Title:               Moment of Truth

Summary:       Everything goes kablooey.

Spoilers:         Post "As You Were"; goes off on a tangent from there!
Pairing:           Who do you think?  B/S!

Rating:            PG-13, I guess.

Disclaimer:     You know the deal.  Even though I wish I owned Spike, I own nothing.  All belongs to Joss.  I just play.

That's it.  Not mixing JD and SoCo again, thought Spike when he woke up.  His head was pounding and there was this god-awful noise coming from the living room that was not helping his situation.  Sounded like a bad Mariachi band or something from a Speedy Gonzalez cartoon.  Thankfully, it stopped after an agonizing minute.  He sat up and shook his head to try and clear it from its alcohol induced fog.  In mid-shake, he noti8ced a body cocooned under the covers next to him.  Spike smiled softly.  When she was younger, Cecelia used to beg him to stay with her whenever she was upset over something.  Having to deal with him and Buffy last night probably did a number on her.  Some things never change, he thought.  Just as he was going to gather Cecelia up to bring her to her own room, that irritating noise started up again.  Fine.  She could wait.  He was going to find what was making that noise and kill it.  Painfully.

He padded into the living room and found the offending member on the couch.  A cell phone.  He answered it grumpily.  "Yeah, what?"

"Jeeze, Buffy, I've only been calling for like a half an hour!  What took you so…. Wait.  Buffy's not a man with a British accent."

"Good answer, Captain Obvious."

"Spike?"

" 'ello Red."

He cringed as he heard a screech in the background.  "Spike?  That's Spike on the phone?  You tell that bastard to get his ass back home now!"

"Dawnie!  Watch the language!"
Spike laughed to himself.  Well, he was right about one thing.  Dawn was definitely pissed off.

"And Xander is waiting to take you to school, so git!"

"Fine," Dawn replied, grumbling.  "But you make sure he gets my message!"

"Uh, no need to relay, Red.  I heard her just fine.  I figured she'd be upset with me," Spike said.

"She just misses you, that's all.  We all do."

"Even Xander?"

"Even Xander.  We girls outnumber him, and he has no one to argue with."

"The whelp misses me," he said, leaning against the bedroom doorway.  "Now isn't that special."

There was an awkward silence for a minute.  "So… uh… is Buffy there," Willow asked.

"Actually, no," Spike answered as he watched the sheet on his bed start to rustle.  "But unfortunately, she'll be back when she realizes…" he trailed off as the person on his bed sat up.  "Willow, I'll call you back."  *click* 

"Spike, what's wrong?  Hello?  Spike?"  But there was only a dial tone.  Okay, that was odd, she thought.  Something's up.

He stormed across the apartment to the other bedroom.  Opening the door, he saw Cecelia sound asleep on her bed.

"Bloody fucking hell."

Cecelia smiled as she heard the door close and put her extra pillow over her head.  She had a feeling this was going to get loud, and she wanted to grab a few more hours of sleep.  Head for the hills, ladies and gents, she thought.  This might get ugly.

"Get out."

"And good morning to you too," Buffy replied.

"Good morning.  Now get out."

"Are you always this rude in the morning?"

"Why are you in my bed," Spike asked, ignoring her question.

"I was sleeping."

"Why didn't you leave?"

"Too tired to drive.  I'm bad enough at that as it is."

"We have a couch."

"It's lumpy."

"You could have slept in Cecelia's bed."

"She's sleeping there."  Spike could hear the "duh" in her voice.  He sighed.  "Get out," he repeated.

"Not until we talk."

"There is nothing to talk about!"

"Spike, listen to me—"

"No, you listen to me," he interrupted, angrily.  "For almost 2 years now, I've done nothing but help you.  Time and time again, I've killed my own kind and gotten you and your gang out of tight spots.  What do I get for it?  I've been shunned by the vampire world, beaten up by numerous demons and a hell-god—and let's not forget the occasional ass kicking and insults by you and your Scooby friends.

"I loved you, Buffy.  With all of my being, whether you believed it or not.  I know it didn't always come out right, but I was a vampire trying to figure out why and how to love a human.  I needed to learn how.  And all I got in return was laughed at, ridiculed, and kicked when I was down—all by you!  I've had enough of that life!  So I'm telling you one more time.  Go away and leave me be!"

Buffy sat on the bed, letting his words sink in.  Head bowed, she put on her shoes and tried to keep the tears from coming.  She wasn't going to argue with him this time; she wasn't going to try to sweet talk him or persuade him to come home.  He was right.  She had done nothing but act miserable to him when most of the time all he tried to do was help and be there for her and her friends.  And now it was too late for her to try to make it up to him.  She had been cruel to him one too many times.

Buffy took a deep breath and stood up.  "Fine, I'll leave."  As she walked out of the room, she paused only for a moment to say one last thing.  She had to at least tell him the truth.  "I know it's too little, too late, Spike," she said sadly, "but I love you.  I have for a long time; I just never wanted to admit it."

Before she could even finish what she was saying, Buffy found herself pinned against the wall with a hand around her throat.  She glanced up to see a very angry, very vamped-out Spike snarling down at her.  "Why do you continue to play with my emotions," he practically shouted.

"I'm not playing, Spike," she said, calmly.  "I. Love. You."  She pronounced each word carefully.

"STOP!  Stop lying to me," he said, giving her a shake.

Now Buffy was getting angry.  "I am not lying!  After you left, I didn't know what to do!  I was virtually in shambles!  My life was a mess all because you left me!  You know the saying 'You don't know what you've got until it's gone', Spike?  Well, it's true."  He just looked down at her, still not believing.  "What is it going to take for you to believe me?  Why else would I have come all the way to L.A., huh?  And everyone knows about us!  Dawn, Willow, Tara, Anya, and Xander.  Yes, Xander."  She lowered her voice and brought her hands up to cup his demon face.  "Spike, I love you.  Not Angel, not Riley.  You."  Then she slowly drew his snarling face down for a kiss. 

When they parted, Spike's face was back to normal, and he laid his cheek against her forehead.  "You're not lying to me, and I'm not dreaming.  You really love me," he asked her, his voice full of emotion.

"With all my heart, William."

"God, Buffy, I love you so much."

The tender moment was broken by an annoyed voice from across the apartment.  "Good, you both love each other.  Now shut up and go back to sleep!  Some people need their rest!"

"Sorry, Cecelia," Spike chuckled.  "We'll keep it down."

As if on cue, a Mariachi band started playing.  "Would someone please shut off that fucking phone," Cecelia screeched.

End Part 12

Most likely there will be an Epilogue coming.  Sorry about the lack of updates, I have no excuse.  I'm a baaaaad girl.