Title: Reunion 10/?
Author: Jamie
Email: JamieA1869@cs.com
Rating: PG so far
Spoilers: Up through season 6's Wrecked for Buffy and season 3's Daddy for Angel.
Keywords: Spike/Buffy mostly, some Angel/Cordelia, I guess, crossover fic
Feedback: Please, please, please. Chocolate covered Spikey's all around? My second try at fanfic.
Distribution: Couple of mailing lists. FanFiction.Net, http://www.geocities.com/buffyafterdark/ , http://lurking.home.dk3.com/endie.html , You want it? Let me know.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon and Co. and no harm was meant in writing this piece. Only the idea is mine.
Summary: If the WB and UPN hadn't declared "mortal enemy" status, we would have seen how the characters in both shows would have reacted to what was happening in the other show. I wanted to know. I made it up.
PART TEN
Pandemonium broke out. Everyone spoke at once.
"Never gonna happen!" Xander exclaimed, laughing without humor.
"Buffy?" Angel said softly, looking at her bowed head, refusing to believe.
"I imagine a vampire would have a lot of stamina," Anya observed thoughtfully.
"It's about time!" Dawn cried, smiling.
"Slayer?" Spike asked, taking a step toward her, hand out.
"I'm sorry, Buffy," Cordelia said, watching the petite blond girl. "I didn't...I didn't know," she finished, shrugging helplessly.
Buffy looked up at Cordelia, ignoring the others in the room. She shared a look of understanding with the brunette and in that moment really saw the new and improved Cordy.
"Buffy!" Xander said, interrupting the two girls.
He looked so fragile at that moment, so much like a child waiting for reassurance that Buffy couldn't help but laugh.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Notice how I'm not laughing," he said petulantly.
Buffy found that once she started laughing, she couldn't stop. It was just so ridiculous, just so...*impossible!* This had to be a sick, twisted dream she was having. *I wonder when I started dreaming?* she thought to herself. Her legs gave out from beneath her and she fell on her backside, still laughing. *Maybe I never even slept with Spike. Maybe I'm still dead!* She decided that that must be the answer. It was the only possible conclusion to the wackiness of the day. *I mean, really! Did I actually believe all this was happening? Hello, vamps don't have babies. Darla's dead. Cordelia's a bitch.* She giggled again at that thought. *Yep, that's me. Dreaming Buffy. But why'd I dream I had sex with Spike?* She stopped laughing abruptly, pushed up the sleeve of her sweater and pinched herself, hard.
"Ow!" she cried.
"Buffy?" Dawn asked, kneeling beside her.
Buffy stared blankly at the red spot on her arm. *Crap*, she thought. *Guess it's not dreamy-time*. She looked up into her sister's worried gaze. "Please tell me I'm dreaming," she whispered.
Dawn couldn't help but grin at that. "'Fraid not, Buff. You're awake. And with an audience," she added, glancing at the confused faces around them. "You okay? I'm here for you." She reached for Buffy's hand, squeezing it gently and rubbing a light finger over the fading mark on her arm.
Buffy saw Dawn's acceptance and support and was strengthened by it. Dawn stood and held out her hand to Buffy. Buffy grasped her sister's hand and pulled herself to her feet, giving Dawn a quick hug before turning to face the others. Spike caught her gaze. He tried to look like he didn't care one way or another what happened, but she saw through him. She held his eyes for a moment and lifted one corner of her mouth in a small smile just for him. His expression didn't change, but she saw his eyes lighten and his stance relax.
"Hey, Buffster," Xander said, waving his hand in front of her face, breaking her eye contact with the blond vampire. "You done with the giggle fest? In control?"
"Why were you laughing at Xander?" Anya asked.
Buffy jerked her gaze to the ex-demon, surprised. "Oh, no. I wasn't laughing at Xander." She turned to look at her friend. "Xand, it wasn't you. I'm sorry."
