Author's notes: Set in season 4 , when Buffy has a date with a new college boy she met , Spike soon realizes that his feelings for here aren't purely professional as he had thought. So what's he going to do about it? And what results?

*****

Buffy walked happily next to Willow. They were touring the UC Sunnydale campus , ready to start they're first year of college.

It had been an interesting summer. Probably the most bizarre event was when Whistler dragged a very upset Spike into the library one day and told them that Spike was now going to help them in they're battle against evil. Apparently Spike had done something to piss off a very important *good* demon who happened to have some leverage against him. So he was black-mailed into helping the Slayer.

Perfect punishment , right? Wrong--Spike actually got to like working with the scooby gang. He refuses to admit it of course , but then again you can take the man out of the demon , but you can't take the demon out of the man. Or was it the other way around? Who cares.

"I wonder what our first homework assignments gonna be", Willow said excitedly.

Buffy rolled her eyes playfully. "Will , you *need* to get another hobby".

"Xander looked at me like I was crazy when I said that last year. I can't help it if I get excited about academics", Willow defended herself.

Buffy sighed and shook her head. Willow--you could kidnap her , threaten her life , shoot tendrils of lightening at her and it wouldn't even phase her. But give her an F on a report card and she'd probably drop dead right there. "Maybe Xander has the right idea".

Willow's reply was cut off by the loud noise of a black , convertable top mustang as it roared past them. The driver was a tan , dark-haired , blue-eyed , drop-dead gourgeous man. He pulled into a parking space not far from where Willow and Buffy stood frozen , staring at him and not even caring if anyone noticed.

"Who's that?", Buffy breathed. She could barely drag her eyes off him.

"Thats Waylon Robertson", Willow replied , also not able to take her eyes off him. "He just moved to Sunnydale a couple weeks ago".

"Really", Buffy said conspiratorily. "Maybe I should introduce myself--after all , I am the town protector".

Willow looked at her friend with a sly smile. "Maybe you should".

Buffy giggled before jogging over to where Waylon was getting out of his car.

"Hi", she said cheerfully. He turned towards her and flashed her a million dollar smile that would make any girl's heart melt.

"Hi", he answered back.

Buffy held out her hand in greeting. "I'm Buffy Summers. I'll be a freshman here".

"Waylon Robertson , also a freshman", he answered , taking her hand and shaking it gently.

"Great", she said , not knowing what else to say. "Um...thats my friend Willow", Buffy motioned to where Willow stood on the sidewalk behind them. Willow's eyes widened and she shook her head before ducking behind a nearby tree. "She's..a little shy", Buffy explained nervously.

"Nice to meet you", Waylon called to where Willow was hiding behind the tree before turning back to Buffy. "Say , would you like to go out with me tonight?"

"Tonight?", Buffy asked , her mouth turning up in a smile.

"Yeah. I'm new here , I was wondering if you could show me around--maybe take me to the local hang-out or something".

"The Bronze. Thats the Bronze and...I'd love to", Buffy answered.

"Great. I'll pick you up around eight , is that okay?"

"Sure", Buffy said excitedly. She gave him her address before turning and hurrying back towards Willow.

"So?", Willow asked.

"I got a date!" Buffy exclaimed. It was her first date since Angel had left town , and it was with a really hot guy.

"Oh my gosh!", Willow shouted. "You have a date with Waylon Robertson!"

A couple students stopped and giggled at the commotion Willow was making.

"Keep it down , Will", Buffy tried to quiet her.

"Oh , sorry".

******

"So , in short I would like you to try to remember more details about your patrol", Giles finished , his lecture that was *supposed* to have taken five minutes actually took closer to fourty-five.

Buffy yawned and tried to stay awake while Spike simply stared at the watcher like he was ready to rip out his tongue to stop his infernal chattering.

"Now , I want you both to patrol tonight and make sure you remember everything so that I may write it down in my Watcher's journal to it's most detailed extent", Giles said quickly , not liking the way Spike was looking at him.

"Just let us do our job", Spike drawled , sinking lower into his chair. From the time he was dragged into the library to the present moment , Spike had a chair at the table that was his and his only. He was a very territorial person by nature. Nobody touched what was his.

"I'll have to do an early sweep and maybe a later one because I have a date tonight", Buffy said conversationally to her watcher.

Spike turned sharply to look at her. "A date? Where do you get off having a date tonight?", he asked angrily. They had work to do , she couldn't just go off and have dates whenever she felt like it.

"Whats it to you? So what if I have a date. It's called 'trying to put a little normalcy in your life', Spike. You should try it sometime", Buffy spat back. He was always trying to dictate her life. He would tell her where to go , what to do , who to slay--he had even told her what to wear once , which really pissed her off.

Giles rolled his eyes and picked up his coffee mug before moving into his office to leave them alone. It was beginning to be almost a ritual every night. One of them always picked a fight with the other and the two of them would sit there for almost hours bickering over whatever insignificant thing they started fighting about in the first place. Giles knew to leave them well enough alone when they did this--at times they would get physical and begin to fist-fight each other until they got tired of pummeling one another.

