Disclaimer: Yup, you guessed it..not mine.
Author's notes: This takes place right after "Same time, Same place". Some things are just changed as is Spike was still living with Buffy ect...For the purpose of this fic its a Saturday...and well..just read it, it'll all make sense. This chapter deals mainly with Buffy/Willow friendship and a bit of Spike/Buffy fluff at the end. Once again R&R!
As Buffy took Willow's hands she internally smiled. She really was happy to have her back, and was glad she could help her heal her physical wounds because, like Spike, Willow would have to deal with her emotional wounds mostly on her own. A few minutes after sitting there she began weaken just slightly, and at that point Buffy just let her mind calm and her thoughts drift to nothing.
Buffy snapped out of her trance as Willow pulled her hands away. She felt slighty tired and glanced over to the clock. Almost 11 am... "Wow, that was almost an hour?" Buffy wondered aloud, "didn't feel that long."
"Its usually like that...I didn't take too much, did I?" Willow asked, concern evident on her face.
Buffy smiled in reassurance. "Don't worry Will, I'm fine. How are you feeling now?"
"A bit better, there's not as much pain atleast. I should be healed in a few days." Willow said before smirking a bit, "I can definitely say though, that almost getting eaten was not what I had planned for my first day back home."
"Just out of plain curiosity, what were planning on doing your first day back?"
Willow shrugged, "I'm not really sure. I do want to know what I missed over the summer though."
Buffy's face lit up a bit at the thought of being able to gossip to her friend, until she realized that not much actually happened. "Not much really. Dawn's been helping out a bit on patrol and such and she's actually doing pretty good. The High School has been rebuilt and this time it seems that the principles office has been built right over the Hellmouth."
"Do you think he's..." Willow left the sentence unfinished.
Buffy shook her head. "I don't think so, he seems pretty normal not to mention nice...he actually gave me a job!" She exclaimed happily.
"Really? Doing what?"
"Working as a counselor. I get to help out the troubled teens."
"That's really great," Willow said sincerely.
"Yeah, I know. And its only three million times better than working at the Doublemeat Palace." Buffy replied, thinking of what else she could tell Willow. "Xander's now this big shot construction guy, and actually made quite a bit of money over the summer working on the school. You already know about Spike being all soulful and now living here."
"So how did Xander take all that?"
"The soulful part or the living here part?"
"Both."
"He actually laughed and didn't believe me at first when I told him Spike had a soul, and he's definitely not very happy about him living here."
"Thats sort of understandable," Willow said, "he is still a vampire and all. I know this is also none of my business with my just getting here and all, but why are you letting him stay?"
Buffy sighed, "now that really is a long story...but I couldn't just let him go back to living under the school, and living in a crypt wouldn't be safe in the state of mind he's in...you've seen how unstable he is."
"Yeah, I have." Willow said while yawning.
"Why don't you get some rest Wills?"
"I guess I should, I didn't get much sleep last night because of the pain...but since it feel better now, thanks to you, I should probably try to get some sleep."
Buffy smiled and hugged her friend, before leaving the room so Willow could get some rest.
It didn't take to long for her to lay down and begin to doze off, but plenty of time for her to think. It was really hard actually thinking that her friends didn't want her and that she was all alone, actually, it was more than just really hard. Willow was unbelievably happy now knowing that they did still want her, even after all she had done.
***
Buffy quietly made her way downstairs, so she wouldn't interrupt Willow.
"Hey Dawn," Buffy said going into the living room. "You can stop researching now...Willow told me why we couldn't see her and why she couldn't see us." Dawn looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "Willow said that she wasn't sure if she was ready to see us, so she subconsciously cast a spell."
"I guess that explains it," Dawn said, now turning away from the labtop.
Buffy flopped down onto the couch sighing slightly.
"Whats wrong?" Dawn asked, walking over and sitting down next to her sister.
"I'm not sure. But I do know that today being Saturday and all I'll just relax."
"Isn't that sort of a contradiction? Generally Slayer and relax never goes together."
"I know, and its so true. I can't really stop thinking of this huge evil to come. I mean we have no clue at all of what it could be," Buffy frowned.
"Spike still hasn't given any clues?"
"No. Whenever I ask him he's all, 'It comes from beneath you' or 'From beneath you it devours.' Thats all I can get out of him."
Spike decided to enter the living room at that time. He walked in from the kitchen holding a mug of what appeared to be blood, and was once again talking to himself.
"Sorry...sorry...I know I should have. What can I do....please, what?"
