I Believe in Miracles: I Believe in Miracles
by Ephesiana
As the closing credits began, Buffy leaned forward, grabbing the remote and stopping the movie. The scooby gang stretched and began to get up, with contented smiles on their faces.
“See,” said Willow, “Good movie, right?”
“Kind of makes you want to start a successful career in the art of striptease,” mused Xander. Upon bemused looks from the rest of the gang, he protested, “Hey, I said, kind of.”
“Stripping can be a lucrative profession,” commented Oz, with a side glance at Willow. She smiled at him and reached for his hand.
Buffy reached for the video cassette and put it in the case. “The Full Monty is definitely going on my list of goodness,” she added, “I loved the music. Maybe I should get the soundtrack for my workout sessions. It has ancient songs. Giles might tolerate it.”
She turned to Spike, sitting in his usual chair in Buffy’s living room. “So, silent one, what did you think?” she asked, “you’re usually much more vocal about your movie opinions.”
“Vocal?” he queried.
“Actually vocal probably isn’t the best word. More like, abrasive and obnoxious.”
“Don’t start with me, Slayer. Just because I voiced my dislike of that stupid chick flick you liked so much-”
“Voiced your dislike? Is that London slang for throwing my mother’s heavy ceramic popcorn bowl at my head?”
“Oh, stop whining. You caught it before it split open your skull, didn’t you? So what’s the problem?”
“I’m just not used to being physically assaulted in my own living room. Since you’ve joined our gang though, it’s kind of become a nasty habit.”
“Speaking of which,” Xander interjected, “I’m starting to get secondhand bad vibes from these little quarrels. I think I’m going to go ahead home and nurse my headache.”
Buffy and Spike gave each other a ‘to-be-continued’ glare, and then Buffy looked away and sighed. “I’d better be getting back to the dorm as well. Early classes tomorrow. You coming Will?”
Willow looked uncomfortably to Buffy, Spike, and Xander, and then her eyes locked with Oz’s. “Um, I think I’m spending the night at Oz’s?”
Oz smiled at her and put his arm around her shoulder, saying, “Yeah, we had better get going. Bye.” The couple walked out.
“Yeah, wouldn’t want to miss the Mistress of Pain,” Xander muttered.
Spike looked at him, confused.
“Just because you’re not getting any...” Buffy sang out as the three walked towards the door. “Go ahead, I’m going to say goodbye to Mom.”
“Bye Joyce,” Spike called as he and Xander headed out the door.
“Bye Spike,” Joyce replied as she came through the living room from the kitchen. “Oh, bye Xander,” she added as she looked at Buffy.
“All right, Mom, thanks for letting us use the VCR,” Buffy said as she gave her mom a goodbye hug.
Joyce pulled away from Buffy’s embrace and gave her a mom look. I won’t be finding the living room in tatters from one of your and Spike’s fights this time, will I?”
“No, he managed to keep himself under control this time. God, he’s such a pain,” Buffy complained. “But Giles says we have to hang out with him to build group solidarity and trust, or some pyschobabble like that.”
“Oh Buffy,” Joyce smiled, “you know you love fighting with Spike. You purposely get him worked up all the time.”
“Mom, I don’t love anything about Spike,” Buffy said quickly. “We have to work together and that’s all. I violently dislike him, remember? Anyway, now that we’ve talked about liking Spike, I have to get back to my dorm room and vomit a couple of times. I’ll see you later.” Buffy walked out the door.
Joyce watched from the open door as Xander got in his car and drove off, and Buffy and Spike fell in step with each other, walking towards UC-Sunnydale. Sure Buffy, Joyce thought to herself. The sexual tension between her daughter and the blond vampire could keep Sunnydale in electricity for at least a couple of years. The sooner they realized their attraction under all the bickering, the better. “Especially before they completely destroy my living room,” she muttered.
*** Spike looked around and sighed audibly. Another night out with the slayerettes, chock full of excitement, as always. After slaying a nest of vamps, the gang had outvoted him in favor of going to a karoake bar.
“Still pouting?” Buffy baited.
“Just because you people have no taste-”
“Taste? Excuse me if I don’t think going to boxing match is the best way to spend a night out. Besides, it wasn’t just me. Everybody else thought your idea was just as lame as I did.”
