Chapter 3 – Face of Love

I gave a girl a ride in my wagon

She crawled in and took control

She was tired cause her mind was a draggin’

I said get some sleep

And dream of rock and roll

Spike didn’t know where to go or what to do. To go home less than twenty-four hours after he had left was too much for him to handle. It wasn’t his mum and step-father or even Angel that was making it hard to do. It wasn’t about being wrong. It was him. If he went back now he would never leave again. To go back now would take back the pride he had found. And the courage that he had dug from the very depths of his soul would vanish never to be found again. This was his chance to change his life. And he wanted it so badly. Just what it was that he wanted he didn’t know.

After about an hour or so of driving around he finally listened to the growling of his stomach. He pulled the van into the parking lot of a popular burger place. There was a space right next to the door that he pulled into quickly. He started to open his door when he saw her. She came hurrying out of the door coming in his direction.

“Oh my God. Is she a fox or what?” Was the only thing he could think of as he stared at her.

But as his eyes followed her she stopped right in the front of his van. She turned to face the guy who had been calling for her to stop. Spike sighed because of course if someone caught his eye she had to be taken or something. But he took a moment to appreciate her tanned petite body. She was small but still had curves in all the right places tucked away in cut off blue jean shorts and a pink peasant blouse. Long blond hair fell halfway down her back.

It would never happen except in his dreams he told himself. He stepped out of the van and came around the corner to walk past the couple who was deep in an argument. She was screaming at him about some other girl and then she slapped him. Spike took a step closer to the wall as she did. Then everything changed. The guy she was with raised a fist and was about to take a swing at her. Without thinking Spike raised his hand to catch the guy by the wrist.

The guy eyes went wide in surprise as he turned toward him. He pulled his arm free from Spike’s grasp. Spike stood his ground as he stepped closer to him. Even though the guy was bigger than him by about three inches and fifty pounds Spike didn’t move.

“Do you really want to be on the receiving end of my fist? Or do you want to mind your own business?” The guy stood over Spike trying to intimidate him into moving.

“Riley, come on. Leave him alone.” The girl grabbed the guy by the arm trying to move him. Spike looked briefly at her then back at her boyfriend.

“I think it’s really funny that you’re worried about me being hit by you. I am smaller than you but you know what, asshole, she is even smaller than me. Weren’t you worried about her being hit by you?”

Buffy gasped as the blonde stood up to Riley. No one messed with him. It just wasn’t done. Her eyes grew bigger as Riley pushed the blonde away from him. He stumbled but held his ground. She had to give him credit for that. Riley turned to her and she flinched. He had only hit her once before almost a year ago. It hadn’t happened again after she threatened to press charges. But slapping him was not the smartest choice she had ever made. Surprisingly he didn’t hit her this time. He just looked her over then walked past her. Buffy looked back at the blonde giving him a silent ‘thank you’ then hurried to follow Riley. But she stopped at the curb as Riley reached into the car and grabbed her stuff. The next thing she knew he had thrown her purse and overnight bag at her. They both fell to the ground as she threw her arms up to protect herself.

“I’m tired of playing babysitter to a little girl. I need someone who understands the needs of a man not a whimpering little bitch like you.” Riley told her cruelly as he moved to get into the car.

“Go to hell. And take that whore, Sandy, with you.” Buffy screamed at him as he put the car into reverse and squealed away from the restaurant. That was when the tears came in great gulping sobs. Her legs went out from under her and she ended up sitting on the curb with her head buried in her arms. She was several hundred miles away from home with no money. Her mom was never going to forgive her for this.

Spike laid a hand on her shoulder as she continued to cry. He had picked up her suitcase and purse putting them on the curb beside her then had come down to sit next to her. This was out of his realm of experience and wasn’t sure what to do. So, he patted her awkwardly on the back as she continued to cry. Suddenly she moved burying herself against him sobbing into his shirt. He wrapped his arm around her pulling her closer. His cheek rested against the softness of her hair.

