Chapter 5

LA; 5:43 p.m.

Two hours later the trio arrived in LA and made their way to the restaurant they were eating at before the ballet. The sun had sunk a few minutes ago, for Spike that's a very good thing; it wouldn't do to have one of her date's go up in smoke.

Buffy hugged Giles who sat next to her. "Thank you so much for this." She told him sincerely.

"You're welcome dear girl. You needed it--or at least something like it. Figured the ballet would give you an opportunity to dress up and enjoy a show." He smirked. Buffy's the daughter he never knew he wanted. When he first met her that day in Sunnydale he thought she was flaky, insolent, shallow, impulsive, and a little dim-witted.

After knowing her for only a few days he was able to scratch the surface of that "dumb blonde" exterior and found a bright, caring, quick study, willing to do anything to save the world, and capable young woman. So many facets of her personality, many you had to stick around and get to know her to find.

"Alright you two hens quit getting all mushy. Won't do any good to have your makeup running." Spike rose a scarred eyebrow.

"Oh are you feeling left out." Buffy teasingly pouted. "Come here let Buffy make it better." She hugged the bleached blonde tightly, if he'd been alive she would have cut off his air supply.

A few minutes later their limo pulled up to the restaurant. The driver ran out and opened the door by the curb for them. Giles exited first and held his hand out to Buffy helping her out. Spike followed dumping the blanket on the other end of the seats.

"What I don't get a help up? See if I ever go out with you again." Spike teased, straightening his black jacket. He knew the limo driver was confused about the relationship, he'd been shifting his eyes between him, Giles and the Slayer all night. They were lucky the man didn't crash into the cars in front of him with all the time he spent not watching the road.

"Do shut up Spike." Giles' long black overcoat blew in the wind behind him. He spared Spike a glare and thread Buffy's arm through his.

Reaching back Buffy grabbed Spike's cool hand and threaded their fingers together. Both gentlemen with her had been her rocks through all this adjusting...she still hadn't fully adjusted, sometimes all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry. Come to think of it she did do that a lot still. Maybe not as often as when she first came back but often enough where she's worried about it.

The trio walked into the restaurant hand and hand and arm. The hostess led them to their table and handed them the menus. Once she left Buffy turned to Giles.

"What's my limit?" Her mother always taught her that it's a good idea when out to dinner, but mostly on a date, to ask how much the date was willing to spend. Mom told a story about when she was still on the dating scene before she met Hank that she went out with a jerk of a guy.

They had gone to dinner, he asked her, and her father told her that if a guy asked her out then he paid, and that if she asked a boy out then she'd pay. Before the waitress came she asked him what he was going to have; he mentioned the lobster and steak dinner, so Mom ordered a meal that cost a little less then his meal.

During dinner they had a great conversation, had a few drinks, he ordered some appetizers, shrimp cocktail, crab legs, a lot of expensive food. Mom hadn't minded, especially since she thought he would pay. Before the bill came he excused himself to go to the restroom. Once the bill arrived he still hadn't shown up but Mom wasn't worried, he'd only been gone for a few minutes.

However when ten minutes passed she got curious, when another five minutes passed she got angry. Thankfully she brought her credit card and paid for the expensive, almost two hundred-dollar meal. Left a generous tip for the waiter and made her way to the restroom. She did her business and then went out to the parking lot, her dates car was no where to be found. And she walked up and down that lot three times before going inside and asking the hostess to call her a cab.

The next week she saw the guy again, this time he was walking with a short brunette woman. Still steamed over her dates dine n' dash she stormed up to him and punched him in the nose. When the woman with her screamed Mom turned to her and told her what the guy did. The brunette left him there cradling his broken nose.

After she was old enough to date Mom gave her many tidbits of wisdom when it came to dating. Always bring enough money to pay for your meal and a cab ride home. Always ask what the limit is and always bring money for a phone call.

"No limit Buffy. Get anything you want." Giles told her.

"Yay." She grinned and swayed back and forth for a couple seconds in excitement.

An hour and a half later they were finishing up their deserts. When their waiter came up with their check he saw Giles feeding her a piece of his pie. It rose a few questions in his mind if the confusion on his face was any indication. "Will there be anything else?" He asked.

"No thank you that'll be all." Giles looked at the bill and laid out about three hundred dollars. "We won't be needing change." He smiled at the gentlemen and watched as he practically skipped away at the size of his tip.

"Thank you for dinner Giles. It was fantastic." Buffy leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Dear heart it was my pleasure." He tapped her hand. "Are we ready to go?"

"Definitely." Buffy grinned. In ten minutes they were out of the restaurant and headed toward the theatre the ballet was being held in. She could hardly wait. The feeling that something would be waiting for her there wouldn't leave her alone. Who'd she know that'd be at the ballet tonight?

TBC