AU- Spike's the Big Bad, but Buffy's just an ordinary girl, aka, lunchables. How one of the most powerful agents of evil developed a soft spot for a certain high school girl.

This is a little side project I started while watching FX's reruns. I will always think it's incrediblehow Spike fell in love with Buffy, not because she's the slayer, but because she's human. The slayer side of her could identify with his powers, his lonliness, and his actions. But thehuman in her made everyone wonder why she wasn't one of many- before her, Spike killed and raped girls just like her.

My idea is to write a story where the slayer aspect isn't involved. Buffy is an ordinary high school girl who knows nothing about Magic and evil. You can like it or hate it, I don't really care. I'm not writing this because I want people to like it- I have LCA and Pennames for that. I'm writing this for me and the few out there who are equaly interested in the pairing of human-Buffy and monster-Spike. I still appreciate reveiws though, and I'm grateful for people who take the time to read andcomment onanything I've written.

Disclaimer: Someday I'm going to write a book or a screen play. And then I'm going to go online, post a fanfiction about my story, and get to say I OWN IT! Until then, Joss wants his characters back.

"Willow and I are going to brainstorm ideas for our English project, watch a Brat Pack movie, and go to bed. Honest, Mom." Buffy Summers smiled convincingly, trying not to blink. They know you're lying if you blink.

"I swear, Buffy. Do you think I was born yesterday?"

"Um, no." Joyce sighed.

"I've heard all this before Buffy."

"I know you have, and that's why I'm actually going to go over to Willow's, brainstorm ideas for our English project, watch a Brat Pack movie, and go to bed."

"So if I call Willow's house, you will answer?"

"Yep."

"And if I drive by The Brass, I won't see you on or around the premises?"

"It's The Bronze, and yes."

"And if I find out you're lying, you're perfectly okay with whatever heinous punishments I can come up with, no matter how much they detract from your social life?"

"Absolutely." Joyce looked strained as she rolled her eyes.

"I WILL be checking in."

"Thanks Mom!" Buffy ran off to get ready as her mother smiled sadly. Buffy was a good kid, but she could be a bit of a discipline problem at times.

Upstairs, Buffy dialed Willow's phone number as she threw her pajamas, toothbrush, and tomorrow's ensemble into a duffle bag.

"Hey, Will? She bought it! I'll be over in a few hours to drop my stuff off, okay?"

"Gotcha, see you then." Both quickly hung up before Buffy's mother could come looking for her.

"Tonight is gonna be so cool!" She tossed the phone onto her bed as she headed to her closet to pick out a top for tonight.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"If I were gay, I'd totally do you. That's how good you look right now." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Willow blushed. The shy redhead had a tendency to speak without thinking, and then immediately realize what she'd said and attempt to take it back. "Uh, but only if you were there too, and-"

"I get it, Will. And thanks."

"You're welcome. You really do look pretty." Buffy moved back from her friend's mirror and examined herself. She was wearing a little purple skirt with a teensy lilac shirt, and the two of them had just succeeded in curling her hair and piling it on top of her head.

"Okay, let's go over the plan. If my mom calls,"

"You're in the bathroom. Or talking to my mom."

"And you'll leave the backdoor unlocked so I can get in during the wee hours of the morning."

"Right. Unless, you know…you end up staying with Riley tonight."

"I don't really think I'm ready for that yet."

"Well then, the door will be open per your request. When are you leaving?"

"We're meeting there at ten."

"Perfect. Plenty of time for a slice of pre-date pizza." Linking arms, the two headed for Willow's kitchen.

Twenty minutes later, Buffy was leaving Willow's small suburban home, and walking the streets to the popular all-ages nightclub. Her mom didn't like her walking around by herself after dark, but Buffy's self-defense classes had come in handy more than once, and she no longer feared whatever might be lurking in the shadows.

If she took her time, she'd be fashionably late. She wanted to see Riley as soon as possible, but didn't want to appear too eager. She was a senior at Sunnydale High, and Riley was a freshman at UC Sunnydale. They'd been friends for a few years, but Riley had taken her to the senior prom at the end of last year, and since then, they'd been a couple. Tonight would not only be their five-month anniversary, but the first night in weeks that Riley didn't have anything on his schedule. College, ROTC, and his job at the paintball field didn't leave much time for Buffy.