The girl cried as if her whole world had shattered. Maybe this guy had been everything to her but he didn’t understand why. Not when he threatened her like that. Spike had heard her say another girl’s name and wondered why anyone would cheat on a girl that looked liked her. He didn’t try to stop her tears as he began to stroke her back. Her sobs eventually turned into sniffling and hiccupping. Then finally she sat up wiping her cheeks with the heels of her hands. Spike reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

“Hey, feeling any better?” He asked her with a smile on his face. Even with her eyes puffy and red she was still pretty. She nodded in response to his question but her gaze was somewhere on the entrance of the parking lot. Probably was hoping that her boyfriend would come back for her.

“What’s your name?” Spike tried again to get a response from her.

“Buffy.”

Spike gave a short laugh when she said her name. It definitely wasn’t the name he would have given her. She should have the name of a princess or something.

But his laugh got him the response he was looking for as she swung her head to look at him. Her eyes had narrowed into slits.

“My name is funny to you?” There was ice dripping from her words.

“Sorry. I just thought your name would be different. Actually, I’ve never met anyone with that name before.” Spike tried to cover up his rudeness by declaring surprise.

“So, what is your name?” She was still angry with him as she stared at him.

As Spike returned her look he realized how close they were to each other. When she had taken her head off his chest she hadn’t scooted away. They were still sitting right next to each other and as they looked at each other their faces were only inches apart. He swallowed as this knowledge swept through him.

“Umm, Spike. It’s a nickname. My real name is William.” He wanted to hit himself in the forehead as he stumbled out the words. Her eyes widened as he spoke then closed slightly as he finished. He felt her arm move from between them and then her fingers were moving through his hair.

“Spike. For the spikey hair.”

The only thing he could do was nod as she moved against him. Her breasts were rubbing against his arm as she played with his hair. Blue eyes met green eyes in a mutual awareness. As it moved through them she quickly took back her hand. The entrance once again became the recipient of her gaze. Spike sighed as he wondered what to do now. A car pulled into the space they were sitting at and they had to scramble up to avoid being hit.

“Did you eat yet?” Spike looked down at her as she looked everywhere but at him. Buffy shook her head no to answer his question.

“There’s a diner down the street. Why don’t we go there, get something to eat and then maybe we can figure something out for you?”

Her eyes finally moved to look at him as she wondered if she could trust him. It was either go with him or call her mom now. As far as she was concerned the longer she waited to call the better she would feel. Spike couldn’t be that bad of a guy if he had kept Riley from punching her.

“Okay.”

Relief coursed through Spike’s body when she agreed to go with him. There was no way he was going to leave her alone until he knew she was safe. He bent to pick up her suitcase and purse. After handing her the purse he led the way to the van. The suitcase was stored in the back and Buffy settled in the front passenger seat. On the way to the diner she stared out the window not acknowledging him at all. But Spike was getting used to girls doing this to him. Buffy was the fourth one in only three days to treat him like this.

But he continued to play the gentleman as he helped her down from the van. Leading her into the diner and then waiting for her to take a seat before he sat. Deciding to ignore her he opened the menu after lighting a cigarette. He slouched down in the seat as he tried to decide what he wanted. A finger came into his view point. It was slowly drawing an imaginary picture on the table. Buffy hadn’t opened her menu but was staring down at the table and doing her drawings.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you hungry?”

She didn’t look up at his question just continued her finger movement. Spike reached a hand out to stop her. As his hand covered hers she looked up at him through her bangs. But she left her hand there.

“Riley has my money. He said that he would keep it safe for me.”

She wasn’t playing. Or trying to be coy. She was truly embarrassed that she didn’t have any money with her. Her cheeks were tinged pink.

“We’ll work it out later. Get what you want.”

“I don’t want to feel obligated to you.”