"Well, hey. Always with the comic relief guy, right?" he replied, shrugging carelessly. But he smiled at her anyway. "Now that we have that settled...could you please tell them Spike doesn't have a chance in hell?" He thought for a moment before adding, "Or, well, heaven? Since hell's a given?"
"Watch it, whelp," Spike said. He glanced over at Angel, who stood quietly with a blank look on his face. "S'matter of fact, hell might not be that bad a place. So long as you're there with me, Peaches," he added, winking suggestively. "Always went in for the torture, didn't you, mate?"
Angel's only response was his fists clenching at his sides. His expression didn't change. Cordelia placed a hand on his arm to get his attention. He didn't acknowledge her. He continued to stare blankly at Buffy. Cordelia walked around to stand in front of him, bouncing Conner. Angel finally met her gaze, but she could see he still didn't quite understand what was happening.
"Angel?" she asked softly.
"I'm fine, Cordy," he said in a flat voice.
"You are not-"
"So is Buffy going to have sex with Spike?" Anya asked loudly.
Xander rolled his eyes before turning to his fiancé. "An, hon, it's not gonna happen."
"But Cordelia's vision-"
"Is wrong," he finished resolutely.
"Xander, maybe you should give Buffy a chance to talk," Willow said. "Since, you know, we're not really key players here." She sent a big smile to both Buffy and Spike. "Only two can tango." She thought a moment. "Okay, well, more *can* tango, but, well, you know-"
"Uh, thanks, Will," Buffy interrupted before Willow could embarrass herself further. She was already blushing a bright red to match her hair. "I think they get the point."
Dawn moved to stand next to Spike, reaching down to squeeze his hand reassuringly. He glanced down at their clasped hands, surprised. He wasn't used to such shows of affection, being the Big Bad and all. He squeezed back for an instant before disentangling Dawn's hand from his. He moved back to slump carelessly against the wall. *Couldn't care one wit how this thing goes down*, he lied to himself. What he wouldn't give for a cigarette, but he refused to light up so close to the Bit. Instead, he crossed his arms negligently over his chest and concentrated on looking bored.
"Yes, Buffy," Angel said softly. "Why don't we let you talk?"
His words were normal enough, but Buffy could sense the steel underneath them. This wouldn't be pleasant. But, hell, she was the Slayer. She'd averted apocalypse after apocalypse. She'd outwitted a hell god! Okay, yeah, she'd died in the process, but she'd still won! So to speak. Couldn't she handle a little confession?
She took a deep breath to fortify herself, once more catching the reassuring gazes of her sister and her best friend. Willow not only smiled, but gave her a little thumbs up, as well. She nodded her head toward Spike leaning against the wall and mouthed "hubba, hubba" while wiggling her eyebrows up and down.
Buffy let out a short laugh. Willow's ready acceptance made her think that everything just might work out after all. She turned to face Angel and Xander, both of whom she knew wouldn't like what she was about to say.
"First, just let me talk, okay?" she said, looking particularly at Xander. "No interruptions, no outbursts." She waited until everyone nodded. She clasped her hands together nervously and began to pace. "Since I...came back, I've been a little out of it. Not quite myself. I know everyone meant well. I understand that. But I just can't deal sometimes. It's hard. Everything just felt so...harsh. So different. I didn't know how to deal, I didn't know if I'd ever be able to deal. Will, Xand...I couldn't talk to you." She held up a hand when Xander started to protest. "No interruptions, remember?" He backed down after a silent struggle within himself.
She resumed pacing. "No matter how much I love you, no matter how much you all love me...you were the ones who brought me back. Because of that, I couldn't talk to you. I'm sorry. I just couldn't. And Dawn," she said, turning to face her sister. "I was so worried about trying to be your sister again, trying to be what you needed. I couldn't talk to you, either." Dawn nodded in understanding, remaining silent.
"Angel," Buffy continued, looking at the man who would always hold that special place in her heart. "I thought I'd be able to talk to you. You'd died before and been brought back. I realize hell is a big difference from heaven, but the concept was the same. Return to the living from a drastically different place." She shook her head slightly. "When we met, after I came back...I just couldn't. I couldn't talk to you, no matter how much I wanted to. Like everyone else, you had these expectations of what Buffy should say, what Buffy should be like. I couldn't bring myself to smash those to bits."
