Remember Me

Chapter 2 - The Girls/The Boys

Cordy, Tara, and Willow sat around Buffy's bedroom sipping on wine coolers and watching her pack.

"I can't believe you agreed to do this!" Willow exclaimed. "Why couldn't he just explain that his fiance couldn't make it?"

"Willow, you know how nervous Spike still gets when he's around too many people. He's forced himself to deal with the important business meetings, but throw him into a dinner party with more than 6 people and he's lost!" Buffy responded. "He said he needed a friend."

"Yeah, right." Cordy almost spit out her drink. She gave Buffy her 'are you kidding me?' look.

"What?" Buffy asked defensively.

"So he says he needs a 'friend'." Cordy put the air quotes around the last woroth oth brows lifting sardonically.

"Yeah, so?" Buffy prompted her to continue but was surprised when Tara piped up instead.

"Buffy, I think Cordelia's hinting that he may finally be wanting something more than friendship from you."

"No way! You guys don't know Spike." Buffy answered her heart hammering. "Besides, we've always just been friends. He wouldn't want to change that now. And he's still getting over Dru, remember?" Buffy voiced some of her own fears.

"Do you really believe that?" Willow asked, giving Buffy a knowing look. "We've always wondered why the two of you haven't gotten together before." Both Cordy and Tara nodded at Willow's statement.

Buffy chewed her bottom lip. She hadn't told anyone yet of her feelings for Spike. The one person she would normally tell everything to was out of the picture, since he was the one she'd fallen in love with! She'd sort of been paralyzed with the fear that saying or doing anything about her new feelings would have a devastating ripple effect in her life. She wasn't sure she'd be able to survive if that ripple pushed Spike away from her.

"You know we're just friends. We've never seen each other as anything more than that." 'Until now', she thought.

Buffy's three friends just looked at each other, deciding to let it go. "So, what are you bringing with you?" Cordy asked, pawing through the pile of clothes Buffy had dropped onto the bed to sort. "Oh! How about this sexy number?"

Buffy breathed an internal sigh of relief that the subject had been dropped. She turned to see which outfit Cordy had picked up and blushed to find her holding up one of her Victoria Secret's nighties. "How did that get in there? I wasn't planning to bring that!" She snatched the nightie up and tossed it toward the hamper in the corner.

Willow retrieved the nightgown and held it up once more. "Why don't you bring it? It's pretty. And I'm sure Spike would appreciate it." Willow winked at her.

Still blushing, Buffy turned to sort through the rest of her clothes shaking her head at her friend. "No! Are you guys crazy? Spike would *not* appreciate it! He'd think I was trying to seduce him or something. He'd probably run screaming!" She tried to joke about it.

"He might be screaming by the end of the night, but I doubt he'd be running away." Cordy said under herath ath as she snuck the nightgown into the bottom of Buffy's suitcase.

After that the girls buckled down and helped Buffy pack the rest of her things. She brought two different bathing suits and several pairs of shorts. She made sure to bring extra halter tops, since she wasn't sure how many different activities they'd be participating in during the day. She also brought one nice dress for every evening they'd be out. She didn't' know if they were going to have to dress for every dinner, but she wanted to be prepared.

Privately she was excited to have a reason to wear such elegant, yet sexy, clothing for Spike. It was rare that he'd seen her in anything more than jeans and a blouse. They didn't go out to swanky social events very often, really not at all, the more she thought about it. The one time they'd gone to a black-tie affair together it had been Willow's wedding to Wesley, and she'd been forced to wear a bridesmaids dress rather than something she'd picked out herself. To be fair, Willow had picked a great dress, but it still wasn't Buffy's usual style.

He'd seen pictures of her of course. From formals at college and some press photos at random studio parties she'd attended, but never anything in person. Buffy looked toward her three friends, deep in a debate over Orlando Bloom versus James Marsters as the sexiest man alive, and sighed.

