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Life Lessons Part Four


"Was your night a tenth as good as mine was?" Buffy asked Angel as he walked her to the door. "Yeah, I think so. At least it was a ninth. I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt, though." Buffy punched him in the arm. "Thanks a lot! You're quite a charmer aren't you? I really did have a great night. Thanks."

"I had a great night, too. I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Angel leaned down and kissed her. He kissed her deeply, and kept on kissing her. This went on for a while.

"Angel?" Buffy said as she pulled herself from him. "Uh, not to sound like a prude or anything, but your hands were just doing things that shouldn't be done on the front porch of my house. I'm pretty sure Mrs. Fuller has seen enough. It will probably 'slip' out when she's talking to my mom tomorrow."

"Sorry." Angel said, a little unfocused on what she was saying. He could still feel her lips against his. He wanted her so badly that he couldn't think straight. He knew Buffy was pulling him somewhere, and his body followed her. He was mindless, just looking at her, with a slight smile on her lips and her eyes bright, looking up at him with the expectation of something. He snapped out of it as he hit the entrance of the door. Buffy stood right inside of her house, looking questioningly at Angel.

"Angel? Aren't you going to come inside?" Angel felt the barrier between the house and himself disappear, and he almost fell forward. "Uh, Buffy. I think I'm going to go home. WE both need to get a good night's sleep tonight. I'll see you tomorrow night." With that, Angel turned to leave, a slightly bewildered Buffy looking after him.

Angel walked to the cemetery, and knocked on the door to Spikes crypt.
"Bloody hell, Peaches, you're getting softer on me. I thought one date with the Slayer would have you growlin' at everyone in a five meter radius. Guess I gave you more benefit than you deserve."

"I don't know why I'm here Spike, but if you bug me, I swear I'll go back to Giles and ask him if his offer of a place to stay still stands."

"I don't know why you left there in the first place. So, explain it to me Peaches. I would've thought you would turn the old man down when he suggested you stay there in the first place. Then the next thing I know, you're banging on my door. Did you miss me that much?"

"You wouldn't understand, Spike."

"Try me. After the Slayer's mum got sick, I've been getting better at understanding."

Angel looked up at Spike. After a moment he said, "He had a picture of Jenny. I found it in one of the books I was looking through. I couldn't stay after that."

If Angel had been looking at Spike when he finished the story, he would have seen a look of sympathy cross his face before he thought to cover it up. 'I'm getting' as soft as lover boy' he thought to himself. "You're right, Angel. I don't understand. It was a nice story anyway. Sort of gets me right here." Spike patted the portion of his chest where his dead heart was.

"Whatever, Spike. I'm going to bed."

"Did you enjoy the movie?"

"How did you know we went to a movie?"

Spike just shrugged his shoulder. "What else did you do?"

"What?"

"What else did you and the Slayer do on your bloody date?"

"Oh. We went to dinner before the movie. That's it. Why?"

"Dunno. I just always wondered she likes to do. Besides running through graveyards and sharpening sticks. I mean, I know she likes to play pool. She's pretty good too. We were playing just the other night, and she actually got the eight ball in the side pocket on the right hand side, just after she called it. Of course she was wearing that shirt. You know the one I'm talking about. I think that might be her lucky shirt. I can't remember a time that she has worn that shirt and gotten hurt. Can you?"

Angel had been staring at Spike ever since he started rambling on about Buffy. "Unbelievable."

"What's so bloody unbelievable, Peaches? This is my lucky jacket. Everybody's got a lucky something. She's even got a bloody lucky stake!"

"Spike, you're in love with her."

"Sod off you soulful Poof! I love me, and that's about it."

"You're in love with Buffy!"

"I am not!"

"Yes you are! I can tell! Does she know, I mean did she know?"

"Bloody hell! If you say that one more time I'm going to - ugh! Bloody chip! See what you're doing to me? Fuck this, I'm leaving."

"Spike, come on! Don't go! I promise I won't say that you love Buffy..." the door of the crypt slamming shut cut off his words.

Later that night, Angel woke up when he heard a drunk Spike walking into the crypt. "I'm not in luuuuv with the bloo'y Shlayer. I'm not. I'd like to shlay her...right in my bed... no! I 'ate the bloo'y shlayer." Angel tried not to laugh out loud, his shoulders shaking with the effort. He heard Spike fall on top of his bed.