"I love you all. I always will. But when it came down to it, all I had was...Spike."
Spike looked up from his boots at this, locking gazes with Buffy. She drew strength from him, as she always did.
"Buffy-"
"Angel, please. Don't." She closed her eyes for a bit, thinking. Then, "Spike had no expectations for me. He didn't need a sister, he didn't need a slayer. He didn't need the friend he'd always known." She looked in turn at everyone. "Spike was just glad I was back. He was happy to just let me be however it was I needed to be. So I could talk to him." She shrugged her shoulders briefly. "I think if I hadn't talked to Spike...I would have died. Again. He saved me."
Angel looked devastated. The thought of his childe, his enemy, being Buffy's savior-it hurt. They may not be together, they may have both moved on, but the possessiveness was still there. He couldn't help but feel it.
Buffy stopped pacing and stood staring at Angel. She couldn't stand that she'd hurt him like this, but these were the facts. She relaxed when Willow gripped her hand, again showing her support. She met the redhead's gaze, hoping to convey all she was feeling-that she'd missed their friendship, that she needed her so much, that she loved her. Willow smiled briefly in return, getting the gist of Buffy's unspoken message.
Buffy squared her shoulders and met Angel's gaze once again. "We became...close. He was my friend when I needed to shut out my other friends. He understood how I felt. He knew the truth, so I didn't have to hide anything. I could be me. At least, the me I was after I came back."
"Buffy, no," Xander interrupted, ignoring Willow's glare. "We were here for you. We wanted to help. We *tried* to help!"
Buffy smiled fondly at the distraught brunette. "Xander, it's okay. It's not your fault."
"But, Spike-"
"It's not his fault, either," she said. "He was just there for me. *I* turned to *him*." She felt as though a great burden had been removed from her. She'd finally admitted the truth, and everyone had heard it. Even Spike. She turned to face him.
He'd stood up straight, struggling to keep the bored expression on his face. He failed. His eyes held bright hope for anyone to see. She'd just said...
Buffy looked surprised as she continued. "All those times, I sought him out. I wanted his company. I wanted to talk. He loved me, even though he never said it anymore. And I needed it. I *craved* it." She smiled briefly and then continued, once again looking at Xander. "If you want to get all technical, blame the Broadway star demon," she said with a laugh. "All that singing and dancing...took a lot out of a girl. My defenses were down and I let loose."
"Singing and dancing?" Cordelia said.
"Let loose?" Anya asked, confused.
Buffy glanced dismissively toward her. "Yeah. I kissed him."
"Whoo-hoo!" Dawn cried, grabbing Spike's hand again.
"Oh, God," Xander said to his feet.
"Oh!" Anya exclaimed. "Like a loose woman?"
"Angel, no!" Cordelia cried, putting a hand out to stop the vampire's advance on his childe. He ignored her, shrugging her off and continued toward Spike.
Before anyone could stop him, he'd grabbed the blond by his shirt and lifted him, banging him roughly against the wall. "You did this! You did something to her," he growled. Dawn tugged at Angel's arm, trying to get him to let go. He roughly threw her hand off of him and she fell to the floor, stunned. Spike was enraged by the site of the girl on the floor and kicked Angel in between his legs. Angel's knees buckled and he loosened his hold on Spike, enough for the blond vampire to shimmy free.
"Don't ever touch her, you ponce!" Spike cried, going to take a swing at his sire.
Before he could make contact, Angel was turned roughly around and belted in the jaw. He fell back against the wall, momentarily stunned. He looked up to see an angry slayer standing above him, hands on her hips, breathing ragged.
"Don't touch my sister," she said dangerously.
Angel finally returned to his sense. "Oh, God, Buffy," he said, guiltily glancing at Dawn. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean..."
