CHAPTER SEVEN
Willow opened the door to Giles' apartment and snuck inside. Spike shot her a sympathetic glanced as she sat down in the awkward silence and waited for Buffy to awaken.
Giles looked at Willow and frowned noticeably. He shuffled uncomfortably, making Buffy begin to stir from his movements.
The young woman curled next to him and opened her eyes. She smiled as she took in her surroundings. Thankfully Spike was sitting behind Buffy's line of vision so as not to startle her completely when she finally got all of her strength back.
Willow managed to send a weak grin back to Buffy when Buffy grinned widely at her. On seeing Buffy's carefree smile for the first time in months, she felt a stab of guilt run through her stomach.
"Buffy you need to stand up," Giles said, gently pushing her to her feet.
She stood up as instructed and continued to watch her Watcher as he moved around the room collecting ingredients.
"Ooo, spells," Buffy said. "Need any help?"
Giles shook his head as he placed the last item onto the table.
"I just need you to kneel in the middle of the circle," Giles explained to her.
She looked at him sceptically, but complied with his request. She knelt down, ensuring she was completely inside the circle.
"What's this for?" Buffy asked.
"Just a spell to help you," Giles explained.
She nodded, shrugging and looked at him expectantly. "I still expect a Christmas pressie though," she said with a grin.
He smiled back, trying to recall what memories she would have of Christmas from two years ago. The Christmas where Angel had tried to kill himself in the sun, but the unexpected blizzard had come up. Thankfully her memory hadn't gone back any further, or else Spike would have been a dusty pile on the couch he sat in. A month earlier was when Spike had returned to convince Willow to do a spell to regain Dru.
"So, what do I gotta do?" she asked.
"Just uh.just stay inside the circle," he said.
"Gotta love the easy jobs," she commented and made herself more comfortable.
From behind her, Giles sprinkled a mystical herb over her shoulder.
"The spell was cast, The warrior set free. Restore the memories past And let the spell broken be. Asor Alubat."
Giles stopped and stepped in front of Buffy, waiting for the spell to take affect.
Buffy opened her eyes and looked up at him.
"Uh.I don't know what that was meant to do, but I don't think it worked."
Willow looked towards Giles worriedly but calmed down a little when she saw confidence written over his face.
Without warning, Buffy doubled over, screaming in pain, her hands going to cover her ears, trying to stop the multitude of screaming voices yelling at her. She fell to the ground in pain, her body shaking, screams still coming from her mouth.
Willow went to rush to her, but Spike grabbed hold of her before she could get into the circle.
"Stay outside the circle," Giles warned.
Spike could tell that Giles was worried for Buffy. It wasn't often that you saw the Slayer in so much pain and so utterly helpless.
Tears slipped down Willow's face as she saw how much pain her friend was in.
The screaming suddenly stopped and Buffy was clutching her chest, coughing violently as though she was trying to retch. She collapsed into tears, her body shaking, reminding Spike of the convulsions he head seen her in earlier.
"Make it stop," Buffy whispered, her arms around herself in a meagre attempt of comfort.
"You're nearly there pet," Spike said encouragingly.
It was another five minutes before the voices departed and Buffy was laying completely still within the circle, her breathing short and shallow.
"Is she."
"She'll be fine in about an hour. She'll be pissed as hell, but she'll be fine," Giles said, his anger flaring.
"Giles, please.I'm sorry, I didn't know-"
"I don't want to hear it!" he yelled. "What you did was selfish and horribly dangerous. You put Buffy at great risk, and you yourself saw how much pain she was in because of you."
"I didn't mean-"
"I will not explain your mistakes, do you understand me?" Giles asked, his voice full of bitterness.
Willow nodded sadly and sat herself down on the couch as Giles gently picked up the prone form of the Slayer. He carried her swiftly up the stairs and placed her in his bed before returning to the kitchen to make tea.
~*~
There was a painfully awkward silence in the living room for the next hour and a half as they waited for Buffy to awaken. Willow was forcing herself not to cry in front of Giles lest he begin screaming once more.
Spike was pacing at the bottom of the staircase, positioned to move quickly if he needed to.
Giles sat with his notebook in his hands, reading off the events that Buffy had been remembering. It wasn't often that he thought back over how much the group had been through over the years.
The last on his list was the hardest to think about. The Cruciamentum. He had hated putting Buffy through it and had despised himself the second he had injected her with the serum that had almost killed her.