There was no way she was letting Joyce's rules get in her way tonight. As soon as Riley had suggested the night out, the wheels in Buffy's head had been turning, plotting how to evade her mother and her curfew. So Willow was covering for her.

She increased her speed, deciding not to care if she seemed too eager. Riley was her first real boyfriend, the kind who did more than take you to a few movies. Over the summer they'd gone to the beach a few times, watched the sun set and rise from her porch, he cooked for her, and he called her all the time, just to hear her voice. There was no way they couldn't be madly in love with a relationship like that.

Suddenly, she heard voices coming from one of the back alleys she was passing on her way to The Bronze. Two male voices, one of which didn't sound happy.

"Spike, I told you to have the du Lac Manuscript in hand when you welcomed us to town." What kind of name was Spike?

"You didn't give me enough time, Peaches." What kind of name was Peaches?

"I will not be spoken to like that, you insolent underling." Wow, Peaches has an attitude.

"And I will not be spoken to LIKE an insolent underling. I left the little quatrumvirate years ago, I have my OWN underlings now. I don't take orders anymore, Peaches. I give them." The other man was beginning to sound just as mad now. Buffy stopped, her eyes wide. It may not have been any of her business, but for some reason, she had to know how this ended. Stepping backwards so she was completely concealed in shadows, she held her breath as she listened.

"You told me Dru was sick, and the bloody cure was up my alley. I responded with 'Alright mate, you bring the birdie, I'll bring the book.' You didn't tell me when you'd show up, or that it was supposed to be some dictatorship thing." Spike had quite the sexy accent. Even though, judging from the conversation, he was part of the mafia or something.

"Then what did you think?"

"That my old mates were callin' in a favor?"

"Since when do you do anything without a price?"

"Dru may have left me, Angelus, but I'm still love's bitch." Angelus? Had someone new entered the alley? And man, did Spike sound bitter. Apparently Drusilla did a number on the poor guy. Who was probably in the mafia. And therefore a criminal. Who she shouldn't be feeling sorry for.

"Don't turn this into one of your sob stories, Spike."

"Well, she did leave me."

"When's the earliest you can get the book?"

"For a fungus demon, mind you." Unfamiliar with mafia terminology, Buffy wrinkled her brow as the conversation continued.

"Spike, she can barely get out of bed. We can stand here until dawn, talking about your misfortunes, or we can discuss how to make her better. Which, being love's bitch and all, I'm sure you want to do." Spike sighed.

"Give me a week, I'll get it. Then you take the girls and clear out."

"This town ain't big enough for me too, huh?"

"Actually, it's not. I'm the resident Big Bad. If you wanna stick around, be my guest, but I'm in charge."

"One week." Peaches started to walk away and Buffy flattened herself against the wall, but Spike stopped him.

"What's in it for me?"

"Pardon, Spike?"

"Sounds like you were planning on this being a paying gig when you rang me up."

"Yes, but I was also planning on kicking you around your crypt a bit. But we can do this your way. Thanks for the favor, mate." Peaches left the alley, smirking. He came into view a few feet past Buffy as he walked into the light cast from an upstairs window. Suddenly, he stopped.

"I can smell you, cutie. Be glad I'm full." He continued walking as Buffy's eyes widened. Was he talking to her? She waited for Spike to leave, but he didn't come out. When she finally got the courage to peek around the corner and check if the coast was clear, no one was there. The only other way out appeared to be a fire-escape ladder, cementing the mafia theory deeper in her mind.

Continuing on her way, this time much quicker than before, she moved towards The Bronze again.

By the time she arrived, Riley was standing at the bar with an expectant smile on his face.

"Hey there you." She wrapped her arms around his solid neck and planted a light kiss on his lips.

"Hey. Been waiting long?"

"Got here about ten minutes ago. I was aiming to be cool and show up after you, but I got a little too excited at the prospect of seeing you." Buffy grinned.

"You're perfect." Taking his hand, she led him towards the dance floor.

"What's new with you?" Riley whispered in her ear as they began to sway back and forth together.

"Nothing much. Doing my trig, sneaking out of the house, eavesdropping on organized crime, the usual."

"Run that last one by me again?" Buffy sighed.

