A/N: So, we're leaving "School hard" finally, that last chap was driving me crazy *lol* It's gonna be a bit AU from now on, I hope you're with me. Huge thanks to you Luxferi for the beta, and I think a line is yours in this one :P




* * *


School was finally over for the day, and eager students were rushing through the hallways trying to get as far off campus as possible. Not Buffy and Willow though, they were making their way to the library on their way to see Giles.

In the lounge, craftsmen were fixing the broken window, but other than that, there was no other sign of whatever activity that had been going on the night before. Giles was coming out of his office with a large stack of books in his hands when the Slayer and her friend came in.

”Buffy! Good, you’re here.”

”Yup, that’s me, always good to have around.” She sat down on the table, dangling her legs. Willow picked up a book about wiccas that Giles had left open, before sitting down beside her.

”After the events of last night, there are some things that I’ve been wondering about,” Giles said and put his books on the counter.

”Poor Giles, another sleepless night with only his books to keep him company,” Willow said, looking up from the book she was studying.

”Thank you Willow. But this Spike, there is…I... I’m not sure what to think of it -”

”Giles, spit it out already.”

”You said you’ve met him before, yes?” Giles inquired.

”Ya huh,” Buffy said.

”I’m just surprised things didn’t turn out worse than they did. I mean, Spike could very well had sent his minions after the parents while he was trying to kill you.”

”He was going after me, Giles.”

”Yes, but perhaps if you tell me what happened the last time you met him I could-”

”There isn’t much to say. I didn’t know he was a vampire and I guess I was lucky to get away alive.” Buffy didn’t like this conversation at all. Why was Giles suddenly so interested in knowing about Spike? Oh, right, he always had boring things on his mind.

”You... you didn’t know he was a vampire? Until last night?” Giles was surprised. ”When was this? Did he know you were the Slayer?”

”Easy with the questions, Giles,” Willow said.

”San Francisco, about two years ago, before I became the slayer, and Los Angeles a couple of months later, after I’d been called. Dunno if he knew I was gonna get chosen.”

”Well, there is no possible way for him to know that you would become the Slayer. Such things can’t be predicted. To find potential slayers are often a tricky business even for the Council. I guess..”

”Are we done?” Buffy asked impatiently.

”I…” Giles took off his glasses and started to clean them with the handkerchief he kept in his breast pocket. ”There was something he said yesterday, something about…your parents divorce? He seemed to know an awful lot of personal information about you, in my opinion...”

”He overheard my parents yelling at me, that’s all. Tried to use it against me.”

”I see.”

”But what did you do?” Willow asked.

”What do you mean?”

”When you met him. I guess you didn’t go out for coffee with him, unless…Did you do that? Did you have coffee with-”

”No!”

”I…I just meant: what were you doing with a vampire before you became the Slayer? That gives me the wiggins.”

”We ran into each other. Twice. Nothing more than that,” Buffy had became defensive. She didn’t know what was going on between her and Spike either. What could she possibly tell her friends that made some kind of sense? If she started to explain, things like that institution would come up, and she really didn’t want her friends to know about that. She was strong. Not some lunatic locked in a madhouse. She was the Slayer.

”And you got his name?” Willow asked, trying not to sound doubtful.

”Are you sure that it was a coincidence? I mean this could be-”

”Yes. He didn’t know that I’m the Slayer until last night. I’m sure.”

”I see.”

”Don’t go all buttface on me now, Giles,” Buffy said, seeing Giles’ expression. ”You look like you’re gonna say ’but’. Don’t. I need to get home. Unfortunately my mom didn’t understand that I was saving her life yesterday, and now I’m grounded.” She sighed. ”I gotta go.”

Buffy sneaked out before her Watcher managed to ask any more questions. She was leaving two very confused friends behind.

* * *

In the house on 1630 Revello Drive, Buffy had spent the rest of the afternoon in her room, bored to death. She had tried to study, but without Willow’s help, Buffy didn’t understand much about the history she had to do, and was easily distracted. She decided to call the redhead.

After bribing her friend into giving her the correct answers to the history assignment, Buffy started to complain about her situation.

”I’m dying over here, Willow! I wanna go bronzing with you and Xander!”

”Oh, don’t worry, we’ll go another time. It’s no fun without you anyway,” Willow said on the other end of the line.

”But it’s so not fair! I mean, I’m the slayer! I should get some kind of benefits like…like, no homework! And only school three days a week and free chocolate and those nonfat yoghurts with melon flavor and-”

”Buffy.”

