Kindle My Heart

Summary: All human. Spike is trying to handle becoming single again after his wife left him. His friends, Xander and Angel are trying to help him get through a rough time. Buffy Summers, Spike's best friend in high school, and a girl he secretly loved, shows up on his doorstep in New York City right after leaving her man at the alter.

Chapter 1: Moving On

After the divorce Spike was left with nothing in his apartment. Drusilla took the living room furniture, the big screen television, the dinette set, and all the decorations. Spike was surprised that she didn't take the nails that were screwed into the wall. Lucky for him, he still had his bed and his best companion for the time being...his dog, Dingo. However, Spike knew Drusilla wasn't always too fond of dogs and didn't want take a dog with her; she always never had the time to love anything else besides herself. Spike guessed that this was probably the main reason his wife left him.

Five years of devotion dedicated all to her didn't seem to matter to Dru, and all Spike was left was his golden retriever and his two best friends sitting in the middle of the floor of his living room on a Friday afternoon eating Chinese food and drinking beer.

"You know…I like your apartment better this way." Xander said sitting on the floor with Spike, Angel, and Dingo.

"Oh yeah…" Spike said sarcastically as he poked his chopsticks around in the carton of Moo Goo Gai Pan, "Because furniture is highly overrated."

"Hey, I'm just trying to lighten up the mood for ya buddy." Xander said and took a sip out of his beer.

"Well, you bloody can't." Spike said and sat his carton down and took a long look at the emptiness of his apartment.

His living room had hardwood floors, a cozy fireplace, and big picture windows that overlooked the city of New York. For a New Yorker it was a dream apartment. However, using the floor as Spike's table wasn't his idea of "luxury".

"Why do you have to use 'bloody' in every other sentence? You have been using that word in ever single sentence since Dru left. I mean it's not like you have to prove to us you're British." Xander said and petting Dingo on the head. Spike just glared at Xander causing him to hide his head down.

"You know you could roller blade indoor with all this space." Xander changed to subject.

"I'm 28 years old Xand…" Spike said

"Just saying…you can if you wanted to." Xander mumbled.

"Doesn't matter what you say Xander…Spike always loves to turn something positive into some negative comment or make fun of it." Angel finally decided to join in on the conversation.

"My wife just left me…cut me some slack!" Spike said to Angel.

"You're ex-wife didn't just leave you…you've been broken up for a while…now it's just starting to sink in with your living room all emptied out." Angel said looking around.

"Well look around you guys, does this look like I'm suppose to bloody well be bouncing off the wall and yelling in joy!" Spike shouted and got up off the hard floor. He walked away from his two friends on the floor and Dingo followed Spike into the kitchen.

Xander and Angel exchanged a look. They knew that there friend didn't deserve any of this. The three of them have been together since college and acted like brothers, if one guy hurt the rest of them hurt.

"Come on Spike…we'll get you a new set of furniture and everything will be 'right as rain' as you say." Xander said.

Spike mumbled something under his breath from the kitchen that the guys couldn't hear.

"Yeah…maybe we can go and catch a movie to take your mind off of everything." Angel suggested.

"Don't want to see a bloody movie." Spike mumbled as he came back into the living room with a beer in his hand and Dingo following behind. Spike walked over to the big picture windows and looked out at the city, "I don't need a pity party either…I already get enough of that from Willow."

Willow was also a friend of the fellows. The guys just thought she was the cutest and nicest person in the world. Ever since she had heard about Spike's big whole divorce thing she had been by Spike's place almost every day with cookies, cake, or ice cream. To Angel, Xander, and Spike she was like a girlfriend but with the actually being the girlfriend part.

"Did she make you cake or pie today?" Angel asked.

"Fudge." Spike sighed and continued to look out the window.

"That's our Willow." Xander said.

"Some of it's in the frig if you want." Spike said.

"Oh! Don't mind if I do." Xander said and went off to Willow's beloved treats.

After Xander left, Angel walked up near Spike so he could talk face to face with him.

"You know this isn't the end of the word…you're young…you'll meet other girls." Angel said.

"I don't want other soddin girls…" Spike said, "I want Drusilla back."

"Why?" Angel asked, "Just because you want to be married again? Face it buddy…there was no connection between you two."

"Connection?" Spike asked, "You thought Dru and I were bad couple?" Spike seemed to get interested where this talk was getting. He was starting to get a little mad too.

"Look…it really doesn't matter what I say now—", Angel began but was cut off by Spike.

"Yes it does! You—you hated Dru didn't ya?" Spike asked.

Angel paused and didn't answer.

"Oh…so I guess everyone is showing there true faces now." Spike whispered and looked back out the window.

"Okay, no…I didn't like her…the only reason I wasn't fond of her was…well…she was mean." Angel simply said.

