All the Frills

Author's Note: I know it's been forever since I've updated...Sorry. My muse kicked me into gear and here is the beginning of the result.

* * * * *

“I suggest we all relocate to the library,” Giles began, “I believe I’ve had enough of the hospital to last me a lifetime.”

The assembled group nodded enthusiastically and followed the librarian out the doors. Buffy allowed a small smile to play on her lips. Things were far from hugs and puppies, but she had her powers and he best friend back and for now that would do. Buffy looked over to where Dawn was walking with Faith; she’d have to take her on patrol with Spike and teach her how to do the whole slaying thing.

“Willow,” a once more human Oz breathed.

“Oz!” Willow screeched as she dashed over to the cage and released him.

Buffy smiled and snuggled into Spike’s arms as she watched the happy red-head reunion. Things were finally feeling ok again. And directly on the heels of the happy thought came the one reminding her that when things were ok, it was guaranteed things were soon going to be a world of not okness. In usually Buffy fashion she decided to be not dealing with that more grim reality girl.

“Oh. My. God. I can’t believe I almost forgot!” Cordy exclaimed.

“Cordelia?” Xander asked, “What’s the what?”

“Prom. It’s like two days from now. I don’t have a dress, or a hair appointment or anything. This is just going to be a disaster,” Cordy said as if it were the end of the world.

“With the Mayor’s ascension and Anya’s continual attempts to meddle with our lives, I highly doubt this prom should be the focal point for us right now,” Giles said.

Cordelia turned and advanced on the Watcher. “Prom is like the pinnacle of high school. There’s not really a point in ever going to high school if you don’t go to prom. And I for one will not be denied. The ascension can just wait.”

“Prom?” Spike asked.

Buffy turned and looked at her Mate, “You’ve been around for like a century and you don’t know what the prom is?”

“Didn’ really spend my time conversin’ with the locals, luv,” Spike answered.

“The prom. It’s this whole end of high school rite of passage thingy. Think cotillion with spiked punch and the electric slide,” Buffy answered with a wide smile.

“Buffy,” Giles said as he removed his glasses, “We really do have more pressing matters to attend to. Surely you understand the prom must be an afterthought.”

“Look, I ain’t all excited about dressing up all…dressed, but it’s not like we have a whole lot of info on the whole Mayor demon transformation. Research the books Dawn brought from the Mayor’s office. Meantime, I say we party,” Faith said.

“Very well, you all should go home. Get some sleep. We’ll reconvene tomorrow,” Giles said tiredly.

Spike released Buffy and reached down to pick Dawn up and carry her in his arms. Buffy pushed Dawn’s hair out of her face.

“You get her home, Faith and I will do a quick sweep and join you there,” Buffy whispered.

“Buffy – ” Spike began.

“Don’t. Just get Dawn home. I’ll be fine,” Buffy said.

“Yeah, we’re five by five,” Faith reassured him.

Spike turned around in a flourish of leather and mumbled about bloody women and slayers as he carried Dawn out the door.

* * * * *

“Reason we sent peroxide head home?” Faith asked as they walked into the cemetery closest to the school.

“I so need to kill something. He’d get there first and do it for me. It’s just not what I need right now,” Buffy said.

“So the reason I’m here?” Faith asked, a small smile tugging her lips.

“Reason? Spike wouldn’t let me go alone. At least if I took you…” Buffy let her sentence trail off. It was pretty selfish for her to say, and then tell Faith she was just using her to get Spike to leave them be.

“I’ll just get me a good seat then, B,” Faith said, “Two vamps heading your way.”

Buffy smiled at Faith, at least she understood. At least, Buffy thought she understood. There were no weird emotions coming through the claim, nothing to let her know that Faith was at all un-ok with the plan. Buffy shook her head and focused her attention on the tow vamps that clearly thought she was an easy meal.

“You know, I’m trying here, really, but sometimes the powers just won’t give me what I want,” Buffy said.

“It’s not safe after dark in graveyards,” the vampire said.

“Really? I find them oddly comforting,” Buffy replied as she backhanded the vampire.

“Slayer!”

Buffy smiled and threw herself into the fight. She held back a bit, she needed the fight to last. It had been a hard couple of days. No one took her sister. With that thought she plunged the stake into the first vampire. The second advanced on her, not at all discouraged by her effective stakage. She landed a spin kick to the vampire’s jaw and smiled as he fell to the ground. Then, she had lost her powers. Then, Willow being…she so wasn’t going there. No one, not even the soon to be full grown demon Mayor was going to ever take her family, her friends, her city away from her.