To have it so painfully dredged up, in front of Spike of all people, was making him feel an onslaught of guilt.
Spike looked up the stairs suddenly and began running, taking the stairs two at a time. Willow and Giles shared a look, almost forgetting the tension between them, until Willow looked away guiltily.
Spike threw open the door to Giles bedroom and raced to Buffy's side as she slowly began to wake up. She saw him beside her and couldn't' help but smile.
"Hey," she greeted softly.
"Hey," he replied, a smile dancing on his face. "You okay?"
"Been better," she replied, trying to bring herself to sit upright. Spike gently helped her, sitting next to her on the bed.
"Can't say as I blame you pet," he said softly. He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You've had it rough for a few days pet."
"I remember," she said, grimacing at the pain in her pounding head.
"You remember all of it?" he asked.
"Unfortunately," she replied. "Look, I'm sorry about-"
"No, don't. You have nothing to apologise for," he said.
She smiled at him weakly. "I know, but.I am sorry."
"Already forgotten anyway luv," he said.
She smiled gratefully and went to stand up. "Help me downstairs?"
Spike hesitated but nodded, knowing that once she had her mind set on something it would be impossible to not grant her request. He helped her remove the bedcovers and gently brought her to a shaky standing position.
"Go easy on Red alright," Spike said.
Buffy looked at him and sighed, not wanting to deal with a guilty Willow at that point in time. "I don't know if I can go easy on her Spike. I just.I don't understand why she couldn't just leave it. I was trying to get better, but.it was just taking a bit longer than she thought it would. She hurt me really badly Spike," Buffy said. "I didn't even recognise my own sister."
"I know pet. And the whelp already had a go at her. Your Watcher's not one to mince words either," Spike said with a grin.
She smiled back and let him guide her to the door.
"You've seen him in Ripper mode. Nothing can stop him," Buffy said, almost proudly.
Spike opened the door and went to help her down the stairs. He saw how slowly she was taking them, and in one swift move he picked her up and carried her to the bottom, ignoring her protests.
"Buffy you should be resting," Giles said as Spike deposited her on the couch.
"Giles, I can rest down here. And I've done two days straight of sleeping on the couch. I don't know how much more rest a girl can stand."
Giles smiled and gave in, handing Buffy a cup of tea. She took it gratefully and settled down on the couch beside Spike, his arm placed casually behind her on the back of the couch.
"Where's Dawn?" Buffy asked.
"Tucked in bed at home," Spike answered.
"Uh.who's watching her?" Buffy asked.
"Tara's there with her," Giles said.
Willow flinched slightly at the mention of Tara's name, but tried to cover it up by attempting to relax on the couch.
She sat watching Buffy on the couch, unable to bring herself to look her friend in the eyes. She knew that there was a good chance that this would be the end of their entire six year friendship.
"Will," Buffy started, uncertain of what she wanted to say, but knowing that Willow would never be able to begin such a hard conversation.
"I'm sorry!" Willow cried, standing up suddenly. She wanted to race into the bathroom and just cry her eyes out, but she knew that it wouldn't help the matter at all. "I didn't know that this would happen. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"I know," Buffy said softly. "But.what you did."
"I was wrong, I know that," Willow cried.
"You were wrong," Giles snapped, shocking Buffy as well as Willow. "You've been using too much magic."
"I was trying to help," Willow exclaimed. "I was trying to make you happier."
Buffy gave a gentle smile at her friend. "Don't you remember the last time you tried to make the pain go away? I ended up engaged!"
"That was different," Willow said.
Spike looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "How?"
Willow paused, hoping for an explanation to come from her mouth. None came.
"I told you that you had to go through the pain. That it would take time," Buffy said gently. "And I was trying to go through this Will. I know that it was taking a lot of time, but.it was hard to adjust. I didn't need to forget.I just wanted some more time."
Willow wiped away her tears and sniffled miserably.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I was trying to make up for what I did to you. I just hurt you even more."
Buffy smiled gently. "You're forgiven. But, Giles is right. You have been using too much magic."
"I'll stop, I swear," Willow cried.
"That's not entirely necessary," Giles interjected. "Perhaps if you just used it for higher purposes such as.well, stopping demons and averting an apocalypse or two."
"Maybe stick with the small spells pet," Spike suggest, giving the young with a wink.
She smiled and wiped her eyes once more. She walked hesitantly to where Buffy sat, leaning down to give her friend a hug which Buffy returned tightly.
"I really am sorry," Willow said again.
