Title: Sweet Sixteen
Author: snapkik@yahoo.com
Disclaimer:  I only own the story
Feedback: Crave it the way Spike
craves blood

Summary: AU (my first) Everybody's
human. Spike and Buffy are teenage
neighbors meeting for the first time

Rating: Will vary. This chapter: PG13

AN: I've been jumping back and forth
between 'William' and 'Spike' and, frankly,
it's getting confusing, so I've decided to drop
'Spike' and just go with 'William'   I hope no-
body minds.

     ~~~~~
"Well, well I loved you
Like I never loved before
First time I saw you
Standing at your front door.."
     ~~~~~

Buffy wanted to scream when her mother called her
in for dinner.

Her entire afternoon had been perfect up until that
point. She'd spent it playing in a pool with a boy she
really liked and who seemed to like her as well, had
managed to hold up her end of their conversations,
and hadn't done anything to embarrass herself, such
as losing her top when she jumped into the water.

The very last thing she wanted to do was sit at dinner
fielding her mom's questions about what her father was
up to these days.

When Joyce's head appeared over the fence, Buffy
sent her a silent "Not NOW, mother!", a look her mom
blithely ignored.

With a loud sigh, she got to her feet and stomped across
the yard. "Mom...I'm not really hungry right now. Do I have
to....what are you doing?"

Joyce had placed her hand on Buffy's forehead, ostensibly
examining her for a possible fever. "I've never heard you say
"I'm not hungry" before," she explained with a teasing
smile. "I thought you might be coming down with some-
thing."

Buffy jerked her head away. "Mother!  Please!" she hissed.
This was ALL she needed, her mom giving William the
impression that she ate a lot.

"Oh, calm down," Joyce said quietly. Looking past Buffy,
she addressed William, still sitting on the blanket. "Would
you like to have dinner with us, William?"

His heart, which had dropped down into his stomach
when it appeared that Buffy had to go home, bounced
back to it's original location. "Yes, thank you," he
said, hoping he didn't sound too eager.

"It's too hot to turn the oven on, so I thought we could use
the barbecue.  You like steak?" Joyce asked.

"Absolutely," he nodded agreeably.

Buffy forgot all about being mad. She had the most
wonderful mother on the face of the planet!

     ~~~~~
"When you were only sweet sixteen
Baby, how I loved you
Sweet sixteen
How I really loved you.."
     ~~~~~

The evening turned out to be everything Buffy could
have asked for, had she been asked.

Joyce had extended her dinner invitation to include
William's uncle, who had been holed up in his study
trying to use the computer his nephew had only
recently purchased.

After several frustrating attempts to access the
information he wanted, Rupert Giles had been all too
eager to shut the machine down for the night.

Buffy had been given the job of setting the table on
the patio while Joyce put together the ingredients for
a salad.  She baked potatoes in the microwave, then
took a cheesecake out of the freezer and set it on the
kitchen counter to thaw.

The men had offered up their services for whatever
else needed doing. They were promptly taken up
on that offer and had been put in charge of grilling
the steaks.

The food was perfectly prepared, and the conversation
flowed easily between the four of them.

When the meal was consumed all the way to dessert,
Buffy began to clear the table and carry the dishes
into the kitchen.

William jumped to his feet, taking the stack of
plates and cutlery out of her hands.  He followed
Buffy inside and between the two of them, they
had the plates scraped and the dishwasher loaded in
less than fifteen minutes.

Standing side by side at the kitchen sink, so close
that they were nearly touching, they made casual
small talk that included a heady undercurrent of
flirtation.

It was the most fun she'd ever had doing dishes.

She peeked out the window and saw that the
grown-ups were still talking as they polished off
the bottle of wine Mr. Giles had brought with him.

Turning to face William, she began to say something,
but was cut off by the sound of a cell phone going
off.

With an apologetic look, he fished the tiny phone
out of his pocket.

"Hello?...Oh, hi...Actually, I am...When?...Yeah,
maybe...Hang on a second."  He looked at Buffy
and said, "This is a friend of mine, and he was asking
if I wanted to meet up with him at this place he hangs
out at a lot."

Buffy had to concentrate on not looking completely
crushed at this turn of events. Striving to sound as
though it wasn't important to her WHAT he did, she
shrugged.  "That's okay. I have a lot of..."

"I thought you might like to go," he interrupted. "But
if it doesn't sound like something you want to do then
I'll tell him to skip it."

