A/N : Finally, it's the finale! I hope I have done the movie of '10 Things...' proud without copying too much, and that for the most part the characters stayed in-character. I've loved writing this fic, and I'm glad so many of you have obviously enjoyed reading it. Time for some Spuffy love! Peace out!
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 16 - Happy Ever After?
Buffy sat in her room and listened to the telephone ring in the hall. She should have expected that when she turned off her cell, Spike would start calling the main phone instead. He was stubborn, he didn't give up easily, in that respect they were very similar, but Buffy knew she could hold out longer than him. He could call constantly all day if he wanted to, she would not talk to him.
Buffy hated herself for the fact she couldn't stop crying. She didn't want Spike's betrayal to have upset her so much, or at all in fact, after all she'd promised herself years ago that she'd never again let a guy get as close to her as Angel had. She wouldn't be hurt that way again, she swore, and yet here she was crying into her pillow all over again, betrayed by another man she'd loved.
Of course it made sense, stood to reason a guy would have to be paid in order to want to date her these days, she wasn't exactly Little Miss Easy-To-Get-Along-With lately, but that was deliberate. She never thought anybody would want to be near her when she behaved that way and that suited her just fine. As a general rule she had a dislike of people, their opinions, and their stupid behaviour.
"Buffy?" her sister called as she tapped on the bedroom door, "Spike called for you again" Dawn said as she opened the door a crack and look in on the blonde.
"Tell him to go jump in the river" Buffy snapped, keeping her back to her sister, not wanting her to see anymore of her tears.
"You don't mean that" Dawn said carefully as she came further into the room and stood by the bed, "I mean, I know Spike kinda did a bad thing, but... no matter how it all started out, I think it's real now. I think he really does like you Buffy" she explained.
She'd thought it was true before, but the conversation she'd just had with Spike on the phone conformed her suspicions. He was so broken over this, just like Buffy was, Dawn swore she heard tears in his voice. Yes, he'd taken money from Liam Angelus as payment to take out Buffy, but by the end, his affection seemed genuine enough. Dawn suspected her sister would not be half so angry and upset over the way she'd been played if there wasn't a distinct feeling of deja vu involved. Angel used her terribly when they dated years ago, and now Spike was hurting her just as much, though in a different way.
"If he really liked me, Dawn, he wouldn't have needed to be paid to date me" Buffy said sadly, wiping tears from her face as she sat herself up on the bed and looked over at her sister.
With a sigh, Dawn sat down beside her.
"It's not all his fault" she said guiltily, "Y'know Andrew and Xander put the idea in Angel's head... Andrew so wanted to take me out and unless you got a date there was no way..."
"I know" Buffy nodded, putting her hand over Dawn's and sighing, "I don't blame you. Okay so your boyfriend did a very stupid thing but I guess he never really meant any harm"
"He never thought you and Spike would like each other so much" the young brunette shrugged, "but I guess it doesn't matter anyway now. I can't see Andrew or anyone if you don't have a date"
"Sure you can" Buffy managed a watery smile at her sister's confused expression, "Dawnie, I know what I said about guys and only wanting one thing and stuff, and that's true of some of them, but... well, Andrew seems like a decent guy, and no matter what I think of Spike for taking money to go out with me he never... there was no advantage taken or whatever"
"That's true" Dawn nodded, "But Mom still won't let me date if you don't. Rules of the house and everything" she sighed sadly.
"Go call Andrew" Buffy told her, squeezing her hand, "Arrange to go bowling or to see a movie or whatever. When Mom gets home I'll talk to her"
"Really?" Dawn grinned, unable to hold in her joy, no matter how much her sister was still hurting, "You'd do that for me?" she checked.
"Dawnie, you're my sister" Buffy said with a smile, pushing Dawn's long brown hair over her shoulder, "No matter what happens, I'll always love you, and I'll always look out for you" she told her sincerely, "But if that boy lays a hand on you..."
"You won't have to kick his butt" Dawn interrupted, "I can so handle it"
"So you told me" Buffy smiled, "I so wish I could've seen you bring Angel down" she almost laughed at the mental image of her ex-lover dropping like a felled tree as her little sister put him in his place.
"Spike helped" Dawn reminded her, "He was so mad at Angel, I really don't think he likes him at all"
"Just a shame he liked his money" Buffy sighed, "Right now I'm somewhere between wishing I could hate Spike, and wishing I'd never found out what he did" she glanced down at the carpet for a moment and then forced the smile back on her face as she looked at Dawn.
