Title: Be Careful What You Wish For

Author: Taulmaril

Pairing: Buffy/Spike

Disclaimer: Joss et. al. own all the pieces I just re-arranged them to fit my design.

Rating: PG-13

Summary: This story takes place after Wrecked. The author is assuming that Buffy did an uninvite spell on Spike at the end of the episode and the story starts the next day.

"Don't be nervous Willow" Buffy said. "It's just Tara and she just wants to help you. You need this time together to work through your problem."

"I'm just so ashamed of everything I've done. I don't know how I can make it up to her, to Dawn, to you. Everything is screwed up because of me." Willow said rocking back and forth the feelings of withdraw still tugging at her.

"It's going to take time Wills, but you can fight this. Tara will forgive and help you and so will I, that's what friends do."

"Where is Dawn?" Willow asked suddenly realizing she hadn't seen the teen since she came down stairs.

"She's at Xander's, she wanted to spend a couple days over there."

"She can't even stand to be in the same house with me" Willow said her already red eyes began to tear up again.

"She just needs some time. She was really scared last night and" Buffy was interrupted by the door bell ringing "that'll be Tara, you should go with her for awhile see what you two can get worked out" Buffy finished as she helped her on with her coat and sent her on her way.

Once Buffy had the house to herself her mind began to drift towards Spike and how much she would like to get his advice on the Willow situation. "Why do I have the feeling Willow is going to have an easier time giving up magic than I'm . . . no I can do this . . . cold turkey, cold shower?" she asked herself as someone knocked on the back door.

Buffy quickly turned around to see Spike at the back door. 'Damn it' she mentally cursed as her tummy did flip-flops at the sight of him. 'Gotta be strong' she thought as she put on her bitchiest face as she approached and opened the door. "What do you want?" she asked before he could say anything.

"Well isn't that a fine hello?" Spike said smiling at her. "I saw you were all alone so I thought I'd" Spike paused and took a step forward hitting the invisible barrier that kept him out. A look of shock crossed his face. It was quickly followed by one of disappointment and deep hurt but was just as quickly followed by a look of pure anger. "So this is how you want it? Is that it? Fine, but you should really be careful what you wish for Slayer. Good bye" he finished succinctly turned on his heel and walked off into the night.

Buffy closed the door with a shaking hand and exhaled a big breath that she hadn't even realized she had been holding. "See that wasn't so bad, other than you're talking to yourself again" she said running her hands through her hair before going upstairs to see about that shower.

Spike reached his crypt quickly and began to gather up his few belongings that he didn't want to part with. "Just because I love her doesn't mean I have to take this" he began to talk to himself as he packed. "Bloody hell what's a man to take? I just need to find someone else to love and I will even if I have to shag every she-vamp in southern California to do it." Spike then grabbed a pen and paper from a nearby table and began scribbling out a note before he headed out the door duffle bag in hand.

Buffy heard knocking on the door as she exited the shower. She quickly grabbed her robe and made her way downstairs to the front door. She stood on tiptoe and looked out the peephole. It was odd she didn't see anyone. She slowly unlocked the door and opened it to find a small boy maybe around nine or ten years old standing there.

"Are you Bu Bu Buffy" the little boy stuttered.

"Yes I am, can I help you?"

The boy then held out his hand and gave Buffy an envelope.

"What's this?" she asked him. "Who gave it to you?"

"Don't know" the little boy said shrugging. "A man in a long black coat said he'd kill me unless I delivered this. Then I started to cry and he gave me five dollars and asked me to please deliver it. Can I go home now?"

"What are you doing out alone after dark?" Buffy asked worried for the boy's safety.

"I live across the street, I was just in the yard playing" the boys said.

"Ok head on home" Buffy said as the little boy ran away, she watched until he was safely in his house.

'This should be good' Buffy thought to herself as she opened the envelope, took out the note and began reading.

Slayer,

You've gotten your wish. I'll on my way out of town. Just remember when you or any of your little scooby friends are dying some horrible death that I could have been there. I could have been your lover, your friend, your confidant, your partner but you couldn't come down from your high horse long enough to see me, see me for who I really am. I love you but even I have more self-respect than to stay in these conditions any longer. Tell Dawn to remember I'll be there for her even when her bitch of a sister runs me off, she'll know where to find me. She'll need me once you've gotten yourself killed that is if you and your band of merry humans don't get her killed as well.

"Didn't even bother to sign it" Buffy mumbled her voice full of emotion. She didn't know whether to be happy that the temptation was gone or to be crushed because he actually left her. 'He's probably just messing with me' Buffy thought. 'Probably sitting in his crypt right now having a good laugh, won't be so funny when I go over there and beat the hell out of him' she thought as she sprinted up the stairs to put on clothes.