"I know," Buffy said. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner about what really happened."
"It's okay.I understand," Willow said.
Buffy nodded gratefully and breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to look at Spike.
"Could you drive me home?" she asked. "I'd feel a bit safer if I was there with Dawn as well."
Spike nodded and helped Buffy to her feet.
Giles smiled and walked towards Buffy, touching her shoulder comfortingly. She smiled as brightly as her state of tiredness would let her and pulled him into a hug.
"Don't torture yourself over what you were forgiven for years ago," Buffy told him.
He smiled gently, amazed that she could read him so well.
"I think it might be best if you gave patrolling a miss for tonight," Giles suggested. "Leave it up to Angel's crew."
Buffy nodded, too tired to even think about patrolling. "I'll be out tomorrow night though," she said.
"Of course," Giles agreed. "If you'd like to come and train tomorrow, I think that could be useful."
Buffy nodded, trying to remember the last time that they had trained together. She wouldn't have been surprised if the last time had been before her mother had died.
"I'll be here as soon as I get Dawn off to school," Buffy said.
Giles nodded and watched as Spike escorted Buffy to the door.
"Night," Buffy called out.
Willow and Giles called out their goodbyes simultaneously, and watched as Spike and buffy left together. Willow sighed and sat down on Giles couch waiting for another lecture that never came.
~*~ "So." Spike started nervously as he pulled up in front of Buffy's house and stopped the engine, pulling his helmet off his head. He quickly dismounted the motorbike and helped Buffy to the ground.
"Look, about the other night," Buffy began, taking off her own helmet and passing it to Spike.
Spike felt himself tense up at the mention of what had happened between them after the dancing demon has left them. The kiss.
"It was-"
"A mistake," Spike said, cutting her off. "Yeah, yeah, I already bloody know. Should never have happened, I'm a soulless bloodsucking fiend, etcetera etcetera. I'll just forget it ever happened."
She looked at him, her eyebrows raised in amusement.
"Well, that wasn't quite the angle I was gonna take but.if you've got your heart set on forgetting then.who am I to stop you," she said, grinning at him.
He looked at her, completely puzzled by what she was implying.
"You sure Red hasn't done another spell on you? You remember how well that turned out last time," he said, a little unconvinced.
Buffy sighed dramatically. "If you're not interested you can just say so."
Spike almost choked on his surprise. "You're joking right? Me, not interested? I've only been in love with you for the past nine months!" he exclaimed.
She smiled and took his hand in hers.
"Oh, and all that other stuff about you being soulless and bloodsucking, well.you've changed. I know what you were like in the past and.it doesn't matter to me," she said.
Spike smiled hesitantly, wondering when he was going to wake up from this dream world he was in.
"So.you're saying that.you'd be willing to.to be with me?" he asked.
She grinned at the started expression on his face.
'You make life interesting."
He nodded, a pleased smile coming to his face. "Good to hear it pet."
She let go of his hand and went to turn to walk inside.
"Wait a sec," Spike cried, grabbing hold of her wrist and pulling her to him.
She let herself fall into his arms, his lips capturing hers easily, both of them sinking comfortably into the presence of the other. They broke apart slowly and Buffy smiled a little shyly.
"I'll see ya," she said, attempting to be casual and failing miserably.
"Tomorrow?" he asked, smiling boyishly at her.
She paused and eventually nodded. "There's one thing I hafta do but.it won't take too long. Hopefully," she said.
He raised a scarred eyebrow at her questioningly. "Anxious to see me again?"
She laughed a little and kissed him gently. "Always," she said, half joking. "I kinda need to talk to Angel."
Spike's face fell and if it was possible we would have felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach.
"Angel," he repeated, almost spitting out the name hatefully.
"Hey, you've got nothing to worry about. I just need to talk to him. But.after that, I'm all yours," she said.
"You do know that I'm not just fooling around here, right? I need you to know how serious this is to me," Spike said, his voice sounding worried.
"Spike, the last relationship you had lasted for over a century. I kinda get the impression that you're a long haul kinda guy," she said.
He felt a load drop from his shoulder and he smiled thankfully.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
He nodded and watched as she walked towards her front door. She stopped before walking inside. She turned to look at Spike, smiling at him softly, thankful that things were finally going to get better. She gave a final wave and walked inside.
Spike grinned, hardly able to believe his luck. Who woulda thought.Spike and the Slayer? He gave a small laugh and revved his bike, riding off into the darkness, a smile still dancing on his face.