"I took the back way here, and I overheard these two guys named Spike and Peaches talking in an alleyway about some…" The du Lac Manuscript. Last week she'd been in detention for slapping Cordelia Chase, and she'd served it in the library with Mr. Giles. He'd made her take inventory of his back room, where the rare, teacher-permission-only books lived. The du Lac Manuscript had been one of the older books in the room, and it smelled very leathery. The name had intrigued her, but Giles had been watching her, so she couldn't find out what was on the book's many worn pages. Spike was supposed to get that book for Peaches.

"They were talking about a book at my school! Peaches wants it because Dru is sick, and Spike's going to get it for him even though Dru left him for a moldy guy, and I know Giles, and he's NEVER going to sell that book, so Spike's going to steal it, which makes sense cause he's a mafia guy and all!" Riley gaped at her.

"Buffy, are you feeling okay?"

"And when Peaches was leaving, it was so freaky, I was hiding and he walked past and didn't even look at me, and said he could smell me and I was lucky he was full. Weird, huh?"

"Buffy, I'm not sure I like the idea of you hanging out in alleys, spying on criminals."

"Relax, I'm fine. But it was really weird, I wonder if Spike's actually going to steal the du Lac Manuscript."

"It sounds like you've had quite the taxing night. How about a drink?" Realizing Riley wasn't up for speculating about her conversation she'd overheard, she sighed and allowed him to fetch her a soda. But she couldn't stop thinking about what she'd listened in on.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Wake up snoozy, we've got waffles." Buffy rolled over and found herself on Willow's floor, wrapped up in the other girl's old Little Mermaid sheets.

"What time is it?"

"Ten-thirty. Your mom called and said she wanted you home by eleven, so it's time to get up." As Buffy slowly rose to her feet and blinked, Willow looked at her expectantly.

"So? How was last night?"

"It was nice. We danced and talked and danced and talked and danced and talked until like three. Then he walked me here, because he didn't want me to be out by myself so late."

"Aww," Willow gushed at Riley's sweetness, but Buffy wasn't as thrilled. She liked Riley's gentlemanly side and all, but she wasn't a child. She didn't need to be coddled. She could handle anything that wanted to hurt her by herself, and if she couldn't, she doubted Riley would be much help against whatever it was.

"So, did my mom call?"

"Once. My Dad got the phone because I was in my room at the time, and I just shouted to him that we were busy, so he told your mom 'they're indisposed at the moment', and I guess that was enough."

"So, I'm unbusted?"

"I'd say that's a fair assessment."

"This is so cool, I can't wait to tell Xander." Willow popped four Eggo's into the toaster as Buffy retrieved the syrup from the pantry.

"Oh my God, I forgot to tell you!"

"What is it? Did something happen with Riley?" Willow asked suggestively.

"No, but this guy named Spike is probably going to rob the school library." She recounted the entire ordeal to Willow, her friend listening in silence.

"He said he could smell you?"

"I'm pretty sure that was directed at me."

"Buffy, that doesn't sound too safe."

"I'm fine, Will. I can't wait to see the look on Giles's face when one of his precious books is stolen."

"You're gonna let them go through with this?"

"As opposed to what? I can't go to the police because my mom will want to know how I found out, and in addition to my not being where I should have been, I was in a place she'd totally ground me if she found out I was in."

"So we're going to stand aside and let the mob get away with this? Buffy, what if Giles doesn't like the fact that they're taking his property? They could hurt him or something."

"Who cares. No one would miss that old crank- he just sits behind his desk, fondling his books."

"Fondling?"

"Yea, my entire detention he was reading this one, and he was like stroking the cover, and turning every page slowly and dramatically. It was getting pretty dirty."

"Okay, mental note: no more reading." They took their waffles from the toaster and began to smother them in syrup.

"Do you really think we should turn them in?" Buffy asked a few minutes later, obviously beginning to feel guilty. If the mafia hurt Giles, it'd be her fault. Could she go to jail for withholding information?

"I don't know. Are you sure they were serious? I mean, Peaches and Spike don't really sound like mob-y names. Maybe they were talking about something completely different, and you just thought they were plotting to kill our librarian and make off with one of his rarest books. They didn't come out and say 'kill', did they?"

"No."

"Or 'steal'?"

"No, but it was suspicious just the same."

"How much time did you say Spike had?"

"A week. I'm starting to think you're right, a mob boss named Peaches kinda kills the whole thing."

"But if anything weird happens to the library, we tell someone, right?"

"Right. And lucky me, I have detention all this week in the library."

"Well Cordelia still won't look directly at you, so I'd say it's worth it."