Chapter 16: June Gloom
Author's Notes: The title of this chapter comes from a common phrase here; where May is likely to be a sunny pleasant month, June rolls in with overcast days and chillier weather, especially in the mornings. We call it June Gloom. Thank God for it, cuz it makes Spike's coat make more sense this time of year.
*Two weeks 'til school's out - God! will this term never end!?*
Spike slouched in the back of World History class, bored out of his mind.
*And World War II ends with the allies in victory. Now there's a stunner. Didn't see that one comin'.*
He pulled his coat closer around him and slipped one hand in the pocket to stroke his pack of cigarettes longingly.
*Won't be needin' that German class after all then. Good to know.*
Mrs. Gryphon was saying something or other to the class now....no....wait...to him. Uh-oh.
"Mr. Rayne?"
*Better answer somethin'.*
"Uh...Yeah."
"Yes what?"
Spike frowned. "Yes....ma'am?" *Ring! Godammit!*
"Well, thank you. But the actual question was --"
Rinnnnnnnggggg The entire class launched out of their seats and herded toward the doors, Spike in the forefront.
*Thank
God!*
Mrs. Gryphon frowned at their collective backs, then sat back down at her desk in resignation.
*This isn't the way they taught it in college,* she pouted to herself as she looked around the now empty classroom. *Dammit! I need a cigarette!*
Spike smoked that cigarette he'd jonesed for in the second boys' bathroom off the side corridor, and then headed for the cafeteria. It was packed with students, all sitting at their tables, sorted by group and status in nonnegotiable stratas, as they had been all year. Nerdy outcasts over there, popular cheerleaders and jocks there, druggies to the rear, his old friends in that corner, and his current friends right there. All was as it should be, had been all year. Except....
Except his current friends table wasn't looking too attractive to him right now. His friends were there all right, just as always: Angel, Parker, Forrest, Graham. And Drusilla. Right there as always. Drusilla.
Bad enough that Dru had cheated on him so publicly, but worse was the fact that she had a new boyfriend now, one who had been one of Spike's good friends for more than a year. And there they were, kissing and laughing at his table for God's sake, just like he wasn't standing right there watching the whole spectacle and hurting and fuming by turns. Dru sat on Angel's lap and played with the buttons of his shirt while his former best friend kissed her neck and said God knew what in her ear. Whatever it was, it made her laugh all the more....
Spike couldn't stand the sight a moment longer. It was torture watching those two act out before him, a real slap in his face. No, he wouldn't be sitting at that table again any time soon.
He noticed Darla was also missing, poor chit. The new coupling hit her hard too, he knew. And she didn't deserve that treatment any more than Spike did, in his opinion.
*Wonder where's she got herself off to.*
He looked around but didn't see her anywhere. What he did see, though, made him pause. If he wasn't going to sit with his current friends any more, he could perhaps hang with the old friends, if they'd have him there. He hadn't left their table under the best of terms, but they were a forgiving bunch, and they might let him back in if he handled it right. Worth a shot. Drusilla had been the major reason for the seating switch originally anyway. It briefly occurred to him that Dru seemed to be deciding where a lot of people sat and didn't when she was around, and he didn't think that was right but he'd give that more thought later. Right now he needed to get to a table before he stood out as a man without a home and looked any more pathetic than he already had. *Damn women!*
His face settled into a ferocious frown as he whipped his coat around him and strode purposefully to the old friends table and slid into a chair as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Which, judging from the startled reactions of those already seated, apparently it was not.
"Um...hi." Willow greeted him nervously from his immediate right. She had this deer in headlights look to her that made him briefly wonder if he'd grown another head suddenly. He gave her a hard look, to which she visibly flinched. That's when he realized she wasn't so much startled any more, as frightened, and he remembered that the ferocious frown that worked so well with some was the exact wrong approach to take with Willow or any of his old friends really.
Willow was thunderstruck. Spike never sat with them any more, barely even spoke to them really, and the look he was giving their entire table was so evil and predatory. She found herself wondering where the rest of the invading army was...
"Uh...yeah...sorry 'bout that," Spike started again more humbly, schooling his face into something less...fangy. "Just thought I'd see what you all were up to lately is all...thought I'd sit with you today..."