Spike watched from down the street as the little boy delivered the note. Once Buffy took the note in her hand he raised from his seat starting his bike with a kick spinning is around and headed out of town.

Buffy kicked open the door to Spike's crypt. "Spike!" she yelled anger filling her voice. He didn't answer. 'Damn him' she muttered as she made her way across the room to go to his underground bedroom. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she saw what remained of Spike's belonging strewn about the room and she knew he was really gone. She sunk down onto the bed as the tears began to flow. 'How could I have been so stupid' she thought as she pulled his note out of her pocked and re-read it. She curled up in the sheets finding comfort in the smell of him as she cried herself to sleep clutching the note to her chest.

Buffy awoke slowly. She smiled and stretched slowly her arms snaking out to each side of her searching the bed. She suddenly realized that she was in the bed alone. She lurched up in the bed trying to get her bearings. She had dreamed that he had came back last night but all she had now was his memory and his note she quickly found crumpled in the bed. She smoothed it out gently and re-read it again. "Dawn!" she almost screamed. 'Dawn knows where he's at' she thought as she ran out of the crypt into the early morning sun.

'Come on, answer' Buffy thought as she continued to bang on the apartment door.

"Hold on hold on" Xander groggily told the door as he fumbled with the locks.

"Buffster, how great you could come visit us at" he paused to look at his watch "5:18 in the morning"

"Sorry about that. I need to see Dawn, it's important."

"Something up, is it Willow?" Xander asked worriedly.

"No, no it's an uh sister thing" Buffy said not sure how to explain to Xander what was truly happening.

"Well she's still asleep, is the spare bedroom. Your welcome to make yourself at home," he said motioning her inside so he could shut the door. "And if you don't need me I think I'll go on back to bed for a little while longer."

"No you should, sorry for the early wake up call" Buffy said as she slowly was inching away from Xander towards the room Dawn was sleeping in.

"Ok goodnight, er good morning" Xander said sleepily as he began walking back toward his and Anya's room "oh and by the way, bed head, it's a good look for you"

"Ha very funny" Buffy said as she nonchalantly smoothed down her head and quickly made her way into the other room.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and nudged Dawn softly being careful not to disturb her injuries. "Dawn" she whispered. "Dawn"

"Hmmm, what? Buffy?" Dawn slowly awoke confused.

"Dawn I need to talk to you. Are you awake?"

"What? Yeah I'm awake," Dawn said rubbing her eyes then pushing herself up slightly in the bed. "What's going on, evil a foot?"

"No, I need you to tell me where Spike is."

"Seeing as how it's daylight and all I'd guess at his crypt" Dawn answered waking up more.

"No he left town. Do you know where he'd go?"

"No he didn't leave, why on earth would he. He's been around all these months and you're back now no way he'd leave us."

"No Dawnie he did, he left me a note" Buffy said not wanting to go into the adult details of Spike's departure.

"Note? Let me see it."

"That's not important right now Dawn. He said in the note to tell you that he'd be there for you and that you'd know where he was."

Dawn's eyes went wide "Ohhhh"

"Don't just ohhhh, what do you know?"

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you Buffy"

"What?" Buffy shrieked. Then quieter through gritted teeth she asked "what do you mean you can't tell me?"

"After you died. Spike told me how to locate him if I was ever in danger and needed him but he made me promise not to tell anyone else ever how to do it." Dawn explained.

"Well I was dead at the time so he couldn't have meant me, now could he, now tell me" Buffy explained calmly.

"I don't know Buffy" Dawn hesitated.

"Listen Dawn, I hurt him, that's why he left. I have to fix things and I can't do that unless I can find him. I know he's your friend, don't you want him to come back?" Buffy reasoned.

"That depends, are you going to hurt him again?"

"I'm going to try very hard not to" Buffy answered honestly. "I don't know how everyone else will deal with it but . . ." she trailed off.

"Screw 'em" Dawn stated matter of factly.

"Dawn, language" Buffy scolded.

"I'm sorry but sometimes the gang can be so holier than thou and hypocritical. I mean Spike's changed, he helped us and saved all our lives over the summer more than once but do they cut him any slack, noooo. But Anya, 1000 years of killing, maiming, tormenting and do we care about that? No because she's human now, we big whoop."

"Ok ok climb down off your soapbox, you're preaching to the converted" Buffy said smiling glad to know she'd at least have Dawn on her side.

"What kinda box? Never mind" Dawn said shaking her head as she removed her necklace. "Here"

"Well thanks but I really need to start looking for Spike," Buffy said as she took the necklace. "So where is he?"

