A/N: Sorry this took so long to update, I've been having troubles with my ffnet account. But they all seem to be sorted out now, and as a reward for all the lovely reviews you're getting 4 chapters all at once.
Chapter
Eleven
Buffy followed Spike through the corridors of Wolfram and Hart and into a small, padded room. She looked around curiously, wondering what this was doing inside the formal office building.
"It's our training room. All safely padded so you can play 'kick the Spike' without having to worry bout some accidental table leg staking me before your finished ranting."
"Good." With that simple word, Buffy stepped towards Spike and punched him, sending Spike sprawling onto the floor. "What took you so long. How could you let us think you were dead!"
"I still am dead. Vampire remember?" Spike shot out his foot, but Buffy jumped and avoided his blow. "Plus I for ages I wasn't even really here." Spike flipped himself back onto his feet.
"What do you mean?" Buffy queried as she sent a foot flying towards his head.
"I was a ghost, pet. Walking through walls and popping up behind people." Spike replied as he ducked. "Couldn't touch anything, spent my time finding ways to annoy Peaches. How was I supposed to phone you if I couldn't pick one up?"
"What? And no-one else around here could have held the phone for you?" Buffy bent backwards as Spike's fist flew towards her face.
"Too busy fighting evil and dealing with their own problems pet." Spike replied as Buffy kicked out her foot, sending him flying backwards.
"Well your solid now. What's your excuse for not phoning?"
"What, 'hello pet, guess what, I didn't burn up saving the world like you thought'. Not exactly an easy call to make. Figured I deserved being remembered as a hero for a while."
"What about what I deserved Spike?" Buffy questioned as she strode towards him. " In-case you hadn't noticed you weren't the only one who was fighting back in Sunnydale!"
"Sorry, too busy dying to notice!"
"But you didn't die did you, not really. You're back!"
"Not my choice pet. If it was left up to me I wouldn't be back." Somehow, the actual fighting had been forgotten as they began to shout at each other.
"What, you'd rather be dead!"
"Not like I have anything keeping me here!"
"What about the people who care about you?!"
"Right. And who's that exactly?!"
"God Spike do I need to spell it out! You think I tell people I love them for the fun of it? And it wasn't because you were dying it was because it was true! When you were dying Spike, the thought of never seeing you again, made me realise how much I care! God, I mourned for you Spike, and all the time you were just hanging around with Angel and…."
The end of her sentence was cut off as Spike captured her lips in the kiss he had been dying to give her since she had walked off the plane and back into his unlife. When he pulled back slowly, the look in Buffy's eyes told him everything he needed to know.
"I missed you too. And I'm sorry it took me so long to call, but I was scared of how you would react. I thought you'd go back to your usual denial of how you felt for me, and I couldn't bare to go through that again. I figured if you never knew I was alive, I would never have to find out. I was wrong, and I'm sorry."
"Wow Spike, did you just say you were wrong? That has to be a first!"
"And it's not likely to happen again anytime soon, either." Spike replied as he pulled Buffy into his arms.
"I love you Spike. More than you'll ever know."
"Oh, I think I have a good idea pet. Coz I feel the same way."
- - - - - - - -- -- - - - - -
Outside the padded room, Michael stood with his arms around Maria. When Liz and Max had gone off to meet the jet, they had been told to make themselves at home. Michael and Maria had gone to 'explore', but had been drawn to the sounds of the raised voices. Now, as they heard Buffy and Spike's confessions of love, Maria turned to gaze up into his eyes.
"They remind me of us. The first time we kissed, because you were trying to calm me down." Michael smiled as the memory of that night came back to him.
"That's not really why I kissed you, calming you down was just an excuse. Truth is, you tempt me, and you weren't the only one on edge that night. I was nervous, and I acted on impulse. I wanted you, and despite how much I thought being involved was a mistake, my heart didn't really care." Michael pulled Maria closer to him and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I love you Maria."
"Ditto Spaceboy."