Xander frowned and bit out angrily, "Good approach. Will you be taking prisoners today, or is this a seek and destroy mission?" He stabbed into a pile of mashed potatoes as though he was trying to tame them into submission.
Spike idly wondered if he were next on the business end of Xander's spork.
"Right." Spike didn't really know where to start, and was wondering if this was a worse idea than sitting with Angel and Dru would've been. "Listen, I know I 'aven't been 'round much lately, but I thought maybe -"
"Dru dumped you so you thought you'd come crawling back to us, is that it?" Xander glowered. Spike wondered when Xander got all glowery. He didn't remember him being so much with the big attitude previously. He liked it.
Oz sat on Willow's right, and watched the exchange with calm interest. It was hard to get excited about a fight whose main weapon so far was a fiercely wielded spork. He took Willow's hand underneath the table and squeezed to get her attention. When she turned to him and appeared to be alright so far, he decided to make his one statement of the day.
"Spike."
"Oz."
The two stared at each other without blinking for a moment, and satisfied with what he saw there, Oz nodded approval. He then turned his gaze on Willow again, who squeezed his hand and smiled softly, and then went back to eating his lunch.
The decision was made, and Willow smiled at Spike and welcomed him to the table with a nod, while Xander shrugged in reluctant approval as well.
There would be no spork fight in the cafeteria today.
***********
It was a beautiful birthday, her best one ever in Faith's opinion. Buffy had gone all out at home, with a banner and balloons and a store-bought cake that was quite good and a relief to Faith who'd feared she'd have to fake her way through a Buffy-made one. They did a birthday lunch rather than dinner, as Robin had plans for Faith for the evening. Buffy ordered Faith's favorite Chinese take out and they ate and laughed and opened presents from Fred and Buffy and Katie. Buffy had been saving and planning since her own special day six months before. Faith loved it all.
Afterwards, Robin took Faith out to their favorite fancy restaurant, near the marina, and they ate and talked and shared their hopes and dreams for the future. At the end of the delicious meal he gave her a beautiful ruby pendant necklace and chain that was clearly too expensive but gratefully accepted all the same. When he placed it around her neck, Faith felt like a queen.
Then they walked along the fishing pier and kissed and made out for awhile, ending up back at Faith's apartment where Robin would spend the night for the first time. Always before they had been at Robin's but tonight - tonight Faith wanted to bring her boyfriend home into her world for a change. It just seemed so right this time, and like they were the only two people in the world.
Buffy woke up around one-thirty, and decided to get herself a glass of water from the kitchen. As she left her room she heard low moans in the living room, and very quietly made her way down the hall and peeked around the corner.
There, directly in her sight line, were Robin and Faith, completely nude and in the throes of passion. Robin had Faith bent over the sofa, his hands gripping her hips and thrusting strongly into her from behind. His eyes were squeezed shut with a focused determination and Faith was moaning with the impact of each thrust, eyes closed tight and clearly lost in the sensations he was creating in her. Neither seemed aware that they now had an audience.
Buffy knew this was very wrong, that she had no right to stop and stare at her cousin in this way, but she found it impossible to turn away. The act before her was so compelling, and she'd never seen anything like this in the flesh. This was nothing at all like the bad porn movies she'd watched previously. This was two people truly into each other and who had thrown themselves body and soul into the act itself. It didn't hurt that they were both incredibly beautiful, either. She had never been so turned on in her entire life.
The climax was building, you could tell from the increase in both pace and moaning cries, and Buffy reluctantly decided to pull herself away before she got caught watching. Just as she was about to turn around, Robin's eyes flew open and he looked straight into her own. Mortified, she wanted to run away now, but his eyes just pinned her to the spot and dared her to watch to the conclusion. When she didn't leave, he gave her a small smile and then sped up his thrusts with passionate intensity, never taking his eyes off of Buffy.
Suddenly Faith cried out Robin's name in climax, and he shut his eyes again and allowed himself to come with a few more hard thrusts. When he opened them again, Buffy was gone.
Buffy didn't get much sleep that night. Neither did Faith.
************
Well, hope you're still with me. We're heading into more Spike territory now, and things should start getting interesting soon. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Each review is much appreciated.
Sara