"I'm okay, Buffy," Dawn said, getting to her feet. "See? No harm done."
Buffy studied her for a minute, making sure there was no sign of damage. She turned back to Angel. "I understand that you're upset, and you didn't quite realize, but...don't touch my sister again."
Angel nodded, rubbing his sore jaw. "I'm so sorry, Dawn. I didn't even realize it was you."
"I'm fine, Angel. No prob."
"Okay, I don't mean to interrupt the whole group love thing, but you *kissed* Spike?" Xander cried. Willow could have sworn he'd been about to stomp his foot in frustration before she elbowed him in the side. "Ow!"
Buffy took a deep, calming breath. She reached out her hand to pull Angel away from the wall, silently telling him he was forgiven. Then she moved to stand against the wall herself, so she could face everyone else in the room. She studied them all.
Cordelia stood holding the baby, looking strangely right in her new surrogate mother role. Anya peered at Buffy from a little behind Cordelia, looking curious-like she wanted every single detail, every specific. Dawn now stood next to Angel, still looking happy at the new developments, despite her recent trip to the floor. A contrite Angel reached an awkward hand out to pat the young girl's shoulder before turning to meet Buffy's gaze. There was no more confusion there. Somehow, somewhere in the last few minutes, he'd come to accept. There was hurt, but understanding as well. Xander looked to be the only one in complete denial. He just couldn't believe Buffy would kiss Spike, let alone do anything else! Willow gave Buffy one of her wide, completely understanding smiles.
Then there was Spike. He stood a little apart from the others, somewhat behind Angel. He'd watched the altercation between Buffy and Angel in silence, with hooded eyes. His hands were in the pockets of his duster. She could tell by the slight movement behind the leather that he was probably clenching and unclenching his fists. No matter how bored he tried to look, how unconcerned, she knew that what happened in the next little while was very important to him. She still saw the uncertain hope in his eyes. She smiled slightly at him.
Not removing her eyes from Spike's, she said, "Yeah, Xander. I kissed him. And a couple weeks later...we slept together."
----------------------
TBC
Author: Jamie
Email: JamieA1869@cs.com
Rating: PG so far
Spoilers: Up through season 6's Wrecked for Buffy and season 3's Daddy for Angel.
Keywords: Spike/Buffy mostly, some Angel/Cordelia, I guess, crossover fic
Feedback: Please, please, please. Chocolate covered Spikey's all around? My second try at fanfic.
Distribution: Couple of mailing lists. FanFiction.Net, http://www.geocities.com/buffyafterdark/ , http://lurking.home.dk3.com/endie.html , You want it? Let me know.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon and Co. and no harm was meant in writing this piece. Only the idea is mine.
Summary: If the WB and UPN hadn't declared "mortal enemy" status, we would have seen how the characters in both shows would have reacted to what was happening in the other show. I wanted to know. I made it up.
PART TEN
Pandemonium broke out. Everyone spoke at once.
"Never gonna happen!" Xander exclaimed, laughing without humor.
"Buffy?" Angel said softly, looking at her bowed head, refusing to believe.
"I imagine a vampire would have a lot of stamina," Anya observed thoughtfully.
"It's about time!" Dawn cried, smiling.
"Slayer?" Spike asked, taking a step toward her, hand out.
"I'm sorry, Buffy," Cordelia said, watching the petite blond girl. "I didn't...I didn't know," she finished, shrugging helplessly.
Buffy looked up at Cordelia, ignoring the others in the room. She shared a look of understanding with the brunette and in that moment really saw the new and improved Cordy.
"Buffy!" Xander said, interrupting the two girls.
He looked so fragile at that moment, so much like a child waiting for reassurance that Buffy couldn't help but laugh.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Notice how I'm not laughing," he said petulantly.