But to them this was a healthy relationship.

"I just don't think you should bloody well be planning dates when we have demons to slay", Spike countered , his short temper growing even shorter. He was never known for his self-control , why start now.

"Well maybe I don't want to slay demons with you tonight", Buffy stood abruptly , knocking her chair over with a loud crash. "Maybe I want to get dressed up, go out with a gorgeous guy , and talk like normal human beings--Oh , but I forgot , you wouldn't know anything about that".

Spike sat dumb-founded , staring at her as the anger welled inside of her. He had lost the fight , but that was not the reason he was dumb-founded.

Buffy grabbed her purse off the table and stormed out of the library , slamming the double doors open before disappearing through them.

Spike stared after her. She had invoked a new feeling in him that he hadn't felt for her before.

He was jealous!

He was jealous that she was going out with someone else tonight on a date and not him. Of course , he had never asked , they're relationship was purely professional but...he was jealous!

"I'm going to break his fucking legs", Spike mumbled wide-eyed to himself , trying to picture the git Buffy was going out with tonight.

"Please refrain from doing anything rash", Giles spoke from the doorway to his office causing Spike to jump slightly at the suddenness of it. "Buffy deserves to have a degree of...normalcy , as she had put it, in her life".

Spike ignored the watcher as he stood from his chair and sauntered out of the library.

"He's going to do something rash isn't he", Giles mumbled to himself as he watched the library doors swing shut.

********

Buffy walked swiftly , trying to burn off the anger. Spike was just so frustrating. Why did he always want to order her around? Like she was a property of his or something.

"Well I'm not", she muttered to herself.

Sure , he was cute and all , but he was just so insufferable. Annoying , arrogant , pompous, and he *needs* to get his roots done.

After Angel had moved to L.A. and Spike had taken his place in the scooby gang , she had briefly considered what a real relationship would be like with him , but she had quickly dismissed the idea. All they ever did was fight , both verbally and physically--much to Giles disdain.

But Giles didn't understand. It's hard for two mortal enemies to just suddenly get along like everything was peachy keen between them. It was something they had to get used to. At least she had to get used to it--it was in Spike's nature to jump in with both feet without even looking. That's just the way he is.

And she would be lying if she said she didn't have any feelings for him. He was interesting , wasn't always depressed like Angel was , lived life to the fullest and had fun with it , and he enjoyed a good fight. But she had decided she wouldn't mix herself up with another vampire. They only meant trouble.

It's not like she wanted to date Spike or anything.

"Date!", Buffy said suddenly. She looked at her watch and saw that it was already almost eight o'clock.

"I'm gonna be late!"

She bolted towards her house , praying that she made it there before Waylon did.

******

Buffy sat with her chin in her hands trying desperately not to pummel Waylon.

"So then I was like 'get off me ho' and she just wouldn't quit. Then these other two girls came up to me and started trying to get on me...."

Waylon just wouldn't shut-up! So far , in between looking in his mirror to fix his hair and hitting on every other girl that passed their table , all he had talked about was *himself*. Buffy had wanted conversation , but this was by far *not* what she had in mind.

"Okay", she interrupted him. "So , um , is there anything we can talk about that *doesn't* have anything to do with you.. or your hair.. or girls?"

Waylon wasn't paying attention--he was too busy trying to get a look up a girl's dress. Buffy rolled her eyes. She had no idea he was such an *asshole*. She was ready to get up and leave without him when she felt his hand begin to slide up her bare leg. Buffy jerked in surprise.

"So , do you want to go somewhere private?", he asked huskily. She wanted to rip his hand off and shove it up his ass , but instead she smiled sweetly.

"I don't think so Waylon , I think I'll just go home", she said as she picked up his hand and threw it off her leg.

As she moved to stand up , Waylon grabbed her wrist roughly , restraining her. "Where do you think you're going?", he demanded. Buffy closed her eyes and willfully reminded herself that she couldn't pummel him in the middle of the Bronze. Too many witnesses.

"What seems to be the problem , mate?", a very british voice said as Spike moved to stand next to Buffy. She looked at him with thanks written all over her face , for the first time utterly relieved to see him.

"Who the hell are you", Waylon asked , taking in the other man's form.

"Spike", he answered before glancing down at where Waylon still held Buffy by the wrist. "It would be wise for you to take your hands off my girl".

Buffy looked at him with wide eyes , but decided to play along if she was ever going to get out of this. "You better listen to him Waylon...he can get really jealous sometimes".

Spike shot her a surprised look that she didn't quite understand , but it was gone so quickly that she wasn't sure she even saw it. She yanked her wrist away from Waylon and moved to stand behind Spike , crossing her arms over her chest. She decided to let Spike play the angry boyfriend role.

Waylon stood and looked incredulously over Spike's shoulder at Buffy. "You never said you had a boyfriend".

"I didn't know I did", Buffy mumbled under her breath. Spike chuckled , being the only one that heard her.

"Huh?"

