Central Perk

Chapter 4

Spike woke the next morning with a serious cramp in his neck. “No wonder you bloody poof,” He thought to himself. “You slept on your sodding back, you know better than that.” With a groan he rolled over onto his side to make himself more comfortable. “How the fuck did my bed shrink,” was his only coherent thought as he fell hard onto the floor with a high pitched shriek that sounded something like “WHAAAAAA!” Spike opened his eyes and sat up quickly, “ What the bloody hell?” he groaned as he took in his surroundings. He was still in Willow’s apartment, apparently sleeping on her couch. He still had half of a red chenille throw draped over him. “Good job Will, wake up the whole bloody...” He stopped his self-scolding when he stood up and saw a pajama clad Willow standing in her kitchen watching him. She held a steaming cup of coffee and wore the largest grin he had ever seen.

“That was the manliest thing I’ve ever seen, I mean, really.” She said to him trying to hide her giggles.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, laugh it up.” Spike smirked at her as he stretched out his sore muscles. “What does a guy have to do to get a cup of coffee around here?”

“Oh,” Willow answered, “that’s easy. All you have to do is walk right across the hall, go on inside cause you kinda live there and make your own.” She smirked at him slightly, “Or you could ask really nicely.”

Spike smiled at her and grandly bent down onto one knee. He bowed his head as he spoke in a reverent tone, “Oh mighty Willow, goddess of the morning coffee bean. Might I have a cup of…”

Willow interrupted him by yanking on his arm that was now out stretched to her and forcefully telling him to “Get up!” She shoved the cup of coffee she was holding into his hands and returned to the counter to fix another one.

“No cream?” Spike asked as he stared into the steaming black liquid. He had to duck to miss the wooden spoon that was flying at his head. He gave Willow a quick wink as he sat down at the table and began to doctor his coffee.

“So, what happened ou lou last night?” Willow asked as she made her way over to the table to sit next to Spike. At his questioning glance she clarified “I thought you had a furniture buying, video game date with Xander.”

“We finished the furniture shopping and then I don’t know, I guess I got a little distracted.” Spike answered carefully taking a sip of his coffee.

“Uh huh,” Willow continued fluttering her eyelashes innocently. “What could have possibly distracted you?”

“Don’t look at me like that,” Spike told her sullenly “It’s not what you think, besides I want to hear all about your wild and crazy night.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Willow told him as she rose to fix herself a bagel. She held up the bag to Spike, “You want?”

“Sure,” he answered as he took a sip of his coffee. “You don’t know what I’m talking about? What? Did you fall into an alternate universe where time doesn’t exist or did you just forget where you live for the evening?”

“I came home,” Willow told him defensively. “This morning.”

“I knew it,” Spike exclaimed. “I want to hear every detail. Right down to the sweaty grunty…”

“Who’s grunty?” Buffy asked in a sleepy voice as she made her way from the guest bedroom into the kitchen. She was wearing an over sized sweatshirt with the letters “UC SD” on the front. A pair of green and gray flannel pajama bottoms and miss matched wool socks. Her hair was disheveled from sleep and Spike couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen anything so beautiful.

“Good morning pet,” he smiled as he rose to offer her his chair beside Willow. Once she was settled he grabbed the one that was sitting on the far side of the table, spun it around and straddled the seat so that his arms were resting on the back of the chair and he was facing Willow and Buffy. “You’re just in time. We were discussing Red’s choice of evening activities.”

“Fun,” Buffy smiled sleepily and grabbed a banana from the fruit basket that was sitting at the center of the table and began to peel it slowly. “So,” she said looking at Willow, “spill.”

Willow shook her head as she sipped her coffee. “There’s nothing to spill. We had a really good time and just lost track of time. It could have happened to anyone.” With that Willow stood up and began to clean up the few dishes she had used that morning.

Spike smirked at her, “Right.” He finished the last of his cup and stood to place it in thehwashwasher. “Well ladies I will take my leave,” he said grandly as he started towards the door. He was stopped from opening it when a small voice called out to him.

