Thank-you for being patient. A whole chapter couldn't explain all the things I've been dealing with these past three weeks so I won't bore you.
Hope you enjoy, and please review if you do like it.
Buffy and Joss both rule!
As the days passed things finally seemed to be going back to normal; patrolling was easy with the Slayer, Dawn started school again and Giles checked in once or twice every day to check on Buffy. Peaches called every day and actually spoke to both Buffy and me, asking how she was doing. I was sad to hear her apologizing to him for her outburst, I had hoped she'd stay pissed at him for a long time to come.
The Slayer still had a few of her 'blackouts' or 'episodes' as we had come to call them, but we easily overcame them. We had good days and bad days. Sometimes I would hear Buffy waking up crying in the middle of the night though, but she had never said anything about it.
As expected though, normal didn't last. In one of the training sessions me and the Slayer had things had taken a turn for the worst. Buffy had launched a particular heavy object at me and as I dashed out of the way it hit one of the water pipes behind me and we flooded the entire basement.
The whole gang came round to try save everything we could, even Red was there. Although they didn't really talk, just exchanged a few short words but Buffy did thank Willow for helping out at the end of the day. Perhaps the two of them would be back on track. Of course that wasn't the actual worst of it. Turns out that the Summers family were running pretty low on funds. Joyce's hospital bills had taken a large chuck of the money the girls had been left.
Will I had been living here with Dawn I had paid as much of the bills myself that I could, I even bought all of Bit's groceries. I felt ungrateful living here and using any of her money so I had pitched in where ever I could. Also giving Dawn pocket money when she wanted to go out. As it turns out now though, if I hadn't done that, Buffy would be completely flat broke. As the ex-demon explained the situation, Buffy took the news surprisingly well considering.
Giles and Anya stayed to help Buffy go through everything whilst running through ideas on how to come up with the money for all the pipes. Once Dawn was home though, the subject of money was off limits so both the Watcher and Anya left. Buffy set off for the kitchen to start dinner and I sat down with Dawn to help with her first bit of homework.
Buffy called us to the dinner table thirty minutes and we all sat and chatted about how Bit's first days at school had been. As I helped Buffy clear the table after we had all finished I noticed she wasn't really responding the way she usually did. She seemed to be on autopilot, which she hadn't done in a while.
I followed her into the kitchen and watched as she dumped the plates into the sink but as she turned the tap on she just stood there, seemingly mesmerized by the water. I called her name, but she didn't answer.
Right on schedule the phone rang. Peaches called at the same time every day. I reluctantly walked to the phone as Buffy still stood there. She probably just needed some time to process things. "Buffy?" asked Angel instantly as I picked up the phone. "Sorry mate, just plain ol' me tonight." We had come to an unspoken agreement while on the phone, neither us of would try rile up the other and it was just strictly business.
"Good day or bad?" he asked. I looked up at Buffy and walked through into the living room. Wouldn't be fair to talk about her whilst we were in the same room. "In the middle I think buddy. She's been doing well all day but she found out there's hardly money left from the bunch that Joyce left. We've gotta pay for a full copper re-pipe in the basement, so we're in a bit of a tight spot at the moment" I explained.
"Well then I'll transfer some money over for her." The way he said it was so final that it ticked me off. "Peaches, are you forgetting who we're bloody dealing with here? Don't you think that option has already been suggested and then shot down. This is Buffy, she'd never accept it."
"Well persuade her to then Spike, I'm trying to help."
"She'll never go for it mate, you know that. But enough about the money. Buffy is in the kitchen at the moment, but I don't think she's really there, if you know what I mean." Angel let out a huge sigh down the phone.
"One of those episodes?" he asked in a sad voice. He still seemed to take it pretty hard when I had to explain the Slayers bad days. "No. Buffy used to do it when she first came back, sort of retreating into herself when she thought no one was looking. I should go though, Peaches. Make sure she's doing alright." Slowly Angel agrees but asks if I'll tell him how it goes when he calls tomorrow.
As I round the corner to replace the phone I only get to utter half a syllable of Buffy's name before something crashes through the front door. The Slayer switches instantly, going on full alert, racing out into the hallway. I race out behind her and hear Dawn scream from the top of the stairs.
Buffy is already wrestling with a green demon twice the size of her. The demon flips her off him with ease and I jump right in throwing punches and sending him reeling back to crash into the coffee table and smashing it to pieces. "Not the table!" Buffy exclaimed. I yanked the demon up by the arm and Buffy ran in to send a flying kick to the guys face which sends the intruder reeling but unfortunately he hurtles into another object and smashes it. "Hey watch it! That's a designer lamp you mook!"
After that the Slayer gets real angry and proper flies off the handle at the piece of scum. Buffy ushers him into the kitchen with vicious blows and tells me to open the basement door. I realise what she's doing and manage to wretch open the door just in time watch her send the demon flying downwards but he has a good hold on Buffy and they both go clattering down the steps.
I rush down quickly to help the Slayer finish the wanker off. We leave the body down in the basement, vowing to clean it up in the morning. Buffy starts walking around the house to survey all the damage that's been caused.
I head up the stairs to make sure Dawn is ok as Buffy's taking inventory. After a few minutes I head back down in search of the Slayer but she's not in the kitchen anymore. I listen carefully and then follow the sounds of soft sobs out the back door and onto the decking in the back garden.
I slide down and sit next to Buffy on the steps. Before I can even start asking her what's up she speaks up. "I can't do this" she says whimpering. I move a little closer to her and rest my arm around her shoulders. Buffy leans into my embrace and we sit there for a minute or two while she attempts to compose herself.
"How did mum ever pay for all this damage, I've trashed the house so many times before" she says quietly once there are no more tears falling. "We'll fix it, love. No need to worry, we'll figure a way to get the money for the basement and the repairs to the house." Buffy sniffles for a little bit before looking up at me. Her face looks so beautiful in the moonlight, the tears lingering on her skin sparkle and I use my other hand to wipe them away.
I'm transported back to a time when we were in a similar situation on these very steps when her dear old mum was ill. "How can you be so optimistic about everything Spike? You said you could help me when you didn't even know how bad I was back in the beginning, you think I'll be ok even though I'm having a hard time. You talk like you already know how things will turn out."
I'm intrigued by her question but there's only one answer I can give. "It's because I believe in you Buffy. You have the ability to overcome things the rest of us could never even begin to understand or dream of ever being capable of overcoming. No one will ever know how hard it was for you to send Angel to hell back then; I saw that when you two were fighting that you didn't want to. But I also saw the fierce determination in your eyes that meant you knew what had to be done, to put your own feelings aside." I place my hands on either side of her face and turn her towards me. Silent tears are again flowing freely from her gorgeous eyes. "No one in this world will ever be as brave as you Buffy" I saw, using my thumbs to wipe the tears away.
Buffy heaves a massive sigh and leans her head against mine. She doesn't linger there long though, Buffy tilts her head back a tiny bit so that were eye level. The Slayer takes hold of my hands without looking away from me. She twines our fingers together gently and leans in slowly. Our lips brush together softly in another small kiss but we both linger, refusing to give up the small piece of contact. "Thank-you" she whispers against my lips.