Chapter Five
On Friday, Spike found out just WHY Willow had looked at him so gratefully. Buffy, from what he could tell, was a very intelligent young woman. She was quick witted, and bright, with a strong grasp on things related to history or english. However, when it came to numbers, it was like her entire brain shut down and she barely comprehended 1+1. After an hour of trying to explain theories and proofs, Spike’s head flopped loudly on the kitchen table. He let out a yell of frustration that caused Buffy to jump, and Joyce to rush in from her office just off the living room. Dawn was nowhere to be seen, since she had locked herself in her room, probably with her headphones on at full blast when she realized that she wouldn’t be able to hover around Spike, because he was there to study.
“Geez, over dramatic much?” Buffy sniffed, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the blonde. He looked up at her with eyes so full of angry frustration, she almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
“This is not that bloody hard,” he spat, slamming his book closed with a snap. Joyce stepped forward, hoping to thwart the obvious argument that was brewing. The air around the two was charged with so much electricity, it was palpable.
“Why don’t you guys take a break? I have some lemonade in the fridge,” she offered, moving to get the glasses. “William, do you want to stay for dinner?” she asked, turning back to face them.
“No thank you, Mrs. Summers. I have date a tonight.” Spike managed not to cringe as he thought of the evening to come. Xander so owed him. Joyce managed not to smile at the scowl that crossed Buffy’s face.
“Yeah, with Harmony Kendal, leader of the brain dead in Sunnydale society,” she scoffed, her smile nasty. One dark brow shot up at that.
“Jealous, pet?” he purred, chuckling when she blanched.
“Eck, whatever,” she huffed, grateful when the phone rang. She jumped at the phone, plastering a large smile in her face. “Oh, hello, Angel,” she sang into he receiver, her voice bright. Joyce thought it sounded a little forced, and settled into a chair next to Spike when Buffy left the kitchen.
“Thank you for trying to help her. I’m afraid she was blessed with my mathematic inabilities,” she said with a chuckle. “Just don’t give up.” He looked at her then, wondering if it was just wishful thinking that he heard more behind her words than just encouragement to keep tutoring her. Her eyes sparkled back at him, and he couldn’t help grinning.
“I always liked a challenge,” he said, his face turning serious. “I was wondering, if maybe you might have some work for me.” At Joyce’s confused look, he hurried on. “Well, Dad’s being a real tosser about me getting a job and all, since that business back in London,” he said, sliding smoothly over the truth, not wanting to delve into it. “And, I was just wondering if you had anything needed doing around here, or the gallery.” She looked at him for a minute, tilting her head as if she was studying one of her art pieces. He just looked down at the table, idly playing with the edge of his book. He looked so nervous, and she had to smile again.
“I think something can be arranged. I always need someone to look after the lawn, I’m afraid neither of my girls were born with a green thumb, and I don’t have the time myself. So, if you know how to handle a lawnmower, and a pair of hedging sheers, you have a job. And, of course I will pay you for tutoring Buffy.” He shook his head at that, starting to say no, that wouldn’t be necessary, but she just waved him away. “It’s the least I can do to repay you for the long hours of gratuitous swearing you are going to do. And if you can actually get her to pass, I will be forever in your debt,” she said with a chuckle. Her daughter really could be quite pig headed. Spike smiled, and looked back down at his book. “Is there something else on your mind?” she asked. He looked up again, his blue eyes swirling with the need to say something. “What is it?”
“A friend of mine is in some trouble, and I don’t know what to do,” he shot out in a rush. He still hadn’t talked to his father, and he had decided to ask Mrs. Summers, since she knew Xander already.
“What happened?” She had a feeling she knew who he was talking about, but she would let him control the conversation.
“Well, it seems that he’s from an abusive home, and I wanted to help him.” Spike’s brows drew together as he spoke, not sure if he was phrasing himself correctly. Xander had not allowed any further talk about the incident at his house, and Spike had not wanted to push.
“All I can say is, be his friend. Be there to talk if he needs it, but don’t push,” she offered, her suspicions confirmed. Spike just nodded, shooting her a tight smile.
“I just don’t understand,” he said, looking down at his black tipped fingers, picking at a chip in the lacquer.
“Some things just can’t be explained. It’s not as bad as it used to be,” was all the comfort she could offer him. Shock permeated the depths of his eyes as he thought about it. No, he supposed it wasn’t as bad anymore. Xander was a big enough guy, capable of defending himself.
“Thanks,” he said, rising from his seat. “When do you want me to start on the lawn?” he asked, gathering up his stuff. She smiled at the abrupt change in subject, thinking he and his father weren’t as different as they both thought.
