"So, luv, how was the
mix-up?"
Puzzled, Buffy looked at her companion; then her face
cleared. "Oh, you mean the mixer?"
Spike shrugged. "Whatever that event was that had your
knickers in a twist!"
She glared at him. "They weren't in a twist, I
just...it was my first college party, and I wanted to make a good
impression!"
He raised a dark eyebrow questioningly. "And did
you?"
She sighed, remembering the drunken fraternity president who'd
grabbed her and had to be taught a lesson. "Well...I
made an impression, all right! Definitely."
"Tell me," he ordered.
Buffy hesitated, then shrugged.
When Spike had first returned to Sunnydale and been dragged,
kicking and screaming, into her fight against the forces of evil,
Buffy had thought herself the unluckiest Slayer who ever
existed. It was bad enough to spend her freshman year
patrolling instead of partying...but to have to do it in the
company of her hated mortal enemy!
Lately, though, she'd had a change of heart. Spike was
undoubtedly the most arrogant man she'd ever met; but he
was also...interesting. In a way. For a
vampire, that is.
So she told him all about the mixer; and her unfortunate
experience with Brandon.
"Brandon?" Spike snorted. "Might have
known he'd be a wanker, with a name like that!"
The two of them headed up Revello Drive, turning off at Buffy's
house. Spike trailed after her into the kitchen; and it was
he who put the kettle on for their hot chocolate.
At first Buffy had been nonplussed when Spike had taken to
following her into her home, but now she expected it, and
automatically set out two mugs.
"What do you expect, kitten...from an ordinary
human?" He handed her one of the mugs.
"I'm human," Buffy objected, pushing the tiny
marshmallows with his reach.
"But you're far from ordinary, pet," Spike
pointed out.
"You're saying...it's hopeless?" Buffy questined
sadly. "That there isn't anybody for me?"
"I never said that!" Spike actually sounded
shocked. "Just that those fraternity losers aren't for
you!"
Buffy regarded him thoughtfully. "Okay, but...then
what?"
Spike suddenly became absorbed in his hot chocolate.
"Obviously, humans won't work, Slayer. You're too
strong and vital, and they'll never measure up."
"Xander said once..." Buffy began.
Spike snorted. "That whelp! What does he
know?"
Buffy ignored that. "He said that I needed someone who
knew I was the Slayer but liked me anyway!"
"Huh...he's got a point. Must be a first time for
everything," Spike conceded.
"So, what I need is someone who knows about me, but isn't
human?"
"Sounds likely, pet."
"But, it has to be someone who doesn't want to kill me,
either...which rules out most of the non-human males I
know," Buffy pointed out.
Spike got to his feet and rinsed out his mug, keeping his back
turned toward Buffy.
"Nothing like keeping an open mind, Slayer," he
muttered. "Just because someone may have been an enemy
once, doesn't mean it has to stay that way forever!"
"That's true," she agreed. "Like...me
and you?"
His entire body went rigid. "That's right,
kitten..." careful not to turn around.
She studied him, the lean black length of him accentuated by the
leather duster; and her mouth curled into a mischievous
smile. She gave in to the temptation to tease him.
"Hmmm," she said pensively, "I see what you
mean; it's obvious who's the ideal man for me!"
"It...is?" he breathed.
"But..." she hesitated.
"But what, Slayer?" he challenged, finally
turning around to face her. "If he's the one for you, and
you know it, you should be together! Do you..." he
wavered, looking away, "find him...attractive?'
"Oh, yes," Buffy said brightly.
"Anyone would!"
Spike relaxed, and smirked at her. "VERY
attractive? As much as...Angel?"
"You can mention him, Spike. I've accepted that we
couldn't be together. And, the answer to your question is
yes! He's every bit as attractive as Angel, in his own
way. And he's smart, and funny..."
Spike's grin widened. "There you go, Slayer.
Angel isn't the only man in the world. This one sounds
perfect." He took a step closer to her.
"Perfect," Buffy smiled in agreement.
"Then, tell him," Spike suggested, deliberately
leaning in towards her.
"But there's a problem."
He stopped abruptly. "Problem? There isn't any
problem! WHAT is the problem?"
"Um, he happens to be in love with someone else?"
Buffy offered.
Spike sighed in relief. "Don't worry about that,
pet."
"I'm no boyfriend stealer," Buffy retorted.
"Perfect or no...this guy's taken!"
"Maybe not as taken as you think," he suggested
desperately.
Buffy shook her head. "As taken as you can get,
without being married."
"Here, hold on!" Spike was horrified.
"That's not...that would never happen!"
"I don't know," Buffy said doubtfully,
"Oz seems devoted to Willow!"
Spike froze. "Oz?"
Buffy gazed at him with big, limpid eyes. "Isn't that
who we're talking about?"
Buffy smoothed the
skirt of her short dress- a silver-tinged lavender
strapless she'd fallen in love with at the mall. She'd been
letting her hair grow over the past year; and it hung
half-way down her back, straight and shining.
Buffy felt she shimmered all over; and wondered if Spike
would notice. She rang Oz's doorbell, hoping the blond vampire
had already turned up.