"No she wasn't!" Spike said and tried to stick up for his ex-wife.

"Admit it. She was. She was harsh…she didn't care about anyone but herself and you know it. Everyone knows it!" Angel said, "She was hurting one of my best friends."

Spike looked up at his friend and his anger seemed to subside. Spike knew Angel meant well and did have a point.

Xander walked back into the living room with some fudge smeared on his lips and looked between Angel and Spike.

"What'd I miss?" Xander asked.

Both Angel and Spike looked back at Xander and saw the dumbfounded Xander still eating Willow's fudge. Both the guys rolled there eyes at him.


Later that night the three bachelors decided to get out of Spike's depressing apartment atmosphere and go out on the town. To the fellows, that meant the local club The Bronze. It was there home away from home so to say.

"Look at him over there…makes it seem so easy." Xander said to Spike while eyeing Angel talk to two good looking girls. Spike and Xander were sitting on there own at a table drinking and eating some peanuts.

"Well that's Angel…the player." Spike said and looked around the club.

It was true that Angel was the player of the three guys. He was the one that had a girl tied to his waist for a few weeks and called her a girlfriend, and then whenever the girl wanted to talk "commitment" Angel jumped up and ran. Spike thought Angel was immature for the way he handled his love life, but Xander is just the opposite, he's the admirer from a distance as he watched and saw his friend get all the girls.

Spike turned and looked over at his hair gelled friend and saw him do a quick smile at the ladies and walk away.

"Got their numbers." Angel said and held up a napkin with two numbers scribbled on them, he took a seat next to his two friends.

"Big surprise there." Spike mumbled sarcastically.

"Jealous?" Angel asked with a smile on his face.

"Jealous?" Spike scoffed and shook his head, "Those two girls were simply asking to be pick up…just like a stray puppy."

"If you think it's so easy go over to those two red heads over at the bar." Angel eyed two girls at the bar.

"I don't do red heads…besides I'm here to drink my bloody sorrows away, not pick up soddin girls." Spike said.

"How many beers will it be before we hear the whole how-I-first-meant Dru speech?" Angel sighed.

"I don't know…I feel it coming though." Spike pointed out the both of them.

"How many beers before you start singing the Cheers theme song?" Xander laughed.

"Hey, I only did that one time and in my defense the bartender did look like Ted Danson." Spike said.

"So this is your life Spike? Go around and watch Xander and me hit on all the girls while you sit back and watch?" Angel asked.

"I don't think that will be the case…I'll only be watching Xander sit next to me while you hit on all the girls." Spike pointed out.

"Hey!" Xander said, "I hit on girls…"

"The way you're going Spike—well…say hello to priesthood." Angel said.

Spike just glared at Angel.


The next morning, Spike was spending most of his time in his bedroom trying to get his hang over to pass, and besides, it was the only comfortable piece of furniture in his apartment. Outside he could hear rain start to fall and it seemed to calm his nerves.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the desperate sound of knocking came at his front door. Still trying to get over his hang over, Spike didn't move as quickly to the door as the knocker wanted. He didn't even bother to put on some decent clothes either, all that he was left wearing was his long pajama pants and a plan old T-shirt.

When Spike finally opened his door, expecting to see either a deliver person or one his friends. What he wasn't expecting to see was a girl in a wedding dress soaking wet from the rain outside.

"Hi…" she breathed out.

Spike blinked a few times to register that this girl wasn't a dream.

"B-Buffy?" Spike questioned softly.

"Hi William…" the girl that was named Buffy breathed out, she seemed to relieved that Spike remembered who she was.

'William?' Spike thought, 'Wow trip down old memory lane.' He thought to himself. For Spike, it had been years since he had heard his real name.

"Buf—Buffy Summers?" Spike questioned.

"It's me…I know, big surprise, me looking well…" She looked down at her wet wedding dress, "I...guess this something you don't see everyday huh?" she said with a soft smile.

"Buffy…what…when…why…?" Spike stuttered out. He had so much to ask that he didn't even know where to start.

"I know…look…I-I didn't know where to go and…and I remember you lived around in New York so I thought…do you want me to leave?" she asked pointing down the hallway to the stairs of the building.

"No…no…come in." Spike guided her into his apartment into the big empty living room. Spike looked around his apartment and noticed again the emptiness of his apartment, "I…I would offer you a seat but…well…I'm sort of lacking chairs." He said.

"That's okay…" she smiled.

"Umm…so…do you want to tell me what's up or…?" Spike started.

"Well…it's just a big mess…" she said, "I don't even know where to begin…"

"Beginning would be good." Spike said.

Buffy looked at Spike and laughed, "Well…I was going to marry today."

