Next Door

Almost an hour later and the foursome were sitting at a table deep in conversation. Angel kept glancing away from Cordy to Spike, watching as he talked with Buffy. He had noticed him take his ring off but hadn’t said anything. Angel hated the fact his brother had married so young anyway and Angel had never thought Drusilla was right for him. She was nice enough she just had an air about her that had you feeling beneath her and Spike was always trying to please her when really she should have loved him the way he was. Spike was passionate and free spirited whereas Drusilla was all about work and with the new promotion she had recently had Angel had no doubt Spike would soon realise it. But he was still worried about what his brother was thinking. He had just met this girl and she was obviously young. Seeing the smile on Spike’s face and the smitten look in his eyes Angel knew there was nothing he could do and shook his head concentrating on the beautiful girl in front of him.

“So what do you do?” Buffy asked interestedly.
She had never met a guy like him. They had talked non stop for an hour and Buffy had never laughed so much in her life. He was so funny and sweet it was shocking. And considering he was almost eight years older they had a lot in common.
“I write novels.” Spike answered smiling when her eyes lit up.
“Really? Wow. I’ve always wanted too write. Im not so good at it though. Im better at art.” Buffy shrugged.
“Really? You paint?” Spike asked curiously.
“Yep. And sketch and I take photographs.” Buffy nodded.
“Another thing we have in common then pet. I love art, not so good at the doing it myself of course more a fan of others work… there’s actually a great gallery here in town its-”
“My moms!” Buffy smiled excitedly.
“Your mom owns that gallery?” Spike asked in surprise.
“Yeah. I work there some times.” Buffy replied glancing at her watch. Her eyes bugged out when she saw it was half eleven already.
“Oh shit I got to go. My moms gunna kill me, im late.” Buffy groaned getting up and grabbing her coat from the back of her chair.
“Oh really? You have to go now?” Spike asked his voice betraying his disappointment.
“Yeah…I had fun. It was nice meeting you.” Buffy smiled shyly.
“You too pet.” Spike called after her retreating back.


Almost an hour later and Cordelia had left too, not without Angel’s number of course. Angel strode over to where Spike was slouched at the bar and sat next to him.
“You okay?”
“Yeah course. Im fine. You got her number huh?” Spike asked looking at the scrap of paper in Angel’s hands.
“Yeah. She’s kinda young but she‘s much more mature. Im only 20 so its not that big an age gap.” Angel smiled.
“So how abut Buffy huh? She seemed nice.” Angel hinted studying his brother intently.
“Yeah she was lovely.” Spike answered stiffly.
“Oh come on Spike! She was lovely? You were so more interested in her than that!” Angel laughed.
“Okay one. I am married. Two she’s only 16 im 24. And three….im married.” Spike finished looking back at his beer.
“Then why did you take off you wedding ring?” Angel asked knowingly. He saw Spike’s muscles tense up as he stared at the spot on his finger where his ring should have been. Without another word Spike stood and stalked out of the club and made his way home.

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What the hell was wrong with me last night! She was just a kid for fucks sake and i’ve only been married for two months! I love Dru for Christ sake. Spike stared at himself angrily in the mirror. He honestly had no idea what had possessed him into flirting and taking of his ring last night. All he knew was that Buffy just seemed to call to him and he had felt drawn to her. But that thought itself was worrying. Why the hell was he drawn to her? Even if he didn’t cheat he shouldn’t have felt that way last night.
“Hey Spike. Im going to work.” Drusilla called from the bedroom.
“Okay.” Spike yelled back. Hearing the bedroom door shut and her footsteps walking down the stairs he buried his head in his hands and sighed.

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“I can’t believe how dreamy he was.” Cordelia had been walking around with a permanent dreamy look on her face for days and Buffy rolled her eyes once more.
“Okay Cordy we all got it. He’s dreamy.” Buffy laughed.
“Hey what about you and Mr Salty Goodness?” Cordelia grinned teasingly.
“What? Who?”
The other girls who sat around their tables asked suddenly drawn to the conversation. They had all thought Buffy was dating Riley and if she was cheating on him then that was huge news in their world.
“This guy who was chatting Buffy up.” Cordelia smirked.
“A guy was chatting you up?”
The jealous filled voice broke into the conversation and Buffy closed her eyes and bit her lip. Damn. Talk about bad timing,

“No of course not that’s just Cordelia making something of nothing.” Buffy said giving Cordy an angry glare before walking to and hugging Riley.
“Good. I don’t want anyone hitting on what’s mine.” Riley said stiffly earning a stupid awww from the other cheerleaders.
“So you wanna go out tonight?”
“I can’t I promised my mom I’d have dinner with her. I think she asked the neighbours to come over for it.”
“Come on its Friday. Can’t you blow her off?” Riley asked dumbly.
“She’s my mom. Im not gunna blow off plans with her so me and you can go and make out in your car.” Buffy retorted sarcastically. Riley’s idea of a date seemed to be either Bronze or a party followed by an hour in his car and that wasn’t her idea of fun. Normally she would have given in and agreed to go with him but for some reason he suddenly seemed a lot less appealing compared to the gorgeous brit she had met last night. She had had so much more in common with him than Riley and he was just so much more mature.
“Fine.” He snapped angrily storming back out of the cafeteria. Everyone’s eyes followed the angry quarterback out of the canteen before they all swung back to stare at Buffy.