“You won’t be. I told you that we would work it out later.” Then as she looked at him funny he realized what she was thinking. That he would want her to put out for it. He laughed out loud at that one. At the rate he was going he would die a virgin. Buying a meal for Buffy would not do anything to help him change things. “Money. You can pay me back later. “And as she continued to look at him he added. “Really.”

A quick smile graced her face as she opened the menu. The tension eased away from them as she accepted his generosity. She wasn’t using him to get what she wanted. He took a drag from his cigarette smiling at the knowledge. It was going to be equal between them.

Once they had placed their orders and their sodas brought to the table they didn’t have anything to distract them. Spike ran a finger across his glass wiping away the condensation. Following the advice of someone who had once tried to help him make friends he started to ask questions.

“How long have you been with Riley?”

She sighed long and deep.

“Forever. Since I was a sophomore.”

“Are you still in school?”

“No, just graduated. And you?”

He smiled at her as she turned the questions back to him.

“The same.”

She smiled back at him and lifted her glass. His head tilted as he tried to figure out what she was doing.

“A toast. Raise your glass.”

Buffy gestured toward his glass. He quickly followed her direction and lifted his glass in the air.

“To the class of 1976.” She started the toast.

“In the year of our country’s bicentennial.” He continued.

“To its independence and to ours.” She finished.

They both laughed as their glasses clinked together. After that conversation between them became easier. They relaxed as they talked about things. He told her almost everything that had happened to him in the past few days. Leaving out certain details like the fact that Drusilla and Darla had been his first kisses. He asked her about Riley again. This time she was more open about the details.

“We started dating two years ago. I was the cheerleader and he was the football player. The perfect couple or so everyone said. Homecoming King and Queen. The whole bullshit.” She leaned back in her seat and moved to prop her feet up next to him on the booth seat. Her foot rested against his leg causing chills to run through him. “This was our first trip together. Doing the adult thing. And I catch him last night with some slut. God, I hate him.”

Spike wasn’t sure what to say to her. It seemed that this guy had really done a number on her. But then she seemed to have been buying into the lifestyle. Being the perfect ones. Just like Cecily. He took a long drink while looking at her.

Buffy reached up to wipe a tear away from her face.

“I was so stupid. Thought if I did everything I was supposed to do then I’d be happy. That he would love me forever. Hell, I even lost my virginity on Prom Night when I was supposed to.”

Buffy stopped talking when Spike began to choke on his drink. His face started to turn red as he kept coughing. Just when he would begin to feel in control again he would remember what she said and would start to choke again. Buffy moved from behind her side of the booth to pound him on the back. Then as he finally gained control she slid into the booth next to him causing him to scoot closer to the wall.

“Sorry, I guess that was a stupid thing to tell you.” Then she giggled as he kept staring at her in disbelief. The sight of her relaxing into a bundle of giggles caused him to smile. Then to chuckle. The two of them ended up laughing together until they were given unhappy stares by the other patrons.

“Do you ever do anything because it’s what you want to?” He asked her after they had settled down and their food had been brought to them.

Buffy turned to look at him as she slowly munched on a French Fry. Her gaze made him uncomfortable as she seemed to be contemplating something major. Then as if she made a decision she shrugged her shoulders and returned to eating. Spike just shook his head at her. The girl went from one extreme to another in just moments leaving him too dazed to follow.

They didn’t talk much as they finished their food. Just conversation on what was going on around them and the things that were news worthy for the day. Buffy stayed sitting next to him warming him with her body heat. The scent of Love’s Baby Soft filling his senses making him even more bemused.

This girl next to him was like being on a roller coaster. The build up of just being near her giving false security then the rapid blinding fall taking your breath away with curves that made you laugh as you went from one extreme to another. He wanted to stay beside her for a while to figure out what made her so exciting. But she would be gone soon nothing more than a memory of this bizarre summer.

As he swallowed the last bite of his hamburger he garnered enough courage to ask her about what she wanted to do.

“Where do you live?’ He asked her tentatively. It went without saying that he would be shot down not matter what he did. But he figured at least he had to give it a chance.