“The beginning of the summer, I guess. That’s not to far away, and you will have your hands full with Buffy til then.” *I wish* he thought, ruefully, barely managing to keep the thought to himself. Not a good thing to say to the mother of the object of his fantasies.
“Alright, Tell her, I’ll give her a ring tomorrow. I can come over before we go to the track.” Joyce nodded, happy that Xander had such a good friend. And somebody to share his love of cars with.
“Okay, see you tomorrow then.” He nodded, and waved at her, smiling at Dawn as she wandered into he kitchen.
“Bye Spike,” she called, walking over to the window so she could watch him walk across the back yard.
“Hey, kiddo. Want to order pizza for dinner?” Joyce asked, glancing at the time and realizing that she hadn’t pulled out anything for dinner.
“Sure,” Dawn answered, still staring into the backyard. Joyce just smiled, picking up the phone, forgetting that Buffy was still on it. Hanging back up on the indignant squawking her eldest was doing, she went to get her purse to find her cellphone, praying the whole way for God to save her from over hormonal daughters.
~*~*~
“Birds are late,” Spike said, leaning over to take his shot. Xander nodded, not wanting to admit how much he was disappointed. Granted, he tried to remember that this WAS Cordelia Chase, and she would think that being late was a way to make a grand entrance. Spike waved a hand in front of the brunette’s eyes, gaining his attention. “Your shot. Don’t look so panicked. I’m sure they’ll show,” he offered, leaning his hip against the stool by the railing that looked over the dance floor. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a cigarette, striking a match and lighting it.
He had just inhaled his first puff, when he saw them enter. Xander had seen them at the same time, completely missing his shot. Cordelia looked delectable in her white lace, spaghetti strapped dress, the hem barely skimming her knees. It fit her like skin, the material clinging happily to her curves. On her feet were a simple pair of white flats, her legs stocking free to show off her tanned skin. Her dark hair cascaded around her shoulders in waves, and her eyes were painted a smoky blue, her mouth a dark burgundy. Spike found himself transfixed by the image she created as well. No wonder Xander had been panting after her since Junior High. Maybe even longer by the way Willow teased him about it.
He hissed out a breath when Harmony moved into view, looking for all the world like one of those chits in that ridiculous movie Clueless. He hadn’t actually seen it, of course, merely paused during his aimless flipping of channels one night. She had on a short, blue plaid skirt, knee socks, black Mary Jane’s and a gauzey looking white shirt that flowed with a blue sweater over top. Cursing himself once more for allowing himself to get caught up in ‘As the High School Turns’, he crushed out his cigarette and went to nudge Xander out of his stupor.
“Hello, ladies,” he said, having to drag Xander along behind him. Cordelia was putting off her usual bored attitude. Harmony smiled brightly up at Spike, which he returned. Until he happened to look up at the door and saw Buffy and Willow walk in, Cheshire cat grins on their faces. “Bugger,” he groaned as they waved, and wove through the crowd, finding a table just far enough away to not be too obvious in their intent.
“Cordelia, you look beautiful,” Xander put out before he could stop himself. His eyes widened in horror for a second, before he looked away, calling himself every kind of idiot. He waited for the scathing remark that was sure to come, but all he heard was the steady throb of the music. He looked back up at her, and noticed she was smiling. A real smile. Not one of those ‘oh, you poor little peon, come bask in my presence’ type smiles.
“Thank you,” she said, looking away nervously. She didn’t know where all this was coming from. She had known Xander her whole life, most of which she had spent mocking him. But ever since they started High School, she had started to notice him, as more than just the loser she had thought he was. The fact that she had spent an hour trying on everything in her closet tonight, was a testament to that fact. She was scared senseless, partly because of what her friends would think. Mostly because she just had a gut feeling she could lose herself to this man, and that thought terrified her. When Harmony had started making moon eyes at the new guy, who just happened to hang with Xander, she’d jumped on it. She also could sense that Spike was as uninterested in Harmony as a guy could get without being repulsed, but he was playing along for their benefit. She liked him for that.
Spike looked between the three, trying hard not to roll his eyes. Sighing, he pulled out a cigarette, and lit it, chuckling at the look of disgust that crossed Harmony’s face.
“You know, those things’ll kill you,” she said daintily, arching a brow as he lifted it to his lips.
“A lot of things’ll kill me pet. I just prefer to pick my poison,” he answered, giving her a wide smile. She giggled, a sound which seemed to instantly grate his nerves, and batted her eyes.
“Well, okay,” she said, not realizing the sarcastic intent of his reply. He heaved a deep sigh, which he covered with taking another drag, and looked over at the two brunettes who were busy trying hard NOT to look at each other. Spike shook his head in disgust, and looked back down at Harmony. She was steadily staring at him, clasping her hands in front of her, and swaying a bit.
