Buffy sat at the bar, alone and scared. The Bronze was full of people but she didn't care. She ignored the music, the dancing, and the fun that was going on around her and just sat-already four shots in. This was how she spent the remainder of her evenings every night after patrol for the last two weeks. Wow I'm turning into Angel brooding like this all the time. She thought to herself. Then she thought of why she was so depressed.

Giles was already back in England and would be staying there indefinitely and Willow was all magic this and magic that. Though Tara would listen, she didn't feel as if she knew her well enough to tell her everything and she had to be strong for Dawn who she knew she could talk to but didn't want to upset the poor girl. Anya was too preoccupied with running the Magic Box to listen to any of Buffy's problems and Xander was just dumb—he couldn't seem to understand why she couldn't just jump right back into the world. But of course he acted like that. She hadn't told anyone where she really was when they brought her back. Hell. That's what the lot of them thought. How could she tell them that they ripped her out of heaven? The truth was, she couldn't.

Buffy ordered the rest of the bottle to go. She found herself needing the hard stuff and being the Slayer it took a bit more than normal to get her drunk enough so she could sleep. She wasn't very impaired at the moment so she brought the bottle home to knock herself out later. When the Slayer reached her front door she just stood in front of it as if thinking someone on the other side would open it for her and welcome her home. She thought of this and tears began to swell up in her eyes. She quickly choked them down when she heard a voice she thought that just maybe she wouldn't have to hear that night.

"Hey Buffy. Why are we crying luv?" Asked a British accent from the dark. And all though it seemed to sound sincere Buffy found it daunting and irritating.

"Spike, if you're here to tell me how much you love me then you better leave 'cuz I'm really not in the mood to deal with your undying love. Not to mention it's like 1:00a.m."

"Oi! come on, pet I do love y..." Spike wasn't able to finish his sentence before he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He clenched his unbeating heart and let out a broken scream before his eyes and mouth began to glow white. He fell to the ground after that unconscious. Buffy ran over to him not actually knowing why she cared and yelled in his face.

"Spike! Are you ok?"

"Great!" she yelled out loud as she dragged him into her house placing him on the couch. Since he was a vampire he didn't breath and he had no pulse. Not to mention he was always cold. Though he wasn't dust she had no way of telling if he was brain dead or not. Maybe the chip fried his brain? she thought. All she could do was to wait and see if he came to. She sat down in the chair next to the couch. I should have left him out there. Maybe some other vamp would have killed him. She thought idly while flipping through the channels. She frowned at herself realizing she really didn't want to see the blonde vamp dead. Truth be told he had been so good to her and she wanted more than anything to bring herself to at the very least accept his feelings. Buffy thought back to Willow's 'Will Be Done' spell and how Spikes lips felt, how he tasted. I wonder how it would be to... she stopped herself. No. I'm the Slayer and he is an evil soulless monster.

She grabbed the remote quickly to distract herself, flipping it onto the news so that she might see what was going on in good ol' Sunnyhell. She didn't even really care.

So what if she was the Slayer she hated it. The fighting part was good and she loved the Rush but she was so lonely. And now that she was alive again, ripped from Heaven she wanted more than anything to be normal. To have someone in her life she could talk to and to hold her when she felt like dying. She did, feel like dying. But the only to boyfriends she had ever had had left her. Angel because he wanted her to have a 'normal' life. As if. She was the Slayer never going to be normal. And Riley, because he missed the military, and he cheated on her by going to a bite house. She began to cry. Soon realizing who was next to her she quickly headed to the kitchen to get away.

Buffy decided to make herself some tea when she reached the kitchen. When the water finally began to boil she heard movement from the living room for the first time all night. At least I know he's alive, she thought to herself.

"Bloody hell what... where... how...?" Spike was clearly confused when she reentered the living room.

"Hey you ok?" she asked him trying not to sound uncaring.

"Buffy." he replied sitting up making room for her to sit.

"That's me." she answered back sitting down next to him tea in hand.

"Buffy." Spike stated again more confirming it to himself than to her. "God I thought I'd never see you again." He finished pulling her into a tight embrace. "It's good to see you, luv."

"Spike, what the hell!?" asked Buffy worried and annoyed taken back by the by the hug. Then she pulled away.
As she pulled away to look at him tears began to form in his eyes and she didn't know what had happened but the eyes looking at her were noticeably different that the eyes she usually saw.

"Spike, what the Hell is going on?"

