Chapter 3 - Healing

Just a little short chapter. Review. Enjoy.

On the way to the Hilton Hotel, they stopped at a shop to pick up 'supplies' to help with the after battle wounds, although it wasn't necessarily needed since vampires healed quick but with some of the deep wounds they had it would help heal them quicker, and get some food for Buffy and Dawn.

When they got there, Dawn and Angel went into a separate room. "I figured they'd want to talk," Dawn told Angel, since she'd pretty much just dragged him away from them.

Angel nodded, she was probably right. After all Buffy had never knew Spike was back so she was bound to want to ask questions and stuff.

Whilst Dawn dabbed at Angel's cut he asked, "How is she?"

"Buffy?" Dawn asked then shook her head, of course he meant Buffy. "She's - good. I think."

Angel narrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

"Well everyone's spread out now, Willow and Xander are living else where, same with Giles. She's got less Slayer duties, which sounds like the life she's always wanted but I think she misses her friends. You know? She doesn't really talk to me so I may just be guessing here and getting things wrong but...everything's changed. She lived that life for 7 years and now it's constantly changing. Everyone she's loved is disappearing."

"Least she's got you," Angel said a small smirk playing across his lips when Dawn turned away to put down the cloth she'd been using.

"Yeah," Dawn nodded then turned around, smiling, "All done."

"Take your top off," Buffy said to Spike, noticing his biggest wound was in his stomach; probably a sword that had done it, she mused.

Spike gave a small smirk "Bit forward pet," he joked but complied.

Buffy might have found that funny on a different day but right now too much was going on in her head. "Were you ever going to tell me?" she asked whilst tending to his wound.

Spike sighed, "Buffy, look it's not like I wanted - I just wanted what was best for you."

"And leaving me was the best thing to do?"

"I was helping. You didn't seem so worked up when I was just dead. In fact you seem more annoyed than I'm back," Spike said pursing his lips...Damn. He didn't really mean that and he saw her face and knew he shouldn't have said that. He winced as Buffy pushed hard on his wound. "Uncalled for," he muttered.

"You wouldn't know if I was worked up because you weren't there," she replied through gritted teeth, fighting back tears. "And who are you to decide what's best for me?"

"I'm sorry OK? I guess I was being stupid or - I thought you'd be better without me."

Buffy sighed trailing her fingers down the side of his face, "I missed you so much. When you left - everything changed."

"Change isn't always bad," Spike replied.

"This was," she said quietly.

She leaned in, brushing her lips against his and kissing him softly. Then she stood up and said, "I'm glad your back," before retreating to the room she'd decided she was staying in.