“Right,” he said, mostly to himself, trying to suss out how to break the unbelievable tension that was flowing through the small group. *Better come up with something, or this little venture will have been for nothing,* he told himself. Still holding the pool cue, he looked at it, then back at Xander. “Know how to play?” he asked, indicating the cue. Harmony shook her head, smiling again. “Fancy a try?”
“Sure,” she said with a shrug, following him to the table. Spike walked around the table, running into Xander in the process.
“Ask her to dance,” he hissed, as a slow song started to play. He then turned to Harmony, put on his most charming smile and started to explain the rules of the game. He took the stick out of Xander’s hand and gave him another push.
“Uh, wanna dance?” Xander asked, wiping suddenly wet hands on his pants. Cordy looked stunned, losing her normal cool attitude for a second.
“Sure, don’t say I never give to charity,” she quipped, gliding towards the dance floor. Xander followed her, praying he didn’t make an ass out of himself. Spike watched as they moved into each other’s arms, stiff as boards for the first few seconds. Then, they seemed to relax, their bodies moving in tune with each other. As the song progressed, they grew more comfortable, until Cordy’s head was resting against Xander’s shoulder, her arms loosely wrapped around his neck.
Spike smiled, splitting his attention between the couple on the dance floor, and the girl at his side. His gaze happened to graze over Buffy and Willow, who were watching Cordy and Xander with mixed expressions of disbelief, awe, and delight. Buffy turned to him, their eyes locking, and everything around them seemed to fall away. For one brief second, nothing else mattered except the clash of hazel and blue, and the recognition of something electric. Then, one of them blinked, and it was over. Buffy turned back to Willow, who had suddenly found something, or someone very interesting on the stage, and he turned back to Harmony.
“Is this right?” she asked, leaning as far across the table as she dared, her skirt inching up in the process.
“No. Here, let me show you.” He leaned over her, fitting his arms around hers and guiding her hands with his. She nearly trilled with excitement, not paying any attention to what he was telling her, too caught up on the feel of him pressed against her.
“Ugh. Do you see that?” Buffy huffed after she glanced back at the pool table. “Think he could wrap himself any MORE around her? Yech.” She didn’t notice Willow not paying attention to her, too busy being grossed out. When Harmony stood up, she said something to Spike, and he dipped his head to hear her, a smile curling his lips. Buffy felt her breath hitch and scowled. *Boyfriend, Buffy, boyfriend,* she repeated like a mantra to herself. She scowled again when Harmony placed her hand flat against his chest, and angled her body closer to his. He was staring down at her, listening to every word she said, looking at her like she was the only one in the room. A pure shot of female jealousy stabbed through Buffy. “Can you believe that? Little hussy. Throwing herself at him like that. And of course, him being male, and eternally led around by his dick, he’s falling for it,” she said in disgust. She looked over at Willow for confirmation, and finally noticed that the redhead hadn’t heard a word she was saying. “Well, would you look at that? They’re fucking, right there on the table.”
“Really?” Willow said, eyes never turning away from the stage.
“Goodness, and now Cordy and Xander have joined in, and they’re having an orgy.”
“Sounds good.” Buffy rolled her eyes, and looked up at the stage to see what was so fascinating. She found herself staring as well. The guitar player had stepped up to the mike while Cordy and Xander were dancing, taking over the vocals. His smooth, deep voice filled the small club, his fingers playing along the guitar like it was a cherished lover. Long fingers sought and found the chords with ease. Strong arms held the instrument lovingly, his tall, lean body curving to it as if protecting it from harm. Tight stomach muscles rippled from beneath a black leather vest, contouring up to a smooth, hard chest. The strap of the guitar rested across one strong shoulder, his dark hair spilling across the other. Full, sensual lips were pressed lightly against the microphone, occasionally drifting into a smile. High cheek bones led to ink black eyes, which then flowed into a high forehead. Long, long legs encased in jeans that should have been illegal they were so tight, held him upright on the stage, making him seem larger than life. He was chiseled out of stone, beautiful and savage all at once.
“Yum,” Buffy said, her mind conjuring up an image of Spike just so, and the picture was just as appealing as the one currently there. The song ended, and he smiled, then waved, and drifted back into the shadows to allow the lead singer to retake possession of the mike. Willow sighed in disappointment, and turned back to Buffy, her green eyes drifting to the pool table.
“Lord, could she GET anymore obvious?” Willow spat, not realizing she had missed Buffy’s entire dialogue about the very same thing. The blonde just chuckled, forgiving her friend for her inattentiveness. After all, if she didn’t have Angel, she might’ve done the same thing. *Tell yourself another one,* her mind sing songed. It wasn’t Angel she had been obsessing over.
