xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Author's Note: Okay, I know it's been too long but my biceps problem was a little more severe than I originally thought. Typing those several chapters was a great strain and kept it aggravated so I've been on a forced rest. Anyway, here's hoping that I've healed up enough to get some chapters out, although not a bunch in one week like last time. Moderation in all things…

Disclaimer: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are owned by Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and Fox studios. This story is not meant to infringe upon anyone's rights, only to entertain.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Seventy-Seven

xxxx

Further Conversations

xxxx

"Willow!" her mother called through her closed bedroom door.

With an apology to Buffy, Willow left the room to talk to her mother. It was unfortunate that her mom was actually home this evening. Willow had hoped to have Buffy spend the night but her mother would never permit that on a school night. Willow suspected the rule had more to do with not inconveniencing her mother than with any concern over Willow's sleep or school performance, which was never in doubt anyway. Her mom just didn't want to be bothered by having Willow's friends about underfoot and the 'no sleepovers on a school night' rule was as good an excuse as any for keeping them away.

If her mother only knew how few people she was actually keeping away.

"There's a young hoodlum on the porch who wishes to speak to you," she informed her daughter. "Oh, and Bunny needs to go home. It's after eight o'clock, and it's a school night." With a vague nod to her daughter, Mrs Rosenberg drifted away down the hall and went back to reading her book.

xxxxxx

Willow found Spike sitting on her front steps. He didn't move when she clicked the door shut behind her but she was certain he knew she was there. She watched him for a moment; he slouched carelessly, one hand dangling between his knees, the other holding a cigarette. She couldn't understand how someone so still could appear to be so aggressively active, but that was Spike. She sat down next to him and neither spoke for a minute.

"She's inside, yeah?" he exhaled a cloud of smoke which made her cough. "Sorry," he muttered and stabbed the cigarette out on the step.

Willow frowned at the butt that now stained the cement. "Yep."

He glanced sideways at her. "She goin' home tonight?"

"Yeah, but Spike --"

"Give 'er this, then," he stopped her, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a box.

Willow took the box from him with a puzzled frown. "What--"

"Just give it to 'er," he repeated gruffly as he stood and started to stride away down the walkway. He turned at the front gate and looked back over his shoulder. "Tell 'er…tell her if she can forgive me to give me a call tonight. Or even, if she can't, jus' call to let me know she's okay, yeah?"

"Sure, I'll tell her," Willow looked at the box again, then toward Spike. "But what…"

He was already gone.

xxxxx

The house was eerily still when Buffy arrived home just before nine. The downstairs was dark but for the light in the entry hall so she went straight to her room, relieved that there would be no unhappy confrontations this evening. Quickly she closed her bedroom door and placed a chair against the doorknob. She'd seen that work in a movie and hoped it carried through in the real world. She didn't want any visitors tonight.

She made fast work of getting ready for bed, then settled back against her headboard and took out the box Spike had left for her. She had to smile at it. He had been a complete and total jerk to her today, but he was trying, he really was. She couldn't believe he had bought this for her. It was a gesture both of trust and protection, all wrapped up in one little plastic rectangle.

She held in her hands a prepaid cell phone, with numbers for her friends and 911 already programmed in.

With a teary sigh, Buffy hit one on the speed dial. Spike picked up on the first ring.

xxxxx

The next morning Spike drove Buffy to school and they had a long talk about what they were now euphemistically calling 'the situation'. Buffy agreed to be as careful as possible, to let him know if things were going badly, and to use the cell phone to call for help if anything got out of hand at home, and Spike agreed to trust her to do that. He was far from satisfied with that resolution but it was the best he could come up with and it would have to do for now. Privately he was still determined to get her out of there, but he knew better than to voice that aloud for the time being.

xxxxx

Spike dropped Buffy off at home after school although he was loathe to do so. She gave him a stern look and warned him that he'd promised to trust her, and he had to agree that he did promise. She had homework to finish and a date to prepare for, she reminded him. With a sigh he pulled her in for a fierce hug and a kiss and let her go. He watched her walk up to her front door with a fierce intensity. When she turned to wave goodbye he plastered a smile on his face, knowing it was expected.