“No one,” Buffy said as she watched the second vampire turn to dust.

“I’ve gotta find me a someone to take to this prom thing,” Faith said as Buffy fell into step next to her.

“A someone?” Buffy asked.

“Yeah, B, I’m tellin’ ya, if I don’t get some action seriously soon…” Faith plastered a wicked smile to her face.

“Well, you were the one that told me slaying always makes you hungry and horny,” Buffy answered.

“And you, you’ve got your own personal sex slave,” Faith said, “Jealous not really quite covering what I’m feeling here, B.”

* * * * *

“This will just not do, Anya,” The Mayor said as he looked up from his golf game, “My swing is just not quite right.”

Anya looked at the man without knowing what to say. Honestly, he was meant to be a demon and he was really closer to Fred Rogers without the scary sweater.

“The Slayer continually acts as the fly in my ointment. She and her merry band of teenagers seem to be able to avoid all the traps we set for them. Why is that, Anya?” The Mayor asked.

“It’s the claim. Each time I go after them, it’s the claim that saves the one person singled out,” Anya answered.

“They really are good kids. Full of family bonding. At times it is a shame I’m going to eat them all once I’ve ascended,” The Mayor said.

“I know how to kill them. All of them, not just one,” Anya said.

“Make sure it works. I don’t need anymore surprise setbacks,” The Mayor said.

“The problem is the claim. Together they really are unstoppable. I need to attack the claim, make it no longer work to help them. Once they’re separated from the power of their combined energy, they will be easy enough to kill,” Anya said.

“Work quickly. They have my books, now that’s not enough for them to stop me, but I don’t want to have any complications,” The Mayor said.

* * * * *

“Not bloody happening, Slayer,” Spike said, “’M not some poof to wear some namby pamby cummerbund. Said I’d go, but that’s it.”

“But Spike,” Buffy whined her best, “You can’t just show up all non-dressy. It’s the PROM.”

“I know it’s the sodden prom. Don’ mean I’m going to dress up like some bleedin’ life-size doll.”

Buffy tried not to laugh, really she did, but the image of Spike as her own dress up doll – well it was just funny.

“Shut your gob, Slayer. You’re not gettin’ me to dress up. ‘Sides, I wear black anyway,” Spike said. Smirk firmly in place.

“Sexy as the 70s grunge, duster look is, a tux is what boys wear to the prom,” Buffy replied.

“I’m evil, pet. It’s only cause I love you that I’m goin’ to this…prom anyhow,” Spike said.

Buffy could tell she wasn’t going to get anywhere with this line of argument. Honestly, how hard could it be to just wear a tux? It’s not like she picked out some scary pastel blue thing with ruffles. It was very sleek, very black and so terrible with the hotness. The problem was convincing Spike to share her view.

“Spike,” Buffy began, in a more subdued tone, “I don’t get many normal things in life. For the most part I’ve come to terms with that, I’m the Slayer, she who protects the innocent and doesn’t have any semblance of ‘normal’ in her life. Prom is something I can have; something I will have. I want my Mate to share my special night with me, to want me to enjoy the small normal girl things I can. I need one night where I don’t need to worry about The Mayor or the Ascension, or demons or anything other than being all snuggly in your arms.”

Spike looked long and hard at his girl. He was no fool, well, not in this case anyway, he knew she was pulling all the right strings to get him into the monkey suit. That, however, didn’t mean she was wrong. Buffy did deserve to have one night of normal, and he’d be damned if she dance with any other pillock, She was his, and no other high school form of hormones was going to get their grubby little hands on what was his.

“No cummerbund,” Spike gave in with a teasing smile.

“No cummerbund,” Buffy agreed.

“Tell us ‘bout this dress of yours then,” Spike said as he hauled Buffy against him.

“Uh uh,” Buffy shook her head, “You’re just going to have to wait and be all with the surprised.”

“Don’ I even get to know the color? Need to know what color to match, don’ I luv?” Spike asked with an innocent, or as close as an evil vampire could come to innocent, expression.

“Just wear black, I never said I was against your signature color. Just needs to be all tux shaped,” Buffy replied.

Spike could feel her tiredness by the way she limply allowed herself to rest against him. “Come on, pet. Let’s get us some sleep.”

