After watching tonight's episode, Gone, I was a bit dissapointed. I mean, the Buffy/Spike was really great. But, I wanted to see his reaction after she got her self back to normal. I know, I know, it's only an hour long...So I'm writing what I want to happen! Spoilers for Gone. Please review. Flames are fine, but, I ignore them for the most part.

If I get 15 reviews, I'll write a second part ;-) Hope you like!

~*~

Can't Stay Away


The crypt door slammed, followed by the soft sounds of footsteps, barely audible and un-noticed by the the crypt's occupant, who was passed out asleep on the bed in the area below. Buffy hopped down through the rabbit hole, landing expertly and silently on her feet. She stared at Spike as he slept, sprawled over the length of the bed. The white sheet covered little, and left nothing to the imagination. His back muscles were rippled and looked strong, the pale skin smooth and begging ot be touched.

Buffy crouched down at his head and watched as his eyes twitched a little. He was dead asleep, pardon the pun, and she wasn't surprised his vampyric senses hadn't picked up on her entry. She sighed softly, not loud enough to wake him, and leaned closer, licking her lips. She traced his face with her eyes, stopping at his full lips. She ached to kiss him. Just...once. She knew better than to chance it, but Buffy was beyond listening to what her head told her, and she leaned closer still, pressing her lips gently to his.

Spike's eyes flew open and she expected a leering grin. But instead, for just a second, she saw what she'd seen that night, just before they'd started to destroy that abandoned house. Vulnerability. Love. Maybe even fear. But that vanished as quickly as it had come and his eyebrows knitted together.

"What the hell'd you do to your hair?" He demanded. Buffy let out a small laugh and shrugged.

"Cut it."

"Yeah, I can see that, Slayer. You look like that Ally McBeal chick."

"Oh thanks. So glad you see me as an anorexic--"

"You really are too thin."

She glared at him, "I don't know why I came." She said softly, not in her usual pissed-off way, but more or less talking to herself.

"You can't stay away, Slayer. Just bloody admit it."

She snorted. There was that self-centered Spike she'd been expecting. But when she met his eyes again, he was sincere.

"I can stay away." She said and he opened his mouth to say something, "But I don't want to."

His mouth snapped shut.

"Don't look so damn...pleased." She muttered.

"I'm not."

"Are too."

He smirked, "OK, so yeah. I am." He pulled her down by her wrist so she was half on top of him, "But then again, you look pretty pleased yourself."

Spike rolled his hips against her so she could feel him getting hard beneath her. Buffy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Dawn and Willow are at home. I need to be there for both of them." She replied, sitting up and looking away, "Dawn's...mad at me. And Willow needs me. I need to fix things for them before--"

"Before what? Before you start to actually LIVE again?" He sighed and sat up, wrapping the sheet around him, "You need to stop thinking about everyone else and start thinking about YOU."

She stood and glared at him, "I can't forget my SISTER and my BEST FRIEND!"

"That's not what I meant. Dawn's one thing. She needs you something aewful. But Red, whether she could use your help or not, she needs to figure things out for herself. Picking up the peices is better done with help from the sidelines. Not with someone holding your hand. You should know that as well as anyone."

Buffy looked down, "You...you're right. But Dawn...Spike, something's wrong. Her whole world is falling down. And so is mine." Tears tightened her throat as she spoke, "The social service people could still take her away from me...And she hates me, so maybe she should go away. I mean, look what kind of a guardian I am--I--"

Spike shushed her, pulling her down onto the bed next to him and wrapping her in his arms, "You've done all you could possibly do, Slayer. You're a great mum to her, and you've been there for your friends, even when your life was, literally, Hell. She doesn't hate you. She's just angry. I know that feeling."

Buffy sniffled and looked up at him, "Why do you suddenly make sense?"

"I awlays have made sense. You weren't paying attention, is all."

Buffy laughed through her tears and leant up to kiss him softly before pulling herself out of his arms and heading back to go up the rabbit hole, "I'll come back, Spike. I promise."

"I love you." He blurted as she reached up to hoist herself through. Buffy froze and looked back.

"I know."

And then she was gone.