“Boxing is an art, love. Combat expressed through a flurry of fists and movement. Beautiful art. But I guess I can’t expect you to understand, your fighting style being on such a low standard and all, I guess watching a boxing match would just give you a complex."
“Are you insulting my fighting style?” Buffy called out over the din of the karoake bar, standing up to fight. The rest of the gang pulled her back down into her chair.
“Not now, Buffy,” Willow said, looking around.
“Yeah,” Xander added, “wait until we get back to your mom’s living room.”
“A little excited, aren’t we, pet?” Spike said, his cockiness returning. “Sorry to get you all...worked up...” he said lazily, looking her up and down with a leering grin.
Buffy looked furious. “Spike, there is no way you could ever, ever, ‘work me up’. You have the sexual charisma of a dead snake. Pigs will fly before I ever get turned on by you,” she enunciated slowly.
Spike’s smile had been turning sour throughout her little speech. At the end of it, his eyes glinted with something Buffy had never seen in them before. He silently stood up and walked to the bar. The gang watched him take a couple of shots of whiskey.
“Great,” sulked Buffy, “now we have to deal with drunk Spike, whom, if you remember, is not a barrel of monkeys.” She turned to see the gang looking at her with wide eyes. “What?”
“Well...” Willow began, and looked at Oz. Oz looked at her, and then at Xander.
“All right, I know I’m the only one who can face the wrath of Buffy, so I’ll say it. That was pretty damn harsh, Buffy,” Xander began, pausing as Buffy started to glare at him. “Now, listen. I am the king of making harsh statements, and let me tell you, that ranks up there with the best of mine.”
“But he’s just a vampire,” Buffy protested, her words sounding false, even to her own ears. “It’s not like he has a soul or anything...” she trailed off as the gang watched Spike down another shot of liquor and throw the shot glass across the room. It shattered on the wall right near Buffy’s head. Their eyes met, in a stubborn glare.
Suddenly Spike smiled. A truly evil smile. He began walking towards the stage. A thin line of fear pulsed through Buffy’s body. He casually sauntered to the machine and began flipping through the lists of songs. He stopped as his smile grew even wider. He looked pointedly at Buffy, and then put the song on.
The beats sounded loud in the large bar. The scooby gang tried to make themselves appear smaller and Spike began to sing.
“I believe in miracles, where you from? You sexy thing,” Spike began, looking at Buffy. “I believe in miracles, since you came along. You sexy thing!” He began to move to the music as the rest of the bar started laughing and clapping. Buffy looked around to see many UC-Sunnydale students there, and she groaned. Her attention snapped back to Spike, who was still staring at her and grinning maliciously.
“Where did you come from, baby?
How did you know I needed you?
How did you know I needed you so badly?
How did you know I’ve give my heart gladly?
Yesterday I was one of the lonely people.
Now you’re lying close to me, making love to me.
I believe in miracles...” Spike sang,
Buffy tried to cover her face from the rest of the people in the bar who were looking back and forth between her and Spike. God, she thought, in complete embarrassment. Could he make it any more obvious he’s singing to me?
“Where did you come from, angel?
How did you know I’d be the one?
Did you know you’re ev’ry thing I prayed for?
Did you know ev’ry night and day for?
Ev’ry day, giving love and satisfaction,
now you’re lying next to me, giving it to me.
I believe in miracles...” Spike continued.
The rest of the bar was up on their feet by this time, dancing and hooting. Several supple young women had anchored a place at the foot of the stage, screaming. The scooby gang sat in shock at their table, completely still. Buffy’s eyes blazed at Spike, as more and more people were staring and hollering at her.
“You sexy thing,” Spike sang to her as he motioned her up on stage with a curl of his finger. Buffy’s eyes shot daggers back at him. The captive audience shouted at Buffy to get up on the stage.
“Hey, Summers,” a lout from her physics class shouted, “get your ass up there. Your man is calling you!”
“He’s not my man,” escaped from her tightly pursed lips.
Spike grinned at her and continued.
“Kiss me, you sexy thing.
Touch me baby, you sexy thing.
I love the way you touch me, darling.
You sexy thing,
you sexy thing,
you sexy thing.
