Character name: Marigold
"Buffy! I told you!"
"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. Look - give him a chance okay?"
I huff and give her my best evil glare. I told her I was completely fine with attending her birthday party without a date but no, she had to go behind my back and invite a guy on my behalf! This is going to be so awkward. I hate small talk (and even if this goes well, I don't know how to flirt either).
Ding Dong.
"That'll be him," Buffy beams and even Willow looks excited, "I promise you'll like him."
"How would you know..." I trail off as this Greek-God of a man steps into the room. He's tall, at least 6"2, with a sharp jawline and sculpted arms to die for. He shakes his dark hair from his thick eyebrows and I can see his forest-green eyes for the first time - they look like emeralds.
He flashes everyone an unassuming smile, "Hi, everyone. I'm Nate."
Everyone gives him a polite smile or 'hello' before he heads over to the food table (which just so happens to be where I'm standing).
"Hi, I'm Buffy's friend, urm," Why have I forgotten my own name? "Marigold. Everyone calls me Mary."
"Hi, Mary," he introduces himself as Nate again and then blushes, "But yeah, you probably heard, ha."
A silence descends but it's promptly broken by a familiar, British voice.
"Who's the fella?"
"Spike!" I turn to him, "Hey! This is Nate."
Spike eyes him up and down. He nods and stalks off without another word and I furrow my eyebrows, looking back at Nate apologetically. "I'm sorry, I don't know why he's being so rude."
"It's fine. Spike, huh? That's quite a nickname."
"Yeah, he's quite the guy." I reply fondly.
"Oh, are you two...?"
"What? No! No, I mean, he's cool and all but has got serious mommy issues," I sing awkwardly, trying to make clear that I am definitely available. Of course, I like Spike and yeah, I used to have a crush on him, but we're better off as friends for sure.
"Good to know." Nate says, taking a sip of his drink and I beam at him like an idiot. He's truly beautiful but I'm hopeless around most people of the opposite sex - it's as if my brain doesn't want me to ever get laid with how slow it acts around them. I pick up a beer bottle and take a sip to counter my dry mouth - just one of the physical symptoms from this anxiety-inducing interaction.
"So, Mary," he looks me up and down subtly, but I don't miss his eyes lingering on my cleavage, "How do you know Buffy?"
"From school. We met when she first moved here a few years back."
"Cool," he says, although he sounds a little disinterested, "Where do you live? Nearby?"
"Yeah, not too far..." He looks as me expectantly and I shift on the spot. He seems nice enough but I don't want to give this stranger my address.
"Mary!" It's Spike. He wanders over and says quietly to the both of us, "Sorry, I've gotta steal Mary for a sec. Buffy's cake." he explains.
He whisks me away and I sigh.
"You good?" Spike asks casually as we enter the kitchen. I see multicoloured candles splayed out on the counter, along with a box of matches and pretty edible flowers.
"Yeah. Nate is so dreamy," I tell him and he rolls his eyes. I grin, "Come on though, he kind of is."
"Not my type." Spike deadpans, opening the fridge. "And he gives off a weird vibe."
I shoot him a worried look. "Not demon," he clarifies, "Just weird."
He places a big square cake on the table which reads 'Happy Birthday Buffy' in loopy cursive. The cake is my responsibility so I'm surprised Spike wants to help as it's Buffy The Vampire Slayer's birthday, but I don't question it. While Spike takes it out of its plastic container, I peer into the room and Nate is alone, just looking around. I catch his eye and call him over with a wave of my hand. He smiles and walks over.
"Hey, I have an important job for you." I tell him.
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah. Can you guard the kitchen so Buffy doesn't see her cake?"
Disappointment flickers in his eyes but he masks it quick, "Sure."
"I'll be out in a minute. Have you tried the sausage rolls? They're real good, made them myself."
I turn back to Spike and he's waiting impatiently. "Ok, I'm ready."
We decorate the cake while chatting, and Spike suggests I turn off the lights in the living room. So I don't have to go out, I use a little witchy trick Willow taught me - with the flick of my wrist and mastered concentration, I get the light to turn off and the candles that dot the room to flicker on.
I hear hushed, excited murmurs so it must have worked - I'm kind of proud. I give Spike a thumbs up before he passes me the cake to carry in. I start the song off and everyone joins in as I walk up to Buffy.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..."
She beams - radiant - and I grin because she deserves this. We love her, for who she is and all she does for us so she deserves a break, some presents and a good time.
Once Buffy has cut the cake and we're all happily munching on it, I approach Nate again.
"I tried your sausage rolls. Not bad," he teases, passing me my drink.
"Thanks," I take a gulp to wash down the sweet cake, "Glad you liked them. They're my second attempt 'cus I burned the first lot to a crisp, unfortunately."
He laughs, "How did that happen?"
"I forgot about them," I shrug, bringing the bottle to my lips, "Do you like to cook at all?"
"Not really my thing," he admits.
We chat for about half an hour with no interruptions so it almost feels like a date. The thought crosses my mind and makes me blush.
I stare at him, studying his face more than is probably socially acceptable though he doesn't seem to mind. I know I'm a light-weight but this alcohol is really getting to my head. I feel floaty if not a little dizzy and some thoughts are swimming to the front of my mind that I really shouldn't say aloud. I pick the mildest one.
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
He smiles, "No, I don't."
Nate bites his lip and checks his watch, looking up, those beautiful eyes connecting with mine, "Do you want to get out of here?" he says quietly, making my heart summersault.
Actually, that's not my heart. That's my stomach flipping. "Sorry, what?"
He repeats his request, closer to my ear than before, the breath tickling my skin.
"Do you want to get ice-cream or something?" I ask.
He smirks. "Yeah, whatever."
I blink and follow him to the hallway, stumbling in my tall heels. I catch myself on the door frame, straightening up and I hear the click of him opening the front door.
Through the door and into the cold night air, I feel a shiver run up my spine. I want to ask for Nate's jacket but he's a good few strides ahead of me. I spy Spike on my right, leaning against a tree and smoking, but Nate blocks my view, rearing me off to the left.
"Hey, Spike!" I shout and he turns his head, looking immediately alarmed. In a flash, he's next to me. "I'm going out!" I say too loudly and Nate sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. He takes my hand - it feels hot and clammy. I try to snatch mine away.
"What have you done?" Spike growls.
"Nothing!" I protest, but I then realise he's not talking to me. He's sneering at Nate who's looking a little less pretty with all the colour drained from his face.
"Nothing, man. We're just leaving."
Before I can stop him, Spike's fist collides hard with Nate's perfect face and a white tooth flies out of his mouth, tumbling - as if in slow motion - to the ground.
I can only let out a strange yelp sound as Nate's body falls too with a soft thud, onto the grass.
Spike grabs me by the shoulders. "Your drink's been spiked."
"Spiked? You're Spike." I reply, confused.
"Mary, you've been drugged."
My eyes widen and there's enough sense left in me to be scared. Spike senses it and picks me up gently, carrying me back to the house. "Mary," he says soothingly, "I'm going to take you in and you can have a nice nap on Buffy's sofa, okay?" I hum in response, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."
I feel myself slipping in and out of sleep, my body feels detached from my head and I squeak because the sensation is far from pleasant. Spike strokes my forehead, kicking the door in so he doesn't have to put me down to open it. I hear yells and footsteps before everything goes black.