Again I Go Unnoticed

Disclaimer: If I owned the characters in this story, BTVS would still be on the air because Gellar would have been forced to sign her contract in blood…

**

Paradise by the Dashboard Light

Hand resting against her head, Buffy blinked a few times in a vain attempt to repair her blurred vision. Good ole Walt Whitman just wasn’t agreeing with her tonight…

Turning the page with a sigh she glanced upwards, catching Spike staring at her,

at?\at?" she yawned

"What, what?" he shot back mildly annoyed.

Her eyes cut upwards once again. "Do I have a zit or some horribly gross, dangly thing hanging out of my nose? Cause you’ve come down with a major staring problem."

Throwing his head back, Spike let out a yawn of his own and made sure to give Buffy a good eye roll the moment they were face to face. "I’m tired and prly mly more bloody bored than you are…!"

She snorted. "Don’t bet on it."

"All I’m doing is waiting for you to finish those study questions so that I can be rewarded with the sound of my front door shutting as your scrawny ass walks out of it." He smiled sweetly and Buffy gritted her teeth, snapping the book shut.

"Finished," she said with a withering look.

"Liar." Spike narrowed his eyes.

"Ugh!" Buffy groaned and launched her Literature book in the direction of his head. Completely unfazed, Spike caught it mid-air and gently sat it down beside him on the floor. Screwing up her face she whined loudly, "I’m sick of reading, okay?! My head hurts and – and what kind of pretentious bastard writes poems about blades of grass?!"

"Fine," he sighed, "we’re done for the day. Get your stuff together and I’ll take you home…"

"There is a god!" Buffy cried with relief as she practically jumped to her feet.

"Don’t see why you just didn’t get Anya to take you," Spike grumbled, snatching his car keys off the dresser and stuffing them in the pocket of his over-shirt.

"Let me put it this way – a ride with Anya is a lesson in appreciating life." Buffy shook her head as she packed her books into the packpack. "Besides, who else was supposed to be my ‘Designated Driver’? It’s not like Xander was going to jump at the chance to whisk me back across town," she paused, frowning, "well, maybe if I were strapped to the hood of his car."

Spike chuckled. "He doesn’t hate you."

"Wow – then that’s some Oscar worthy acting he’s been doing," she said sarcastically.

"The whelp’s slower with fveneveness than most."

Buffy quirked a brow, slinging the backpack on her shoulder. "What about you?"

"Minimal hatred." Spike grinned. "Dislike, really."

That got him smile.

"I wouldnorryorry about Xander; after what happened today he’ll be right back to squirting in his shorts at the sight of you."

Buffy let out a groan in disgust as she threw open the room door,

"You’re such a pig, Spike!"

**

There it was again, the staring.

Buffy impatiently drummed her fingers on the passenger side door while worrying her bottom lip between her teeth all in an attempt to keep from screaming.

Things had been slightly on the awkward side after Anya’s ‘lessons’ ended but that was to be expected. It wasn’t every day you saw something like that unless you happened to be gainfully employed by the good people at Vivid Video.

Anya had packed up her tools and left soon after with a thoroughly embarrassed Willow and a mute Xander following behind fifteen minutes and a promise from the blonde duo to tell them what the hell was going on later. And she and Spike were left alone to finish up Gatsby and begin covering the poetry unit.

Blistering silence was the only sign Buffy needed and she happily kept her mouth shut about what happened during her time with ‘Kong Jr.’.

There was no moment between the two of them! She was thinking about Angel the entire time – Spike just happened to be there when she looked up. He was probably mentally superimposing Cecily’s head on her body anyway…

Buffy unconsciously frowned at the thought and shifted in her seat.

"Did your eye go lame all of a sudden?" she snapped and sent Spike a sidelong scowl.

"Aren’t we testy," he snickered.

"I just wanna go home, but please feel free to continue sitting in the driveway completely immobile."

"Why aren’t you driving, Summers?" Spike asked, ignoring her sarcasm.

Buffy gave him a look. "Random much."

He shrugged. "It’s a simple question."