Yesterday, I was one of the lonely people,
now you’re lying close to me,
making love to me. I believe in miracles...”
One of the overexcited vixens at the bottom of the stage jumped up, and began dancing with Spike. “Better watch out, Summers! That girl’s dancing with your man,” the physics lout yelled.
“He’s not my fucking man!” Buffy exploded, jumping up and pushing the lout against the wall.
“Then I guess you don’t care that they’re getting pretty comfortable with each other up there,” the poor lout said in desperation.
Buffy turned to see the little tart rubbing herself all over her Spike. My Spike, Buffy thought. Now he’s gotten into my mind, making me refer to him in the possessive. The thought infuriated her. I’m going to go up there and kick his ass for that. She took a few flying leaps towards the stage and jumped up as Spike was finishing the chorus. She grabbed the girl’s arm and pried her off of Spike with a vengeance, sending the girl flying off the stage. Buffy turned on Spike with a fury and raised her hands against him.
“I believe in miracles,
since you came along. You sexy thing,” Spike sang, catching her arms with one swift movement and laying them around his neck. He grabbed her waist and pulled her in, grinding her body against his, making her look at him. Buffy gave him a rebellious stare, but settled into his beat. She could tell he was enjoying himself thoroughly, with that big grin on his face, but his eyes held nothing but sincerity. Well, sincerity mixed with amusement.
“Touch me.
Kiss me, darling,” he sang to her. Buffy rolled her eyes. “I love the way you hold me baby.
You sexy thing,
you sexy thing,” Spike continued. Buffy’s glare was lessened as she began to go with the ridiculous situation. She gave him a small smile, which he answered with a grin.
The scooby gang, unfrozen by Buffy’s leap onto the stage, had gotten into the spirit. Oz and Willow were dancing together meaningfully, and Xander had grabbed some pretty coed and was twirling her around the room. Everybody in the bar was so into the song by this point they weren’t really paying attention to Buffy and Spike anymore.
“I love the way you hold me baby,” Spike continued, dipping Buffy, and pulling her back up into his chest.
“I love the way you kiss me darling,” he sang, twirling her around and bringing her back in close. She was overwhelmed by his dizzying closeness, and the look in his penetrating blue eyes.
“I love the way you love me darling I love the way you love me baby,” Spike softly finished to the closing beats of the song and he and Buffy leaned in for a sweet kiss. The kiss ripened into something indescribable and good. They pulled back, smiling at each other, in their own world.
Suddenly, their moment erupted in loud applause. They looked to see about 70 college students grinning and hollering at them. Buffy turned bright red, but held her ground. Spike smiled in satisfaction and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
“Thank you,” he said smugly, “Thank you very much.”
Buffy motioned to the gang that now was a good time to leave and Willow, Oz, and Xander headed for the door. Buffy started to jump down from the stage, but Spike jumped down in front of her and held his hand out to help her down. She shot him a withering glance and jumped down by herself.
“I’m not an invalid,” she shot at him. “In fact, I’m actually a Slayer.”
Spike just smiled at her.
“What?” she flared.
Before she knew what was happening, Spike picked her up and flung her over his shoulder, carrying her out of the bar amid much cheering and violence from Buffy. Once they were outside, he put her down on the ground.
“You ought to lose some weight, Slayer,” he said in mock pain, rubbing his shoulder.
“Who told you to do that, you bastard,” she said in his face. Spike grabbed her and they kissed again, hard.
“Okay,” interrupted Xander. “Not itching to see the Spike ‘full monty’ on the sidewalk right now.”
Spike and Buffy broke apart sheepishly.
“So, I guess you liked the movie after all,” Buffy said.
“I identified with the characters,” Spike said smiling down with her.
“Yeah, I guess anything with loser British guys making asses of themselves would definitely appeal to you,” said Xander.
Spike shot Xander a look. Then he turned to Buffy.
“Hey pet, what do you say we go to your mum’s house. She’s out tonight. We could wreak a little havoc in the living room,” he said suggestively.
“In your dreams,” Buffy said as he put his arm around her and they walked off.
"Well," said Xander, "Elvis has left the building. Guess we're free to go."
“Strange couple,” Oz commented as the group watched them walked off. A few whistled bars of “You Sexy Thing” drifted back to them on the night air.
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