Out In The Open


Serious fluff warning from here on out. Couldn't help myself :-)

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By the next afternoon, she was ready to burst with anticipation. The day had definitely been an emotional one: after bidding Giles goodbye, she had fled from her friends, unable to spend another moment around them. She was still feeling eerily numb about Giles’ leaving, but then they hadn’t exactly been on best terms lately and they both seemed to feel it as they shared an awkward goodbye.

Then she had rushed to her interview, her nerves making her on edge before she even got to speak to the manager. It was her fifth interview of the week and she wasn’t exactly hopeful - she didn’t think she had the experience to be a PA - but the thought of that evening somehow kept her going through the interview.

By the time late afternoon came, she was watching the kitchen door as she prepared dinner, counting the hours until the sun would set. When Dawn burst through the door after school, her heart leapt- and sunk again when she realised it was just her sister. She gave her sister a smile and went back to preparing the dinner.

“You’re cooking?” Dawn asked, “You never cook.”

The girl leant over the counter, looking at the recipe she was following.

“And you definitely never cook things like that! What’s going on?!” Dawn exclaimed with a laugh.

Unable to meet her sister’s eyes, she kept her gaze on the potatoes as she spoke up.

“Spike’s coming to dinner.”



Dawn was silent for a painfully long time and then she spoke, disbelief in her voice.

“Spike’s coming to dinner?! Are we thinking of the same Spike? Vampire… blonde hair… black clothes?”

Buffy raised her head and nodded, ducking her head again in an attempt to hide the blush on her cheeks.

“Why?” Dawn asked pointedly.

“Well, I thought it would be nice.”

“You don’t do nice things for Spike,” Dawn remarked and she raised her head, exclaiming in protest.

“Hey! That’s not fair. I do. I…” she trailed off awkwardly and then forced herself to meet Dawn’s gaze, “Okay, I don’t. Didn’t, in the past. That’s going to change.”

“Are you okay?” Dawn asked with a grin, reaching out and pressing her hand to Buffy’s forehead, “You must be sick. Want some medicine?”

She brushed her sister off and turned her back on her, blushing furiously now.

“I’m not sick. I… Me and Spike are kind of… seeing each other.”

There was silence and she spun round to face Dawn again with an anxious expression, almost wanting to laugh at her sister’s look of shock.

“You’re what?!”

She dipped her head again, blushing.

“We’re sort of, you know, together. Or trying to be anyway.”

Biting her lip, she raised her eyes to Dawn once more, a little relieved that her sister had at least closed her gaping mouth.



“You … and Spike. Together,” she got out, eyes still wide with surprise.

“That’s kinda the plan,” she admitted with a smile.

“Since when?”

“Well, erm, sort of yesterday… but, erm, I guess before that.”

“When you lost your memories?”

“Erm, sort of before that too,” she admitted with a sheepish smile and a blush.

“What?!” Dawn exclaimed at only the volume a teenager could master, “Why didn’t you tell me?! You’ve been together all this time and-”

“We weren’t really together… not until yesterday. But we, erm … we kissed before that.”

Dawn was watching her with an intent look and wow, she didn’t know talking to your fifteen-year-old sister about your love life could be so embarrassing.

“We’re, erm, we’re closer now than, you know, before.”

“That was the trigger wasn’t it?”

“What?!” she burst out, eyes going wide at her sister’s deduction capabilities, “No, of course not.”

“It was, wasn’t it?!” Dawn exclaimed with a proud grin, “Something happened between you and then you remembered. I knew you were both acting weird!”

Dawn was practically bouncing with excitement and she caught her by the arm, trying to calm her down.

“Look, Dawn… you can’t tell anyone.”

“No-one?”

“No. We’re… keeping things quiet just now.”

“You don’t want the Scoobies to know.”

“After Xander’s reaction to me just spending time with Spike, can you blame me?” she exclaimed and Dawn turned serious, shaking her head.

“What Xander said was wrong.”

“I know. And if ever tries to say anything like that again, I’ll… well, I’ll do something,” she finished awkwardly. They fell silent and she moved back to the counter to prepare the food. When she glanced up at Dawn though, her sister was grinning.

“So, is Spike a good kisser?”

Blushing furiously, she threw a handful of lettuce at her sister and refused to answer, fixing her gaze on the salad she was preparing.



By the time the sun had set, she was practically buzzing with nervous energy- not helped by the fact that Dawn was walking around with the hugest smirk on her face. When there came a knock on the kitchen door, her heart started to race but before she could move to answer it, Dawn jumped up and threw the door open, surprising the vampire standing the other side by throwing her arms around him and hugging him.

“Spike! I’m so happy!”

His gaze met hers over Dawn’s head and she smiled softly, mouthing a ‘hey’. When the teenager finally released him, he looked down at her, twitching an eyebrow.