Her heart did a little somersault.  He wasn't bailing
on her!  He was asking her out!

"Buffy...?"

And she was standing here staring at him like an
idiot instead of answering!

"Sounds like fun," she said. "I'll ask my mom."

     ~~~~~
"Standing on the corner
And you came walking by
And when I saw you
I said "my, my, my.."
     ~~~~~

William pulled his uncle's green Saturn into
a free parking space and cut the engine.

Before Buffy could even get her seat belt unbuckled,
he was around the front of the car and opening the
door for her.

Smiling as he extended one hand to her, Buffy
silently agreed with her mother's earlier assessment
of his character...he'd been well brought up.

Once he had the car door closed, he kept hold of
her hand.  Her entire body tingled all the way across
the parking lot and inside a noisy building that had a sign
over it proclaiming it "The Bronze."

William scanned the room, spotting his friends at a
table close to the dance floor. Still holding Buffy's
hand, he led her through the crowd.

A boy with dark hair and a nice looking face greeted
them. "You made it!" he announced redundantly,
giving Buffy a curious, but not unfriendly, once over.

"Nothing gets by you, does it?" William replied. "Buffy,
this is Xander, who's under the impression that he's
amusing twenty-four hours a day."

"Are you saying I'm not?" Xander asked.

"That's what I'm saying."  Giving Buffy's hand a gentle
squeeze, he continued the introductions. "This remark-
ably tolerant girl is Anya,  Xander's girlfriend."

Anya had long, light brown hair, a pretty face, and
a good figure...and Buffy was glad that she already
had a boyfriend.

"This," William went on, guiding her to a small sofa
on the opposite side of the table, "is Buffy Summers,
and she's even newer in town than I am."

After an exchange of "Hellos" all around, William
flagged down a waitress and ordered a couple of
Cokes.

     ~~~~~
"Do you remember
how I took you by the hand?
Do you remember
in that sunny summer land?"
     ~~~~~

"So, Buffy...what do you think of Sunnydale?" Xander
asked. "Isn't it just THE place to be?"

Buffy smiled. "Well...it's getting better," she replied,
looking at William, who returned her smile. Their eyes
met and lingered on each other intently.

Anya noticed the look they were exchanging. "Where
did you used to live?" she asked, nudging her boyfriend
in the ribs.  "Buffy?"

"Hmm? What?"  Buffy's eyes snapped back into
focus when she realized she'd been spoken to. "Oh...Los
Angeles. I was born there."

"Oh, man," Xander moaned. "From L.A. to Sunnydale.
Must be culture shock from hell."

"Come on, Xander," William interjected. "You're gonna
scare her off."

"I'm just saying," Xander shrugged. "Why would anyone
leave L.A. and come here? It's not exactly the garden spot
of California."

"My parents got divorced," Buffy explained, "and my mom
was offered a job in Sunnydale, so...here I am."

Xander made a face. "Ouch...sorry I brought it up."

"No, it's okay," Buffy said quickly. "Believe me...they're
better off this way."

There was an awkward silence they were all saved from
when the band on stage began a new song. It was slow
and romantic, and Buffy felt a jolt of happiness shoot
through her when William leaned over and whispered,
"Dance with me?" in her ear.

She smiled her consent, and he took her hand again
and led her to the dance floor.

There weren't very many couples on the floor, and they
moved right to the center of it.

William took her other hand and placed them both on
his shoulders, then slid his own hands around her waist,
pulling her a little closer.

Capturing her gaze with his, he moved her gently to the
seductive rhythm of the music.

"I know I should have told you this earlier," he said
quietly. "But you look beautiful. That's a very pretty dress."

Buffy's cheeks turned a light shade of pink at the
compliment. She had chosen to wear a pale yellow sun-
dress.  It's halter top left her back bare to the waist,
and the feel of his fingers brushing against her skin was
wonderful.

She smiled at him. "Thank you."

When she turned her face up to look at him, he lowered
his head and kissed her lightly on the lips. "That wasn't
out of line, was it?" he asked when he pulled back.

"No," she said, shaking her head slowly. Moistening
her lips, she stayed in position and waited.

William kissed her again, a little longer this time. When
he felt her part her lips, he slipped his tongue in just
slightly, meeting hers in a brief caress.