"Hey, I thought you were gonna call Andrew, and be gone before Mom got home" she reminded her, "It'd be easier for me to explain stuff if we're alone"
Dawn nodded she understood and surprised Buffy by pulling her into a sisterly hug before darting from the room, already dialling her boyfriends number on her cellphone as she went.
When Joyce came home from the gallery she was surprised to find her eldest daughter on the couch, watching TV, and her younger girl nowhere in sight. Dawn was almost always having a DVD marathon with her friends on a Saturday afternoon, and Buffy had been locked in her room since last night, refusing to come out for any reason.
"Hey Mom" Buffy said with a half smile as her mother came into the living room, dumping her purse on the table.
"Buffy, sweetheart, are you feeling better?" she checked, "You worried me when you wouldn't come out of your room this morning"
"Yeah, sorry about that" the blonde said with a sigh, "I just... well, the dance last night didn't exactly go like I planned"
"Anything you want to talk about, honey?" Joyce checked, her mental to-do list being pushed to the back of her mind as she realised her daughter looked like she'd been crying terribly. Sometimes she felt bad for neglecting her kids so much, but as they grew up they mostly refused her offers to talk or help them out, and the gallery kept her so busy she had little free time as it was anyway.
"Yes" Buffy admitted, pointing the remote at the TV and switching it off, "Mom, it's about Dawnie, and me too actually"
"Okay" Joyce nodded as she sat in the chair opposite where her daughter was on the couch.
"See, we both met these guys and they really seemed to like us" Buffy began, mostly looking down at her own hands in her lap, "We liked them too, and when your new rule let us both date at the same time, it all seemed to work out kinda perfectly" she smiled sadly, "Last night was supposed to be the best ever, but it all went wrong"
"Buffy" Joyce said worriedly, "Did they...? Did one of them...? Oh God, did they take advantage of you, or Dawnie?" she checked, feeling sick at the very idea. Buffy was quick to put her mind at rest.
"No, Mom, nothing like that, I swear" she shook her head, "Neither Andrew or Spike are like that, I promise. There was just a situation, and, and I don't know if I'll be seeing Spike anymore" she explained, fighting tears, "but Dawn really likes Andrew and there is no reason why they shouldn't see each other Mom" Buffy told her mother, who didn't look entirely convinced.
"We had a deal, Buffy" she reminded her and the blonde nodded that she understood.
"We did" she agreed, "and it worked for a while, but Mom, we weren't in love before. I know you think maybe we're too young to know what we feel, and you worry we'll get into trouble, but we can handle ourselves"
"Maybe you can, sweetie" Joyce sighed, "but Dawnie..."
"Dawnie laid a guy out last night!" Buffy said a little more loudly than she really meant too, only realising the fact when Joyce's mouth dropped open and she imitated a goldfish for a full minute.
"My little girl?" she gasped and Buffy nodded.
"Yeah, your little girl. I guess I rubbed off on her a little too much" she sighed, hating the fact that Dawn would always be more special to her mother then she was, at least that's how she saw it.
"Oh Buffy" Joyce said as she joined her on the couch and put her arm around her, "I'm glad you taught your sister to protect herself. You have no idea how much I worry about you, both of you. I swear, that's the only reason I have so many rules and things" she explained.
"I know" Buffy nodded, "I get it, I do. I know the guys in your life weren't great, and you don't want bad things to happen to me and Dawnie, but Mom, you're stopping the good things happening too" she explained, "Please don't stop Dawnie from seeing Andrew just because me and Spike are... whatever we are now"
"To be perfectly honest, Buffy, I never intended to" Joyce explained as she hugged her daughter, "I had a little visitor at the gallery this morning, it's why I was gone so long" she admitted.
"Visitor?" Buffy frowned, wondering who it could be. Surely Spike wouldn't have...
"A young Mr William Jackson came to talk to me about my daughter" Joyce smiled at the stunned depression on the blonde's face, "He didn't tell me exactly what he'd done, only that it was the biggest mistake he ever made hurting you" she explained, "I didn't want to listen to him, Buffy, I admit that, at first I wanted to kill him, knowing he hurt you, but after we talked a while, well, let's just say if I were twenty years younger..."
"Eeew, Mom" Buffy made a face but also laughed slightly at that.
"He's so very sorry, sweetheart" Joyce told her, "He told me he didn't want to break Dawn's heart too and what a good boy Andrew was. Having met him myself I'm inclined to agree he is suitable for Dawn, but I do want to have a proper talk with him before they go on any more dates" she admitted.
