Title: Spoken From the Heart

Author: PyroChilde

Summary: All things considered, there are very few certainties in this world and one of those undeniable facts of life is Andrew's complete inability to keep his mouth shut. What happens when Buffy finds out that our favorite bleach blonde vamp is undead and kickin' once again?

Disclaimer: They aren't mine, you know the drill.

Spoken From the Heart

By: PyroChilde

Chapter 1: Shocking Secrets

All things considered, there are very few certainties in this world and one of those undeniable facts of life is Andrew's complete inability to keep his mouth shut. As soon as he returned from the great City of Angels, he was blabbing a mile a minute about everything that had happened (and quite a few things that probably didn't). That included mention of a certain bleach blonde vamp that was supposed to be dust scattered beneath the rubble.

Buffy had heard the shocking discovery while her not completely welcome housemate was cooking dinner and going on about his trip for the ten thousandth time. Granted, Andrew hadn't actually broken his promise intentionally. You had to give him credit for holding out as long as he did, if truth be known. He'd been regaling her with tales of his heroism when he let slip that he'd had company going after the insane slayer. Once that had slipped out, Buffy had demanded to know who he'd been running around with. Retrieving Dana had been a pretty delicate situation and the veteran slayer wasn't at all happy to find out that Andrew may have been bringing just anyone in on it. His vague assurances that the guy was alright to talk to did nothing to clam Buffy and it didn't take long to get him to admit the truth. Spike was alive, well undead, and in Los Angeles. Not only was he there and hadn't so much as picked up a phone, but he had specifically told Andrew not to tell her that he had returned.

That afternoon had Buffy storming into the Council Headquarters and sending several secretaries scampering out of the furious blonde's way. A pissed off slayer was not something they had been trained to deal with. A pissed off Buffy was even worse, and most of the women on duty that evening were glad to let their boss deal with his pseudo-daughter on his own. Buffy's blazing emerald gaze landed on Giles and had him out of his seat in under a second.

"Did you know?" She'd demanded, trying so hard to cover the aching in her heart with anger. When her voice cracked over the last word, she the game was up. The tears that welled in her eyes had been like a knife in Giles' chest. The woman that stood before him, usually so strong and independent had looked so lost in that moment. There had been nothing for him to do but move around his desk and take her into his arms. His comforting voice assured her that he'd learned the truth only minutes earlier when Andrew had called to warn him of the blonde whirlwind that would be descending upon his office, and he held her close while she broke down and sobbed. Her gut wrenching cries tore at him as he stroked her back and whispered that everything would be alright.

"He doesn't love me anymore Giles! If-If he did, he would have come back." Her pitiful cries held such loss the older man had barely been able to stand it. That night, Buffy had cried herself to sleep wishing desperately to breathe through the pain. Her vampire would have rather her thought him dead than deal with her.

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