"I said you'd better start running right now", Buffy smirked at him.

"One..." Spike taunted , watching the ever growing mix of confusion , anger , and fury cross Waylon's face. "Two..."

"He's not joking", Buffy warned playfully. Waylon squirmed with unease, not totally willing to give up Buffy just yet.

"Three..."

"He'll beat you up , I swear", she raised eyebrows.

Waylon was frozen. A large crowd had stopped to watch the action as the situation began to unfold before them. They had seen things like this before and it always meant at least five minutes worth of entertainment.

"Four..."

"You think I'm joking?"

"What comes after four?", Spike said absently to himself. "Oh , sod it all", he said as he reached out and grabbed Waylon roughly by the neck. His screams were quickly cut short as Spike squeezed his throat tightly and raised Waylon off his feet above his head.

"Spike!", Buffy cried out , trying to pull his arm back down to release Waylon. She had been counting on Waylon running before Spike took the game to it's extremes , but Waylon, being the stubborn ass that he was , had refused to move. Now he could barely *breath*. "Put him down right now".

Spike shrugged and released Waylon suddenly , dropping him in a heap. Waylon's feet buckled underneath him and he crumpled bonelessly to the floor.

Buffy slapped Spike's shoulder.

"What? I counted to four.", he defended.

Waylon jumped to his feet , clutching his throat. He glared angrily at Buffy. "I can't believe I actually let you sit in my car. You've probably contaminated it with your sluttiness. You're a fucking whore!"

Spike's eyes darkened dangerously. "Watch it mate".

Buffy felt a pang of shame as she glanced around at the ever growing crowd and noticed a few heads nodding in agreement. She wasn't a whore...but that didn't stop people from believing it when someone pointed an accusing finger.

Holding her head up at a regal angle she answered. "Well at least I'm not a lying asshole which is more than I can say for you".

A few 'ooohs' erupted from the crowd.

Spike ignored the audience they now had. He stepped dangerously close to Waylon until they were almost nose to nose. Letting his human mask slip , he flashed his demonic face. "I would run if I were you", he whispered menacingly.

Waylon's eyes widened in utter fear. "D-did you see that?", he demanded of the crowd.

"See what pansy-ass", someone in the audience shouted.

Waylon stuttered un-intelligibly as he hurriedly began to back away from Spike , stumbling over a chair and almost falling flat on his butt. Pulling himself quickly from the floor , he turned and ran towards the exit.

Spike watched him go , resolving to himself to kill him later , before turning towards the huge crowd that had assembled and now stood staring silently at them. "Go away. There's nothing else to see here".

With a few mutters the crowd began to thin out until everyone eventually went back to what they were doing before the little show began.

Buffy stood staring off into space , still trying to get over being called a whore in front of everyone she had gone to school with. There were always rumors going around school that she was easy , though she had no idea where the rumors had originated from , but she had hoped to escape the reputation now that she was in college. Looks like she was shit out of luck in *that* department.

Spike watched her with concern. "You okay luv?"

Buffy shook herself out of her daze before answering. "Yeah , I'm fine , why?"

A frown marred Spike's face. "Don't let what that wanker said get to you , pet. He was just being an ass".

"I know", Buffy agreed quietly. "It's just that I've always had this reputation and...", she stopped herself. "Never mind. I don't know why I'm even telling you this". She dismissed it with a wave of her hand and began to walk towards the exit. She didn't want to admit that what Waylon had said had bothered her so much. She didn't even know what had possessed him to say it in the first place , after all she never gave him that impression , did she?

Spike watched her go , his heart heavy. At least as heavy as it was going to get without him actually having one. He liked Buffy. It took him a few months and her date with another guy for him to realize it...but he actually liked her. Possibly in the boy/girl sense. Who was he kidding--of course in the boy/girl sense. She was passionate and beautiful , she had intelligence , she was loyal as hell , and she enjoyed a good fight as much as the next bloke , and one of the best things about her was that she was *sane*. She was his ideal woman.

Buffy walked out into the cool night air. She noticed Waylon's black mustang was gone from it's parking place. She stood in the spot where it had been.

"Good. I hope I never see his face again", she muttered with contempt.

A loud roar surprised her as she turned sharply to see Spike pull up next to her on his motorcycle.

"Can I give you a ride home?", he asked casually , patting the seat behind him.

"A motorcycle?", Buffy asked incredulously as her eyes ran over the black and silver build of the bike. "When did you get a motorcycle?"

"You think it's easy to get around sunnyhell? Did you think I just walked everywhere?"

"I do", she replied , walking around the cycle while letting her hand run over it's surface.

"Ride?", he repeated.

"Hell yeah", she said happily as she climbed onto the back of the bike and scooted up to where she was spooned against Spike's back.

"You might want to hold on luv", Spike called over his shoulder as he revved the engine and peeled out of the parking lot. Buffy threw her arms around Spike , hugging him so tightly that she briefly thought she might be squeezing *too* hard. Spike simply smiled and pushed the accelerator harder , causing the bike to pick up speed as they rocketed down the street.

