit surprised.
“Yes.” Buffy answered weakly.
“Oh, Buffy. Since when have I ever told who you could or could not date?” Joyce sighed exasperated.
“You weren’t too happy when I started seeing Angel.” Buffy noted.
“But I never told you that you couldn’t see him.”
“Yeah, but you made that face every time he came by.”
After a beat Joyce mumbled:
“I never really liked him…”
At that Buffy chuckled. Both felt the tension melt away as the silence returned, this time a much more comfortable one.
“So…” Buffy started. “You are not going to stop me from seeing Spike?”
“Of course not. Why do you kids have to make everything into an overdramatic, modern tale of Romeo and Juliet?” Joyce wondered taking the two glasses and putting them in the sink.
“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Buffy jumped off the stool and swung her arms around her mother for a bear hug.
“Calm down. You’re still not off the hook.” Joyce assured when she was finally able to disentangle herself from the embrace.
~+~
The silence between the two Brits was overwhelming. Spike sat in his place, pressing his hands together, tapping his foot, while Giles nervously adjusted his glasses back on.
“Spike…” He finally spoke up. “You-You know that you should have told me about this.”
“I tried. You were too busy trying to get me to embrace my ‘true self’ as far as I can remember.” Spike explained, narrowing his eyes at his father.
“Oh, yes… sorry about that. I-I just thought that… Um… you were…”
“Gay.” The teenager offered when the older man seemed to be stuck with the word.
“Yes. Um… which apparently you are not.” Giles noted looking at his son for confirmation.
“Da, for the one thousandth time, I. Am. Not. Gay.”
“R-right, sorry.” Rupert stuttered, not able to contain the smile that spread over his lips.
The stillness returned and the tapping sound louder than ever.
“Do you mind not doing that?” Giles asked.
Spike looked down at his foot and back up at his father before stopping.
“Thank you.”
A moment passed before he spoke again:
“Do you… like her?”
“Buffy? Of course I do. I’m crazy about her!” Spike exclaimed.
“Good, cause I really don’t want her to get hurt. Not only because she is Joyce’s daughter, but because she is a good kid. She’s a very special girl and I don’t want to see her getting hurt.”
“Dad, relax, I’m nuts about her, I would never do anything to hurt her. Ever.” He reassured his father.
“Good.”
Silence.
“Who would have thought…”
Spike frowned and looked at the man sitting next to him.
“Father and son, dating mother and daughter.”
“Yeah, Freud would have a field day on that one.” Spike smirked causing his father to laugh out loud.
~+~
Buffy stared up at her mother, trying to hide the grin that threatened to take over her lips. This was just so great! No more hiding and no more lying to her mother. She hated doing that. Even though the whole hiding thing had it’s ups.
“You and Spike…”
“Yes…?”
“Y-you have… um…” Joyce struggled with the way to approach the subject as the blush took over her cheeks. “You have been having… relations.”
Buffy nodded.
“D-did you… did you take precautions?” She finally said it out loud.
“Yes, mom. I’ve been taking the pill since Angel, remember? You made me take it?” Buffy reminded her.
“Oh, yes… I just never thought… you know? I always thought it was more of insurance than actually…”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” Buffy mumbled; her gaze cast down to the floor.
“It’s ok…” Joyce replied, running her hand over Buffy’s cheek. “I just hope that next time you will be able to talk to me about these things.”
“I will.” She promised with a smile as she watched her mother start to leave the kitchen. “Mom?”
“Yeah?” Joyce came to a halt and turned to face her daughter.
“What are you and Giles doing home so early?”
At the question, Mrs. Summers’ face turned bright red.
“Oh… He… um… he was just here to help me with… um… the plumbing.” Joyce stammered the answer.
“Oh…” Buffy said starting to head out to the living room again before coming to a halt once more. “Why did you go into my room?”
“Um… I… um, we… I… we needed… um…”
Hearing her mother’s incoherent babbling made Buffy frown; her brain slowly trying to grasp the reason for such embarrassment.
“Mom?”
“We better go check on the boys.” Joyce blurted out with a plastic grin as she continued to walk, leaving Buffy behind.
Suddenly, a light switch flickered on in the teen’s brain; her face immediately distorting itself for a nauseated look.
“Oh, mom!” She groaned, following her.
They entered the living room to find the two men sitting on the couch, chuckling at something that Spike had just said.
“What are you two laughing about?”
“Oh, nothing, nothing.” Giles quickly replied standing up. “I-Is everything ok?” He asked when he saw the disgusted look on Buffy’s face.
“Everything’s fine.” Joyce answered.
“So Buffy and I can go out?” Spike asked. The anxiety evident in his voice.
“It’s fine by me.” She started before adding: “As long as you behave. Rupert?”
“Oh, it’s fine by me.”
Buffy and Spike smiled widely at that.
“Um, Spike? Can I have a word with you?” Joyce inquired.
“Sure.”
Standing up, the teen approached the smiling woman who leaned in to whisper in his ear:
“You do anything to hurt my daughter, I don’t care if you *are* Rupert’s son; I will hunt you down and cut something off.” All was said with a wide grin on, which only served to terrify Spike even more.
v‘Gee, like mother like daughter.’
~+~
“Your parents caught you?? In bed together?” Xander cried out, sprawling back in his chair while Buffy and Spike blushed furiously.
“Thank you, Xander, I don’t think the entire student body knew about that.” Buffy said, her eyes nervously scanning the room.
“Sorry! It’s just… wow! Talk about embarrassing.”
“What’s embarrassing?” Oz asked as he and Willow approached the table and took their seats.
“Buffy’s mom and Spike’s dad caught them doing the ‘wild thing’.” Xander replied casually, popping a French fry into his mouth.
At that the redness in Spike and Buffy’s cheeks intensified.
“Ouch.” Oz exclaimed monotonically, glancing at his girlfriend for a hysterical reaction, but it never came. “You already knew, huh?”
“Buffy called me last night to tell me.” She explained gingerly.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Oz questioned without a hint of accusation in his voice.
“Cause I know you’re not obsessed about Buffy and Spike’s love life like Xander.”
“How could I not be? Their life is a soap opera. It’s addictive.” The brown-haired teen defended himself. “So the parents finally know, huh?”
“Yup.” Buffy replied with a smile.
“What and no drama?” Xander asked a bit confused.
“Nope. No drama. Just a very awkward conversation on prophylactics.”
“That’s no fun.” Xander mumbled earning a swat across the arm from Buffy. “Just kidding. I’m glad you guys are out of the closet. Speaking of being out of the closet…” his gaze fell over the Brit. “Your dad must have lit a few fireworks on finding out that you’re not gay.” He chuckled.
“I’m just glad I’m not going to have to listen to anymore of those ridiculous ‘you shouldn’t be afraid of being who you are’ speeches. They were driving me nuts.” Spike sighed in relief, letting his head drop into his hands.
“Poor Spikey!” Buffy mocked, running her fingers through his hair.
“So now you two and the parents are gonna go out on double dates or what?”
“Urg! No!” Both Buffy and Spike denied in unison.
“Gotta hand it to you guys, I have a twisted family but you-“
“Hey!” Buffy protested.
“What?!” Xander defended himself. “Do you realise that if your parents ever decide to tie the knot you two are going to be like siblings?”
“Step-siblings.” Spike and Buffy corrected.
“Whatever. It has the word ‘sibling’ in it.”
“Come on, Xander, stop being a meany!” Willow came to Spike and Buffy’s aid.
“I’m just kidding. Don’t worry! Though, I can’t wait to tell Cordy about this!” Xander said rubbing his hand together.