"I don't know, pet. I was sort of hoping you or Rupert could answer me that one. But from the looks of things we won."

"Spike, Giles is in England you know that. He left three days ago. And what are you talking about?"
He looked at her for a moment tilting his head to the side and cocking an eyebrow. He was deep in thought when he heard the TV say 'and tomorrow is the one year anniversary of 9/11.' It was then that realization hit him. He glanced around for a newspaper to confirm his thoughts. "2002" was the only thing he needed to see to realize he'd been sent back in time.

"Buffy, it's 2002."

"Yeah it's been so for nine months."

"Buffy." was all he managed to get out before tears began to run freely down his face.

"Spike," Buffy started, "Why are... how are you crying? You can't cry. You can't have emotions. Can you? What the Hell is going on? And what's with that freaky lighting up the eyes? This whole thing seems to not be of the good. "
Spike stared at her and composed himself enough to speak. "Buffy," he began. "I'm not from now. I'm from 2003 or at least my mind is. Honestly details aren't important right now I just want to hold you and never let go. Is that alright luv? Can I do that?"

Buffy stared at the blonde vamp sitting in front of her trying to take a hold on the situation. Then it hit her. 'God I thought I'd never see you again.' he stated earlier. "Spike, do I die again? is that why you're so upset?" She asked feeling legitimately moved at how broken he was.

"No, pet. I do."

Buffy held him for a little over an hour before she asked him again, "Please tell me what happened." She needed to know what was going on.

"Alright, fine but pay attention." She nodded her head. "In a year or so the First, as in the First Evil will attempt to take over the world by opening the Hellmouth and unleashing an army of Turok-Han or dubbed by yourself, ubervamps. Purebreds, as in born that way. Anyways, the short of it is, Peaches comes back from LA to help you by giving you an enchanted amulet. He was going to wear it but you and me were... getting along so great that you told him to him to buzz off and you gave it to me. If this year played out with me from now I do some very hurtful things to you because you didn't love me. After I do those things I..." Spike paused weathering he should tell buffy about him having a soul and then thought better of it. "I took it willingly ready to die for you to make up for my actions. Because I love you, Buffy. The amulet caused me to turn into a ball of sunlight killing everything inside the HellMouth and then poof... I was gone. I know it's been more than two weeks since that happened but all of the sudden I open my eyes and see you sitting next to me and it's one year before any of it. God I don't know what I did to deserve this but the Powers that Be must really like me. Giving me a chance change or stop the outcomes of curtain events. And a second chance to be with you-the right way. "

Buffy stared at him with disbelief and she felt the waterworks coming on fast. She couldn't help but let a few tears fall from her eyes. She held him once again for quite some time before she asked a question which popped into her head when he told her he needed to make amends.

"Spike, how come you sacrificed your life for the world?"
He knew he needed to tell her about his soul. "Saw a man about a girl. I went to seek a legend out. Traveled to the other side of the world, made a deal with a demon"

"What? You're not..."

Spike paused thinking about how to tell her what he needed to. Hey, I tried to rape you and... oh yeah, that'll end bloody fantastic. This times Buffy already loathes you.

"Spike?"

"Sorry, pet there's... it's just I tried to take advantage of you and after the fact I felt bloody awful so I went and, I got got my soul back. So you would love me but..." Spike trailed off remembering his final moments in his time.
His hand began to catch fire just as buffy looked up at him. She looked up at him still clasping his hand, complete disregard of the pain. After staring at him for a few moments she managed to utter the words that she could never before bring herself to say. And now it was too late.

"I love you." Her words hit him harder than anything that he had ever heard before but he had to push her away in order to assure she escaped the Hellmouth alive.

"No you don't, but thanks for saying it." was the vampires reply before he added "Now go."

Buffy left after giving him one last teary eyed stare. It was over and in his final moments Spike managed to say, "I wanna see how it ends" He gave a small laugh which ended in a cry as he turned to ash and the amulet lit up and destroyed the Hellmouth from the inside out.

Buffy looked at him as if she had never seen him before. A look that she had never given him before. "Spike-" She couldn't speak as tears began to fall again.

He pulled her to him and whispered in her ear. "It's gonna be alright, pet. I'm not going anywhere. And I aint askin you for nothing neither. I'm in love with you, Buffy Anne Summers. Always."

She looked up at him as if she just met him for the first time and kissed him softly but passionately before saying in a voice so soft his vamp hearing could barely pick up on it. "I know you're not. That's why I can finally love you back."