"Oh, well" Buffy said guiltily, "I kinda let them go out today" she told her mother, "I hoped after this talk we're having you'd be okay with it"
Joyce didn't look thrilled, but she didn't explode in a fit of yelling either, which Buffy was heartily grateful for. The older woman agreed to let them be for now, but pressed the point that she definitely would want a proper talk with Andrew Wells if he was going to be taking her littlest daughter out regularly.
"Thanks, Mom" Buffy smiled as she hugged her mother, "Dawn doesn't deserve to suffer in all this" she said as she got up and headed for the stairs.
"And you, Buffy?" Joyce called after her, "And Spike? Do you two deserve to suffer? Or can you find happiness too?"
After a moments thought the younger blonde shook her head.
"I don't know yet" she admitted, as she climbed back up the stairs to her room.
Closing her bedroom door she went over to her stereo and pressed play, not thinking about which CD was inside until it started playing. The limited edition of the Blood Lust album by Vamp Attack, the disc she had bought from Ethan's last week, the day she and Faith had sprung Spike from detention. It'd been a great day, one of the best Buffy could remember, and more tears escaped her eyes as she thought of how wrong it'd gone.
"You're in my heart, you're in my throat, I'm drowning in you, baby,
You put a hole in this damn boat, and I'm drowning, oh yeah honey, I'm drowning in you"
Devan MacLeish, lead singer of Vamp Attack, sang the lyrics to Buffy's favourite song 'Drowning in You' as she laid back on her bed and thought back to the day last week when Spike had made her feel as if she were drowning in him and all she felt when he was there beside her. When he kissed her she was young and carefree again, a silly lovesick teen, who believed in fairytales and happily ever after endings. She wanted to be that girl, the one that believed in love and that there were good people in the world that could be trusted with your heart. She only wished it were really possible.
Monday morning came too soon, and Buffy knew avoiding Spike would be much harder when they both had to share a building, even one the size of Sunnydale High. The strange thing was, he hadn't tried to call her the whole of Sunday and as mad as she'd been at him, and still was really, Buffy was somewhat disappointed to think he'd given up this easily. Surely that just proved he really was doing it for the money and now the deal was over and she was proving to be less than easy to take advantange of, he'd moved on.
The theory he was over her was quickly disproved as Buffy and Faith walked down the hall together towards the girls locker room for first period. Hearing Spike called her name, and feeling ridiculously teary at that alone, Buffy had dived through the door as fast as she could, leaving Faith to deal with the bleached blond.
"Uh-uh, hot stuff" she told him, standing in front of the door with her arms folded across her chest, "Road stops here, man"
"Faith, ask her to come out here will you, just for a minute?" Spike asked her desperately.
There was a reason why he'd given up calling Buffy after a while, he'd come up with a new plan to try to win her back and it had taken all of yesterday and most of last night to finalise it. Now he needed Buffy's attention as soon as possible if it was all going to work out, but still she wouldn't talk to him.
"No can do, Spikey" Faith shook her head, "B's still kinda pissed, and I can't say I blame her much. That scam you pulled was low. I mean, yeah, I expected that from a guy like Angelus, but you? I was actually startin' to think you were a little different" she sighed as she turned and walked into the girls locker room, letting the door slam shut behind her.
"Bugger" Spike cursed, as the bell rang overly loudly. He had somewhere to be.
Buffy was late for English class on purpose. Avoiding Spike had been easy up until last period before lunch. They both had English in the same room and the only way to avoid any kind of conversation with him was to arrive mere seconds before the class began. She managed to do so, earning herself a stern look for Miss Calendar but no lecture.
"Okay, so why do we think Romeo was so infatuated with Juliet?" Buffy heard the teacher ask as she tuned back into what was going on around her. She could feel Spike's eyes burning into her back and it was killing her knowing he was there and that he would probably quite easily catch up with her on the way out of the classroom or in the cafeteria at lunch. She could deal if she was just mad at him. One good punch would knock him into next week and then she'd feel better. The problem was only a small part of her feelings consisted of anger, the larger two emotions being hurt and love. He'd wounded her pride and her heart so badly it was like a physical pain, but what bothered Buffy more than that was the love she still felt deep inside of her for this man, despite all he had done. Given time and the right words, she knew she could easily forgive him. She had no way to hate him, he'd made her love him all too easily, even if she'd never quite admitted it to him before. As stupid as it was she believed he might love her for real too, or at least like her a great deal...