"Don't know, but the necklace does."

"What? I'm sorry what I meant was what?" Buffy said confused as she held up the necklace to get a better look at it.

"It's enchanted. You just read what is says on the back of the medallion and you'll uhm, I forgot the word, oh yeah astral project, to where Spike is. Then he can use his matching medallion to bring himself back to where you are. But the teleportation part of the deal can only be done once so it was supposed to be for emergencies only. He sold the DeSoto to buy them."

"I wondered what happened to the car. Ok anything else I should know before I do this?"

"No that's all Spike told me."

"Ok, you go back to sleep. I think I need to do this from home."

"Ok" Dawn said yawning. "Don't screw this up ok?" she said as she sunk back down into bed.

Buffy rushed back home and took the necklace off. 'Here goes nothing' she thought as she laid down on her bed and read the inscription out loud "Provo dedluo amicus universum"

Suddenly Buffy felt the rushing of wind, as she seems to fly at high speed through the air. It took her a few moments to realize that it wasn't really her flying but an astral projection of herself flying. She tried to take in her course but she was flying far to fast to pick out any landmarks.

Then before she knew what was happening she flew through a wall and found herself in a darkened crypt. She slowly looked around trying to find Spike. She then spotted his platinum hair shining in the dark. He was lying on top of a sarcophagus in the back corner of the dark damp tomb.

Her breath seemed to catch in her chest, now that she was there she wasn't sure what to do. She willed her projection to move towards him until she came to rest beside him. "Spike" she whispered and she tried to nudge him only to find that her hand passed completely through him as the stone monument he way lying on.

"Spike" she said louder.

"Bloody hell" Spike mumbled as he reached through Buffy to retrieve his bottle of Jack that was sitting on a nearby ledge and took a long swig before his eyes drifted open slowly to find a transparent Buffy looking at him. "Bloody hell!" Spike exclaimed as he flew to his feet.

"Spike, it's me, Buffy" she explained quickly. "I used the necklace to find you"

Spike ran his hand through his hair as he tried to sober up and take in this information. She had gotten the necklace from Dawn and used it but what did that mean? "So what do you want? Lose Dawn again maybe? Or maybe the world is going to end and you need my help. Well too bad the world will just have to end without me." He said hopping back up on his hard bed. "Now float on back home and let me rest in peace, for good this time."

"Please Spike, I'm trying don't make this harder on me that it already is" Buffy pleaded. "Just come back to Sunnydale, and we'll talk about this."

"I think we pretty much talked everything out and then you uninvited me. What more is there Slayer?"

"I'm sorry Spike, I should have never, I was just confused about you, me, us, life. I'm sorry. I need you"

"I know you need me."

"I want you"

"I know you want me."

"What do you want me to say? Just tell me I'll say it."

"It's not that easy Slayer" Spike said shaking his head slowly. "You can't just treat people the way you do and expect us to come trotting back just because you wish it to be. And further more . . ."

"I love you!" Buffy almost shouted her interruption.

Silence engulfed the crypt.

"Slayer don't not if"

"I mean it Spike I truly do. It scares the hell out me but it's true" she tried to reach out to him but once again her hands passed through him. "Please just come back to me."

"It's broad daylight."

"So won't these medallion thingies let you come?"

"Well yeah but do you know how much they cost and once I transport they go poof."

"But Spike"

"No you're just going to have to come to me" Spike said. "I'm at the graveyard at the very south edge of town in the big crypt in the center."

"But you said you left."

"I did, I turned around and came back. I couldn't leave you. I made it to this crypt just as the sun came up. Now hurry up and get here so we can make up proper like."

"But I don't know how to get back" Buffy realized she didn't know how to get back to her body.

"Just close your eyes, when you open them you'll be back. Hurry I'll be waiting for you Buffy" Spike explained.

"That'll never work" Buffy said as her eyes slid shut. "See I told you" she said to her empty bedroom when her eyes opened. 'I hate it when he's right' Buffy thought as she sprinted out the door.

Spike paced the floor of the crypt cursing the sun for what seemed like an eternity before Buffy came bursting through the crypt doors to jump into his waiting arms. Her legs quickly wrapped around his waist as her hands weaved their way into his hair. She crushed her lips to his in a fevered kiss.

Spike reveled in the feel of Buffy's body against his but he pushed her back gently. "We brought down the house once. Let's try something new." he whispered gently against the soft skin of her neck. He carried her across the crypt to the make shift bed he had fixed. He gently laid her down and spent the rest of the day showing her all the new ways that he loved her.

The End