~*THIS IS THE SPIKE ENDING ONLY. THE ANGEL ONE IS STILL IN THE PROCESS OF BEING WRITTEN. :) * ~
~~***Spike version***~~
Buffy stared at Spike. He looked so...normal. He looked like a gentleman, or like...the bad boy everyone had in high school, only to clean up so very nicely. He'd given her a big red teddy bear. And flowers, and chocolates, for goodness sake! She looked down at her sushi pajamas and felt her face flame in embarassment.
"Um, Buffy? You alright, luv?" Spike was giving her a concerned look, a genuine one. His eyes searched hers.
Angel had seen her in these pajamas before when they were dating. Spike hadn't, when their...thing had began. It was different. Even though they'd already cunsummated their...thing, it was weird. But it was new, and shiny. It felt exciting.
She nodded dumbly. Then Buffy snuck a look at Angel and Willow's sleeping forms in the living room. She grabbed Spike's hand and rushed him into the kitchen. His gifts sat lonely on the side table.
*****
" What's all this about, pet?"
Spike looked at her at a loss. He didn't understand what was going on. He tried again.
" Listen, Buffy..."
Buffy. He's called me Buffy all evening, she thought. Not Slayer. She cursed herself. Spike was still talking to her. She tried to listen to him.
"...to court you."
Buffy looked shocked, amazed, and confused. "Huh?"
Spike took her hand in his, the way Angel had done earlier. " Buffy. You know that...I love you. With all of my undead heart, even." Buffy giggled. Spike was amazed. She hadn't thrown his being a vampire back in his face like usual; no she had giggled. Giggled. Spike went on. " And I know we got off on a rather...bad start," Buffy looked at him. " Well, it wasn't bad in that you were bad," he rushed, " but just that - I want more than that. I want a relationship. I don't want you to work in that burger joint, luv. I'll get you money. I know you hate me - "
" I know I do."
Buffy froze. "Angel."
Angel stood leaning against the door frame, an expression of controlled rage that showed in his voice. " What is he doing here, Buffy?"
Buffy got angry. " Why do you care? And, I could ask you the same question. Why are you even here? Spike can be here if he wants. You can't tell me who can or can't come into my house."
" Yeah, mate. Sod off. You can't just come skipping back to Sunnydale, to Buffy's door, into Buffy's life like this."
"Don't tell me what to do, boy!" Angel was seething. Spike stepped protectively in front of Buffy and yelled,
" I bloody well will! You left, and I stayed, Angel. I stayed. You couldn't even come to her funeral! I came, for God's sake! I stood under a tree under a blanket in the sun, and I stayed! I protected lil Bit, I patrolled with the Scooby's, all of it!" Spike was shaking, and his voice lowered. " You don't know even where she was, do you?"
Buffy tried to stop him but he signaled her to stop.
" She was in heaven, Angel." He paused. "She was happy, at peace. She got torn out of that, pulled out of her reward, by her friends."
Angel was shocked. He shook his head, disbelievingly. " No," he gasped. " No." Spike looked at him with utter contempt. " Yes, Angel. Yes. It's true. She told you she was in Hell, didn't she? No, wait - you just assumed. Everyone just assumed, and she let them. How could you not see that? That she wasn't there? Wouldn't you have thought a girl like her, light warrior and all, would have gone to hell? She was killed by that portal and it's dimension, but she never got sucked into it. She just died." Spike had tears in his eyes. " And it killed me. Again. She hated me, and I knew it, but it killed me all the same. But I stayed, while you ran off to some bloody retreat in Sri Lanka." He finished with disgust and turned to Buffy. " I'm done here, pet." He leaned down and softly brushed her cheek with her lips. Hoarsely, she whispered, " Thank you." He nodded, and left.
Angel was still standing there, a blank expression on his face. " He loves you." His voice was toneless. Buffy nodded, unsure of what his reaction would be. " And you...love him?"
"No. I don't love him. Yet. But Angel, he cares about me a great deal. And I think...I could learn to love him." She looked at him closely. " Angel, we already found out that what we had was over. When we kissed tonight, it was just kissing. I loved it, and it made me feel alive because it was you and I love you, always. But it didn't feel right anymore. We're over."
Angel sighed. " I know. I know." he looked up at her. " But why Spike?"
" Why Cordy?" Angel looked shocked. Buffy laughed lightly. " Willow told me. She called recently and Fred picked up the phone, and since the girl apparantly likes to talk..." she shrugged.
" And Spike, well, he's here, for one thing. He cares, not only about me, but for all of my friends. It doesn't look like he's going to leave me," she finished softly. Angel nodded and stood up slowly. He brushed his lips over hers, and grabbed his coat from the hanger by the door. He walked out, then stopped and turned.
" You still my girl?"
Buffy smiled.
"Always."
*****
Spike felt stupid.
You stupid jerk, he thought to himself. He fell onto his couch and flipped on the tv. Oh good, a Passions marathon. He just settled down when an all-too-familiar voice interrupted Theresa's speech to Whitney. " Spike?" The voice was tentative, meek. Nothing like her, but everything like her. He turned to her and gasped. " Buffy."
She stood there, in a soft yellow flowered dress that clung to her. The deep v-neck surrounded a delicate locket with a little, painted yellow rose on it. In a word she looked stunning.
Spike stood up and tried to be presentable. He flipped the tv off. " Wow. You, you look amazing, pet." He walked toward her, a smile blossoming over his features. " Wow."
Buffy smiled and looked down. " Spike, I was just wondering if..."
"What, luv?" he urged.
She looked up. " Do you want to go for ice cream?"
