Buffy slowly opened her eyes in the dimly lit room. The blond slayer found herself lying on the musty wooden floor. She had expected to be in pain, remembering how she had left, but was surprised to find she felt fine, great even. She remembered about the others and quickly scanned the room as she sat up. Giles and Spike were together helping the two witches sit themselves up. They had been flung pretty hard and they probably would feel it for a while.
Xander suddenly appeared in the doorway beside them, holding his head in one hand and looking at everyone.
"Ah, so I see everyone is fine then," he remarked. "Well, I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one knocked out flat."
Spike and Giles both looked at each other sadly, not sure of how to tell him or the other two.
"Hey, Buff, you okay?" Xander asked, concerned. "It looks like she got a piece of you. That and you look a bit out of it."
"Xander," Giles started, standing back up from where he had been kneeling. "There's something we need to talk about."
Buffy began to stand up, still not noticed by the two witnesses of her death.
"Oh for bloody Pete's sake, boy," Spike began, apparently very agitated and upset. "She's dead, okay. The bloody witch killed 'er."
Xander looked at him for a moment then back at Buffy, then to Giles.
"Is this some kind of sick joke? Some way to mess with Xander's head trying to tell him he's seeing ghosts and what not. I mean, I know this is the Hellmouth, and called that for a very good reason, but this is just...wrong."
"I...if it's true then t...they're messing with my head too," Willow added from her seat on the floor, looking very confused.
"No one is messing with any one's head," Buffy replied, clearing things up for them.
Both Spike and Giles turned with the same exasperated look covering their face.
"Oh good lord," Giles finally said, unable to understand what had happened. "But y...you..."
"I was," Buffy said simply to her watcher.
"Okay, I'm feeling a little in the dark here," Xander concluded. "What exactly did I miss?"
Giles moved forward, ignoring Xander, and drew his pupil into a warm embrace. After a moment, he pulled away to examine her, as if making sure she were really alive and well.
"B...but the dagger..." he exclaimed.
Buffy looked down and moved her shirt, exposing where the dagger had been impaled. She wiped away some of the blood, revealing the healed skin. Not a trace of the injury could be seen.
"How...?" He seemed to be at a loss for words.
"I think I'd rather talk about it later," Buffy answered, looking sadly at the ground.
Then she then looked back up at Spike, who hadn't made a move. "Spike," she whispered softly.
That was all it took. In a brief moment, he was in front of her, holding her tightly in his arms. Giles began to back away from the two as Buffy wrapped hers around him in response. The young woman pressed her head against his cool chest and closed her eyes. The entire world seemed to vanish and all that mattered was that she was in his arms again.
It took her a few minutes to realize that she had started crying. Crying for the life that had been given in exchange for hers and crying out of happiness for having her life given back. After what seemed to be an eternity, she pulled back just enough to look him in the face. She was amazed to see tears staining his cheeks as well. She brought a hand up to wipe some away and forced a smile.
"I...I though' you were gone," he said finally. "No, you were gone. Weren't you?"
"Yes," she whispered in reply. "I died...and Crea..."
Buffy looked away, sadly.
"She...she said she couldn't let me die. She gave her life for mine. She gave me her 'magic.' I didn't want her to, I mean, I didn't want to die, but I didn't want to take her life in exchange for mine. I tried to tell her that, but she said it was too late. It was already done. She didn't want me to break my promise."
Spike smiled and held her closely as she began to sob once more.
"Yeah, pet,' he said understandingly. "I 'ad that experience myself not too long ago. It just so 'appened that a certain young woman seemed to 'ave the bright idea that it would be good to save my life."
Buffy's tears had paused for a while when she looked back at him.
"Yep, she knew she was 'eading in a sticky situation, but that didn't faze 'er one bit. I even told 'er that I wasn't worth i', but she didn't seem to care. She saved me alrigh', but she got 'erself killed in the process. She gave 'er life for mine. She 'ad made a promise to me that I would see 'er soon. I thought she wouldn't be able to keep i'. The worse par' of that, though, was that I didn't even get a chance to tell 'er I loved 'er. Such simple words, but they meant so much. She told me, but I couldn't answer. Can you imagine th..."
"I love you William."
The simplicity and familiarness of the statement caught Spike by surprise. He quickly regathered himself and smiled down at the slayer in his arms.
"I love you too, Buffy."
............................................
"Um...Giles..." Xander said uncertainly as the watcher came back to the side viewers. "Are you going to explain this?" He motioned to where Buffy and Spike stood, holding each other tightly.
"Since when did...this...happen?"