Buffy curiously looked over to Dawn and she shrugged helplessly. "He's been doing that on and off for quite some time now. We would be having a semi-normal conversation and all of a sudden he'll be off in his own world again."
Buffy watched as Spike drained the mug and put it on the side table before continuing to babble. "Please, please, no...Its alright, see? But still...I could have...but no...no stopping it."
"Spike what are you talking about?" Buffy asked him.
Spike didn't seem to hear her though and just kept on pacing back and forth, talking to himself.
Buffy walked up to him, took his face in both her hands and forced him to look at her. "Spike," she said more softly this time, "what are you talking about?"
Spike took a step back from her, out of her reach. He was silent for a few moments, focusing on actually making a proper sentance. "I could have prevented what happened to Red....I could have," he paused. "If only I would have stayed with you after leading you to the cave. But no, I just left like the uncaring monster I am."
"Spike, your not uncaring and you know it. There was no way you could have known what was to happen."
"She's right, you know." Dawn chimed in.
Spike shook his head. "I don't know, I don't know anything any more. I could be almost normal one second and then it all comes back again..." he trailed off.
"Ho about the three of us watch a movie?" Dawn asked, thinking that maybe it would get Spike's mind off of everything.
Buffy smiled, "that would be a great idea, what do you say Spike?"
Spike shrugged, "I guess we could do that."
***
After about twenty minutes they finally decided on a movie.
"I can't believe I let you choose Bring It On," Buffy grumbled, though she was the one that bought it for Dawn awhile ago.
"Well its the least you could do, I mean I did get paralized..not to mention you let Anya put me in that stupid sitting position."
Buffy smiled, "well it was sort of funny."
The teenager glared at her sister before pressing the play button and sitting down next to Spike, causing him to be in the middle of the two girls.
"By the way Spike....how come your not sleeping? Isn't that what vampires do during the day?" Buffy asked.
"I can't sleep...the nightmares are always there. I actually haven't been able to sleep properly since...the first night I stayed here."
Buffy kept silent to Spike's reply, knowing why he slept that first night. Her touch seemed to calm him into a dreamless sleep.
***
About half way through the movie Buffy noticed that Spike fell asleep half lying on her shoulder, and smiled. Atleast he could actually get some sleep now.......
A/N: So, what did you think? I tried to make it longer and still post tonight...so give me your opinions....
Author's notes: This takes place right after "Same time, Same place". Some things are just changed as is Spike was still living with Buffy ect...For the purpose of this fic its a Saturday...and well..just read it, it'll all make sense. This chapter deals mainly with Buffy/Willow friendship and a bit of Spike/Buffy fluff at the end. Once again R&R!
As Buffy took Willow's hands she internally smiled. She really was happy to have her back, and was glad she could help her heal her physical wounds because, like Spike, Willow would have to deal with her emotional wounds mostly on her own. A few minutes after sitting there she began weaken just slightly, and at that point Buffy just let her mind calm and her thoughts drift to nothing.
Buffy snapped out of her trance as Willow pulled her hands away. She felt slighty tired and glanced over to the clock. Almost 11 am... "Wow, that was almost an hour?" Buffy wondered aloud, "didn't feel that long."
"Its usually like that...I didn't take too much, did I?" Willow asked, concern evident on her face.
Buffy smiled in reassurance. "Don't worry Will, I'm fine. How are you feeling now?"
"A bit better, there's not as much pain atleast. I should be healed in a few days." Willow said before smirking a bit, "I can definitely say though, that almost getting eaten was not what I had planned for my first day back home."
"Just out of plain curiosity, what were planning on doing your first day back?"
Willow shrugged, "I'm not really sure. I do want to know what I missed over the summer though."
Buffy's face lit up a bit at the thought of being able to gossip to her friend, until she realized that not much actually happened. "Not much really. Dawn's been helping out a bit on patrol and such and she's actually doing pretty good. The High School has been rebuilt and this time it seems that the principles office has been built right over the Hellmouth."
"Do you think he's..." Willow left the sentence unfinished.
Buffy shook her head. "I don't think so, he seems pretty normal not to mention nice...he actually gave me a job!" She exclaimed happily.
"Really? Doing what?"
"Working as a counselor. I get to help out the troubled teens."
"That's really great," Willow said sincerely.
"Yeah, I know. And its only three million times better than working at the Doublemeat Palace." Buffy replied, thinking of what else she could tell Willow. "Xander's now this big shot construction guy, and actually made quite a bit of money over the summer working on the school. You already know about Spike being all soulful and now living here."
"So how did Xander take all that?"