Buffy found that once she started laughing, she couldn't stop. It was just so ridiculous, just so...*impossible!* This had to be a sick, twisted dream she was having. *I wonder when I started dreaming?* she thought to herself. Her legs gave out from beneath her and she fell on her backside, still laughing. *Maybe I never even slept with Spike. Maybe I'm still dead!* She decided that that must be the answer. It was the only possible conclusion to the wackiness of the day. *I mean, really! Did I actually believe all this was happening? Hello, vamps don't have babies. Darla's dead. Cordelia's a bitch.* She giggled again at that thought. *Yep, that's me. Dreaming Buffy. But why'd I dream I had sex with Spike?* She stopped laughing abruptly, pushed up the sleeve of her sweater and pinched herself, hard.
"Ow!" she cried.
"Buffy?" Dawn asked, kneeling beside her.
Buffy stared blankly at the red spot on her arm. *Crap*, she thought. *Guess it's not dreamy-time*. She looked up into her sister's worried gaze. "Please tell me I'm dreaming," she whispered.
Dawn couldn't help but grin at that. "'Fraid not, Buff. You're awake. And with an audience," she added, glancing at the confused faces around them. "You okay? I'm here for you." She reached for Buffy's hand, squeezing it gently and rubbing a light finger over the fading mark on her arm.
Buffy saw Dawn's acceptance and support and was strengthened by it. Dawn stood and held out her hand to Buffy. Buffy grasped her sister's hand and pulled herself to her feet, giving Dawn a quick hug before turning to face the others. Spike caught her gaze. He tried to look like he didn't care one way or another what happened, but she saw through him. She held his eyes for a moment and lifted one corner of her mouth in a small smile just for him. His expression didn't change, but she saw his eyes lighten and his stance relax.
"Hey, Buffster," Xander said, waving his hand in front of her face, breaking her eye contact with the blond vampire. "You done with the giggle fest? In control?"
"Why were you laughing at Xander?" Anya asked.
Buffy jerked her gaze to the ex-demon, surprised. "Oh, no. I wasn't laughing at Xander." She turned to look at her friend. "Xand, it wasn't you. I'm sorry."
"Well, hey. Always with the comic relief guy, right?" he replied, shrugging carelessly. But he smiled at her anyway. "Now that we have that settled...could you please tell them Spike doesn't have a chance in hell?" He thought for a moment before adding, "Or, well, heaven? Since hell's a given?"
"Watch it, whelp," Spike said. He glanced over at Angel, who stood quietly with a blank look on his face. "S'matter of fact, hell might not be that bad a place. So long as you're there with me, Peaches," he added, winking suggestively. "Always went in for the torture, didn't you, mate?"
Angel's only response was his fists clenching at his sides. His expression didn't change. Cordelia placed a hand on his arm to get his attention. He didn't acknowledge her. He continued to stare blankly at Buffy. Cordelia walked around to stand in front of him, bouncing Conner. Angel finally met her gaze, but she could see he still didn't quite understand what was happening.
"Angel?" she asked softly.
"I'm fine, Cordy," he said in a flat voice.
"You are not-"
"So is Buffy going to have sex with Spike?" Anya asked loudly.
Xander rolled his eyes before turning to his fiancé. "An, hon, it's not gonna happen."
"But Cordelia's vision-"
"Is wrong," he finished resolutely.
"Xander, maybe you should give Buffy a chance to talk," Willow said. "Since, you know, we're not really key players here." She sent a big smile to both Buffy and Spike. "Only two can tango." She thought a moment. "Okay, well, more *can* tango, but, well, you know-"
"Uh, thanks, Will," Buffy interrupted before Willow could embarrass herself further. She was already blushing a bright red to match her hair. "I think they get the point."
Dawn moved to stand next to Spike, reaching down to squeeze his hand reassuringly. He glanced down at their clasped hands, surprised. He wasn't used to such shows of affection, being the Big Bad and all. He squeezed back for an instant before disentangling Dawn's hand from his. He moved back to slump carelessly against the wall. *Couldn't care one wit how this thing goes down*, he lied to himself. What he wouldn't give for a cigarette, but he refused to light up so close to the Bit. Instead, he crossed his arms negligently over his chest and concentrated on looking bored.