Buffy's hair whipped around her face as the wind blew against them. Spike banked to the right , turning the corner sharply and pushed the accelerator again. Buffy vaguely noted that this was not the direction to her house , but at this point she didn't care. She was having too much fun.

Spike's duster flapped behind him in the wind , hitting Buffy's legs lightly as they raced past the cars that were on the road. Spike continually maneuvered the motorcycle , weaving between them at a high velocity. A car full of guys rode parallel to them and began screaming hoots and hollers out the window at Buffy. Spike glanced at them before punching the pedal harder , accelerating past them.

The adrenaline coarsed through Buffy like a drug. She looked up at the stars as they continued they're high speed ride down the now deserted road. Hitting a red light , Spike contemplated running it but changed his mind and reluctantly began to break.

At a full stop , he twisted slightly and looked back at Buffy. "Having fun yet?"

Buffy had a huge grin plastered on her face , the awful things Waylon had said were now gone from her mind. "Oh yeah", she answered excitedly. "I've never ridden on a motorcycle before".

Spike chuckled and relaxed his hold on the handlebars. Swinging his leg over one side , he stepped towards the back of the bike and pushed Buffy until she had moved forward in the seat he had abandoned in the front. She watched him with confusion as he slid back onto the bike , taking her previous position until she was now in front with him in back.

"How about you drive one pet", he told her.

"Oh no", her eyes widened. "No way , I don't even know how!"

"I'll show you", he spoke in her ear.

"I can't"

"You can"

"I won't"

"You will".

The light was still red , but it could turn green at any moment.

"Here", Spike offered. Taking her hands , he put them on the handle-bars , covering her tiny hands with his. Buffy couldn't help but close her eyes as the tingles of attraction for him began to coarse through her. She leaned back into Spike , unknowingly expressing her feelings through this small action. The corner of his mouth turned up in a smile at this as he circled her tiny waist with one arm , pulling her closer to him. Buffy smiled.

He quickly showed her where the brake and the accelerator was , before releasing her completely until she was totally in control. Buffy freaked.

"I can't do this!"

"The lights green luv".

"No way", she answered , taking her hands off the handle-bars and resting them on his legs that were on either side of her. Spike chuckled and reached around her , grasping the handle-bars before punching the accelerator hard with his own foot. The tires squealed as they shot forward , picking up speed again.

Buffy , having nothing to hang on to anymore , reached up towards the twin bars. Spike moved his hands long enough to allow her to get a grip on them before covering her hands with his own. Being in front , Buffy could now see the tiny instruments that dotted the front of the bike. They were going over 90 mph!

She let out a loud , spontanious squeal of delight , only barely restraining herself from screaming "Yee ha" like they do in the movies. She could hear Spike chuckle in her ear as he went faster , her hair trailing behind her , lightly grazing his cheek as he pressed it against her head.

Finally reaching they're destination , Spike braked gently, bringing the bike to a halt at the base of a hill

surrounded by trees. Putting it in park , Spike swung over the side before grabbing Buffy by the hips and lifting her off , setting her on her feet. They stood there awkwardly like that for several moments with Spike's hands still resting on her hips , her hands on his shoulders , before Buffy stepped away and finally spoke.

"Where are we?", she asked curiously.

"On the outskirts of town", he answered , grabbing her hand and leading her up the hill. When they reached the top , Buffy was caught by the breath-taking sight of the entire city below her , it's lights twinkling like stars in the sky.

"This is beautiful", she whispered , trying to see if she could see her house from here.

"I know. This is where I come to think sometimes", Spike answered , letting his gaze travel over the land before him.

"You think? I didn't know that", Buffy teased. "Do you do that often?"

Spike growled playfully. "Enough of that , pet". He squeezed her side , causing Buffy to yelp and jump away. Spike raised an eyebrow. "A Slayer that's ticklish? I could use that to my advantage".

"Don't you dare", Buffy warned , raising her finger at him as she backed away.

"I dare a great many things", Spike answered as he slowly advanced on her.

Buffy squealed as he lunged at her , just missing as she jumped out of the way. Dashing around one of the trees , Buffy played keep away while Spike continually chased her , weaving between the trees as she fled from one to the other. Finally catching up to her , Spike tackled Buffy , knocking them both to the ground.

Rolling over , Buffy somehow managed to end up on the bottom with Spike towering over her , his weight on his arms. Gazing into his eyes under the moonlight , they reminded Buffy of the ocean after a storm , deep pools of swirling blue.

Spike leaned forward slightly , locking eyes with her. "I'm going to kiss you now", he whispered against her lips before descending upon them. The kiss was soft at first , unsure. They were both tasting each other , exploring for the first time. Buffy parted her lips slightly , allowing him the access he was waiting for. Deepening the kiss , Spike slipped his tongue inside ever so slightly , allowing her to do the same. Time froze as they're mouths melded for what seemed like hours but was in reality only a few minutes.