"Well, "Giles started. "I'm not sure exactly, but they have both been through a lot lately. We all have..." He seemed to say the last part more to himself than to the others.
"Well, I think it's very sweet," Willow remarked, standing up and helping Tara do the same.
"Did she really die?" Tara asked, concerned. "Is she okay now?"
"Y...yes," Giles stuttered. "She gave both of us quite a scare. I can't figure out what happened. There was no way she would have survived. She was dead."
"Maybe it was Crea," Willow pointed out. "We don't know how much fairies can do. You know, with their magic and all."
"Maybe." Giles started to become lost in his own thoughts, but he caught himself before he had gone too far. "I'm sure she will tell us everything later, after she collects herself. There will be a lot of questions that need answering."
"Yeah, like that for one," Xander said sharply, motioning to the pair who had just started a very passionate kiss. "You'd think she'd learn." He added.
"I...I think we should leave them alone," Willow suggested. "I'm sure they can make it back. Give them some time to themselves."
"Y...yes, that would be best," Giles agreed as the small group began to head towards the small stairway.
He was the last to go out the door and turned to look at the couple one more time. He smiled contentedly. Even though this vampire didn't have what they knew of as a soul, his heart still knew love. If a fairy even thought that these two had a chance, who was he to intercede. But heaven forbid that creature ever does anything to hurt her. He wouldn't think twice about pulling a stake on him.
Giles turned his back on the two and continued after the scoobies.
..............................................
"Sweety," Joyce called from downstairs. "Don't you have to leave for class in a few minutes."
"Oh no," Buffy groaned as she jumped out of bed. "I am SO dead."
She had exactly five minutes before she had to leave.
She dashed past her mirror on her way to her closet. She paused briefly and went back to look at herself. She looked like a mess. Her hair seemed to be jutting out from every angle on her head and her pajamas were all wrinkled. She thought carefully for a brief moment before trying the experiment. She didn't have anything to lose.
Buffy closed her eyes, thinking carefully and moved her hand down the front of her body. She opened her eyes, scared with what she might find. She was wonderfully surprised when she found her hair fixed nicely and a new pair of clothes covering her body.
'Yes!!!,' she thought excitedly to herself. 'In case I haven't thanked you a million times, thank you so much Crea, for everything.'
She grabbed her books and purse that were resting on her desk and dashed out the door. The motioned caused a slight breeze to drift through the room. A little voice flowed from it, so silent that no mortal's ears could have heard.
'You're Welcome.'
Xander suddenly appeared in the doorway beside them, holding his head in one hand and looking at everyone.
"Ah, so I see everyone is fine then," he remarked. "Well, I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one knocked out flat."
Spike and Giles both looked at each other sadly, not sure of how to tell him or the other two.
"Hey, Buff, you okay?" Xander asked, concerned. "It looks like she got a piece of you. That and you look a bit out of it."
"Xander," Giles started, standing back up from where he had been kneeling. "There's something we need to talk about."
Buffy began to stand up, still not noticed by the two witnesses of her death.
"Oh for bloody Pete's sake, boy," Spike began, apparently very agitated and upset. "She's dead, okay. The bloody witch killed 'er."
Xander looked at him for a moment then back at Buffy, then to Giles.
"Is this some kind of sick joke? Some way to mess with Xander's head trying to tell him he's seeing ghosts and what not. I mean, I know this is the Hellmouth, and called that for a very good reason, but this is just...wrong."
"I...if it's true then t...they're messing with my head too," Willow added from her seat on the floor, looking very confused.
"No one is messing with any one's head," Buffy replied, clearing things up for them.
Both Spike and Giles turned with the same exasperated look covering their face.
"Oh good lord," Giles finally said, unable to understand what had happened. "But y...you..."
"I was," Buffy said simply to her watcher.
"Okay, I'm feeling a little in the dark here," Xander concluded. "What exactly did I miss?"
Giles moved forward, ignoring Xander, and drew his pupil into a warm embrace. After a moment, he pulled away to examine her, as if making sure she were really alive and well.
"B...but the dagger..." he exclaimed.
Buffy looked down and moved her shirt, exposing where the dagger had been impaled. She wiped away some of the blood, revealing the healed skin. Not a trace of the injury could be seen.
"How...?" He seemed to be at a loss for words.
"I think I'd rather talk about it later," Buffy answered, looking sadly at the ground.
Then she then looked back up at Spike, who hadn't made a move. "Spike," she whispered softly.