"Obviously." Spike stated looking again at her dress.

"Yeah well, I knew the guy for a few years, Riley, and well…I got about half way down the isle until I did the whole Runway Bride routine…" Buffy said, "It sort of hit me when looking into Riley's eyes as I was marching down with my dad, that well, I…really…don't know this man. I know that sounds crazy because I've been with this guy for almost 4 years, but looking at him as the guy I going to marry just seemed…I don't know…" Buffy searched for a word, "Scary."

"Ugly huh?" Spike asked. He liked to joke at the most serious times.

"William!" She whined, "I'm serious…to me, he was a stranger standing in front of me."

"I…I see." Spike said and looked down and tried to think of something to help her but was saved by Buffy talking again.

"So finally, seeing clearly after four years that I didn't know this guy I sort of bolted like lighting back down the isle, leaving two hundred guests gasping as I left." Buffy said, "I jumped in a taxi and since I didn't know anyone in else in the city I suddenly thought of you …" Buffy looked at Spike, "I remembered you lived around this neighborhood and for about fifteen minutes of asking people in the rain in a wedding dress I finally found your apartment."

"Quite a journey you had there…" Spike said looking down and rubbing the back of his neck.

"I…I didn't mean to barge in on your life…I know we haven't seen each other for a long time…" Buffy started.

"High school graduation I believe it was." Spike said quickly.

"Yeah…" Buffy sighed, "And I just need to clear my head and well…maybe you can direct me in the right direction of a good place to find an apartment...and I'll be out the door and out of your hair." Buffy said and looked down at her dress again, "Once I find some clothes."

"You're not barging luv...I'll help you…don't worry about that okay?" Spike said and gave her a look that tried to comfort her.

"Okay." She whispered and smiled.

There was a knock at the door that startled both Spike and Buffy.

"Think their bridesmaids?" Spike joked and looked at Buffy and started walking towards the door.

Buffy laughed, "Don't think so…I dashed out of there so fast I don't think anyone caught the license plate number on the taxi." She said and started to look around the apartment and was drawn to look out the windows that overlook the New York streets.

Spike opened the door to reveal Angel, Xander, and a red haired girl with a sweet smile on her face.

"Hi…I brought donuts!" the girl smiled.

"Thanks Willow." Spike smiled.

"You can blame Xander for eating all the jelly donuts on the way over here." Willow said and gave Xander a disappointed look.

"Well sorrrrrrry." Xander said with mouth full.

Xander, Willow, and Angel entered the apartment and into the living room.

Willow didn't notice the wedding dressed girl standing near the picture windows looking out at first. "We were thinking of getting you new furniture today to start your whole new 'It's great to be single look.'" She smiled and looked at Spike, while her back was to Buffy.

However, Angel and Xander noticed immediately the beautiful girl in white standing in the apartment as soon as they entered. Everything Willow was saying was sort of blocked from Angel and Xander's ears as they stared at Buffy.

"What are you guys gocking at?" Willow said from looking at the looks that Xander and Angel were giving. Willow turned around and also went into startled mood, "Oh!" she said in a little high pitch voice.

"Uh…guys this is Buffy Summers." Spike walked over to Buffy.

"Hi." Buffy gave a cute little wave to the three visitors.

"Wow Spike…you're really desperate to get a wife huh?" Xander asked.

"What?" Spike asked and then looked at Buffy's dress, "Oh! No…no…Buffy…Buffy's an old friend."

"Well she's a good dresser." Willow said.

Buffy gave a small laugh and moved her arms around to try to cover her dress, "Umm…it's a long story…umm can I use your bathroom?" she turned to Spike.

"Sure." Spike said and guided her down the hallway to the bathroom, "Right in there."

"Thanks." She said and shut the door.

Spike returned to his living room to receive his waiting friends with an explanation.

"What's going on?" Willow whispered to Spike.

"Well that's Buffy…she just going through a tough time and well…she didn't know where to turn to and we used to be real good friend in high school so…I decided to just help her out until she gets on her feet." Spike said.

"She's hot." Xander shouted in a whispered and turned to Angel, "If I saw her in her wedding dress already does that mean I'm wasting my time to ask her on a date? Think I should ask her?"

"Get in line." Angel said with a smile, agreeing with Xander that she was a hottie.

"No!" Spike shouted in a whisper, "None of you are bloody dating her…just…leave her alone."

"Why? You want to date her?" Angel suggested.

"Wh-What…what? I so do not and shut the bloody hell up." Spike stumbled with his words. He seemed to hold back when reacted to Angel's question.

Willow, Angel, and Xander just simply stare at Spike, they never seen him so nervous and stutter when he talks, and become very British all of sudden. The three of them knew something was up with this Buffy girl.

TBC...