If this was going to work he was going to have to at least seem to be okay with it. Even if it killed him.

xxxxx

Perfect, Buffy groaned inwardly. Both John and Ben had settled in the family room this afternoon, and a quick dash upstairs had been thwarted when she let the front door close too loudly and caught their attention. Called out now, she reluctantly made an appearance in the kitchen to say hello, grab a snack, and get out of there as quickly as possible.

After a wisp of small talk John excused himself to head upstairs to make some business calls, leaving Buffy alone with Ben.

Buffy looked at Ben, then looked toward where John had gone and back to Ben. There just was no easy answer to which direction was safest here. Alone down here with Ben or alone upstairs with John? She chose Ben.

She avoided sitting with him by making herself a snack as slowly as she could. After a little inconsequential small talk she couldn't handle it any more and extricated herself to flee up the stairs. She hurried past John's office as quiet as a church mouse and shut herself up in her room again, chair firmly in place against the knob.

She stood very still and stared at her door for a full minute, waiting to see if anyone tried to follow her in. When nothing happened, she let out an exhausted sigh. This was going to get very old, very fast.

xxxxx

It may have been a mistake to take Buffy to The Wild Boar this Thursday evening, Spike thought ruefully. In his preoccupation with 'the situation' he'd forgotten about St Patrick's Day. The place was packed and noisy with both real and faux drunken Irish celebrants. Fortunately, Doyle let them have a booth in the far corner where there was a little less noise and congestion.

"Everything go okay at home today?" he asked with as much carelessness as he could.

"Fine, no problems."

Buffy smiled a little too brightly, but he let it pass. He was determined to trust her to let him know if things were bad. He couldn't fail on the first try. "Good then, that's good."

After an awkward silence, Buffy decided to change the subject before the date was completely doomed. "What was Ms. Robeson wearing today? All that green satin, with the ruffles?"

"Yeah, it looked like the Jolly Green Giant swallowed 'er."

Buffy laughed. This was more like it. "Yeah, and Mr Lancaster just pasted on that piece of green duct tape to his lapel so he'd have something green."

"Didn't get the memo, I guess." Spike smiled. It was stupid small talk but at least they were laughing and becoming comfortable again, so it was good. He thought perhaps this date was going to be all right after all. "And did you see--"

"I think we should do it now," Buffy blurted out of nowhere.

Spike stopped short and tilted his head in puzzlement. "Do what, luv?"

Buffy gulped a large swig of Diet Coke and cleared her throat. "It," she blushed.

Spike stared at her in confusion for a moment before comprehension hit. "It!?" he almost choked. "Now?!"

"Shh," she motioned for him to lower his voice. "Not now, not tonight," she leaned closer to whisper. "But we should make plans, you know? To…you know?"

Spike sat stunned for another moment. This was an unexpected turn of conversation. He took a long drink as well, then sat back a bit to consider his girlfriend. She was still blushing, but she was also gazing at him with the sweetest smile and love in her eyes and he knew she really meant what she was saying this time.

He smiled back at her and took her hands in his own, and nodded with as much gravity as his swelling heart would allow. "Yeah, we should make plans. If you're sure."

She gazed at him squarely in the eyes and nodded. "I'm sure."

They held hands over the table and just stared at each other for a few minutes until their order arrived. Spike was thinking wildly of how to sort this all out properly for her.

Buffy was completely overwhelmed by the enormity of what she had just agreed to and how totally right it all seemed. She was giddy and scared and excited all at once. But above all else, she was calm. Because she knew with perfect clarity that it was time, and that she would have no regrets.

xxxxxxxxx

Please let me know what you think. Sara