Life was good.
END
Willow opened the door to Giles' apartment and snuck inside. Spike shot her a sympathetic glanced as she sat down in the awkward silence and waited for Buffy to awaken.
Giles looked at Willow and frowned noticeably. He shuffled uncomfortably, making Buffy begin to stir from his movements.
The young woman curled next to him and opened her eyes. She smiled as she took in her surroundings. Thankfully Spike was sitting behind Buffy's line of vision so as not to startle her completely when she finally got all of her strength back.
Willow managed to send a weak grin back to Buffy when Buffy grinned widely at her. On seeing Buffy's carefree smile for the first time in months, she felt a stab of guilt run through her stomach.
"Buffy you need to stand up," Giles said, gently pushing her to her feet.
She stood up as instructed and continued to watch her Watcher as he moved around the room collecting ingredients.
"Ooo, spells," Buffy said. "Need any help?"
Giles shook his head as he placed the last item onto the table.
"I just need you to kneel in the middle of the circle," Giles explained to her.
She looked at him sceptically, but complied with his request. She knelt down, ensuring she was completely inside the circle.
"What's this for?" Buffy asked.
"Just a spell to help you," Giles explained.
She nodded, shrugging and looked at him expectantly. "I still expect a Christmas pressie though," she said with a grin.
He smiled back, trying to recall what memories she would have of Christmas from two years ago. The Christmas where Angel had tried to kill himself in the sun, but the unexpected blizzard had come up. Thankfully her memory hadn't gone back any further, or else Spike would have been a dusty pile on the couch he sat in. A month earlier was when Spike had returned to convince Willow to do a spell to regain Dru.
"So, what do I gotta do?" she asked.
"Just uh.just stay inside the circle," he said.
"Gotta love the easy jobs," she commented and made herself more comfortable.
From behind her, Giles sprinkled a mystical herb over her shoulder.
"The spell was cast, The warrior set free. Restore the memories past And let the spell broken be. Asor Alubat."
Giles stopped and stepped in front of Buffy, waiting for the spell to take affect.
Buffy opened her eyes and looked up at him.
"Uh.I don't know what that was meant to do, but I don't think it worked."
Willow looked towards Giles worriedly but calmed down a little when she saw confidence written over his face.
Without warning, Buffy doubled over, screaming in pain, her hands going to cover her ears, trying to stop the multitude of screaming voices yelling at her. She fell to the ground in pain, her body shaking, screams still coming from her mouth.
Willow went to rush to her, but Spike grabbed hold of her before she could get into the circle.
"Stay outside the circle," Giles warned.
Spike could tell that Giles was worried for Buffy. It wasn't often that you saw the Slayer in so much pain and so utterly helpless.
Tears slipped down Willow's face as she saw how much pain her friend was in.
The screaming suddenly stopped and Buffy was clutching her chest, coughing violently as though she was trying to retch. She collapsed into tears, her body shaking, reminding Spike of the convulsions he head seen her in earlier.
"Make it stop," Buffy whispered, her arms around herself in a meagre attempt of comfort.
"You're nearly there pet," Spike said encouragingly.
It was another five minutes before the voices departed and Buffy was laying completely still within the circle, her breathing short and shallow.
"Is she."
"She'll be fine in about an hour. She'll be pissed as hell, but she'll be fine," Giles said, his anger flaring.
"Giles, please.I'm sorry, I didn't know-"
"I don't want to hear it!" he yelled. "What you did was selfish and horribly dangerous. You put Buffy at great risk, and you yourself saw how much pain she was in because of you."
"I didn't mean-"
"I will not explain your mistakes, do you understand me?" Giles asked, his voice full of bitterness.
Willow nodded sadly and sat herself down on the couch as Giles gently picked up the prone form of the Slayer. He carried her swiftly up the stairs and placed her in his bed before returning to the kitchen to make tea.
~*~
There was a painfully awkward silence in the living room for the next hour and a half as they waited for Buffy to awaken. Willow was forcing herself not to cry in front of Giles lest he begin screaming once more.
Spike was pacing at the bottom of the staircase, positioned to move quickly if he needed to.
Giles sat with his notebook in his hands, reading off the events that Buffy had been remembering. It wasn't often that he thought back over how much the group had been through over the years.
The last on his list was the hardest to think about. The Cruciamentum. He had hated putting Buffy through it and had despised himself the second he had injected her with the serum that had almost killed her.
To have it so painfully dredged up, in front of Spike of all people, was making him feel an onslaught of guilt.
