Chapter Three

She looked around the busy office and finally took a deep breath. She had been back for three hours and it was the first spare moment that she had to just, be. Between the phone ring for what seemed like every second, other partners dropped off papers, incoming faxes, preparing the next day's schedule, and of course, keeping a watch out to make sure that he was in the office, making his way to his father's office. She let herself relax into the chair, the first time letting her eyes take in the scene that was playing out before her.

Glancing to her right she saw another personal assistant, dressed, well, dressed inappropriately for work, at least, in Buffy's opinion. She took in the bleach blonde's short dress, hitting probably just above mid thigh, the makeup that was caked onto her delicate features, making her look somewhat like a lady of the night, and only then did she take in the way she flipped her hair as her boss sauntered past her. What disgusted her the most, was that she knew for a fact that the man was married, and she watched as he walked back out of his office after dropping off the stack of papers that he had in his hands and leaned his body against her desk, his hungry, lust filled eyes taking her in. She wanted to scream as she watched, wanted to throw up, wanted to tell the girl to have a little self-respect, but she couldn't really do that could she?

"Looking for someone pet?" She found herself smiling before she had the chance to whip around to see the face that the voice belonged to. She didn't need to see him to know who it was. Her jaw dropped as she took him in, clad in a suit, something she wasn't sure she would ever live to see. "Nice to see I haven't lost my touch." He wrapped her into a hug as she stood up. "I heard you were back in town."

"Look at you!" She smiled, pulling away from him as she stood there, her mouth still gaped. "I don't think I've ever seen in you anything but dark denim and leather! What happened to the old Spike?"

"Oh love, he's still in here." He said, pounding his fist dramatically against his chest, before opening his arms gesturing to the office. "I just work here."

"You?! Work here?" She thought she was surprised by the suit, but hearing that he worked at the office, that was something she never would have expected at all.

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Uh… Last I checked, you and Liam Angelus, mortal enemies? Any of that ring a bell? I mean, it would make working for his father difficult wouldn't it?"

"Ahhh…" He smiled, leaning his weight on the corner of her desk. "Well… Things change."

"Things change?" She could feel her eye brows raise, waiting for him to go into more detail.

"Things aren't always as they seem pet." He shrugged.

"So you don't hate each other?"

"We've come to an understanding."

"Stop being so cryptic Spike!"

"You're getting your panties all in a bunch over a man that you hate? Why would that be?" He watched as she sat down in her chair, an exasperated sigh escaping the pout that he had once found so attractive. "Maybe someone is still helplessly in love with him?"

"It was a mistake Spike… I was caught up in the moment… So was he…" She lied to herself, but she wasn't sure that he was taking the bait as his eyes seemed to continue to burn into her, telling her that he didn't believe her. "It was a stupid semester abroad… It was a total mistake."

"Who are you trying to convince love? Me or yourself?" He watched as she rolled her eyes, knowing that he had pushed her too far. How could he tell her that the only reason that he had hated Angel in the past so much was because they were both so desperately in love with her? "So how is being back in California?"

She leaned her head back against the chair, contemplating the words. "It's different… Some days are more difficult than others. I guess I never thought I'd come back here, and I sometimes think that maybe I'm stuck, stuck in this rut that I'm never going to get out of."

He watched her carefully as she spoke, listening to the way her tone seemed to give it all away, how he was pretty sure he knew what she was going to say before it even was spoken. "Has Parker even called since you've left?"

"No." She said softly, both of them sitting in silence for a few moments before she continued. "I think that's what bothers me the most. I mean… The more I mull it over in my head the more I realize that we wouldn't have been happy, that if we did get married, that it probably wouldn't have lasted more than a few years… But what hurts is that he hasn't bothered to see how I am. I mean, he cheated on me!" She could feel the tears start to pool in her eyes and she watched as Spike shifted uncomfortably, not sure what to do. "It just almost feels like the past four years meant nothing. And it's not that I was innocent in it all… Rome especially… But… I don't know."

He shrugged. "Bastard doesn't deserve you anyways." Through her teary eyes, she looked up and saw him smiling down at her.

"Thanks Spike… You always know just the right things to say." She reached for a Kleenex, drying the corners of her eyes before the tears escaped, and threw the used tissue in the small trashcan under her desk. Her eyes glanced to the computer, noting that it was well past five now and she was officially off the clock. "I should get going… I'm suppose to met up with Willow to buy a new dress… But you have no idea how good it is to see you Spike."

"Well, I know how good it is to see you and we all know how much more fabulous that I am." He mocked, his hands making big gestures again. She liked the new him, liked seeing him happy. It was something that she couldn't remember seeing before, he seemed so at ease. But she watched as she composed himself again, his eyes serious. "Really though Buffy… It's good to have you back."

Her lip curved into a smile. "Stop by and distract me whenever you have time."

"Oh… I'll take you up on that offer. Let me walk you to the elevator?" He asked and watched as she nodded. Quickly, she turned the computer off before reaching under the desk and pulling her purse out. He maintained his stance on her desk as she popped her head into their boss' office, said her good byes and before he knew it she was standing in front of the desk, her hand on one hip as she waited for him impatiently.

