Next Door

It had been an entire month since Joyce had found the condoms in her daughters bin and her anger had abated somewhat. Buffy was still grounded but her mother was slowly allowing her friends to come and visit her but above all she was grateful for being allowed to see Spike. If she had been banned from seeing him she probably would have broken down by now. Each time she had gone over there to ‘learn’ they had made love as Spike had taken to calling it but he still refused to stop the lessons and more than once he had refused to let her cum until she had grasped a certain French phrase which made her learn all the more quicker. Things were surprisingly good despite the fact her mom was obviously still pissed at her . Spike seemed to make everything better and she went to bed each night happy in the knowledge that Spike would be there for her when she woke up.
Which was why she should have known something bad was gunna happen. She stared at her calendar nervously biting her lip. Her period should have started three days ago and it hadn’t.

“Im sure its nothing to be worried about right?” Buffy gnawed at her lip.
“Buffy how many times have you skipped periods or come on late…seriously you need to chill.” Cordelia laughed at her worried friend. Buffy’s periods had never been regular and there was no way she was pregnant…at least she hoped.
“yeah…no need to worry right? Besides we use protection all the time.” Buffy shrugged coming to lie next to Cordelia on the bed pushing her worries to the back of her mind.
“So what time you going over to Spikes?” Cordelia asked flicking casually through her magazine.
“Urm…I still have twenty minutes. He had to go to a meeting or something.” Buffy shrugged looking at the clock.
“You wanna go now don’t you?” Cordelia laughed.
“Maybe he’s back early.” Buffy defended herself.
“Okay fine. I leave. I got a date with Angel anyway.” Cordelia smiled walking with Buffy out of the house. She jumped in her car and drove off while Buffy headed over to Spikes. She knocked on the door and grinned when he opened it. She went to step forward to kiss him only for him to back away from her.
She looked at him questioningly and then she heard it. Drusilla.
“Oh hello Buffy. Didn’t William tell you you weren’t having your lesson today?” Drusilla asked coming to stand next to Spike. Buffy bristled when she saw Dru wrap her arm around Spike’s waist and shook her head stupidly.
“No he didn’t.” She said in her best calm voice looking at Spike obviously searching for answers. He didn’t even look at her however instead he was just looking down at the floor. Coward.
“Its our first anniversary today so we’re going out for food. Spike said he knew this great little place near the coast.” Drusilla grinned dropping a little kiss on Spike’s neck. Buffy’s eyes widened and she looked at Spike in disbelief. He was taking her to The Hideaway? The place he said he would only take her? Spike saw the hurt in her eyes and groaned when he realised what she must be thinking. He felt his heart ache when he saw the tear starting to form in her eyes and cursed Drusilla wishing he would go away for a second.
“Okay…congratulations.” She choked out before running back to her house.
“Hmm such a strange girl.” Drusilla laughed walking back into the house leaving Spike still standing there staring at the floor an image of tear filled hazel eyes haunting him.

“This place is wonderful.” Drusilla smiled looking around the fancy restaurant in glee. Spike just rolled his eyes and gulped down the rest of his jack and coke. They had gone to a little Italian place close to the beach that Spike had spotted on his way back from his meeting and Spike already hated the place. Unlike The Hideaway that was very stylish and fancy yet very down to earth and warm this place screamed elegance and was clearly for people who loved themselves.
“Shouldn’t you slow down a bit? That’s your third and we haven’t even ordered yet.” Drusilla scolded him not letting her fake smile slip as a couple breezed past them with plastic smiles.
Spike nodded and pushed away his drink. He rarely got drunk with Dru and that’s all he need was to get drunk and blurt out the reason he wanted to get sizzled. He kept thinking about how hurt Buffy looked. She had looked devastated and he had sworn to himself he would never hurt her but he had gone and bollixed that up because he had forgotten about his first anniversary. He looked at Dru over the top of his menu and frowned as he studied her. He hardly saw her anymore. She spent most of her time at the hospital and only now it struck him how vastly different Drusilla was to Buffy. Dru was pale, cold looking and looked half starved whereas Buffy was tanned and warm with just the right amount of curves. Perfect. He shook his head to rid himself of the thought and took another deep gulp of the burning liquid.