"Spike?" Angel asked quietly. After a moment, there was no answer. Satisfied that Spike passed out, Angel let out a bark of laughter before turning over and going to sleep.


"Do you know where my bloody blanket is? I'm not going to sit around here all day with you again."

"Where are you going to go once you find the blanket?"

"Well, Slayer gets her memory back today, thought I'd go over there and rile her up a bit. Might be fun."

"I'll look for the blanket over here."

"Thought you might, Peaches."

In less than fifteen minutes both vampires were out the door. In less than five minutes they were at Giles' house.

"Uh, guys? What's with the blankets?"

"Well Buffy, Spike here has sort of got one of those comfort problems. Can't really go anywhere without his blanky. Right, Spike."

"Right, you bloody wanker."

"Anyway, we're ready start the spell. Tara and Willow have everything ready. Giles said that you two would probably show up, so we were waiting for you."

"Well, we're here, so lets get the bloody show on the road. By the by, what's the stake for?"

There was a powder circle in the center of Giles' living room, Buffy was already standing inside, holding a stake.

"Buffy has to be holding something that was important to her, before she lost her memory. Alright, Tara, are you ready?"

"Yes. Come stand by me and take my hand."

Tara and Willow stood by the circle, holding hand. They began to chant the same lines over and over again. Buffy stood in the center, gripping the stake, her knuckles turning white, her brow furrowed in pain. Thoughts and words and actions circled her mind again and again. Buffy started screaming in agony. Angel stepped forward to go to her, but was held back by Giles. He didn't say anything, but gave a harsh look from Angel, to the circle, and back. Angel got the hint and took a step back. The chant finished and Buffy fell to the floor, curling up in the fetal position, still moaning. "Now you can go to her." Giles said to Angel.

Angel went to Buffy and knelt down beside her. He picked her up in his arms and sat with her on the floor. He whispered words in her ear, and smoothed back her hair, which was matted with sweat. "Angel", Buffy croaked.

"I'm here. Can I get you anything?"

"Water. Please."

Angel got up and went to the kitchen. As soon as he opened the cabinet to get a glass out, he heard voices raised and rushed back in. Everyone was at the door, the door standing open. "Where's Buffy?"

"She's gone. As soon as you got up, the little pisser ran for the door. Got a good handle on her before she threw me against that bloody wall."

"Willow, Xander, I can't go after her. Find her please."

Willow and Xander were out the door before he finished.

"I think it would be a good idea if you and Spike went back to the crypt. We'll call you when we find her."

Angel stared at Giles, then reluctantly nodded his head. He grabbed the blanket and threw it over him and Spike. With one last look at Giles, they left the house.



"Buffy! Buffy!" Willow and Xander were walking all over the neighborhood, looking for Buffy. They had gone to her house first, but her mother said that she wasn't there yet. They had already been to the cemetery. Xander half jokingly said they should walk up and down every street yelling her name, and after forty-five minutes, the joke became their best option.

"Buffy! Come out, come out, where ever you are!" Xander shouted

"Buffy! Come on! Where are you!" Willow pleaded loudly

"Hey guys. You've been gone for like, two hours. Thought you'd like some help." Willow and Xander turned to find Anya, Cordelia, Dawn, Giles, and Tara.
"We even brought our tennis shoes." Dawn said proudly

"Thanks guys. I'm getting the feeling, however that she doesn't want to be found. Will and I have walked up and down every street at least three times, and still no Buffster."

"Well, I think we can all say that the spell was hard on her. I just hope that it didn't cause any serious damage."

"Well, I know a thing or three about images being shoved into your head in under a minute, but the girl had some serious memories to deal with. She probably wants to be left alone until she can figure it all out."

"Cordelia's right. Why don't you all go home. If anyone sees her, please let the rest of us know. I for one am completely exhausted. I'm sure that Buffy will show up at someone's house, if not her own. Good night."

"Good night, Giles" Everyone chorused.



As soon as the sun was down, Angel and Spike set out to find Buffy. They spent three hours walking and retracing their steps, and still found no sign of her. "I'm going back now, Peaches. You can stay out here looking for the bloody girl all you want, but I'm hungry. Are you coming?"