Buffy unconsciously arched against him as they're passion grew , causing Spike to become even more aroused than he already was. Breaking away from her , he traced the out-line of her lips gently with his fingertip. "Maybe we should stop".

"Maybe we should", Buffy agreed before claiming his lips again. After a few more moments of the tender kissing , Spike broke away again. "I think we should really stop", he said softly.

A tiny smile crept over her lips. "Why?". She purposefully rocked beneath him again , feeling his ever growing arousal and smiled as she watched him close his eyes to try to reign his raging hormones.

"You are cruel", he whispered against her as she brought his head down into another passionate embrace.

"You know it", she replied when she released him , running her tongue lightly over his bottom lip before gently nipping it.

"Don't start what you can't finish", Spike mumbled as he burried his head in the hollow of her throat , licking and kissing his way down her neck. Buffy tangled her fingers in his hair and closed her eyes , letting the sensations envelope her.

Spike abruptly grabbed her by the wrists and yanked her to her feet. Buffy looked at him in confusion.

"Not tonight. Not like this", he told her in answer to her un-voiced question.

Leading her back towards the motorcycle , he turned his back to her as he tried to will away his raging hard-on. Sliding onto the bike , he reached around and took Buffy's hand as she climbed on behind him.

Starting the engine , Spike peeled away , letting dust and loose gravel fly as they raced away from the secluded spot where he had almost taken the slayer right then and there , wanting so badly to fuck her into oblivion but restrained himself from doing just that. If it was going to happen between them , he wanted it to be special , not lying in the dirt somewhere.

Buffy curled contently around Spike , laying her head against his back as they rode towards Sunnydale. She didn't know exactly what was happening between her and Spike , but she was definitely sure she liked it. She liked *him*. And she was amazed that he even had the ability to control himself like that. She had half expected him to take her fast and hard right there , but he didn't. And that kind of made her happy. Not that she would have been *unhappy* if he did , but that showed that he wanted something more than just fucking in the woods. And *that* made her happy.

Her heart soared as they sped down the street towards her house.

******

"So how did it go?", Willow asked excitedly the second she picked up the phone.

"It was incredible", Buffy sighed. "He took me for a ride on his motorcycle--I didn't even know he had a motorcycle. We went to this spot on top of a hill where you could see the whole city!"

"That's so romantic", Willow breathed. "I didn't know Waylon had a motorcycle either".

"Waylon?", Buffy said in confusion. She had completely forgotten about the jerk she went on a date with. Willow thought that was who she was talking about. "No , it wasn't Waylon it was Spike".

"Spike!", Willow exclaimed. "What happened to Waylon?"

"It was so awful , Will. He was the biggest jerk you could ever meet. All he talked about was himself and how many girls 'wanted' him , and he was even hitting on other girls with me sitting right there!

"Oh my gosh..."

"And then he started trying to man-handle me and thats when Spike showed up"

"Did Spike kill him?", Willow joked , still knowing that it was very possible that he *had*.

"No , but he almost did", Buffy giggled in spite of the seriousness of the situation. It was funny to see Waylon squirm as Spike dangled him three feet above the ground. "He just scared the shit out of him instead and Waylon ran off".

"Cool", Willow chose to ignore her friend's cussing. She never cussed , but she didn't mind other people doing it as long as they didn't go 'Jerry Springer' on her.

"Yeah", Buffy said quietly , the memory of Waylon calling her a whore in front of everyone hitting her like a ton of bricks.

"What's wrong?", Willow asked in concern , catching the pained tone in her friends voice.

"Willow...do you think I'm easy?", Buffy asked quietly.

"What? No! Never! Did that jerk say that to you?", Willow ranted. She didn't get angry often , but when she did--look out Sunnydale.

"Kind of. Those weren't exactly his choice of words".

"Ignore him Buffy", she reassured her. "He was just trying to get to you , don't let him".

"Yeah , I guess", Buffy answered quietly. "I just wish he would be turned into a vampire so I can dust him without remorse".

"Don't we all".

"I better go , Will , it's getting late", Buffy said into the phone , picking at an invisible thread on her bed-spread.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then".

"Bye", Buffy layed the phone back into it's cradle. Rolling over , she hugged a pillow to her chest , as if it was going to protect her from all the big bad things in the world.

She honestly didn't know why what Waylon said bothered her so much. But at least Spike was there to protect her--sort of.

Sighing , she closed her eyes before falling into a fitful sleep.

Watching outside her window , the lone figure took a drag from his cigarette before flicking it away , exhaling the smoke. He watched Buffy toss and turn in her sleep. And he knew why.

She had been hurt. The bloody git from the Bronze had said something that cut her far deeper than he had originally thought. And she lacked closure. Sure , she had snidely retorted back to him , but it wasn't enough. She needed something more.

"But not tonight", he whispered , running his hands against the smooth glass that separated him from her, tracing the outline of her body.

Jumped swiftly from the tree , he started off into the night.

******

"And how are you feeling?", the british librarian asked her as she took a seat at the main table in the library.