Willow had Wesley. Xander would be dropping down to one knee for Cordy any day now. And sweet, shy Tara was already engaged to her long time love, Lorne. Sometimes, when they all got together like this, Buffy felt like the odd man out. When would she ever find her true love? She'd started to believe that it just wasn't going to happen. And then she'd been hit with the sledgehammer that Spike was her true love. And now the question had changed. Would her true love ever find her?

***

Spike's suitcase lay open on his bed while he rifled through his closet picking out different suits for the trip. He'd already thrown in a couple pairs of swim trunks, and even one pair of speedos, though he doubted he'd have the balls to wear it in front of Buffy. He had several casual outfits already folded and packed away, and now he just needed his business and formal wear.

Spike through the last of his clothes into his cases, just as the doorbell rang. He vaulted down the steps and opened the door to three familiar faces. Wesley, Xander, and Lorne stood on his stoop with a case of beer and two large and delicious smelling pizzas.

"Come in gents." He waved his arms in invitation, grabbing one of the pizza boxes as they passed. "Let's get settled in the game room, we can eat in there."

"So you ready for your big trip?" Xander asked, munching down on a big greasy slice.

"Yeah, just finished packing, mate." Spike answered as he racked the pool table. "Can't believe Buffy agreed to go to Kauai with me for a week." Spike shook his head.

"Oh yeah, tough choice I'm sure." Lorne said sarcastically. "What girl wouldn't want an all expense paid trip to paradise?"

"Nah. Buffy's not like that. She doesn't care about money, or fancy things." Spike insisted.

The boys looked at each other and smirked. Their friend had it bad.

"Yes, I agree. Buffy's very special." Wesley responded. "Much like my Willow." He couldn't help adding.

"'S probably why they're mates." Spike nodded at Wes. "You want to break?"

"Sure." Wes chose a cue stick and lined up his shot. "So, how much work is going to be mixed in with the fun?"

"Well, it's really mostly just that ridiculous hob nobbing." Spike answered, dry washing his face with his right hand. "I hate having to bloody 'network', but Laura insists." Laura was Spike's ever efficient PR secretary.

Spike owned and operated a large publishing firm. He handled anything from preschool board books to hot ticket bestsellers. This week was a chance for him to meet with several large clients, and other vendors in the industry. It was a big conference held every year. It was a great chance to solicit new business and help reaffirm old, while giving everyone in attendance a sort of busman's holiday.

"Thre gre going to have a few good activities like surfing, kayaking, and snorkeling. I'm sure Buffy will want to try those." Spike thought of Buffy in a bikini, and quickly shook the arousing image out of his head. "You know how active she is. She'll love it." He hoped she would at least. Maybe it would snap her out of the funk she'd been in lately.

"So, does she know you'll have to share a room?" Xander waggled his eyebrows trying to affect a leer.

"Yeah, 'course she does. We are supposed to be engaged." Spike answered exasperated.

"What about the kissy face you guys are gonna have to do?" Lorne asked.

"Huh?" Spike was busy setting up a shot for the 2 ball. "Kissy face? What are you talking about mate?"

Wesley raised an inquisitive brow at him. "You do know you'll most likely have to be affectionate don't you? At least in public, you'll have to kiss, hold hands, that sort of thing."

Spike missed the shot, sending the cue ball into the side pocket instead. Bollocks! Of course they'd have to kiss. Spike's heart began to beat erratically. He'd never kissed Buffy before, not really, a peere ere and there, but nothing like what they'd have to do during this trip. What had he been thinking? Was he trying to torture himself?

Xander laughed. "Guess you didn't think of that before hand, huh?"

Spike scowled at him.

"Spike, maybe this is your chance." Wesley prodded him.

"Chance for what?"

"To make your move." Lorne took up the baton, then handed it to Xander.

"Yeah, man. Who knows? You might actually come back as an engaged man, instead of an impostor." Xander finished.

"You guys are daft. Buffy would never think of me that way." Spike muttered, though his brows drew together in thought.

But all three men noticed that Spike didn't deny thinking of Buffy that way.