"I dunno – I mean, I passed the class, watched all of the film strips with the blood and the death… I even went for a spin in that drunk – driver simulator car, but mom thinks I’m not ready."

Spike nodded. "Wants to keep her one and only safe and close to home?"

"Well, that…" Buffy smiled sheepishly, "and the dent the size of Canada her ‘one and only’ put in the sif hef her brand new Escalade also spoke volumes."

Spike regarded her for a moment before throwing open the car door. "Get out."

"What?!"

"Get out," he repeated while moving around to the passenger side.

Reluctantly she did as told. "You have got to be kidding," Buffy mumbled, folding her arms.

"No one’s gonna be carting you around forever, Princess." Spike casually plopped down into the seat she previously occupied. "Drive yourself."

"The bleach’s finally killed off the last of your brain cells, huh, Spikey?" Buffy quipped as she eased herself into the driver’s seat.

He sighed. "You’re not some helpless twit, you can do this. Now shut your gob and start ‘er up.\ith ith a mumbled curse, Buffy turned the key in the ignition and grabbed the gearshift, pulling it to ‘Reverse’.

"Just take your time luv," Spike said in a surprisingly soothing tone as they coasted down the drive. "And remember to watch out…"

Buffy’s cry of ‘Oh!’ and the feel of the back end of the Volvo plunging downwards cut him off, and

Spike put a weary hand to his head.

"For the ditch."

**

Ending the call, Buffy flipped the top down on her cell phone and stuck it in her purse. "The cops will be here to tow us out in about twenty minutes."

"Whoopdi – fucking – do," Spike replied dryly.

"Don’t get all grumpy on me Mr. ‘Shut y’re gob and start ‘er up’," she did an awful imitation of his accent. "You’re the one who…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know!" Spike slumped down in his seat, sullen look on his face.

"We could always go back into the house…"

"No, no I wanna sit here and wait. The faster they pull us out, the faster I can get rid of you."

"Whatever."

Silence…

"You really asked Anya to give you lessons in sucking off?" he suddenly asked.

Buffy glanced over in Spike’s direction, lips quirked upward,

"No. Anya runs a dildo business out of the trunk of her car and asked me to help test her product."

Spike snorted. "I can’t believe yoummermmers…"

"So it’s a crime to not want to be the clueless virgin?!"

If looks could kill, Spike figured he would be on fire right now. "I didn’t say that."

"Right," she scoffed.

"There is such a thing as instinct," he said haughtily.

She grinned wickedly. "FYI, the bevy of moves you’ve tried out on your right hand might not work so well on Cecily. Girl’s been ‘round the block."

Spike clenched his teeth. "Don’t talk about her that way."

Silence…

"There’s nothing you’re worried about?" Buffy quietly spoke up. "Nothing you’re scared you’re going to be terrible at doing?"

He hesitated, debating whether or not he should share this confidence with her.

"The bleeding kissing," Spike finally grumbled with a sigh.

Buffy laughed loudly. "Very funny."

He glowered. "I’m serious! Worried I won’t be any good at it…"

She let out a very unlady-like snort.

"Mostly because I’ve never done it."

That quickly shut Buffy up. Her eyes widened. "You’ve never."

"Don’t go spreading that around, alright?" Spike sighed heavily, "I’ve kinda liked not having my ass kicked this past week."

"Not even once…?"

"Which part of never is fucking hard for you to understand?!"

Silence…

Buffy unhooked her seatbelt and leaned across the center console – a foreign look devoid of any traces of piss and vinegar marring her features.

Spike curiously quirked his eyebrow. "What?"

"Kissing is pure instinct," she informed him. "When you’re in that moment, don’t think – just feel. When it’s right, the entire world shuts out and it’s…" a small smile curled on her lips, "amazing."

With a sly smirk on his face Spike reached out and tucked an errant strand of hair behind Buffy’s ear and leaned in and pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

"You’re not the only one allowed to practice, Princess." He grinned as he pulled away.
Buffy sat completely motionless, not stunned as much from the kiss itself but from the fact she did not, hear the police knocking on the window.