"No. I want to look for her a little longer. She has to be around here somewhere."

"Suite yourself." Spike lit up the last cigarette of his pack and walked away.
He was nearing the crypt when an almost silent sound made him look up. He saw what looked like the tip of a shoe hanging over the top of the crypt. Spike, with one swift leap, was on top of the mausoleum, looking down at Buffy.

She was just lying there, on her back. Her eyes were open, but staring unseeingly at he stars in the sky. Spike felt one moment of dread until he noticed the rise and fall of her chest. "You're in my way" she said.

"So bloody sorry, Slayer." He turned to leave

"Lay down"

"What?"

"You heard me. Lay down."

Spike looked at her curiously before lying down next to the Slayer.

"It's sort of comforting, you know. If you stare long enough, the stars become your world. Nothing but the stars. No demons, no death, no heartbreaks, no responsibilities. Nothing. You could lose yourself in the stars."

"That may be, Slayer, but think about how many of those stars are already burnt out. They might shine here, but they no longer exist. They're real to us, but not real at all."

"Like me."

"Now that's a little conceited. How are you anything like a star?"

"I'm still here. But I burnt out a long time ago."

"Are you talking about that stupid fledging that got a lucky jab?"

"And other things. I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I'm so damned unhappy all the time. I don't know if you've noticed or not, but I've turned into a complete bitch."

"I've noticed."

"Spike. I didn't mean what I said."

"Well you should. You are a bitch."

"Not that" Buffy said with a sort laugh. "I didn't mean to say that you were beneath me. You're not. You never have been. I understand that you can't hurt any of us because of the chip, but you go a step further. You HELP us. You could have let the madness demon kill me. It wouldn't have set the chip off. You knew that, but you still threw me a stick." Buffy took her eyes off the sky and looked at Spike.

"I won't say that I love you Spike, but I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you. Regardless of how you feel about it, or how much you bitch and complain about it, you're a part of my life. Everyone's life actually. My mother adores you."

"Does she now? That girls got taste."

"Spike. I like having you in my life. I like you always being around, even when you're being mean, saying bloody this, bloody that. Even though this will probably piss you off, you ARE my friend."

"Well. Don't know what to say about that. You'll have to give me the chance to get used to it."

"No I don't. You're already used to it. Aren't you?"

"Yeah, Slayer, I guess I am."

"Are you glad you're my friend?"

"Yeah. Are you glad you're MY friend?"

"Yeah."

"Good"

"Yeah, good"

"Ya' know, Peaches is still looking around for you. I'm sure the other are worried sick too."

"I need to call someone and tell them I'm all right. I can't see him right now."

"Why's that?"

"He was human."

"The ring was powerful, but it didn't make him human."

"Not that. He was human. Heartbeat and everything else. He asked the Oracles to take the day back, make him a human again."

"Now why would he do that?"

"He said that he wouldn't be strong enough to help me if he was human. But he isn't here, is he. If he stayed a vampire for me, then why isn't he here to make sure that I don't die. If that's why he gave up our life together, then why isn't he here to make sure that it wasn't for nothing?"

"Slayer, I don't know if you know this or not, but every time you break a bloody nail he calls Giles to see if he should come to file it down for you. He isn't one of my favorite people, but he loves you with his soul. And considering the situation, I'd say that's means a lot. So stop being so selfish and go find the bloke. Just don't make him too happy, there's still that whole Angelus thing that even I don't want to deal with again."

"Did he tell you that Drusilla is back?"

"Dru? In Sunnydale!"

"No. A law firm in LA found her and brought her back. It's the same firm that brought Darla back from hell and made her human. Dru turned her."

"Bloody hell. I'm guessing that Peaches didn't like that too much."

"He's absolutely obsessed about it. He thinks it's his fault, that he didn't do enough to stop it."

"Well, he takes the blame for everything. Shouldn't surprise you. God, Dru. I can't believe she's back, and didn't even come and see me. Course, now I wouldn't want her to see me."

"Are you telling me that you're over her?"

"God, no! I'm a fucking impotent vampire, and I've got a slayer as my best friend. Why in the bloody hell would I want her to see me like this?"

"Spike, Spike, Spike. Go inside. Have some blood. I'll see you later on."

"See ya Slayer"


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