"Very tired", Buffy answered , sighing as she put her head in her hands. "I didn't get much sleep last night. At least not any good sleep".

"Oh?", Giles asked , glancing at her with worry. "Any particular reason?"

Buffy shrugged. "Bad date".

"I see", he answered. "Would Spike have anything to do with that?"

"How did you know?", Buffy asked , her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Did you talk to Willow?"

"No , but he had looked very...hostile when he left the library after you".

"Actually Spike *saved* me from my date", Buffy sighed. "Waylon was a complete jerk. Spike came in and told him who was boss. Waylon practically peed his pants and took off".

"Oh", Giles said in surprise. He had expected something completely different--more along the lines of Spike ripping Waylon's throat out and bathing in his blood. At least that's the kind of thing he *usually* did when he was angry , as far as the Watchers diaries said anyway.

"Well , Spike's a hero and my reputation is over", Buffy said glumly.

"What?", Giles asked , not quite understanding the statement. Reputation?

Buffy sighed and explained everything that Waylon had said at the Bronze.

"Well...he's just a boy", Giles answered , trying to find something of comfort for her. "How much harm could he do?"

"Try 'how much harm *couldn't* he do' ", she dead-panned.

******

Buffy walked with her head down. She noticed everyone was staring at her , probably having heard about her little scene at the Bronze. A few guys laughed and pointed as they passed her. Keeping her head low, she pretended to ignore them.

"There she is", a voice hailed her from the sidewalk. "Just the bitch I wanted to see".

Waylon stood with a posse of his new friends , who also happened to be some of the most popular guys on campus. Buffy tried to pay them no mind.

"Who's the lucky man tonight Buffy?", Waylon called with a sharp laugh. "Billy , Bob, or Tom? Oh wait , I forgot. You're fucking all three".

Buffy flicked him off without turning around.

"Whore", he spat.

Closing her eyes against his barbs she hurried around the corner. The minute she was out of sight she sank against the brick building , her head in her hands as a lone tear streamed down her face.

"Why is he doing this to me?", she hoarsely whispered.

"Buffy?", Willow called in confusion as she passed the hunch over figure before her. "Is that you?"

Buffy glanced up at her friend and willfully pushed away the tears , not wanting her mascara to run. "Hey Will", she wiped at her wet face. "What's up".

"Buffy what happened?", Willow was overly concerned. Crouching down beside her , she layed a gentle hand on Buffy's shoulder.

"Waylon is what happened. Will , I didn't know he was going to be like this", she choked out. "He's killing my rep , not that it wasn't already dead , but now he's dragging the rest of the guys around here in on it too".

"He's being a male", Willow soothed. "You made a fool of him at the Bronze s-so he's trying to get you back , that's all".

"He's doing a good job".

"It'll be okay", Willow rubbed softly on her back. "I promise. I'm here for you , so is Xander and Oz. Come on Buffy , you've been through worse , why does this get to you so much?"

"I don't know", Buffy said quietly. "Maybe it's because for my entire life people have had me stamped as some kind of slut , even though I'm not. At my old school in L.A....just because I hung out with the cool people , everyone automatically hated me. And then I moved here and everyone was saying I was easy and stuff like that".

"People can be cruel", Willow said softly.

"I know but...I just feel like it's unfair that I work my ass off to save these very same people and what do I get for it? The stereotype of a tramp", Buffy spat. She was angry--she slayed vampires , she saved the world , and she doesn't even get thanked for it. All she wanted was a semi-normal life. Granted , being the Slayer wasn't gonna help that much , but *this* just wasn't what she needed.

"Everything will work out", Willow soothed , standing up.

"Where are you going?", Buffy sniffled.

"I'm going to...tell him who's boss", Willow answered in her best tough guy tone , which sounded more like a puppy-dog.

"Willow , wait", Buffy called , but Willow had already started off towards the group of guys still standing on the corner. "Excuse me", she interrupted them. Each of them froze and turned to stare at her.

"What?", one of them asked snidely , as if to say she had no right to even be speaking to them.

Willow wavered. Standing up to the school bullies was never really her thing--most of the time she would meekly apologize and submit to them. But not today. She squared her shoulders and looked Waylon right in the eye. "I think you owe my friend an apology", she said stiffly.

Waylon snorted and , turning to his buddies , began to laugh. "An apology? What the hell for?"

"For saying s-stuff that isn't true", Willow answered. She was so nervous she thought she was about to throw-up---and if she did then she would be sure to toss her cookies right into Waylon's face.

"Oh", Waylon said with realization. "You mean Buffy".

"Of course I mean Buffy", Willow retorted. "And y-you still owe her an apology".

"You can go tell the little tramp that she can suck it", Waylon laughed in her face.

Willow's blood boiled. She hardly ever got mad , and when she did she would seeth silently most of the time , but not today.

Buffy was walking swiftly to drag her friend away from the boys before they did something to her. Before she reached her , Buffy froze in her tracks , eyes wide open , mouth dropped in a silent O.

