Title: Bells Are Ringing
Author: Pattyanne
Snapkik@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: None of the BtVS
characters belong to me
Rating: NC-17
Feedback: Oh, yes!
Summary:  A spuffy-friendly rewrite of
'Hell's Bells'
 
 
Part: One
 
 
 
The dress was not only ugly, but it was itchy as
well.
  
Buffy sighed, staring at her reflection in the mirror. "You 
know...I used to like wearing green. I really did."
  
Glancing at her sister, Dawn tried to smile. 'It was a good
color for you, too.  Really looked good with your eyes."
  
Buffy nodded.  That was a true statement.  Light green tints
matched the color of her eyes, and darker greens deepened
them to almost emerald.  She'd never really found a shade
she hadn't liked.
  
But this...monstrosity...that she'd been forced into wearing
was definitely going to spoil that record.  
  
How in the world she'd allowed herself to get shanghaied into
this situation, she still didn't know.  All she could figure was 
that she'd been so preoccupied by the wreck of her love life
she hadn't even noticed the hideous gown she'd been fitted
for.
  
Now, of course, it was too late.  Swallowing the lump of
dislike forming in her throat, she pinched some color into her
cheeks and turned to look at Dawn.  "How's the crowd doing
out there?"
  
"So far, so good," the girl shrugged. "None of the guests are
eating each other....yet."
  
"Xander's father?"
  
"Sober and grouchy."
  
"His mother?"
  
"The same."
 
Making a face, Buffy tucked a stray tendril of hair 
back into her chignon. "Are Willow and Tara speaking
to each other."
  
"Actually, it's looking pretty good," Dawn said, moving
to walk past Buffy and out the door. "And you should see the
girl Spike showed up with."
  
Buffy's hand shot out and snagged Dawn's arm before
the girl could cross the threshold. "Pardon me?"
  
"Hey!" her sister yelped, trying to break free. "Take it 
easy. That's flesh under there."
  
The slayer was too busy trying to process Dawn's previous
comment to pay much attention to her latter one.  "What...
what did you say....about Spike?" Why did her throat feel like 
it wanted to close up and strangle her?  "He...he brought..."
  
Dawn finally yanked free, rubbing her arm. "He brought a
total skank.  A manic-panicked freak that he's totally macking
with right in the middle of the room."
  
Still having a difficult time with such a concept, Buffy 
swallowed hard. "Spike brought a date?"
  
Somewhere deep inside of her, she wanted badly for
Dawn to laugh, to say , "Ha...gotcha!", to deny the whole
thing.
  
But all the girl did was snicker. "Yeah...wait till you see
her."
  
There weren't a lot of things that Buffy was certain of
in her life.  Would she live to fight another day...would
she be able to meet her obligations to her sister....was
the phone bill going to turn her hair instantly gray?  She
didn't know the answer to any of these or a thousand 
other questions.
  
But this one, she knew....was certain of beyond all 
doubt; she didn't want to see the girl Spike had brought
with him, the girl he was apparently replacing her with.
  
Which was, of course, her own doing.  She was the one
who'd given him the shove two weeks ago.  At this point
in time, it was hard to remember why, although she had 
some dim recollection of Riley and his brand new bride
blowing through town just long enough to stir up her own
convoluted emotions.
  
"Look," Dawn said, tugging the door open, "I have to get
back out there and help seat people. Are you okay?  Buffy?"
  
Shaking off the cobwebs, Buffy smiled a little too
brightly. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
  
Her sister just shrugged and waggled her fingers. "See you
out there."
  
"Yeah...I'll be right there."
  
 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
 
Ten minutes later, Buffy opened the door and peeked
outside.  Who she thought she was hiding from was any-
one's guess, and it wouldn't do her any good anyway...in
a few minutes she was going to be center stage, horrible
dress and all.
  
Staying close to the wall, she made her way down the
corridor, then stopped dead in her tracks.  Spike stood leaning
against the opposite wall, right outside the ladies room.  There
was a girl talking to him, the 'date' Buffy presumed.
  
**Eww....what's THAT attraction?**
  
She was thin and lanky, with jet black hair, obviously
dyed.  The number of body piercings gave her the 
appearance of a colander....and was that a tattoo of a
snake wrapped around her skinny arm?  
  
The girl disappeared into the ladies room, and Buffy
took a deep breath and began walking down the corridor
again, deliberately 'not noticing' Spike.
  
'Hello, Buffy."  His voice was surprisingly soft, and a 
little uncertain, something guaranteed to catch her
attention.
  
"Hi,' was all she could get out.  Looking at him was
bringing back all those carefully set aside feelings that
she'd had for him, the ones she'd denied for so long.
  
Spike smiled slightly. "It's a happy occasion."
  
She was about to open her mouth and agree with 
him when he cut her off.
  
"You meet my friend?" he asked.
  
Buffy returned his smile with one of her own. "No. But she 
looks like a...very nice attempt at making me jealous."  Not
precisely what she wanted to say about the girl, but it would
do for now.
  
"Is it working?"
  
Oh, boy....was it ever!   It was working in spades, she was 
dismayed to realize.  
  
"A little," was all she would allow.  "Not that it changes anything."
  
"Didn't expect it would."   Spike shrugged. "Interesting frock 
you're wearing. Looks radioactive."
  
Her thoughts exactly, and she had to grin.  "Yeah, I should have
been paying better attention when Anya was ordering these...things."
  
His own smile widened, became genuine. It was a look she hadn't
seen very often.  "Well," he said, "if anyone could pull off a fashion 
risk like that, it would be you, love."
  
If he didn't stop looking at her that way, she was going to melt
all over the floor. "Thanks," she replied, her voice barely trembling
at all.
  
But Spike, who had an uncanny knack for picking up the 
tiniest nuance of ANYTHING different about her, caught it 
without even trying hard. "You all right, pet?"
  
No. No, she really wasn't.  And she wasn't even sure why.
  
"I'm fine."  Oh, no....her eyes were watering, she could feel 
it!  Blinking hard, she smiled brightly. "Just...just fine."
  
He gave her that skeptical "don't bullshit ME, Summers"
look of his. "Having a bit of trouble believing you, Slayer,"
he said softly, his head tilting to one side.
  
She swallowed another large lump in her throat. "Why?"
  
"Because for one thing, you look like you're about to 
start crying."
  
He was being too kind, and she couldn't bear it. "Well...it's
a wedding...you know...and..."  Her voice cracked. "...I'm
happy."
  
"Buffy..."
  
"No, really!  I am," she insisted. "Very....very happy."
  
"Yeah, I can see that."  He sighed and took her arm. "Come
with me."
  
"What? No, I can't!  Where?"   Why were her feet moving?
  
"Just come with me."
  
She didn't want to go anywhere with him!
  
So why were her feet STILL moving?
  
 
 
TBC...
(Part 2 up tomorrow)