“What you so happy about then, li’l Bit?”

“You and Buffy! This is so cool!”

Spike sent her a surprised look and she shrugged, smiling at her sister’s exuberance.

“Missed the big announcement, did I?” he asked softly, stepping into the kitchen and shutting the door behind him with a smile.

“It was very embarrassing,” Buffy admitted with a crooked smile, a flush heating her cheeks as she finally took in the joy of being in his presence again. Her eyes swept over him and landed on his hair and she smiled softly.

“Dawnie, why don’t you go lay the table?” she suggested with a smile.

She half-expected her sister to argue but instead, Dawn collected up plates and bounded out of the room with a wide grin.

“I do want dinner some time tonight so don’t play kissy-face all night!” she called over her shoulder, leaving the two in silence.



The vampire stepped forward nervously and with a small flourish, pulled a small bouquet from behind his back.

“For you,” he murmured, his blue eyes finding hers.

“Thank you,” she whispered with a smile, taking the flowers from him, her fingers brushing against his.

“How did the interview go?” he asked in the same low tone, taking another step towards her.

“I’m not sure. Just gonna cross my fingers and hope,” she answered with a little shrug. They were silent and she looked up at him, the sight of his hair prompting another smile.

“You didn’t do your hair,” she whispered.

“What the lady wants, the lady gets,” he answered lowly, his fingers just grazing her arm and sending a shock through her.

“And if the lady wants a kiss?” she whispered with a coquettish smile.

“Well, that I can do.”

His eyes dropped to her lips and darkened imperceptibly as she tilted her face towards him. She could feel his breath on her lips and took a deep breath herself, the hand with the flowers holding onto the counter, steadying her.

“Man, are you still not done?!”

They jumped apart at the sound of Dawn’s voice and Buffy couldn’t help but glare at her sister’s back as Dawn rooted around in the drawer and came out with a selection of cutlery. She flashed them a mega-watt grin and then flounced out of the room again.



“I’m regretting telling her already,” Buffy murmured, her eyes on the door her sister had just fled through.

“She’s just happy for you. Knows you’re going to be properly looked after now.”

She turned back to him with a soft smile, her eyes meeting his.

“That a promise?” she whispered.

“Guaranteed.”

He stepped forward once more and reached out to cup her cheek. Before any more interruptions could ruin this moment, she leant up and pressed her lips to his, leaning into him and resting her free hand on his chest. His hand moved to her hair and he kissed her back sensuously, taking his time despite the fact Dawn might come back in at any time. They finally parted and her eyes flew open, her gaze meeting his as he brushed a hand over her shoulder.

“I was worried I might never get to do that again,” he murmured lowly.

“I wouldn’t play games with you like that.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“Can we eat yet?!” Dawn shouted from the dining room and they shared a little laugh.

“I guess we better get food to her before she gets worse.”

He smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Just tell me what you want me to do.”

“Maybe you could sort these out for me?” she suggested, holding out the bouquet to him.

He nodded and took it and she turned back to the dinner.



They finally sat down at the table a few minutes later, Dawn grinning at them as they came into the room. Buffy settled next to him, ignoring Dawn’s grin, and gave him a soft smile as she began to dish out the dinner.

They quickly ate their dinner but remained at the table, talking and laughing. Buffy didn’t think she’d felt this relaxed, this happy in too long and with a contented sigh, she sank back against her chair, more than aware of the vampire’s arm draped across the back of her chair. He flashed her a smile and then turned his attention back to Dawn.

“Maybe we could do this again,” Dawn spoke up, drawing her attention from the vampire, “But we could invite Tara.”

“You’ve seen Tara?” Buffy asked. To be honest, she had completely forgotten about the witch, what with everything else that had been going on.

“I saw her at the mall the other day,” Dawn explained, “She looked sad.”

There was a moment’s silence and then Spike spoke.

“Always did like Glinda. Got a sensible head on her shoulders. Just a shame some of that didn’t rub off on her girlfriend.”

She tensed at the thought of her friend but instantly felt Spike’s hand brush her shoulder and she sent him a sad smile.

“I guess Willow just needed to learn for herself.”

“I hear she’s gone cold turkey,” Spike murmured, his thumb rubbing her shoulder soothingly- as if he knew how much this conversation bothered her.

“Apparently so,” she mumbled with a shrug.

They fell silent again and Buffy just wanted to sink her head against the vampire and curl up in his embrace.

“So, what’s for dessert?” Dawn spoke up, breaking the silence, “I could definitely go for ice-cream. Anyone else?!”

“Sure thing, Dawnie,” Buffy answered with a grateful smile, getting to her feet and beginning to tidy the table, glad of the distraction.