"Asshole!" Willow screamed indignantly. She reached back and punched Waylon in the face as hard as she could. Waylon fell back on his butt , completely stunned , holding his injured face in his hands.

"Ow!", Willow cried and held her hand in pain. Buffy ran the rest of the way , coming to stand at her side.

"Willow are you okay", Buffy asked quickly , grabbing Willow's hand to make sure she hadn't broken anything. That punch really looked like it hurt , even for her.

"Very, very ow", Willow whimpered before looking at the fallen Waylon. "But it's a good 'ow'", she said happily.

"That was totally amazing", Buffy said in shock. Glancing down , she saw Waylon glaring up at them. "Gosh , thats gonna leave a mark", she teased him.

"Bitch", he growled.

"Get a life", Buffy rolled her eyes before leading Willow away.

"I can't believe you did that".

"W-well he was being a jerk", Willow told her , clutching her hand. "And he pissed me off".

"Willow!", Buffy exclaimed , having never heard her friend cuss before. "It was a really good punch though".

"Really?", Willow beamed proudly.

"A ten on the Slayer scale", Buffy assured her. "In fact , I think it was way better than most of the vampires I have to dust".

"Cool".

******

Waylon exited the gym , whistling softly to himself as he searched for his keys. He had no idea that it was this late , but wrestling practice had run-over tonight.

Smiling slyly to himself, he thought about what kind of torture he could come up with for Buffy Summers. Nobody makes a fool out of him and gets away with it. He'd see her destroyed if it was the last thing he did.

That's when the hand clamped over his mouth from behind.

"Let's talk", a very recognizable british voice spat in his ear. Waylon tried to struggle against him , but the guy was unusually strong. "Remember me?", he asked. Slamming Waylon's head against his shiny black mustang , Spike released him and watched as he sank to the ground , blood beginning to trickle from a cut on his forehead.

"What the fuck do you want?", Waylon asked , wiping at the blood that was gushing from the fresh wound. He looked at his blood-covered hand and then glanced up at Spike. He immediately regretted that action. Cringing back in fear , Waylon stared up into the face of a demon. "What the fuck are you?"

"My aren't we full of questions", Spike teased , sliding his human mask back over his vampiric features. He was playing it cool on the outside , over two hundred years of learning how to mask his feelings aided with that , but on the inside he was absolutely shaking with rage.

He had overheard Buffy talking to the Watcher , telling him what had transpired that day and how cruel the guys had been to her--laughing and what not. And the mere thought of these pitiful *humans* causing her so much pain made him want to slit every last one of their throats, bathing the streets in their blood. But no--this would be dealt with rationally and in a way that *won't* make the Slayer want to kill him. He had a feeling going on a killing spree wouldn't appeal to her heart.

Waylon struggled to stand up. Deciding to aid him in this task , Spike grabbed him roughly by the shirt and hoisted him up until his feet dangled off the ground.

"I think I want you to apologize to Buffy", Spike told him in an almost casual tone. But Waylon saw the malice behind Spike's eyes. Still--Waylon was a stubborn bastard even when he was looking death in the face.

"Fuck you", he spat back.

"You seem to like that word", Spike mused. "Let's try to extend our vocabulary from now on , shall we?"

Waylon refused to answer, instead he opted to glare at the man who held him two feet off the ground without even breathing hard! Come to think of it , he didn't look like he was breathing at all....

"We'll try again", Spike began. "I want you to apologize to Buffy".

"No", Waylon bit out.

"Wrong answer", Spike threw him with such a force that Waylon felt like he was suspended in the air by some means. But no, he came down , and he came down hard. Landing on top of the trunk end of his car, a sharp pain shot through him like tendrils of electricity. He felt like he had crushed every bone in his body! With the wind knocked out of him , Waylon rolled over only to fall off the trunk of the mustang and hit the cement with another thud.

"Apologize to Buffy", Spike ordered , strolling casually over to where Waylon lay on the cold pavement.

"No"

"I'm sorry", Spike smiled cruelly. "Your answer was not in the form of a question".

Spike kicked him savagely in the ribs. Waylon cried out as more pain lanced through him , hearing the sickening crack as several ribs broke under the pressure.

Spike imitated a game-show host. "And the question is 'are you going to apologize to Buffy Summers or are you going to press your luck?", he finished with a wink. "And please keep in mind that a wrong answer *will* cost you all your points"

"F-fine", Waylon cried , holding up a hand as Spike pretended to pull back his leg to deliver another kick. "I'll do it".

"And the judges say....", Spike teased , still holding leg back as if trying to decide to kick him anyway. Waylon held his breath in fear , clutching his injured ribs. "Yes it is an acceptable answer and the crowds go wild".

Waylon exhaled the breath he had been holding and winced at the pain it caused.

"Now", Spike said coldly , all traces of humor erased from his voice. "Here's what you're going to do...."

*****

Willow walked protectively next to Buffy , glaring at anyone who dared even glance at her friend.

"Will , you don't have to do that", Buffy spoke up.

"Do what?", Willow asked innocently before glaring at another passer-by.