“I know. She might as well strip naked and dance the lambada for as subtle as she’s being.” Buffy turned her eyes to the still dancing couple on the floor. “That’s nice though. And I never thought I would use those words in the same sentence when it came to Cordelia,” she said with a chuckle.
“Yeah. You know, he’s had a crush on her since kindergarten,” Willow said with a smile.
“I’m glad to see she finally took her blinders off.”
“Yeah, and Spike’s a great friend, putting up with Harmony for him.”
“What?” Buffy asked, confused. She had thought that Spike had WANTED to go out with Harmony.
“You didn’t think that Spike would want to go out with Harmony, did you?”
“Well, yeah. Why do it, otherwise?” she answered with a shrug. Willow rolled her eyes.
“Okay, say that I liked a guy, but he was too shy, or worried what his friends might think to ask me out. Then, one of HIS friends takes a liking to you. Now, the only way I’m going to get asked out is if the friend asks you out. What do you do?” Willow asked, looking at Buffy.
“I go on the date with the friend, even if he’s the biggest jerk in the Universe,” Buffy said, understanding hitting her. She didn’t know why she felt so happy that Spike was only doing a favor for Xander, instead of actually wanting to be with Harmony.
“Exactly,” Willow beamed, picking up her drink and taking a long swallow. She turned her eyes back to the stage, to try to find the guitar player once again. He was standing off to the left, the lights playing off the inky blackness of his hair. She sighed, her face turning dreamy. Buffy rolled her eyes when she saw that she had lost her friend’s attention yet again. With a chuckle, she sat back in her seat, happily ignoring the fool that Harmony was making out of herself with Spike, and watched the end of the show.
~*~*~
The foursome walked out of the Bronze and into the warm night. Cordy and Xander were walking ahead of the blondes, talking quietly. They had spent most of the evening dancing, the band seeming to work with them, only playing slow songs. Xander’s form of fast dancing would have frightened her off. They had talked while they swayed together, discussing the good barbs they had thrown at each other over years, as well as school and friends. Xander had been surprised to find out how easy she was to talk to when her guard was down.
Spike had done his duty like a good friend, coping with Harmony’s chatter, and unsubtle lustful hints. He was pretty sure, if he wanted, that he could have a nice round of slap and tickle with the girl. Things like that never did much for him. Always made him think of that advertisement for birth control.
‘You’re not just sleeping with them, you’re sleeping with everybody THEY’VE slept with.’ And he was not ready for his personals to go rotting and falling off. Not to mention the whole AIDS issue. Was enough to make a bloke think about staying a virgin. Almost. Since he definitely wasn’t that.
“I had a good time tonight,” Harmony said, turning to face him as they reached the car.
“Good. Me too,” he lied smoothly. In his mind, he was conjuring all the injuries he could inflict upon Xander for making him put up with this all night. They better not need the group thing the next time.
“Well, goodnight,” she said, hovering beside the open car door. She looked up at him expectantly, and Spike had to suppress a groan. *Now what?* he growled inwardly. He didn’t want to kiss her, and let her think that there might be more nights like this. But he didn’t want to ruin Xander’s chances with Cordelia, either. Girls had a tendency to run in packs, defending each other with an odd sort of ferocity. Resigning himself, he dipped his head and brushed his lips gently across hers. She sighed against his mouth, seeking to deepen the kiss. He managed to pull back before she succeeded.
“Goodnight, pet.” She blinked, and looked confused. He smiled down at her, hoping to ease any sting of rejection she might be feeling. She smiled back, hesitantly, turning to glance at Cordelia. To both of their surprise, the brunettes were engaged in a serious lip lock, Cordy’s slim frame pressed against the driver’s side door. “Ahem.” Spike cleared his throat, hoping to gently pry them apart. Neither seemed to hear him. “AHEM!” he said louder, chuckling as they came apart in surprise. “About that time, Xan.”
“Oh, right,” Xander said, running a hand through his hair. “Can I call you tomorrow?” he asked, looking down at Cordelia. She smiled wide, her beauty nearly staggering him.
“Yeah, I’d like that. Would you thank Spike for me?” she asked, lowering her voice so Harm wouldn’t overhear.
“For what?” She leaned up, and moved her mouth close to his ear, the rush of her breath against his skin making him shiver.
“Putting up with Harmony all night.” He snorted, then nodded, opening her door for her. Spike moved to stand next to him, cigarette planted firmly in his lips. They watched the car as it disappeared into the night.
“You owe me,” Spike said, still looking in the direction the car went.
“Yeah, I know,” was all Xander said as they turned and started to walk down the street.
A/N: Hmmm. Who could that guitar player be? (Walks away cackling evilly) Lisa