"Okay, that's good" Miss Calendar nodded as she wrote an idea from student on the chalk board, "Any other reasons for Romeo's infatuation with Juliet?" she checked.
"Yeah, maybe somebody paid him to date her" Percy West called from the back row, making several people giggle.
What had happened at the Homecoming Dance had been heard and seen by many and had soon spread to the rest of the school. Percy however was the first brave/stupid person to say anything about it in front of Buffy and Spike, two people best known for their violent behaviour.
The female half of the tempestuous former-couple was out of her seat in a second, but instead of moving towards Percy to lay him out she instead ran for the door. Those who she ran past were stunned to see what appeared to be tears in her eyes. Nobody knew she was capable of crying.
"Bloody hell" Spike cursed to himself as he too scrambled from his seat and went after her, "Wanker!" he called back at Percy as he went, and Miss Calendar tried to bring her class to order.
"Buffy!" Spike called as he ran after her down the corridor and out of the main exit. She didn't answer him, just kept moving, til she ploughed straight into a man beyond the doors.
"Out of my way!" she yelled as she tried to move around him and he wouldn't let her by.
"Yo, Spike, I thought you said this chick was a fan?" the guy asked, with a voice Buffy knew oh so well. Her eyes were wide as the Grand Canyon when she looked up and realised who she'd run into.
"Oh My God" she gasped, hand covering her mouth as she stared at Devan MacLeish, former lead singer of Vamp Attack, her all time favourite band.
"That's more the reaction I was looking for" he smiled, as Spike dared to do the same.
"Thanks for showing up, mate" he said, holding out a hand for Devan to shake, "Means a bloody lot"
"Anything for the old fans" the former popstar shrugged, "And y'know the money was a factor"
Seemed a few hundred bucks went a long way when your career had taken a turn for the worse.
"You're real, aren't you?" Buffy said eventually as she continued to gape at a man she'd adored for a long time. Though she was over her crush now she still admired him musically in a big way and it was such an honour and a huge shock to meet him in person.
"Real as, baby" he smirked, "Spike here told me what a fan you were, asked if I could drop by to say hi" he explained, "Since I was in the area and he offered to pay me, well, let's say a not small amount of cash, I figured I'd show" he said, holding out a CD to her, "Oh and this is for you, signed and everything" he pointed out as she took the disc from his hand and stared down at it. It was his debut solo album, an item she knew would not be available in the stores for another week.
"Thank you, so much" she grinned as she reached to hug him, knowing this could well be her only chance.
"Hey, don't thank me, sweetheart" Devan told her as she moved out of his arms, "Thank your boyfriend here. He must love you a lot to make all the phone calls he did to find me, and to part with all the cash he had to pay my agent"
As if on cue, one of Devan's staff leaned in to remind him he had another 'real' appointment in half an hour and that they really shouldn't be late for it. Shaking Spike's hand and kissing Buffy's cheek he turned to go, leaving the two blonde's alone.
"So luv" Spike said, giving Buffy a sideways glance, "This was sort of my way of saying I'm sorry" he told her and was glad to see her smile as she turned to face him.
"That's a pretty big apology" she admitted, "You couldn't just write another song?" she joked.
"Bigger the screw up, bigger the apology I reckon" Spike shrugged, hands in his pockets as he looked down at his feet. Buffy could hardly believe how awkward and ashamed he looked, lacking all that confidence he usually exuded. He was truly sorry, she could tell, but she couldn't find the words to say she forgave him.
"'Sides, 's not like I couldn't afford the price" Spike told her, smirking slightly, "Some right wanker paid me to take out this beautiful woman... Messed that up too, y'know" he said, looking her right in the eye, "Never thought I'd fall in love with her"
In that moment, Buffy knew she didn't need works to tell him they could work this out, she had a better way to let him know. Leaning in close she put her lips to his and kissed him. Spike wasted no time in responding and pulled her body close to his, her arms went up around his neck as the kiss went on til neither of them could breathe.
"So, we're okay now?" Spike checked, when he got his breath back.
"I guess, since y'know I kinda fell in love with you too" Buffy admitted shyly, moving her head away when Spike moved to kiss her again in response to her declaration, "but y'know you can't invite Devan MacLeish here everytime you mess up"
"I know that" Spike nodded, "but a little bird tells me there's plenty of CDs in your room. Plenty of other celebs I can call next time we have a falling out" he smirked, his lips claiming Buffy's own for a long passionate kiss before she had a chance to protest.
The End