"The soulful part or the living here part?"
"Both."
"He actually laughed and didn't believe me at first when I told him Spike had a soul, and he's definitely not very happy about him living here."
"Thats sort of understandable," Willow said, "he is still a vampire and all. I know this is also none of my business with my just getting here and all, but why are you letting him stay?"
Buffy sighed, "now that really is a long story...but I couldn't just let him go back to living under the school, and living in a crypt wouldn't be safe in the state of mind he's in...you've seen how unstable he is."
"Yeah, I have." Willow said while yawning.
"Why don't you get some rest Wills?"
"I guess I should, I didn't get much sleep last night because of the pain...but since it feel better now, thanks to you, I should probably try to get some sleep."
Buffy smiled and hugged her friend, before leaving the room so Willow could get some rest.
It didn't take to long for her to lay down and begin to doze off, but plenty of time for her to think. It was really hard actually thinking that her friends didn't want her and that she was all alone, actually, it was more than just really hard. Willow was unbelievably happy now knowing that they did still want her, even after all she had done.
***
Buffy quietly made her way downstairs, so she wouldn't interrupt Willow.
"Hey Dawn," Buffy said going into the living room. "You can stop researching now...Willow told me why we couldn't see her and why she couldn't see us." Dawn looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "Willow said that she wasn't sure if she was ready to see us, so she subconsciously cast a spell."
"I guess that explains it," Dawn said, now turning away from the labtop.
Buffy flopped down onto the couch sighing slightly.
"Whats wrong?" Dawn asked, walking over and sitting down next to her sister.
"I'm not sure. But I do know that today being Saturday and all I'll just relax."
"Isn't that sort of a contradiction? Generally Slayer and relax never goes together."
"I know, and its so true. I can't really stop thinking of this huge evil to come. I mean we have no clue at all of what it could be," Buffy frowned.
"Spike still hasn't given any clues?"
"No. Whenever I ask him he's all, 'It comes from beneath you' or 'From beneath you it devours.' Thats all I can get out of him."
Spike decided to enter the living room at that time. He walked in from the kitchen holding a mug of what appeared to be blood, and was once again talking to himself.
"Sorry...sorry...I know I should have. What can I do....please, what?"
Buffy curiously looked over to Dawn and she shrugged helplessly. "He's been doing that on and off for quite some time now. We would be having a semi-normal conversation and all of a sudden he'll be off in his own world again."
Buffy watched as Spike drained the mug and put it on the side table before continuing to babble. "Please, please, no...Its alright, see? But still...I could have...but no...no stopping it."
"Spike what are you talking about?" Buffy asked him.
Spike didn't seem to hear her though and just kept on pacing back and forth, talking to himself.
Buffy walked up to him, took his face in both her hands and forced him to look at her. "Spike," she said more softly this time, "what are you talking about?"
Spike took a step back from her, out of her reach. He was silent for a few moments, focusing on actually making a proper sentance. "I could have prevented what happened to Red....I could have," he paused. "If only I would have stayed with you after leading you to the cave. But no, I just left like the uncaring monster I am."
"Spike, your not uncaring and you know it. There was no way you could have known what was to happen."
"She's right, you know." Dawn chimed in.
Spike shook his head. "I don't know, I don't know anything any more. I could be almost normal one second and then it all comes back again..." he trailed off.
"Ho about the three of us watch a movie?" Dawn asked, thinking that maybe it would get Spike's mind off of everything.
Buffy smiled, "that would be a great idea, what do you say Spike?"
Spike shrugged, "I guess we could do that."
***
After about twenty minutes they finally decided on a movie.
"I can't believe I let you choose Bring It On," Buffy grumbled, though she was the one that bought it for Dawn awhile ago.
"Well its the least you could do, I mean I did get paralized..not to mention you let Anya put me in that stupid sitting position."
Buffy smiled, "well it was sort of funny."
The teenager glared at her sister before pressing the play button and sitting down next to Spike, causing him to be in the middle of the two girls.
"By the way Spike....how come your not sleeping? Isn't that what vampires do during the day?" Buffy asked.
"I can't sleep...the nightmares are always there. I actually haven't been able to sleep properly since...the first night I stayed here."
Buffy kept silent to Spike's reply, knowing why he slept that first night. Her touch seemed to calm him into a dreamless sleep.
***
About half way through the movie Buffy noticed that Spike fell asleep half lying on her shoulder, and smiled. Atleast he could actually get some sleep now.......
A/N: So, what did you think? I tried to make it longer and still post tonight...so give me your opinions....