"Yes, Buffy," Angel said softly. "Why don't we let you talk?"
His words were normal enough, but Buffy could sense the steel underneath them. This wouldn't be pleasant. But, hell, she was the Slayer. She'd averted apocalypse after apocalypse. She'd outwitted a hell god! Okay, yeah, she'd died in the process, but she'd still won! So to speak. Couldn't she handle a little confession?
She took a deep breath to fortify herself, once more catching the reassuring gazes of her sister and her best friend. Willow not only smiled, but gave her a little thumbs up, as well. She nodded her head toward Spike leaning against the wall and mouthed "hubba, hubba" while wiggling her eyebrows up and down.
Buffy let out a short laugh. Willow's ready acceptance made her think that everything just might work out after all. She turned to face Angel and Xander, both of whom she knew wouldn't like what she was about to say.
"First, just let me talk, okay?" she said, looking particularly at Xander. "No interruptions, no outbursts." She waited until everyone nodded. She clasped her hands together nervously and began to pace. "Since I...came back, I've been a little out of it. Not quite myself. I know everyone meant well. I understand that. But I just can't deal sometimes. It's hard. Everything just felt so...harsh. So different. I didn't know how to deal, I didn't know if I'd ever be able to deal. Will, Xand...I couldn't talk to you." She held up a hand when Xander started to protest. "No interruptions, remember?" He backed down after a silent struggle within himself.
She resumed pacing. "No matter how much I love you, no matter how much you all love me...you were the ones who brought me back. Because of that, I couldn't talk to you. I'm sorry. I just couldn't. And Dawn," she said, turning to face her sister. "I was so worried about trying to be your sister again, trying to be what you needed. I couldn't talk to you, either." Dawn nodded in understanding, remaining silent.
"Angel," Buffy continued, looking at the man who would always hold that special place in her heart. "I thought I'd be able to talk to you. You'd died before and been brought back. I realize hell is a big difference from heaven, but the concept was the same. Return to the living from a drastically different place." She shook her head slightly. "When we met, after I came back...I just couldn't. I couldn't talk to you, no matter how much I wanted to. Like everyone else, you had these expectations of what Buffy should say, what Buffy should be like. I couldn't bring myself to smash those to bits."
"I love you all. I always will. But when it came down to it, all I had was...Spike."
Spike looked up from his boots at this, locking gazes with Buffy. She drew strength from him, as she always did.
"Buffy-"
"Angel, please. Don't." She closed her eyes for a bit, thinking. Then, "Spike had no expectations for me. He didn't need a sister, he didn't need a slayer. He didn't need the friend he'd always known." She looked in turn at everyone. "Spike was just glad I was back. He was happy to just let me be however it was I needed to be. So I could talk to him." She shrugged her shoulders briefly. "I think if I hadn't talked to Spike...I would have died. Again. He saved me."
Angel looked devastated. The thought of his childe, his enemy, being Buffy's savior-it hurt. They may not be together, they may have both moved on, but the possessiveness was still there. He couldn't help but feel it.
Buffy stopped pacing and stood staring at Angel. She couldn't stand that she'd hurt him like this, but these were the facts. She relaxed when Willow gripped her hand, again showing her support. She met the redhead's gaze, hoping to convey all she was feeling-that she'd missed their friendship, that she needed her so much, that she loved her. Willow smiled briefly in return, getting the gist of Buffy's unspoken message.
Buffy squared her shoulders and met Angel's gaze once again. "We became...close. He was my friend when I needed to shut out my other friends. He understood how I felt. He knew the truth, so I didn't have to hide anything. I could be me. At least, the me I was after I came back."
"Buffy, no," Xander interrupted, ignoring Willow's glare. "We were here for you. We wanted to help. We *tried* to help!"
Buffy smiled fondly at the distraught brunette. "Xander, it's okay. It's not your fault."
"But, Spike-"
"It's not his fault, either," she said. "He was just there for me. *I* turned to *him*." She felt as though a great burden had been removed from her. She'd finally admitted the truth, and everyone had heard it. Even Spike. She turned to face him.