“Um Spike?” Buffy stood as she called to him and made his way over to him. When Spike turned around she was standing right in front of him. “I just wanted to say thanks. I had a lot of fun last night and why are you staring at me? Buffy patted her face with concern, “ Do I have mushy banana face?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that color green before.” He whispered mesmerized by her face.
“Oh my god!” Buffy exclaimed hiding her face in her hands. “I’ve got something green on my face?”

Spike took her hands in his and pulled them away from her face so that he could see her clearly again. “No love,” he told her. “I was talking about your eyes.” His voice had dropped to a low whisper, “They’re beautiful.”

“Oh,” Buffy looked down, away from his intense gaze. She took a moment to control the blush that was claiming her face. She looked back up and met his eyes again with a smile, “thank you, for everything.”

“Trust me,” he told her, “the pleasure was all mine.” He brought her hand up and placed a light kiss on her knuckle, “I’ll see you later yeah?” At Buffy’s nod he turned, opened the door and exited the apartment.

Buffy closed the door behind him and turned around leaning up against it in the spot he had just been. She didn’t try to hide the grin she wore from Willow who witnessed the scene from the kitchen. Willow had her eyebrow raised in an inquisitive way and Buffy couldn’t help but laugh. “I can’t stop smiling,” she told her.

“I see that,” Willow nodded. “You look like you slept with a hanger in your mouth. So you guys hit it off then.”

Buffy nodded as she sat down at the table again. “We just talked, but it was really, nice.”

Willow sat down across from Buffy with her 2nd cup of coffee grinning, “You just talked?” She nodded as she took a sip, “Okay.”

Buffy gaped at her for a moment with her mouth open in mock shock. “Okay she said, “off of me and onto you, how was your date last night?”

Willow paused to try to hold the grin that was spreading across her face, “We had a lot of fun.”

“I guess you did,” Buffy answered her sitting back in her chair and folding her arms across her chest. “The `I’m having so much fun I forget to come home´ kinun?”un?”

“Buffy!” Willow exclaimed, “Of course not, we just kinda lost track of the time. You know, talking and stuff.”

“Uh huh.” Buffy studied her friend for a moment, “So?”

Willow gave her a puzzled look and shrugged, “So, what?”

“So, when do I get to meet him?” Buffy asked, “Remember our deal? You need my seal of approval.”
Willow nodded as she stood up, “Soon, I promise. I just want to give it some time, feel out the situation.”


“Feel being the operative word,” Buffy replied wagging her eyebrows at her friend.

“Elizabeth Anne Summers!” Willow exclaimed, “I’m surprised you would imply such a thing.” Willow began to make her way over to the bathroom, “So, what are your plans today?”

“Well,” Buffy answered looking shakily playing with the hem of her sweatshirt, “I thought that I’d call my parents, let them know what’s going on and that I’m okay. Then I guess I better start figuring out what it is I’m going to do. You know, start looking for a job and a place to li…”

“Buffy,” Willow interrupted, “you have a place to live. You can move in here. I have the extra room and I would love to have you here. I’ve missed you.”

“Oh Will,” Buffy sighed, “I’ve missed you too. A lot, but I don’t want to impose I mean you have your own…”

“Do you see this face?” Willow again interrupted her pointing up to the expression on her face. “Surely it hasn’t been so long that you’ve forgotten why rey resolve face means. You’re staying here. No if’s and’s or but’s about it and I won’t take “No” for an answer. Get it?”

Buffy nodded thankfully, “Got it.”

Willow smiled back at her friend. “Good. Now I have to go shower. I do have to go into work for a little while today. But, we’ll have dinner tonight, sound good?”

“Sounds great.” Buffy replied as Willow disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Once she was alone Buffy made her way over to her purse and plucked out her cell phone. “Well,” she whispered out loud to no one in particular, “I guess it’s now or never.”