Title:Do things change?

Rating: PG-13

Feedback: yes please

Disclaimer: All belongs to Joss etc…not me

Summary: Spike's back with a soul and Buffy doesn't seem to mind.



Could I be more bored? The slayer thought as she swiftly walked through the cemetery. Nothing moved, it was so quiet she could hear her own heartbeat.

She rounded the corner and saw Clem with a pile of boxes walking towards the entrance to the cemetery.

She quickly walked over to him.

" Hi there" Buffy said cheerfully.

" Hi" he responded.

" Wow" She looked at all the boxes he had " you look like you're moving"

" Well, really I am, I'm moving back to my normal home"

" Oh, so you got tired of house sitting for Spike then?"

" Oh no, I'm not longer needed, he's back."

Buffy stood there with a blank expression the words ' he's back' going over and over in her head.

" uh are you ok?" Clem noticed her far of expression.

" Yeah, yeah I'm fine"

" OK well I better get going, see you around"

" Oh ok then, thanks"

Clem turned around and picked up more boxes and walked of.

Buffy stood in a daze. She didn't know whether she wanted to see him or not.

She started walking and found herself at Spike's crypt. What the hell? She thought and peered around the big door.

It was dark inside with a few candles lit. She couldn't detect any movement.

She slowly made her way over to the ladder and climbed down.

She hit the bottom with a thud and turned round to face the bed.

She stopped and her eyes grew wide at seeing him again. There he was, naked in bed with only a light, white sheet covering his bottom-half.

He was so peaceful as he slept, no one would guess he was a creature of the night.

She hesitated before taking a step forward.

Something was different about him, she couldn't pin point it though. She decided to leave him be before giving him the 20 questions about where he was and why.

She swivelled round, climbed up the ladder and exited his crypt as quietly as she had come in.

He woke up as the morning dawned and knew she had been there. A small smile growing on his lips.

Now there would be no ' you can't love, you haven't got a soul' from Buffy. No excuses. He was hurting alittle bit feeling feelings were definitely new to him.

He had never felt and remorse over all the people he killed but now, he thought about every single one of his victims and their families going through pain. It hurt him to think about all the mothers who had lost a son or all the sisters who had lost a brother.

It haunted him.



All day Buffy was in daze. She was sitting in the magic box with a book open but wasn't reading it instead she stared blankly into thin air.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Giles interrupted.

" Buffy?"

" Yeah" She moved her head to look at him and gave him a smile.

" Are you okay? You've been far of all day. Something bothering you?"

Yeah, something's bothering me, this guy that shagged me then shagged my friend, oh and then nearly raped me is back, oh and by the way it's Spike. Buffy thought imagining her watchers face. NO she wasn't going for the truth yet.

" No nothing I'm fine just abit tired but ill be okay" She looked back down at her book and did more pretend reading.



She moved soundly through the cemetery dodging gravestones and jumping over walls.

She finally got to Spikes crypt.

This is it, she thought, I'm going to face him.

She walked up to the door, she had never knocked before but tonight, she thought she should.

She looked at the door and pulled her fist back and knocked on the door.

" Miss me luv?" said a voice from behind her. She jumped and turned round.

There he was leaning against a near by tree smoking.

Half of her wanted to kick his face in and ask where he's been but the other wanted to run up to him, hug him and thank him for coming back.

She stared at him.

" Spike" She said calmly.

" Happy to see me?" He had his trade mark smirk plastered to his face.

" Where were you?"

" Africa" He answered simply.

A small smile grew on her face." Africa?" She said mockingly, " On holiday? Or was there another reason to be there?"

" I went there to get the stupid chip out" Spike noticed Buffy's smile fade." I wanted to be like I was before or prove to you that it wasn't the chip that made me love you, it was infact me, I wanted to prove to you that I could still be good after the chip"

" So did you get it out?"

" Well yeah but I got something else."

" What?"

" Well the deal was, I fight a demon, I kill demon and I get the chip out. Instead I fought the demon, I killed the demon and I got a bloody soul"

" A soul?" Buffy said and then suddenly burst out laughing.

" What's so funny?"

" Well you always call Angel things like peaches, poofter and etc.. and now really you're a poofter, kind of ironic really isn't it?"

" Well thanks for that slayer but I can still be bad, I can hit people now but the only draw-back is..... I feel remorse for the poor buggers I killed over the years."

Buffy face turned alittle more serious. " oh"

" So while I was in Africa.... Anything happen here?" He quirked up an eyebrow.

" ok I'm gonna give you the short version. Tara's dead, I got shot, Willow saved my life, then willow went all dark witch and went on a killing spree trying to find the 3 losers who killed Tara. We tried to stop her but in the end Warren was left for dead after willow had finished with him. Giles came back with power and held his own against Willow. I tried to fight Willow and also Anya tried but in the end Xander was the one to calm her down and now she's doing better."

Buffy smiled at Spike's shocked expression.

" Wow, I mean wow. Glenda's dead? Red's a murderer? WHELP'S a hero?" Spike said.

" Quite alot of info isn't it?"

" Whelp's a hero?" Spike was finding that the worst to deal with as he walked over to a gravestone and perched on the edge of it. " You know what's really shocked me tonight slayer?"

" What soul-boy?"

" The fact that your talking to me after I do your friend, nearly raping you and leaving you to go to Africa while your dealing with all this."

" I'm still mad at you for the all those things, I haven't forgiven you yet, but I'm working on it" She said with a smile. " Doing my friend was bad but we weren't even going out or whatever we had and you NEARLY raped me but you had the guts to stop and feel really bad about it."

" That I did slayer"

" uh.... is your soul like Angel's?"

" What do ya mean slay-" Then he knew what she was asking about." You mean the one moment of happiness thing?"

Buffy's cheeks went red and she whispered " Yes"

"I don't know, I think it does stay, Wanna try and find out?" He said wiggling his eyebrows.

Buffy rolled her eyes " I'm gonna go now, Sun's nearly up"

She through Spike off guard as she kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly. After the shock he hugged her back.

" Bye"

" Bye" Buffy walked off and when she was out of earshot she whispered to herself

" I missed you"

Spike heard as a smile crossed his lips. He got up and muttered to himself before going into his crypt.

" Missed you too Slayer"

TBC..