“Spike! Come on get up your embarrassing me!!” Drusilla screamed at him dragging him to his feet and dragging him to the front door. He just chuckled and carried on, opening the door and stumbling straight for the stairs with Dru stalking behind. When she reached the bedroom Spike was already passed out on the bed. She sighed and leant on the door frame as she studied her hammered husband. She thought tonight would solve things. She thought he would come out of his stupid funk and start acting decent again. She needed him to come with her to certain work parties, to host dinner parties…and she had hardly seen him. She was trying to butter up the chief of surgery so that when he retired she could possibly get his job and Spike’s silly attitude were ruining her chances. The first and only time he had accompanied her to a dinner party hosted by one of her colleges he had made a stupid joke about the series ER and wrecked everything. He only cared about himself! He didn’t even seem bothered to make an effort for her. He could have his own weird ways when at home but when out she needed him to be serious , a dedicated husband and she was starting to get a little panicked. He grew more and more distant everyday and she knew she would have to do something drastic to keep him to her. She had found a pair of underwear in his pocket the other day…yes…something definitely needed to be done.

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Spike woke up and the first thing he felt was the pounding in his head. He wanted to scream it was so bad and he settled for a pained groan as he rolled over only to hit something…or someone. He sat bolt upright and stared down next to him in horror. It wouldn’t have been so bad if she was clothed. She hardly ever slept when he did so he had grown used to sleeping alone so waking up to Dru would have surprised him anyway…but waking up naked next to an equally naked Dru was possibly the most horrifying thing that could have happened. He was so shocked her fell backwards off the bed stunning himself. He let out a howl of pain and when he finally looked up again Drusilla was sitting up and smiling at him coyly.
“Good morning William.” She greeted.
“Dru…did….did we?” He asked stumbling over his words.
“You don’t remember…maybe I should be offended.” Drusilla grinned.
The words crashed over him with the force of a two ton truck and he run to the bathroom as he lost the contents of his stomach.
“Okay….now im offended.” Drusilla huffed listening his retching from the next room.

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck,
Spike stared at the floor in despair. If Buffy ever found out he had had sex with Dru since starting things with her she’d be even more broken than she already was. It was funny how he thought that having sex with his wife was cheating but he no longer really thought of Dru as his wife. They hadn’t been intimate since his and Buffy’s first kiss and he cursed himself at how much he had fucked up. Either way someone was gunna be hurt but he had always assumed it would be Dru…thinking of seeing those hazel eyes hurt again….it killed him.

“So…he was going to dinner with Dru…and now you’ve avoided him for a week?” Willow repeated what her friend told her with a raised eyebrow.
“Its not like im being childish or anything…he was taking her to The Hideaway! Where…its our place…not hers…and its not like he’s tried to see me either.” Buffy said stubbornly.
“Well…for one thing…she is his wife. He may not love her anymore but he still has to go through the motions right? For all you know it wasn’t The Hideaway he was taking her too and anyway you get freaked out that he goes out for dinner yet you don’t mind the fact he lives with her?” Willow said seriously wondering about her friends mental health.
“I…well…im being childish.” Buffy finally gave in sinking into her seat.
“I know I shouldn’t be bothered…im the one whose in the wrong. Im sleeping with her husband for Christ sake its just…the thought of them together…it freaks me out and my emotions have been all over the place recently.” Buffy finished looking worriedly out of the window.