Buffy's eyes drifted closed, her lashes making small
fans on her cheeks. With a soft sound of assent, she
tilted her head a bit, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

When they drew back for air, he leaned his forehead
against hers.  Without opening his eyes, he whispered,
"I've been wanting to do that all day.  From the minute
I saw you."

She nodded, as her fingers played with the soft curls
on the back of his head. "Me, too," she confessed. "It's
a good thing one of us had the nerve to try it."

William chuckled, tightening his hands on her waist
as they both opened their eyes, pulling her a little
closer.

Buffy turned her head and let her cheek rest against
the front of his shirt, listening to the steady drum beat
of his heart.

     ~~~~~
"And your eyes shine like diamonds
And they sparkle in the night

And the kind of love you give me
Seems to light up all my life..."
     ~~~~~

When the song was over, they returned to their
table.  Xander and Anya were talking quietly about
something, a conversation that terminated abruptly
when Buffy and William sat down.

The conversation began to lag almost immediately,
when the two that comprised half of it lost interest
in anything besides each other.

Clenching his jaw in frustration, William excused
himself and headed for the bathroom.

He'd only been gone a moment, when a couple
heading for the dance floor stopped beside their
table.

The guy was about William's height, but with a
heavier build to his upper torso.  He had dark brown
eyes, and hair that had been carefully cut and styled
in a way that made it seem as though it hadn't.

The girl holding his hand was a tall, good looking
brunette. She was dressed expensively, and her
hair and makeup looked professionally done.

"Hey, Xan," the boy said, his eyes dismissing
the one he'd addressed and coming to rest on
Buffy instead.  "What's up?"

Xander wore an expression that clearly stated there
was no love lost between the two of them. "Not
much, Ang," he said, purposely shortening the
name in the same manner his had been.

The guy laughed, while his girlfriend shifted im-
patiently from one foot to the other, looking mightily
put out.  "Who's your new friend?" he asked,
his eyes zeroing in on Buffy's slender legs.

Xander sighed, giving Anya a "why me?" look. "This
is Buffy Summers,"  he said. "Buffy, this is Angel
O'Connor and Cordelia Chase."

Cordelia gave Buffy a half smile, but didn't say
anything.

Angel, however, smiled at Buffy with a full set of
wolfish teeth. "Nice to meet you...Buffy."

The tone in his voice was blatantly obvious, and she
began to feel uncomfortable under his scrutiny. "You,
too," she said briefly.

     ~~~~~
"When you were only sweet sixteen
Baby, how I loved you
When you were only sweet sixteen
How I really loved you.."
     ~~~~~

William leaned over and cupped his hands beneath
the rush of cold water, bringing it to his face.

When he straightened up, he jerked a paper towel
out of it's holder and dried his face, then stared
at himself in the mirror.

"You want to get a hold of yourself, mate?" he asked
his reflection. "Quit acting like a hormone crazed
teenager."

Easier said, than done.  He WAS a hormone crazed
teenager, maddened by lust, and Buffy was the girl
the madness was feeding on.

Dancing with her, feeling her small, soft, and incredibly
sweet smelling body next to his, had given him an
erection so instantaneous that it was almost painful.

He'd sat beside her for as long as he could stand it
before jumping to his feet and making his way through
the crowd, heading straight for the men's room and the
cold water it provided.

Now, he glared at himself in the mirror, willing his body
to calm down and stop acting on it's own.

Counting slowly to fifty, he composed himself as best
he could and returned to their table.

When he was within ten feet of his goal, he frowned.

"Who the fuck are YOU ?"  Some guy was standing
there, leering at Buffy, even though he had another girl
hanging all over him.

William could easily see that Buffy wasn't appreciative
of the interest this asshole was demonstrating, and
he moved faster.

She saw him coming, and her face lit up. The guy,
who was apparently hitting on her right in front of his
girlfriend, followed her gaze.

For some reason, William hated him on sight. Des-
pised him. Could have cheerfully killed him.

Moving around to the other side of the sofa, he
sat down next to Buffy and took her hand. "Miss me?"
he asked, smiling into her eyes.

She nodded, returning his smile, instantly oblivious
to everyone else around them. "As a matter of fact..."

Bringing her hand up, he laced their fingers together
and kissed it.

It was at that exact moment that he knew he was
going to fall in love with Buffy Summers.

     ~~~~~
"And then I told you
That we'd never part
And then I'd hold you
A little closer to my heart

Sweet sixteen.."
     ~~~~~


TBC