“Sunnydale.” When he gave her a blank look indicating he didn’t know where that was she told him that it was an hour and a half this side of Los Angeles.

“I could give you a ride if you like.”

“Okay.”

Spike’s eyes widened at the casual agreement she gave to his offer. He just nodded at her as she smiled at him. When they left the table she moved to call her mom to tell her of the change in her plans. He had handed her his license so that she could give her mom the information. Buffy hadn’t asked he had offered. It was to make her feel safe with him even though she seemed to be comfortable with riding with him after only knowing him less than two hours.

After he paid their ticket he wandered outside to smoke a cigarette while Buffy made her call. He crouched down in front of the diner to watch some ants move across the sidewalk. A pair of feet came into his view on the other side of the stream of insects. He looked up to see Riley looking down at him. Spike couldn’t help but chuckle as he straightened up. The other boy was trying so hard to be ‘in’ that it was laughable. He was dressed in Earth shoes, overalls and around his neck was a Puka shell necklace. His hair hung down to his shoulder. There wasn’t an original thing about him. Just a regular guy. Like a million others.

“Where’s Buffy?”

Spike nodded toward the diner.

“She’s calling her mom. To let her know what you did and that she has a ride home.” Spike added the last bit to get some digs in and it made him feel more worthy to tell this guy that his girl was riding with him. He straightened as much as he could to try to stare this guy down.

“Don’t get your hopes up. I came to get her.”

It was at that moment that Buffy came out of the restaurant toward them. Her smile faded when she saw Riley standing there. A frown replaced the smile that she had while her footsteps faltered as she made her way to Spike’s side. Riley frowned at her as she stopped next to Spike watching him with a defiant tilt of her head.

“Get your stuff, baby. We can work all this out.” Riley reached a hand out to Buffy but she pulled her arm away from him. “Don’t do this. You know I love you. Now come on let’s go.”

“No. I have a ride home with Spike.”

Riley sighed as he figured she was playing a game with him. That she wanted him to beg her to come back to him. It wasn’t something he wanted to do in front of her little blond hero.

“Buffy, get your stuff and come with me.” He practically growled it at her. “You don’t know who this guy is or what he is capable of. Or what he will want you to do for the ride.”

Buffy reached into her pocket to hand Spike his license and registration back to him. She made sure that Riley knew what was being passed between them. After turning back to Riley she put her hand out toward him.

“My money, please.”

He rolled his eyes but reached into the chest pocket of his overalls to pull out a small wad of cash. After Buffy took the money from him she peeled off a few dollars to hand to Spike.

“For my dinner.”

Spike smiled when he caught on to what she was doing. She smiled back at him as she handed him some more cash.

“And this is for my share of gas.”

“Equals.” Spike told her.

“Independent.” Buffy responded.

They both laughed at their agreement not to be dependent on each other or to hold power over the other. It made both of them feel good to have someone that they could just be around without pressure.

Spike reached over to slip an arm around Buffy’s shoulder as she slipped an arm around his waist. As they started to walk away Buffy looked over her shoulder to Riley.

“Bye, Riley. See ya around.”

She started to laugh again as she cut the last of the ties to a relationship that was making her miserable. Actually it made both of them miserable. Riley would eventually thank her for this.

As they left Riley standing there Spike couldn’t resist sticking up his middle finger toward the guy that had hurt Buffy.

“Fuck both of you.” That was the last thing they heard Riley say as they climbed into the van. They continued to laugh as they made their way to the entrance ramp of the highway. After that they both settled down in a companionable silence. He drove while fantasizing of the girl next to him as she stared out the window. Buffy had curled into the seat resting on her feet as she leaned against the passenger door.

Spike fiddled with the radio changing the channel from what Drusilla had put it on earlier. As he was going through the stations Buffy called for him to stop on a song. It was a song by Linda Ronstadt that had been popular the year before. As he left it there she started to sing along to it.