She didn’t acknowledge that he said anything, simply moved her arms up around his neck and allowed him to sweep her up into his arms and carry her to her bedroom. Spike carefully laid Buffy down on the bed. She was already asleep, her arm curled up under her chin, a small smile on her lips. Carefully, so not to wake her, Spike pulled her shoes from her feet and set them on the floor. He did the same thing to her pants and her shirt. After removing her bra, Spike pulled his duster and t-shirt off. Deciding she’d stake him if he left her in nothing but her knickers, he placed his black t-shirt over her upper body. Once he was rid of the remainder of his clothes, he slid into be next to her, and prayed Joyce didn’t just wander into the room in the morning.

* * * * *

Giles, not for the first or last time that evening, removed his glasses and squinted at the text. His research was garnering precious little information that could prove useful. None of the tomes gave any indication there was a way to prevent the Ascension or kill the Mayor. Setting down the book he’d been pouring over for the past several hours, Giles walked into his office to refill his teacup. As he sipped the hot liquid, Giles willed himself to be soothed by the herbs; that was the purpose of the tea. He knew the night would get worse long before it was better, and he needed to find something useful to tell his Slayers. Walking over to the table, Giles absently picked up the next book from the stack he’d created earlier and prepared himself for another less than informative narrative. His eyes quickly scanned the pages, again finding the same drabble as the other books. He set the cup down and pinched the bridge of his nose; the herbs clearly were not having the calming effect he was hoping to acquire. He resumed his reading and came to a page that folded out…several times. Intrigued, Giles re-read the passage preceding the pull out picture.

“Dear Lord,” Giles said as he folded the picture out to its full size.

Giles quickly rummaged through the scattered bits of paper littering the table. The front page of the Sunnydale paper had a story about a dead professor. He had done thorough study of volcanoes. Placing the article aside, Giles picked up a second book that had made mention of a skeleton found buried under the aftereffects of a volcanic eruption. The book claimed the remains were a yet to be discovered dinosaur; the picture of the fold out demon matched the size of the “dinosaur”.

“No wonder he wanted you dead,” Giles mumbled to himself.

“Wanted who dead?” Buffy asked as she, Spike and the rest of the crew wandered into the library.

“Er, a professor,” Giles replied absently.

“Blue, but I think it was too short,” Willow said.

“Not possible,” Faith said with a smile that was so not innocent, “I’m just hoping the slits going to be long enough.”

Willow made an eep noise and blushed madly.

“I can’t believe he asked you. I didn’t know you knew any of our fellow Sunnydale High-ers. He’s majorly hot,” Buffy said to Faith.

“I know, right. It’s not like I was expecting any one to ask me either. One minute I was all with the going stag just grindin’ with whatever showed, and then wham, I’m date bound,” Faith said.

“Don’t worry, Wills, we’ll find you a dress,” Buffy said, “We should check April Fool’s.”

Six weeks ago, Cordy would have adamantly told the looser group to not shop at a store she would shop at, but now…

“They have a really fabulous line,” Cordy added encouragingly.

“I myself am dipping into my road trip fund to fund to procure a shiny new tux, so look for me to dazzle,” Xander said.

“Duh. Even if you are my boyfriend, I wouldn’t be caught dead with a date that wasn’t in a tux,” Cordy said.

“See Spike,” Buffy began, “Tux is so the way to be.”

“And I myself will be wearing pink taffeta as chenille would not go with my complexion. Can we please talk about the Ascension,” Giles said.

“He is so right,” Cordy said.

All eyes turned her direction. She was never the one to insist on doing anything Slayer related unless forced.

“Chenille would be terrible for your complexion, Giles,” she offered.

“Alright Giles,” Buffy started, “We get it. Don’t go all damage bound. And never mention pink taffeta again…ever. Like I told Spike last night, if we’re going to vaporize the Mayor we deserve a night of prom-y goodness. One night of average teenage bliss. I’m not asking here, Giles.”

“I wouldn’t argue with ‘er, Watcher,” Spike said, an understanding look on his face, “Spent the whole bloody night listening to her prattle on about the soddin’ prom.”

“Buffy,” Giles said tiredly, “I understand your desire to want some sense of normalcy in your life, but the Ascension will happen and we do need to be prepared. You need to understand the gravity of the situation at hand.”

“I understand the gravity. If we’re all going to die…which will probably happen because all we know is big, demon, invincible…not exactly a winning combo. So, if we’re going to die, I want to go to the prom first,” Buffy said in a tone that brooked no argument.