That was all it took. In a brief moment, he was in front of her, holding her tightly in his arms. Giles began to back away from the two as Buffy wrapped hers around him in response. The young woman pressed her head against his cool chest and closed her eyes. The entire world seemed to vanish and all that mattered was that she was in his arms again.
It took her a few minutes to realize that she had started crying. Crying for the life that had been given in exchange for hers and crying out of happiness for having her life given back. After what seemed to be an eternity, she pulled back just enough to look him in the face. She was amazed to see tears staining his cheeks as well. She brought a hand up to wipe some away and forced a smile.
"I...I though' you were gone," he said finally. "No, you were gone. Weren't you?"
"Yes," she whispered in reply. "I died...and Crea..."
Buffy looked away, sadly.
"She...she said she couldn't let me die. She gave her life for mine. She gave me her 'magic.' I didn't want her to, I mean, I didn't want to die, but I didn't want to take her life in exchange for mine. I tried to tell her that, but she said it was too late. It was already done. She didn't want me to break my promise."
Spike smiled and held her closely as she began to sob once more.
"Yeah, pet,' he said understandingly. "I 'ad that experience myself not too long ago. It just so 'appened that a certain young woman seemed to 'ave the bright idea that it would be good to save my life."
Buffy's tears had paused for a while when she looked back at him.
"Yep, she knew she was 'eading in a sticky situation, but that didn't faze 'er one bit. I even told 'er that I wasn't worth i', but she didn't seem to care. She saved me alrigh', but she got 'erself killed in the process. She gave 'er life for mine. She 'ad made a promise to me that I would see 'er soon. I thought she wouldn't be able to keep i'. The worse par' of that, though, was that I didn't even get a chance to tell 'er I loved 'er. Such simple words, but they meant so much. She told me, but I couldn't answer. Can you imagine th..."
"I love you William."
The simplicity and familiarness of the statement caught Spike by surprise. He quickly regathered himself and smiled down at the slayer in his arms.
"I love you too, Buffy."
............................................
"Um...Giles..." Xander said uncertainly as the watcher came back to the side viewers. "Are you going to explain this?" He motioned to where Buffy and Spike stood, holding each other tightly.
"Since when did...this...happen?"
"Well, "Giles started. "I'm not sure exactly, but they have both been through a lot lately. We all have..." He seemed to say the last part more to himself than to the others.
"Well, I think it's very sweet," Willow remarked, standing up and helping Tara do the same.
"Did she really die?" Tara asked, concerned. "Is she okay now?"
"Y...yes," Giles stuttered. "She gave both of us quite a scare. I can't figure out what happened. There was no way she would have survived. She was dead."
"Maybe it was Crea," Willow pointed out. "We don't know how much fairies can do. You know, with their magic and all."
"Maybe." Giles started to become lost in his own thoughts, but he caught himself before he had gone too far. "I'm sure she will tell us everything later, after she collects herself. There will be a lot of questions that need answering."
"Yeah, like that for one," Xander said sharply, motioning to the pair who had just started a very passionate kiss. "You'd think she'd learn." He added.
"I...I think we should leave them alone," Willow suggested. "I'm sure they can make it back. Give them some time to themselves."
"Y...yes, that would be best," Giles agreed as the small group began to head towards the small stairway.
He was the last to go out the door and turned to look at the couple one more time. He smiled contentedly. Even though this vampire didn't have what they knew of as a soul, his heart still knew love. If a fairy even thought that these two had a chance, who was he to intercede. But heaven forbid that creature ever does anything to hurt her. He wouldn't think twice about pulling a stake on him.
Giles turned his back on the two and continued after the scoobies.
..............................................
"Sweety," Joyce called from downstairs. "Don't you have to leave for class in a few minutes."
"Oh no," Buffy groaned as she jumped out of bed. "I am SO dead."
She had exactly five minutes before she had to leave.
She dashed past her mirror on her way to her closet. She paused briefly and went back to look at herself. She looked like a mess. Her hair seemed to be jutting out from every angle on her head and her pajamas were all wrinkled. She thought carefully for a brief moment before trying the experiment. She didn't have anything to lose.
Buffy closed her eyes, thinking carefully and moved her hand down the front of her body. She opened her eyes, scared with what she might find. She was wonderfully surprised when she found her hair fixed nicely and a new pair of clothes covering her body.
'Yes!!!,' she thought excitedly to herself. 'In case I haven't thanked you a million times, thank you so much Crea, for everything.'
She grabbed her books and purse that were resting on her desk and dashed out the door. The motioned caused a slight breeze to drift through the room. A little voice flowed from it, so silent that no mortal's ears could have heard.
'You're Welcome.'