He'd stood up straight, struggling to keep the bored expression on his face. He failed. His eyes held bright hope for anyone to see. She'd just said...
Buffy looked surprised as she continued. "All those times, I sought him out. I wanted his company. I wanted to talk. He loved me, even though he never said it anymore. And I needed it. I *craved* it." She smiled briefly and then continued, once again looking at Xander. "If you want to get all technical, blame the Broadway star demon," she said with a laugh. "All that singing and dancing...took a lot out of a girl. My defenses were down and I let loose."
"Singing and dancing?" Cordelia said.
"Let loose?" Anya asked, confused.
Buffy glanced dismissively toward her. "Yeah. I kissed him."
"Whoo-hoo!" Dawn cried, grabbing Spike's hand again.
"Oh, God," Xander said to his feet.
"Oh!" Anya exclaimed. "Like a loose woman?"
"Angel, no!" Cordelia cried, putting a hand out to stop the vampire's advance on his childe. He ignored her, shrugging her off and continued toward Spike.
Before anyone could stop him, he'd grabbed the blond by his shirt and lifted him, banging him roughly against the wall. "You did this! You did something to her," he growled. Dawn tugged at Angel's arm, trying to get him to let go. He roughly threw her hand off of him and she fell to the floor, stunned. Spike was enraged by the site of the girl on the floor and kicked Angel in between his legs. Angel's knees buckled and he loosened his hold on Spike, enough for the blond vampire to shimmy free.
"Don't ever touch her, you ponce!" Spike cried, going to take a swing at his sire.
Before he could make contact, Angel was turned roughly around and belted in the jaw. He fell back against the wall, momentarily stunned. He looked up to see an angry slayer standing above him, hands on her hips, breathing ragged.
"Don't touch my sister," she said dangerously.
Angel finally returned to his sense. "Oh, God, Buffy," he said, guiltily glancing at Dawn. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean..."
"I'm okay, Buffy," Dawn said, getting to her feet. "See? No harm done."
Buffy studied her for a minute, making sure there was no sign of damage. She turned back to Angel. "I understand that you're upset, and you didn't quite realize, but...don't touch my sister again."
Angel nodded, rubbing his sore jaw. "I'm so sorry, Dawn. I didn't even realize it was you."
"I'm fine, Angel. No prob."
"Okay, I don't mean to interrupt the whole group love thing, but you *kissed* Spike?" Xander cried. Willow could have sworn he'd been about to stomp his foot in frustration before she elbowed him in the side. "Ow!"
Buffy took a deep, calming breath. She reached out her hand to pull Angel away from the wall, silently telling him he was forgiven. Then she moved to stand against the wall herself, so she could face everyone else in the room. She studied them all.
Cordelia stood holding the baby, looking strangely right in her new surrogate mother role. Anya peered at Buffy from a little behind Cordelia, looking curious-like she wanted every single detail, every specific. Dawn now stood next to Angel, still looking happy at the new developments, despite her recent trip to the floor. A contrite Angel reached an awkward hand out to pat the young girl's shoulder before turning to meet Buffy's gaze. There was no more confusion there. Somehow, somewhere in the last few minutes, he'd come to accept. There was hurt, but understanding as well. Xander looked to be the only one in complete denial. He just couldn't believe Buffy would kiss Spike, let alone do anything else! Willow gave Buffy one of her wide, completely understanding smiles.
Then there was Spike. He stood a little apart from the others, somewhat behind Angel. He'd watched the altercation between Buffy and Angel in silence, with hooded eyes. His hands were in the pockets of his duster. She could tell by the slight movement behind the leather that he was probably clenching and unclenching his fists. No matter how bored he tried to look, how unconcerned, she knew that what happened in the next little while was very important to him. She still saw the uncertain hope in his eyes. She smiled slightly at him.
Not removing her eyes from Spike's, she said, "Yeah, Xander. I kissed him. And a couple weeks later...we slept together."
----------------------
TBC