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“Buffy?!”
The way he said her name was enough to bring an amused smile to her face. He sounded so shocked and if his eyes widened any further they’d be dangling from their sockets.
“Hi.” She said simply looking down at her feet nervously before facing him again.
“Im here to apologize.” She said taking a breath to steady her voice and finally looking him dead in the eye.
“Your going to apologise? To me?” Spike said in utter shock. He hadn’t seen her for a week. He had guessed she was mad at him and he was too much of a coward and felt to guilty to seek her out so he had moped around the house in a depressed mood.
“Yes…I shouldn’t have been jealous of you taking your wife out to dinner…im sorry.” She mumbled before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him. He responded instinctively wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her hair, breathing in the scent he loved so much but had been denied of for what felt like months.
“So you forgive me?” She asked with a smile which made a part of Spike shrivel inside. He settled for just nodding his head and led her inside so she sat on the couch. She moved to kiss him but he turned his head so she caught his cheek instead. She pulled back and looked at him questioningly but he didn’t say anything just gave her a tight little smile before jumping straight into a lesson of French. When Buffy left she was even more confused than before. He hard barely spoken a word to her about anything other than French and he had avoided two of her kisses. She walked back home with slumped shoulders as she went back to her bedroom in full on broody mode.

Maybe he’s having second thoughts and wants to patch things up with Dru.
The thought sent shivers down her spine and she felt tears prickle at her eyes at the thought of Spike ditching her after everything. The more she thought about it the more it sounded like the truth. Maybe she had been wrong all along and Spike was just lying to her. The thought made her heart clench and she buried her face in her pillow finally letting the sobs out.

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“I feel like such a prick.”
“That’s cause you are one.” Angel growled.
“Thanks a lot mate.” Spike said sarcastically.
“Well what do you expect me to say Spike!? Buffy is a great girl! She’s perfect for you and now you’re avoiding her cos you were stupid and got drunk and shagged that bitch of a wife.” Angel snapped.
“Look she doesn’t need to find out! Just pretend it didn’t happen! Its not like you remember it anyway and technically Buffy’s the other woman so she cant exactly throw stones.” Angel shrugged.
“I cant lie to her Angel I cant.” Spike sighed.
“Then tell her the truth maybe she’ll understand. You saw her upset got rat assed and had sex with Dru without knowing what you were doing.” Angel shrugged again.
“I still cant believe I cant remember that. I remember everything when im drunk.” Spike grumbled.
“Then maybe Dru’s lying.” Angel suggested.
“Why would she lie about that?” Spike said disbelievingly dismissing the notion without even thinking about it.
“You gotta patch things up Spike…its been almost a month.” Angel sighed. He really liked Buffy and honestly wanted his brother to just get it over with and divorce Dru and he was even more for it because he had Cordelia torturing him for information too.
“She’s really broken up Spike.” Angel finally gave in. Cordy had made him swear not to tell but he had too.
“Who? Buffy? Why?” Spike asked in concern.
“She thinks you don’t care. She thinks it was just you getting your rocks off. Cordelia said she’s been acting really strange lately and she said she’s never seen her so upset before.”
“She thinks I don’t care!?” Spike gasped.
“I bloody love her! More than anything!” Spike exclaimed.
“Then prove it.” Angel said pointedly.

“Dru…we need to talk.” Spike said staring at Drusilla nervously.
“What is it?” She asked, sighing tiredly.
“I want a divorce.”
Four words and the room went instantly cold. Drusilla stared at him, her mouth agape and Spike stared right back trying to steel himself for the rage he knew would come. Instead however she just laughed and shook her head.
“No you don’t.” She said simply.
“Yes I do Dru. I don’t love you anymore.” He said strongly.
“Yes you fucking well do!!” She screamed and Spike got a true glimpse of the fruitcake that was his wife.
“You will not leave me you hear? How dare you even think of leaving me!! When I met you you were nothing! Some pathetic little boy in tweed and wire rimmed glasses! How dare you try to bring down my reputation by this stupid suggestion!” She barked.
“This its a suggestion Dru. it’s a fact im leaving im sorry.” He sighed picking up the holdall bag he had already packed.
“Who is she?”
The question froze Spike and he turned to look at Dru in surprise.
“Oh please Spike don’t take me for a fool. I want to know who she is.” She said firmly her eyes darkening.
“It doesn’t matter.” Spike grumbled walking closer to the door. He was almost out of it when she said two words that sent chills down his spine and made his head spin.
“Im pregnant.”