“So what are you making?” Buffy asked casually leaning over her mothers shoulder to look into the many pots and pans.
“Do you have to do that while im cooking?” Joyce growled and Buffy instantly recoiled backing away to sit at the island.
“Your mother is a bit irritated at the moment.”
Buffy laughed and give Giles her usual eye roll. He had been dating her mother for well over five months and had witnessed dozens of her mothers little moods when she was preparing food, and when her mother had calmed down they teased her mercilessly about it.
“So have you done you History report?”
“Nope and don’t give me that look! That report is not due till next Monday and you can’t tell me off for how bad it is until I have given it in. Outside of school remember your not my teacher here.” Buffy defended herself. Giles simply chuckled in response and took another sip of the red wine in front of him.
“So when are the guests arriving exactly?” Buffy asked.

“They said they’d be here around six thirty.”
“So what are they like? I mean are we dealing with another Mr and Mrs Wallis who steal our paper or are we dealing with a Mr and Mrs Jones who always have a pie ready and waiting for us? Buffy asked finally realising she didn’t know much about the guests.
“Oh I don’t know. We’ll see wont we. They seemed nice enough though. Drusilla seemed a bit…well distracted I suppose when I called around to invite them but William seems absolutely perfect.”
Both Buffy and Giles raised an eyebrow at the mushiness of Joyce’s voice when talking about the new male neighbour and Buffy smirked teasingly.
“Mom are you getting a crush on our neighbour because I don’t think introducing him to Giles is a good idea.”
“Oh ha ha. Of course not! He just seems like a lovely young man. He looks almost too young to be married. He barely looks 20!” Joyce laughed placing a quick kiss on Giles’s cheek as if to reassure him.
“Hmmm young married huh? Maybe she’ s pregnant that’s why they had to get married.” Buffy shrugged jokingly.
“Buffy don’t say stuff like that when they are here! And no being rude about his…unique hairstyle.” Joyce warned, wagging a finger at Giles who was known for occasionally making a joke about something when he had had a glass of wine and was relaxed.

“What do you mean unique hairstyle?”
“Oh I think he bleaches his hair….its far to bright to be natural blonde anyway.” Joyce chuckled unaware of the effect her response had on her daughter. Buffy went rigid and stared at her mother in horror as a few things clicked into place. The guy from the Bronze had said he had just moved here, he was a writer and he had bleached blonde hair. And the new neighbour had obviously just moved in, he was a writer and he had bleached blonde hair. No. No way it had to be a coincidence. He had only named himself as Spike and that was obviously a nick name. Oh god please don’t be him.
“Mom…are the neighbours British?” Buffy managed to rasp out.
“Yes they are…honey are you okay?”
Joyce give her daughter a worried look when she noticed her unfocused eyes and her pale looking face.
“Yeah im fine…just…I need to go to the bathroom.” She mumbled before running out of the room and upstairs

I cant believe it! He was married! The dumb jerk! Why didn’t he say?! Better yet why wasn’t he wearing a wedding band!? Was he trying to get laid or something!? Oh god im gunna have to speak to him and his wife!
Buffy was broken from her thoughts when she heard the doorbell ring and she slumped against the bathroom door begging for some miracle to happen so she wouldn’t have to go down there.
“Buffy! Come on down!” Her mothers call sounded from downstairs and Buffy groaned knowing there was no way out. She dragged her feet across the landing and took the stairs one at a time hoping that by some miracle she wouldn’t have to be faced with what she suspected. As soon as she reached the bottom step she heard the familiar deep, British laugh and the last of her hopes dropped. It was definitely him and with one last breath for courage she stepped into the living room her eyes locking with utter shocked blue ones.
“Ahh Buffy there you are! This is my daughter Buffy, Buffy this is Drusilla and William O’Connor.” Joyce beamed playing the perfect hostess. No one except Buffy and Spike felt the awkwardness of the situation and Buffy give a strained little smile to the couple on the sofa. Drusilla smiled back but Spike’s shocked look didn’t budge and he continued to gape at her until he realised that Joyce was looking at him funny.
“Uhh nice to meet you.” He managed to get out without stuttering.
Holy fuck she’s my neighbours daughter! Oh god im screwed!