Disclaimer: This is just a piece of fan fiction. All characters, rights, privileges, etc. belong to Joss Whedon.
Just Friends, PG13
She was almost as white as the sheets of the hospital bed. An encouraging voice next to her bed with spoon in hand said, "That a' girl, one more bite." You know you have to eat to get your back on your feet. Folks are counting on you."
Joyce smiled weakly at her companion. It almost took all of her strength to answer him, "You know you're spoiling me. You must have been sitting in that chair all night watching over me." "I'm going to have to start calling you my guardian angel."
Entering the small room Buffy snorted, "Right, mom, a dark angel." "What are you doing here, Spike?" "I thought only immediate family members were allowed in recovery?"
Looking up at her with a wounded puppy-dog expression, Spike quickly recovered and drawled back, "Well, I heard they were serving yummy red jello and I said to myself, 'Yum, yum, got to get me some of that red stuff.'"
"Now, Buffy, don't be cross. Spike's always been there when I needed someone to talk to about," Joyce paused, "difficult things." "He's been sort of like… family."
"Since when?" Buffy demanded.
"Hey, is she awake?" Dawn asked from the doorway.
Buffy stepped aside so that her "sister" could see into the tiny room. The recovery ward was divided into twelve windowless cubicles, loaded with monitoring equipment, one bed and one chair.
Dawn squeezed past Spike and threw her arms around her "mother" for a quick, but heartfelt hug. "I stopped by the gift shop to buy you some flowers." "See!" She practically shoved the small bouquet into Joyce's face.
Recovering from successful brain surgery, Joyce had forgotten the conversation she and Buffy had about Dawn's origins. She looked with unabashed love upon her youngest "daughter."
Buffy moved to the other side of the bed and Joyce holding one of each girl's hands in her own said, "I am the luckiest and happiest Mother in the world, right now."
Spike averted his eyes from joyful threesome, blinking back tears. "I'll just go wait outside, while you all visit."
"Sure, whatever," Buffy said without taking her eyes from her mom's radiant face.
Shortly later, Buffy came out of the recovery ward into the waiting room and spotted Spike sitting next to the exit to the stairs.
"You! I want to talk with you."
Grabbing the front of Spike's tee shirt she pushed him through the door into the stairwell. He had a bemused expression on his face; "I like it when you get rough with me."
Annoyed, Buffy looked directly into his eyes, "OK, straight answers. What's this with you and my mother?"
"Take it easy, Slayer, don't get your girdle in a knot." "We're just friends. It may be hard for you to believe, but I've always liked your mum. She's always been straight with me. I'd never lay a hand on her." "Honest Injun."
"How come I don't buy that? Convince me or you'll just be another pile of dust in the corner."
"It started back when Angelus came back and you and me made that deal for you to defeat him and for me to get Dru back." "Joyce invited me into your house, and while we were waiting for you to come home, we had a nice long chat. There were other times too. We just seemed to find each other when things were the darkest."
He pulled lose of her grip and began to speak more earnestly, "Believe me when I say to you that I would never hurt Joyce. She…she's brought back memories that I thought I had buried forever. Memories of unconditional love, memories that William has of his own mother. She died when he was about Dawn's age. She died before he was disappointed and rejected by love."
"Oh, pu-leeze, you're breaking my heart. Just you remember. I'll kill you if you even so much as muss her hair."
He looked at her with a strangely sad expression, "Face it, Slayer, eventually one of us will probably have to kill the other."
Dawn pushed open the door and her words tumbled out, " What are you guys doing out here? Mom wants to see Spike alone for a few minutes." "How about some lunch, Buffy?"
"Sure, kid, lunch it is." The two "sisters" headed for the cafeteria and Spike made his way back to Joyce's bedside.
Ending
Later that night, after Dawn had gone to bed, Spike and Buffy found themselves sitting on opposite ends of the couch in her living room watching a late night movie. In spite of the normal tension between them, Spike attempted to make himself more comfortable. Within a few minutes he stretched his legs out with his feet on the coffee table. His head was resting on the back of the couch and he watched the movie through half closed lids. Slowly he raised his arm and ran it along the back of the couch until it rested just above Buffy's shoulder.
She bolted upright and turning to Spike she stated anxiously, "I'm starved. I feel like having some popcorn. Would you like some popcorn? Let's have some popcorn."
"Sure, what's an old movie without popcorn." He seemed to be enjoying her discomfort.
Returning with freshly microwaved popcorn she placed the bowl between them and they went back to watching the movie. During the commercials they began to talk about Joyce and all that would be necessary for her rehabilitation.
"What's so funny. I'm talking about serious stuff and you're sitting there with a silly look on your face?"
"It's nothing, you just have a piece of popcorn on the corner of your mouth. I keep expecting it to fall off, but it doesn't." He couldn't tell her of the pleasure he got by just looking at her and listening to her talk. How he waited each night outside her home to catch just a glimpse of her as she left to make her rounds, killing others of his kind.
She tried to locate it with her tongue, but failed. Spike reached over and tenderly ran his thumb over her lips to brush it aside. Caught up in the moment and risking all, he cupped her cheek with one hand and with the other removed the empty bowl from between them. In less than a heartbeat he had drawn her closer to him. His lips pressed against hers and his tongue ran gently along the same path his thumb had passed just seconds before.
Maybe she was tired. Maybe she was vulnerable. Whatever the reason, she knew that she wanted this kiss more than any other that she could remember in a long time. She allowed her lips to be parted and they tasted deeply of each other. A moan escaped. Was it Buffy or Spike? Neither could tell, but it was enough to draw their attention to their present positions on the couch. Somehow Spike was fully stretched out on the couch and Buffy was on top of him.
"Well, what d'ya know, you're beneath me."
Spike gave her a quick kiss and said, "Fancy that."
Both burst out laughing.
"Its getting late maybe we should call it a night. I want to be at the hospital before noon to meet with mom's doctor after his rounds." Buffy moved to turn off the kitchen lights and Spike got the TV and living room lights. When she returned they walked through the darkened room with arms wrapped around each other.
At the foot of the stairs leading to her bedroom, Buffy turned to him and whispered, "Come upstairs, Spike, I don't want to be alone tonight." She took his hand and placed it where he would have no doubt as to her intentions.
He pulled his hand away slowly but deliberately. "As much as I would like to oblige you, pet, I think you tumble into bed far too easily. I promised Joyce that I would watch over you two until she gets home. What kind of a friend would I be if I hopped in the sack with her daughter the first chance I got?"
She looked at him incredulously. He turned away and made his way to the basement before he changed his mind. "I'm going to hate myself in the morning." But as he made his way down the stairs to the cot Joyce occasionally provided for him, he smiled to himself. "I hope the Slayer doesn't sleep a wink tonight." He burrowed into the sleeping bag, turned over on his side and felt more contentment than he had in over a hundred years.