"That", Buffy waved her hand. "The 'don't-you-dare-look-our-way' face you're making".

They walked together to they're morning classes on campus. Buffy had been nervous about facing another day of everyone laughing at her , but with Willow by her side she felt much better. She just didn't want Willow to *over* due it. Everyone was beginning to look at them funny.

Willow was about to answer when she was interrupted.

"Uh--excuse me?", a voice said loudly over the college P.A. system that had speakers throughout the entire campus. Everyone stopped to listen to the nervous voice that came over the system. "Uh...can I have everyone's attention please?"

Buffy and Willow froze , realizing the same thing at the same time. "That's Waylon!", they shouted in unison.

"Oh no", Buffy groaned , imagining the worst possible scenario. Waylon and P.A. systems that reached throughout the entire campus did not mean something good. Especially for her.

"I just wanted to...apologize", he bit out the words, "to Buffy Summers".

Buffy's eyes widened and she looked sharply at Willow , who had the exact same expression on her face.

"I was wrong...and I didn't mean any of those things I said about you", his voice softened slightly. "Buffy Summers is a wonderful girl...and she deserves the respect of everyone on campus". He took a deep breath before finishing. "I'm sorry for what I did. It'll never happen again......thank you". The P.A. system was shut off with a crackle.

Everyone around them turned to stare at Buffy.

"Uh.....hi?", she said meekly , looking to Willow for help.

"Come on , lets go", Willow said with a smile.

With all eyes on them , Buffy and Willow turned to continue on their way to class.

*****

"It was the most amazing thing", Buffy was telling Giles. "He came over the campus P.A. system and apologized

to me for everyone to hear".

"There you are then", Giles answered. "I told you everything would work out".

"That it did , luv", Spike agreed , stepping into the library from behind the stacks.

"Spike!", Buffy jumped , having been surprised by his sudden entrance. "Oh, hey. So you heard what Waylon did?"

Spike nodded silently , moving to stand behind her. He put his hands gently on her shoulders and began to massage them.

"Yes.. well...", Giles muttered , picking up his cup of tea and moving into the office to give them some privacy.

"Mmmm...", Buffy moaned. "That feels good". Spike's hands were like magic , relieving the tension she felt from all the bottled up frustration she'd had over the Waylon mess.

Spike smiled slyly and moved his hand lower.

"Hey!", Buffy yelped , practically leaping from her chair. She turned sharply to face Spike and immediately wanted to wipe that cocky grin off his face.

"Problems baby?", he asked her casually , his smile growing.

"Watch your hands buster", she replied , jabbing her finger at him for emphasis.

"Ah but I'm sure that if we found a nice spot in the woods....", he teased. Buffy blushed bright red.

"Well...I'd had a hard night", she tried to explain , not really able to. "And Waylon was being a jerk..."

"Oh come now Slayer", Spike grabbed her hand. "Just admit you're attracted to me".

If it was possible , Buffy blushed even more. "No".

"Do you know what happened to the last person who told me 'no'?"

"What?"

"I believe he's got a few broken ribs and a nasty cut on his head", Spike answered. Buffy look at him in confusion , not understanding what he was saying. Spike reached out and pulled her head to him , lightly kissing her forehead. "Never mind , luv. Nothing you need to worry about anymore".

Buffy looked up at Spike , the picture of innocence. "Spike?"

"Yeah pet?"

"Kiss me", came her softly uttered statement.

If Spike could breath , his breath probably would have caught in his throat. Reaching down , he put his fingertips just under her chin and gently pulled her head towards him , meeting her lips in a soft kiss. Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck , her fingers idly playing with his hair as the kiss deepened and grew more passionate. Spike hugged her to his body, desperately wanting to be closer than their clothes would allow , but still refusing to give in to the temptation to take her right there on the library table. He distantly remembered that the watcher was still in his office.

Breaking the kiss gently , Spike ran his thumb lightly over her trembling lips. "Be my girl?", he asked softly.

Buffy smiled crookedly. "Thought you'd never ask".

"Let's go then", Spike said , taking her hand in his as he led her out of the library.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise", he answered with a devilish grin.

"Will we be taking the motorcycle?", Buffy asked hopefully.

"Would you rather walk?"

"No"

"Then motorcycle it is", he smiled.

"*Why* did you get that thing again?"

"You know...bad boys, bad toys", he answered , pushing open the library doors as they exited.

A sly smile crossed Buffy's face as she reached out and grabbed Spike.

"Hey!", Spike yelped , jumping with shock.

"What?", Buffy asked innocently.

Spike growled playfully and took her in his arms again , kissing her roughly.

"Are you gonna show me what a bad boy you are?", Buffy mimicked a child's pout.

"Baby...I'll show you everything you want", Spike answered , kissing her again and again as they walked down the deserted hallway of the highschool.

"Promise?", Buffy grinned mischievously.

******

Giles stood alone in the empty library , having witnessed the rather affectionate display between Spike and Buffy.

"Well at least they're not fighting anymore"

******

THE END