"Sorry love, drifted off for a moment there." He moved beside her and as they walked they made absentminded small talk. There had been so much that had happened over the past two years that it didn't seem right to talk about it in the middle of a bustling office, when they talked he wanted to give her his completely undivided attention. As it was, he had things of his own to tell her, changed that he had made in his life, and a person that he desperately wanted to introduce to her. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yup."

"So they haven't scared you away yet?"

"You should know me better than that. It takes a lot more than greedy agents and whiny celebrities to scare me away."

"Good to hear it." He laughed as she stepped into the elevator. "Oh and Buffy?" He said as the doors started to close.

"Yeah?"

"Have a good night." He smiled, not getting her answer as she didn't have the chance to respond.

Later That Night

She studied herself in the mirror, her hands down the simple, black silk dress that she had put on, her eyes looking at her figure from each angle making sure that she looked just right. Though she didn't have any expectations for the night, she didn't think it would hurt if she took the time to make herself look good. After all, for the first time in four years, she found herself single and though she hated to admit it, she was lonely. But she gave up after ten minutes to join her friends, the last thing she wanted was to make them late because she was feeling slightly insecure about herself.

The bar was fairly crowded for a Monday night, at least, in her opinion, but it wasn't too full that she couldn't look around and take in her surroundings. It was soothing, not one of those bars that was filled with children, and the music, though not her favorite kind, was loud, but not so loud that you couldn't carry on a conversation. They found a table in the corner, and she sat down in the comfortable, black leather chair, her eyes looking around the dimly lit room, her eyes taking in the modern, sleek décor that filled the trendy lounge. She looked at the women who where there, their flawless make-up, tall, slim bodies that barely filled out their expensive designer clothes, though they still looked beautiful.

"So. You must be Buffy." She heard a soft Irish accent which caused her to look to the side. Not only had her drink arrived but so had Cordelia's boyfriend, well, at least she assumed it was Cordelia's boyfriend as his arm was resting securely around her waist, as though he was sending out a warning signal to any man who might think to try and touch her.

"That would be me." She smiled, sticking her hand out as he shook it.

"I'm Doyle." She liked him instantly. Though she was still baffled that Cordelia had even given him a second glance. It was probably one of the reasons that she liked him so much, it meant that he really must have cared enough about her to pursue her in the manner than he would have. But it was more than that, she could see that around him, Cordelia wasn't trying to be someone else. She just looked comfortable, and Buffy accounted that to the fact that Doyle loved her for who she was, not who he wanted her to be.

"It's great to meet you." She smiled warmly, taking her hand back and picking up the drink in front of her. She savored the taste of the pomegranate martini as she sipped it.

"It's great to finally meet you. This one talks about you all the time."

"Couldn't have been all good." Buffy smiled, she knew that it was the truth, she knew that she had hurt her friend when she had run off to New York and never looked back, never bothered to call or keep in touch.

"Well, you know." He shrugged, the last thing they all wanted was a serious conversation. "She mainly talked about how much she missed you." She smiled at him, letting him know she understood. "Oh, I hope you don't mind, I kind of invited my friend. He's been having a rough time and needed to come out. He should be here any…"

"Oh, my, god." Buffy said softly under her breath as he eyes glanced towards the door and the man that had just walked though. The rest of the table turned and saw what she had been looking at and Cordelia couldn't help but smile a little and hope that Buffy wouldn't stay mad at her forever. They kept their eyes on her, watching as she blushed a deep shade of crimson, or at least, they assumed she was, it was hard to tell from the soft red glow of the lights of the lounge.

She couldn't advert her eyes as she stared at him. Even after all these years he was still devastatingly handsome. It was something that she couldn't even deny back then but now, as she looked at the tight, dark jeans that he wore, and the black button down shirt that was stretched taught against his broad, muscular shoulders, she wasn't sure that he had ever looked as god like has he did now, standing in that club, making his way towards their table. Their eyes locked, and she realized that she wasn't breathing. Her mind was thinking at rapid paces, how much she wondered if he still smelled like ivory soap and spicy, aged wood; how much she wondered if his eyes were still just as dark and hypnotizing as they had once been; if his hands were still just as soft; if his lips could still hungrily attack her as they once had beneath the Roman sky.

"Hi Buffy…" He smiled as he reached her, ignoring the others at the table.

"Angel…" She whispered, realizing that all it took was one look and all that anger was out the window…

A/N:

Hey guys! I'm sorry it's been a few days! I know I'm usually a really quick updater but things have been really busy... My friend and I decided on Sunday to nix work and drive up to the city... Good for relaxing, bad for the schedule... And I had a test today and a lot of reading and of course... That was kind of thrown out to the side because I finally gave into the Twilight craze and spent four hours reading the first book and now have to get the second one... Probably another reason why I haven't gotten any work done...

Anyways, I hope that you like this new chapter! And I want to thank everyone for their comments! I love to hear what you have to say! And if you read Meet You There... I'd expect an update tomorrow evening...