Spike looked up the stairs suddenly and began running, taking the stairs two at a time. Willow and Giles shared a look, almost forgetting the tension between them, until Willow looked away guiltily.
Spike threw open the door to Giles bedroom and raced to Buffy's side as she slowly began to wake up. She saw him beside her and couldn't' help but smile.
"Hey," she greeted softly.
"Hey," he replied, a smile dancing on his face. "You okay?"
"Been better," she replied, trying to bring herself to sit upright. Spike gently helped her, sitting next to her on the bed.
"Can't say as I blame you pet," he said softly. He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You've had it rough for a few days pet."
"I remember," she said, grimacing at the pain in her pounding head.
"You remember all of it?" he asked.
"Unfortunately," she replied. "Look, I'm sorry about-"
"No, don't. You have nothing to apologise for," he said.
She smiled at him weakly. "I know, but.I am sorry."
"Already forgotten anyway luv," he said.
She smiled gratefully and went to stand up. "Help me downstairs?"
Spike hesitated but nodded, knowing that once she had her mind set on something it would be impossible to not grant her request. He helped her remove the bedcovers and gently brought her to a shaky standing position.
"Go easy on Red alright," Spike said.
Buffy looked at him and sighed, not wanting to deal with a guilty Willow at that point in time. "I don't know if I can go easy on her Spike. I just.I don't understand why she couldn't just leave it. I was trying to get better, but.it was just taking a bit longer than she thought it would. She hurt me really badly Spike," Buffy said. "I didn't even recognise my own sister."
"I know pet. And the whelp already had a go at her. Your Watcher's not one to mince words either," Spike said with a grin.
She smiled back and let him guide her to the door.
"You've seen him in Ripper mode. Nothing can stop him," Buffy said, almost proudly.
Spike opened the door and went to help her down the stairs. He saw how slowly she was taking them, and in one swift move he picked her up and carried her to the bottom, ignoring her protests.
"Buffy you should be resting," Giles said as Spike deposited her on the couch.
"Giles, I can rest down here. And I've done two days straight of sleeping on the couch. I don't know how much more rest a girl can stand."
Giles smiled and gave in, handing Buffy a cup of tea. She took it gratefully and settled down on the couch beside Spike, his arm placed casually behind her on the back of the couch.
"Where's Dawn?" Buffy asked.
"Tucked in bed at home," Spike answered.
"Uh.who's watching her?" Buffy asked.
"Tara's there with her," Giles said.
Willow flinched slightly at the mention of Tara's name, but tried to cover it up by attempting to relax on the couch.
She sat watching Buffy on the couch, unable to bring herself to look her friend in the eyes. She knew that there was a good chance that this would be the end of their entire six year friendship.
"Will," Buffy started, uncertain of what she wanted to say, but knowing that Willow would never be able to begin such a hard conversation.
"I'm sorry!" Willow cried, standing up suddenly. She wanted to race into the bathroom and just cry her eyes out, but she knew that it wouldn't help the matter at all. "I didn't know that this would happen. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"I know," Buffy said softly. "But.what you did."
"I was wrong, I know that," Willow cried.
"You were wrong," Giles snapped, shocking Buffy as well as Willow. "You've been using too much magic."
"I was trying to help," Willow exclaimed. "I was trying to make you happier."
Buffy gave a gentle smile at her friend. "Don't you remember the last time you tried to make the pain go away? I ended up engaged!"
"That was different," Willow said.
Spike looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "How?"
Willow paused, hoping for an explanation to come from her mouth. None came.
"I told you that you had to go through the pain. That it would take time," Buffy said gently. "And I was trying to go through this Will. I know that it was taking a lot of time, but.it was hard to adjust. I didn't need to forget.I just wanted some more time."
Willow wiped away her tears and sniffled miserably.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I was trying to make up for what I did to you. I just hurt you even more."
Buffy smiled gently. "You're forgiven. But, Giles is right. You have been using too much magic."
"I'll stop, I swear," Willow cried.
"That's not entirely necessary," Giles interjected. "Perhaps if you just used it for higher purposes such as.well, stopping demons and averting an apocalypse or two."
"Maybe stick with the small spells pet," Spike suggest, giving the young with a wink.
She smiled and wiped her eyes once more. She walked hesitantly to where Buffy sat, leaning down to give her friend a hug which Buffy returned tightly.
"I really am sorry," Willow said again.
"I know," Buffy said. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner about what really happened."