”Sorry. I’ll stop being all mopey-girl. I’m just...bored.” Buffy started to walk around the room.

”So…?” Willow asked.

”So, what?”

”Are you going to tell me what you didn’t tell Giles today?”

”What?”

”I know when you’re hiding something, Buffy.”

”Wills, there’s nothing else to say.”

”You may not see it but I’m wearing my resolve face. You know what it means, now tell me.”

Buffy sighed, giving in. She lay down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. ”I just don’t get why he didn’t kill me. Those times before,” she said. ”He didn’t even try.”

”You…You didn’t fight him?”

”No.”

”Oh. What did you do? I mean, other than running into each other?”

”We…I don’t know. We talked, I guess. He yelled a lot.”

”That doesn’t sound very nice.”

”He’s a vampire, Willow.”

”But you didn’t know that.”

”No, I didn’t.”

Buffy could hear her mother yelling from the kitchen. Dinner was ready. ”All right, I gotta go Will, we’ll talk later okay?”

”Sure, but you’re not getting away with this!”

”Yeah yeah, bye now.”

”Bye.”

Buffy hung up the phone and went downstairs. She ate dinner with her mother in silence, picking at her food. Buffy had given up trying to explain to her mother what had happened, since that meant telling another bad lie, so she yielded to the fact that she was grounded. That is, until sunset. Buffy told her mother that she was going to bed early, but did her usual routine and climbed out of her window instead. She was desperate for something to kill.

It was a quiet night. The streets were deserted and the cemeteries as well. Only one vampire rose out of his grave and Buffy slayed him before he had a chance to understand what he had became. The surprised look on his face quickly turned to dust. Suddenly Buffy could feel the presence of another vampire behind her.

”Buffy.” Angel, as the stalker he was, showed up out of nowhere.

Buffy sighed and turned around. ”What, Angel?”

”Could we talk?”

”Not sure, am I ’bright’ enough?” Buffy hadn’t forgotten the things he’d said about her the night before.

”I didn’t mean any of that, I-”

”Then why did you say it?” Buffy asked, irritated.

”It was part of the plan, I had to see if Spike would buy it.”

”What was your plan? Getting Xander killed?”

”Your friends are in danger all the time-” Angel tried to explain, but Buffy didn’t give him the chance to finish.

”Yes! By choice. Because they are my friends. According to Xander, you just grabbed him!”

”I couldn’t tell him, it would have been too risky!”

Buffy was about to yell something back, but calmed herself down before saying: ”Next time, don’t involve my friends in your plans. Got it?”

”Yeah. I’m sorry.”

”Good.” Buffy walked away. ”I’ll see you around, Angel.” She left him standing there.

Just as Buffy had disappeared through the gates of the cemetery, Spike walked out of the shadow of a tree. He had got out looking for another fight with the slayer when he came upon something almost as entertaining: his grandsire getting told off.

”That didn’t look too good.” he said.

”Spike.” Angel instantly recongnized the voice.

”A vampire dating a slayer!” Spike exclaimed. “It's not enough you got a soul, now you're lettin’ the slayer put a leash on you, Peaches? Did she give you dog food as well?” He chuckled. ”What is it with you and fierce blondes?”

”Get out of my face, Spike,” Angel said with irritation, slowly walking away from him.

”Oh, I understand, mate. Met her myself, you know. She’s got a dirty mind!”

”Shut your mouth!” Angel turned around.

”I mean, I couldn’t get her out of my bed!” Spike continued, walking up dangerously close to his grandsire.

Angel didn’t hesitate and punched him in the face. Spike was smirking, not punching back.

”She couldn’t stop staring at me, ya know? And what she was offering? It was hard to resist.”

Angel punched him again. Spike stumbled backwards but remained on his feet. He dried the blood that had started to flow from his nose with the back of his hand. He continued.

”But you know me, I never really got that whole virgin deal, that’s your thing. I had to tell her no. Should’ve seen the look on her face, though, that pouting-” Angel hit him again.

”Stay away from Buffy!” he shouted.

Spike chuckled softly before giving Angel a right hook that sent him flying into a nearby headstone, smashing it into bits.

”She’s not your girl, mate,” Spike said calmly to his grandsire lying on the ground. And with that, he was gone, and Angel was once again left alone in the cemetery.




A/N: Still liking it? Give me a review and let me know