A/N: Hey guys. This is my first Buffy fic. Second fic altogether. Feedback would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks. Hope you enjoy.
"Buffy!" Joyce yelled up the stairs for her daughter. "Your father and William will be here soon!"
Up in her room, Buffy sighed. "Coming!" she yelled as she picked up the phone and dialed her friend's number.
"Hello?" Willow answered the phone.
"Hey, Wills. It's me. I don't know if I'll be able to make it Bronzing tonight."
"What? But you have to! It's the last night of summer!"
"Yeah, but that foreign exchange student is coming, so mom might make me stay in."
"Oh, that's right. He supposed to be super-smart, huh?" Willow asked, getting excited t the prospect.
"Yeah," Buffy laughed at her friend. "But I got to go now. Hopefully I'll be able to see you guys tonight."
"Alright. Bye, Buffy."
"Bye." As Buffy hung up, her mother yelled up the stairs again.
"Buffy! Hurry up, dear! Wear something nice and make sure Dawn does, too."
Buffy crossed the hall and knocked on her sister's door. "Dawn! You heard mom," she said.
Complaints could be heard from within, but Buffy heard Dawn rummaging through her closet and returned to her own room.
Looking through her closet she pulled out a red, silk dress that went to mid-thigh and clung to her body, showing off every curve. Slipping on a pair of black, strappy heels, she checked on her hair and make-up before heading downstairs. Dawn was sitting on the couch in a black skirt and purple blouse. Buffy sat on the opposite end as her mother gave her a disapproving look she pretended not to see.
A few moments later, Hank Summers walked through the door with two large suitcases and a boy dressed head to toe in black except a red silk over shirt. He had a black leather duster on and held another large suitcase in one hand and a guitar case in another.
Buffy look up and down, struggling to keep from making a face when she saw the bleached hair. Spike looked her over as well, admiring the amount of her tanned skin he could see.
"You must be William!" Joyce said as she gave him a hug. He stiffened as she hugged him. "Well, why don't you follow me so we can get you settled in?" she led him up the stairs to show him his room. A couple suitcases and another guitar case later, all of Spike's things had been deposited in his room.
Now Dawn and Buffy sat on opposite ends of the couch while Joyce and Hank saw in separate armchairs as Spike stood in the doorway. The only open seat was between the girls. Spike hesitantly sat between them. There was an awkward silence until Hank stood.
"I have to get to the office…" he said apologetically.
"What? Hank, now? It's 7 o'clock," Joyce protested.
"Yes, but we just got in these figures, and they need to be… I have to… I just need to go deal with them," Hank grabbed his jacket and was gone.
Buffy leaned towards Spike as an even more uncomfortable silence descended on the room. "He does this a lot," she whispered. Spike merely nodded his head.
A few moments later, Buffy started to get antsy. She really wanted to get out of the house and go to the Bronze.
"Mom? Why don't I take Spike and show him around town? Let him get familiar with the place a little?"
Joyce nodded distractedly. "Be home by midnight."
"I'm going, too," Dawn announced.
"No, you go to bed Dawnie," Joyce told her.
"But mom!" Dawn pleaded.
"No 'buts,' Dawn. You stay home."
"Fine." Dawn stomped up the stairs to her room.
"We'll be back then, mom," Buffy said.
Buffy grabbed her jacket and was out the door with Spike not too far behind.
As they began walking, Buffy spoke. "You know I'm not taking you around town, right?"
"Figured that." They continued in silence. After a bit, Spike looked over at her.
"So where are we going then?" he asked.
"The Bronze."
"The Bronze?"
"Yeah. The coolest place in Sunnydale. Not like there's much competition. It's either there or the coffee shop down on Central." Just then, the Bronze came into view.
Spike pulled his wallet out to pay the cover, and he started to wonder if she expected him to pay for her. Buffy looked at the door and sighed.
"C'mon," she grabbed his arm and pulled him around back.
"What're we doin' here?" he asked.
"Sneaking in. I don't have any money," Buffy replied as she pulled open the back door. Spike admired the view of her ass as she poked her head in and looked around.
"Coast is clear," she said as she stepped inside.
"And here I was going to pay for you…" Spike said as he brushed past her on his way into the building. Buffy glared at his retreating form.
"Why couldn't we have gotten the nice girl for one-semester? But no, he has to have the 'full American school system experience,' and he had better grades…" she muttered to herself as she walked behind him
"What was that, pet?"
"Oh, nothing."
They stepped into the crowd in the main part of the Bronze, and Buffy began to look for her friends.
"What do your mates look like?" Spike asked.
"Willow has red hair, and Xander has dark hair, and uhh…" she trailed off, standing on her toes as she tried to see.
"Is that them?" Spike pointed over to a table. Buffy hopped around a bit, trying to see.
"Yeah, that's them! C'mon," she grabbed Spike's wrist and pulled him over with her.
"Hey, guys," Buffy greeted Xander and Willow as she sat. Looking over at Willow she asked, "Where's Oz?"
"They're playing tonight. It's why you had to come!" Buffy smiled as her friend bounced excitedly in her seat.
"So, you must be William," Xander eyed Spike critically.
"Spike," the peroxide teen stated.
"What?" Xander stared at him.
"Spike, not William."
"Oh, well uh, have a seat then… Spike," Xander motioned to an empty chair. "I'm Xander, and this is Willow," he pointed to himself and Willow.
Spike gave a nod as he sat in the offered chair. Xander was watching him warily, Willow seemed rather fidgety, and Buffy was ignoring him completely as she looked around the club.
"Has anyone seen Angel?" Buffy asked.
"Nope," Willow responded.
"Good riddance," said Xander. Willow smacked him in the arm.
A confused look crossed Spike's features. "Who's Angel?"
"Believe me, you don't want to know," said Xander. Willow smacked his arm again.
"He's my boyfriend," Buffy said, shooting a glare at Xander.
"You have a boyfriend?" Spike was slightly disappointed.
"Yeah," she said offhandedly as she turned to Willow. "I wonder where he could be?"
Willow shrugged. Just then, the DJ announced the Dingoes and Buffy, Xander, and Willow— especially Willow— cheered along with most of the club as the band went on to play.
*****
The rest of the night went well. Buffy and Spike left at 11:30 to be home in time. Angel had been a no-show all night.
"So your boy never showed," Spike commented as they walked back.
"Yeah," Buffy's face fell. There was an awkward silence.
As the house pulled into view, Spike spoke up. "So, they go to school with you?"
"What?" Buffy was shaken out of her thoughts.
"Your mates back there, and your boy. They go to school with you?"
"Oh… yeah. Well, not Angel. He doesn't go to school."
"That so? He a drop-out or summat?"
"No, he graduated."
Spike raised an eyebrow. "So he's in college?"
"no, he's taking a year or two off," Buffy seemed a bit uncomfortable. They had gotten to the house, and she unlocked the door.
Spike snorted as they walked in the house. "Sounds like 'e's a useless bastard to me."
Buffy glared. "Shut up. I'm going to bed," she stomped up the stairs.
Spike just stared after her before following her up.