"It's okay.I understand," Willow said.
Buffy nodded gratefully and breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to look at Spike.
"Could you drive me home?" she asked. "I'd feel a bit safer if I was there with Dawn as well."
Spike nodded and helped Buffy to her feet.
Giles smiled and walked towards Buffy, touching her shoulder comfortingly. She smiled as brightly as her state of tiredness would let her and pulled him into a hug.
"Don't torture yourself over what you were forgiven for years ago," Buffy told him.
He smiled gently, amazed that she could read him so well.
"I think it might be best if you gave patrolling a miss for tonight," Giles suggested. "Leave it up to Angel's crew."
Buffy nodded, too tired to even think about patrolling. "I'll be out tomorrow night though," she said.
"Of course," Giles agreed. "If you'd like to come and train tomorrow, I think that could be useful."
Buffy nodded, trying to remember the last time that they had trained together. She wouldn't have been surprised if the last time had been before her mother had died.
"I'll be here as soon as I get Dawn off to school," Buffy said.
Giles nodded and watched as Spike escorted Buffy to the door.
"Night," Buffy called out.
Willow and Giles called out their goodbyes simultaneously, and watched as Spike and buffy left together. Willow sighed and sat down on Giles couch waiting for another lecture that never came.
~*~ "So." Spike started nervously as he pulled up in front of Buffy's house and stopped the engine, pulling his helmet off his head. He quickly dismounted the motorbike and helped Buffy to the ground.
"Look, about the other night," Buffy began, taking off her own helmet and passing it to Spike.
Spike felt himself tense up at the mention of what had happened between them after the dancing demon has left them. The kiss.
"It was-"
"A mistake," Spike said, cutting her off. "Yeah, yeah, I already bloody know. Should never have happened, I'm a soulless bloodsucking fiend, etcetera etcetera. I'll just forget it ever happened."
She looked at him, her eyebrows raised in amusement.
"Well, that wasn't quite the angle I was gonna take but.if you've got your heart set on forgetting then.who am I to stop you," she said, grinning at him.
He looked at her, completely puzzled by what she was implying.
"You sure Red hasn't done another spell on you? You remember how well that turned out last time," he said, a little unconvinced.
Buffy sighed dramatically. "If you're not interested you can just say so."
Spike almost choked on his surprise. "You're joking right? Me, not interested? I've only been in love with you for the past nine months!" he exclaimed.
She smiled and took his hand in hers.
"Oh, and all that other stuff about you being soulless and bloodsucking, well.you've changed. I know what you were like in the past and.it doesn't matter to me," she said.
Spike smiled hesitantly, wondering when he was going to wake up from this dream world he was in.
"So.you're saying that.you'd be willing to.to be with me?" he asked.
She grinned at the started expression on his face.
'You make life interesting."
He nodded, a pleased smile coming to his face. "Good to hear it pet."
She let go of his hand and went to turn to walk inside.
"Wait a sec," Spike cried, grabbing hold of her wrist and pulling her to him.
She let herself fall into his arms, his lips capturing hers easily, both of them sinking comfortably into the presence of the other. They broke apart slowly and Buffy smiled a little shyly.
"I'll see ya," she said, attempting to be casual and failing miserably.
"Tomorrow?" he asked, smiling boyishly at her.
She paused and eventually nodded. "There's one thing I hafta do but.it won't take too long. Hopefully," she said.
He raised a scarred eyebrow at her questioningly. "Anxious to see me again?"
She laughed a little and kissed him gently. "Always," she said, half joking. "I kinda need to talk to Angel."
Spike's face fell and if it was possible we would have felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach.
"Angel," he repeated, almost spitting out the name hatefully.
"Hey, you've got nothing to worry about. I just need to talk to him. But.after that, I'm all yours," she said.
"You do know that I'm not just fooling around here, right? I need you to know how serious this is to me," Spike said, his voice sounding worried.
"Spike, the last relationship you had lasted for over a century. I kinda get the impression that you're a long haul kinda guy," she said.
He felt a load drop from his shoulder and he smiled thankfully.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
He nodded and watched as she walked towards her front door. She stopped before walking inside. She turned to look at Spike, smiling at him softly, thankful that things were finally going to get better. She gave a final wave and walked inside.
Spike grinned, hardly able to believe his luck. Who woulda thought.Spike and the Slayer? He gave a small laugh and revved his bike, riding off into the darkness, a smile still dancing on his face.
Life was good.
END