* * * * *

The following evening, the Ascension was no where on their minds. The entire group enjoyed the pleasures of the demon free prom experience. They had begun the evening being picked up in a limousine. All the girls decided to prepare for the evening in one location…Buffy’s house won because Spike demanded he know his Mate was safe. While Buffy had been dealing with her own unmanageable hair, Cordelia assisted Willow with hers. The three girls enjoyed the opportunity to bond and do the whole “girly thing” as Faith had said. In the back of their minds, fear was present about the Mayor, but it was pushed further back for just this one night. Spike had insisted on the limo, Buffy was shocked to non-verbal capacity when the sleek black beauty had rolled up to her house. The boys all looked sharp in their prom best. Even the new guy, Dustin, who had asked Faith to the prom, looked like part of the crew.

When they reached the hotel ballroom, they were swept up in the energy of the whole ordeal. Faith reveled in how domestic and normal the whole thing was, and thanked the heavens she was able to spend the time with people who were true family. The group briefly acknowledged Giles, who stood with the other chaperones. He nodded back and smiled at the look of contentment on their faces. Knowing the Council would not approve of such a venture made the smile on his face grow wider.

“Let’s dance, luv,” Spike whispered against her ear.

Buffy nodded and allowed him to pull him into the heart of the dance. She felt her heartbeat pick up each time he looked at her. It would be a lie to say she didn’t have Spike in mind when she had picked out her dress. The blood-red dress clung to her curves tightly and had a slit that when from “heel to home” as Faith had graphically described it when they’d gone out shopping. The top was cut straight, but was low enough to leave little to the imagination, which was exactly the type of thing to drive her hormonally driven vampire Mate crazy. Buffy sighed. Her entire body relaxed into Spike’s arms as he twirled them around the room. For once, she could only see him and her. Nothing else existed in her world except for the two of them. She moved her arms up her Mate’s neck and ran her fingers through the curls at the nape of his neck. Smiling against his chest, Buffy allowed Spike’s purring to wash over her senses. A giggle escaped her lips as she thought about how much fuss he’d made about the prom and wearing a tux.

“I’m stealin’ B for a dance. You don’t mind, do you?” Faith didn’t so much ask as she pulled Buffy away from Spike.

The girls shared a conspiratorial giggle as the melted into the dance floor. Spike smiled and shook his head. “Women.” Secretly, Spike truly enjoyed watching his girls enjoy themselves. They were moving fluidly with the now much faster beat. It reminded Spike of the first time he’d set eyes on the Slayer, and his pants were just as tight now as they had been then. He really needed to get Buffy somewhere private and have his wicked way with her before the night was day. All night he’d kept his attention on each of his girls in turn. Red and Oz made quite a match, and the more time he spent with Wolfboy, the more he respected his mastery of the beast inside. While Spike had been trying to find Red on the dance floor, Oz had locked eyes with Spike; showing not jealously, but a silent acknowledgment of Spike’s perusal. Instead of feeling threatened or challenged by the boy, Spike was calmed by the boy’s devotion to Red.

When he’d located the Cheerleader and the Whelp, he’d attempted to stifle his laugh against Buffy’s neck. The ever perfect cheerleader had a look of resigned humor on her face as she watched the Whelp attempt to dance. She generously swallowed her yelps of pain and embarrassment each time the boy managed to mistake her foot for the floor. Although Spike considered the Whelp as overall useless, he was enamored with the Cheerleader. So, as far as Spike was concerned…what kept the Cheerleader content and happy made him happy. Even if he would never understand it.

“The evening appear to be a success,” Giles said as he came to stand next to Spike.

“Girls are all enjoyin’ themselves. ‘S’all that matters to me,” Spike answered.

“It has been a rather trying few weeks,” Giles continued, “A bit of relaxation should go far to restoring their spirits and preparing them for what is to come.”

“Do we have a plan for that bit o end of the world, Watcher?”

Giles looked sidelong at Spike. While his tone and phrasing were light and calm, his demeanor was in stark contrast. Giles found it odd that soulless vampire, such as Spike, had so quickly and smoothly become an integral part of their group. Most surprisingly to himself, Giles found he trusted Spike; something he’d not dared do with Angel even with the soul. One thing Giles knew above everything else in his life was their plan could in no way involve Buffy – or any of the girls being in graver danger than any other day.

“No, Spike. We do not have a plan,” Giles answered honestly.