His smile brightened, and he took her arm. Grabbing his coat, he led her out the door.
~~***Spike version***~~
Buffy stared at Spike. He looked so...normal. He looked like a gentleman, or like...the bad boy everyone had in high school, only to clean up so very nicely. He'd given her a big red teddy bear. And flowers, and chocolates, for goodness sake! She looked down at her sushi pajamas and felt her face flame in embarassment.
"Um, Buffy? You alright, luv?" Spike was giving her a concerned look, a genuine one. His eyes searched hers.
Angel had seen her in these pajamas before when they were dating. Spike hadn't, when their...thing had began. It was different. Even though they'd already cunsummated their...thing, it was weird. But it was new, and shiny. It felt exciting.
She nodded dumbly. Then Buffy snuck a look at Angel and Willow's sleeping forms in the living room. She grabbed Spike's hand and rushed him into the kitchen. His gifts sat lonely on the side table.
*****
" What's all this about, pet?"
Spike looked at her at a loss. He didn't understand what was going on. He tried again.
" Listen, Buffy..."
Buffy. He's called me Buffy all evening, she thought. Not Slayer. She cursed herself. Spike was still talking to her. She tried to listen to him.
"...to court you."
Buffy looked shocked, amazed, and confused. "Huh?"
Spike took her hand in his, the way Angel had done earlier. " Buffy. You know that...I love you. With all of my undead heart, even." Buffy giggled. Spike was amazed. She hadn't thrown his being a vampire back in his face like usual; no she had giggled. Giggled. Spike went on. " And I know we got off on a rather...bad start," Buffy looked at him. " Well, it wasn't bad in that you were bad," he rushed, " but just that - I want more than that. I want a relationship. I don't want you to work in that burger joint, luv. I'll get you money. I know you hate me - "
" I know I do."
Buffy froze. "Angel."
Angel stood leaning against the door frame, an expression of controlled rage that showed in his voice. " What is he doing here, Buffy?"
Buffy got angry. " Why do you care? And, I could ask you the same question. Why are you even here? Spike can be here if he wants. You can't tell me who can or can't come into my house."
" Yeah, mate. Sod off. You can't just come skipping back to Sunnydale, to Buffy's door, into Buffy's life like this."
"Don't tell me what to do, boy!" Angel was seething. Spike stepped protectively in front of Buffy and yelled,
" I bloody well will! You left, and I stayed, Angel. I stayed. You couldn't even come to her funeral! I came, for God's sake! I stood under a tree under a blanket in the sun, and I stayed! I protected lil Bit, I patrolled with the Scooby's, all of it!" Spike was shaking, and his voice lowered. " You don't know even where she was, do you?"
Buffy tried to stop him but he signaled her to stop.
" She was in heaven, Angel." He paused. "She was happy, at peace. She got torn out of that, pulled out of her reward, by her friends."
Angel was shocked. He shook his head, disbelievingly. " No," he gasped. " No." Spike looked at him with utter contempt. " Yes, Angel. Yes. It's true. She told you she was in Hell, didn't she? No, wait - you just assumed. Everyone just assumed, and she let them. How could you not see that? That she wasn't there? Wouldn't you have thought a girl like her, light warrior and all, would have gone to hell? She was killed by that portal and it's dimension, but she never got sucked into it. She just died." Spike had tears in his eyes. " And it killed me. Again. She hated me, and I knew it, but it killed me all the same. But I stayed, while you ran off to some bloody retreat in Sri Lanka." He finished with disgust and turned to Buffy. " I'm done here, pet." He leaned down and softly brushed her cheek with her lips. Hoarsely, she whispered, " Thank you." He nodded, and left.
Angel was still standing there, a blank expression on his face. " He loves you." His voice was toneless. Buffy nodded, unsure of what his reaction would be. " And you...love him?"
"No. I don't love him. Yet. But Angel, he cares about me a great deal. And I think...I could learn to love him." She looked at him closely. " Angel, we already found out that what we had was over. When we kissed tonight, it was just kissing. I loved it, and it made me feel alive because it was you and I love you, always. But it didn't feel right anymore. We're over."
Angel sighed. " I know. I know." he looked up at her. " But why Spike?"
" Why Cordy?" Angel looked shocked. Buffy laughed lightly. " Willow told me. She called recently and Fred picked up the phone, and since the girl apparantly likes to talk..." she shrugged.
" And Spike, well, he's here, for one thing. He cares, not only about me, but for all of my friends. It doesn't look like he's going to leave me," she finished softly. Angel nodded and stood up slowly. He brushed his lips over hers, and grabbed his coat from the hanger by the door. He walked out, then stopped and turned.
" You still my girl?"
Buffy smiled.
"Always."
*****
Spike felt stupid.
You stupid jerk, he thought to himself. He fell onto his couch and flipped on the tv. Oh good, a Passions marathon. He just settled down when an all-too-familiar voice interrupted Theresa's speech to Whitney. " Spike?" The voice was tentative, meek. Nothing like her, but everything like her. He turned to her and gasped. " Buffy."
She stood there, in a soft yellow flowered dress that clung to her. The deep v-neck surrounded a delicate locket with a little, painted yellow rose on it. In a word she looked stunning.
Spike stood up and tried to be presentable. He flipped the tv off. " Wow. You, you look amazing, pet." He walked toward her, a smile blossoming over his features. " Wow."
Buffy smiled and looked down. " Spike, I was just wondering if..."
"What, luv?" he urged.
She looked up. " Do you want to go for ice cream?"
His smile brightened, and he took her arm. Grabbing his coat, he led her out the door.