Although she'd never admit it to her friends, Buffy was deeply
regretting that trick she'd played on Spike. It had seemed
irresistible at the time, but he'd been withdrawn and angry all
week; and she'd been drinking her hot chocolate
alone! Worst of all, she was getting a little
scared....what if she'd lost him, through her own
stupidity? She was determined to corner him at
Oz's party and make things right.....
Buffy blinked at the tall, dark-haired hottie in the
doorway.
"Hi," he said, "You must be Buffy. I'm
Oz's cousin Jeremy."
Smoothly, the young god took her hand, his brown eyes
twinkling. "Would you like to dance?"
Buffy nodded enthusiastically, letting him lead her into Oz's
living room, where most of the crowd was gathered. Willow touched
her shoulder. "Hi, Buffy. I see you've met
Jeremy."
But Buffy didn't answer. Instead she froze, staring at the
back of a familiar blond head. Which was tilted towards his
partner. Spike...Spike was dancing! And
with....
"Hi, Buffy," Amy Madison said cheerfully.
Spike's head whipped around, but he merely nodded a cold
hello. Buffy noticed that he and Amy never paused in their
dancing.
Jeremy pulled Buffy into his arms. "I've wanted to
meet you for the longest time," he told her. "Oz
seems to think we'd...hit it off."
"Ummm," Buffy murmured absently, straining to
keep Spike and Amy in sight. It seemed to her they were dancing
VERY close together.
"We have so much in common," Jeremy mentioned.
"Uh-huh," Buffy answered, twisting her shoulder
to see that Amy was wearing a low-cut red dress that displayed
plenty of cleavage...and Spike seemed fascinated by the sight!
Buffy started to fume.
"I mean it." Jeremy's big brown eyes gazed
entreatingly into hers. "Neither of us is entirely
human."
Buffy's breath caught in her throat...AMY wasn't entirely human
either. Was Spike thinking that, too? She craned her neck
to try to see his face...
Jeremy stared at her, affronted. "Are you looking for
someone?"
"No," Buffy said hastily, "just wondering
what happened to Willow and Oz."
"I think they went outside, " Jeremy offered.
Just then Buffy saw Amy take Spike's hand, and pull him toward
the patio doors.
"Did you say 'outside'"? she exclaimed.
"That's a great idea...let's go!" She plunged
through the crowd after Spike and Amy.
Spike caught sight of her first. "Lost your new
lapdog, pet?" he sneered.
Jeremy, slightly breathless, came up behind Buffy.
"Guess not," Spike muttered sourly.
"Maybe we should get you a leash?"
Jeremy bristled. "You've got something against
werewolves?"
"No," Spike raised his eyebrows. "Just
commenting on the reason Slayers are so attracted to
werewolves- it's because they'll sit up and beg!"
"And why are vampires so attracted to witches?"
Buffy's eyes narrowed dangerously as she stared at Amy.
Amy smiled sweetly. "Because, witches can appreciate
vampires! Especially sexy blond ones!"
Deliberately she placed her hand on Spike's shoulder, just as
Jeremy grabbed Buffy's arm.
Two things happened simultaneously.
Spike growled, "Take your paws off my girl,
pillock!"
And Buffy snapped, "Get your claws out of my boyfriend,
you...wicca washout!"
The vampire and the Slayer stopped dead.
"Your girl?" Buffy asked in a tiny voice.
"Boyfriend?" Spike queried uncertainly.
Each took a single step; and they were facing one
another- scarcely a foot of space between them.
With an expert eye, Amy assessed the gap, decided it was still
too wide, and gave Spike a surreptitious push.
Then Buffy was in his arms and they were kissing
passionately, deaf to any protests from the bewildered Jeremy.
Amy took charge, grabbing Jeremy's arm and hauling him back
through the doors to find Oz.
"Hey, Oz," she greeted the werewolf, "your
plan worked; Spike and Buffy are finally lip-locked,
and it looks like they'll stay that way until she needs to come
up for air!"
"Oh, I'm so glad," Willow exclaimed, coming up
behind Oz. "They really belong together. I think
Spike realized it awhile ago; but Buffy was being
stubborn. Oz fixed things..."
"Not for everyone, he didn't," Jeremy said
glumly. "I'm all for true love and that; but you told
me I'd meet a beautiful girl who'd be accepting about the whole
werewolf thing."
"And you have," Oz grinned at Amy.
"Meet the prettiest witch in Sunnydale- after
Willow."
Amy laughed, in nowise offended. "I'm the only witch
in Sunnydale, after Willow," she commented.
"But...would you like to dance?"
Jeremy cheered up. "Yes!" He caught
Amy's hand, and pulled her onto the dance floor.
Willow was still watching Buffy and Spike, who were still kissing
passionately.
"Oz, how'd you know what to do?"
He grinned, and quoted, "' If I ever go looking for my
heart's desire again, I won't look any farther than my own
backyard'."
"Huh?" Willow looked puzzled.
"Sometimes people can't see that what they want is right
under their noses," Oz explained.
"Call it...the Ruby Slipper Syndrome..."
Willow slipped her arms around his neck. "But it all
worked out when they decided to go ask Oz!"
"Who was 'a whiz of a wiz!'" the werewolf
laughed.
Willow kissed him. "'If ever a wiz there was!'"