REUNION
Minimum Safe Distance 5 By Annie
Rated: PG ( yes, still, rating R in part 6, I promise)
Disclaimer: Still don't own them; that honor still belongs to the mighty JW
Feedback: crehnert@ptd.net
Spike heard her coming well before she actually arrived at his crypt.
He was leaning against the door, chain-smoking, one ear listening for sounds from within, one tuned to the outside, waiting for Willow.
He heard the car stopping outside the cemetery, heard her hurried steps as she raced his way, probably trying to avoid any rampaging demons as well. The Scoobies, and Spike himself, had tried to keep the demon population down, but news travels fast, and most of the denizens of the underworld had already found out that the Hellmouth was minus its' Slayer. Even now, Spike caught sight and awful scent of something or other cowered behind a tilting tombstone about a hundred and fifty yards away - right in Willow's path.
"Hey!" Spike called, reluctant to leave his doorway, ever conscious of Buffy inside.
The putrid-looking thing turned its' head in Spike's general direction.
"Bugger off, mate," Spike warned him dangerously. "You don't want to be in the middle of this."
The demon slunk off just as Willow came running into view, breathing hard, trying to watch the cemetery around her and relieved immeasurably when she spied Spike waiting for her.
Willow stopped gratefully in front of him.
"Spike, thank heavens it's you!" She cried. " I was so afraid this was some kind of trick, and then I was afraid not to come. Harmony said you captured Buffy, and I thought she was crazy, but she looked so scared.."
Spike stopped her with a raised hand, taking one last drag from his umpteenth cigarette and flipping it away. "She's in here," he said simply, pushing open the door, allowing Willow to precede him into the crypt.
She stopped in shock, and he walked into her, but then she ran over to where Buffy lay. "Oh, my God, Buffy! Buffy!" Willow started to cry, moving the comforters aside slightly to see if her best friend was really there, and really all right. Buffy groaned slightly, said, 'Spike," and seemed to fall back into her healing sleep. Willow grabbed her hand and held it tightly, only then turning back to the vampire beside her.
"How?" she asked, at a loss. So many times she had been prepared to do a resurrection spell, and every time the thought of a damaged and possibly deranged Buffy had stopped her.
Spike shrugged. "I don't know. I have been thinking about it, though. Maybe, since we live here in the Hellmouth, and maybe, as her death was not exactly a natural thing, or because she already died once, I don't know." His voice softened then. "I never question good fortune, Love."
Willow looked at Buffy's face once more, as if to reassure herself once again that she wasn't dreaming. "Is she all right? I mean, is she Buffy? You know what I mean."
He ran a hand through the platinum hair anxiously. "I think so. She wasn't at first, but then it all seemed to come back to her, and then she went into this shock, or whatever it is. I'm hoping this is just some kind of healing thing."
He went on to tell her the incredible story of what had happened, Willow all the while stroking Buffy's hand and arm. "Luckily, that empty- headed bint happened along, because I couldn't leave her here to go and find anyone. I'm not sure what we should do, or even if we should do anything."
Willow smiled gently. "I'm not sure we should do anything at all either, except to get her to a warmer place, where we can take better care of her."
"Yours and Tara's place then?" he asked.
Willow shook her head. "No, I don't want to take the chance of anyone stopping for a visit and seeing her until we know she's okay and we can figure out how this happened." She thought a few seconds and then stood. "I know. The apartment over the magic Shop. It's furnished and heated and all, and we can take her there. Anya won't mind. She's been trying to rent it out but no one wants to be there, I guess, because of the shop. Anyway, I can call Tara and Xander and Anya from the shop to come and meet us and bring food. I still have a key for the back door. Will you carry her to my car?"
"I would carry her to bloody China if I had to, Pet," Spike assured her, leaning over to bundle his Slayer up in the soft comforters, picking her up effortlessly and pulling the warm body close to him.
Willow led the way to her car, and Spike sat in the back with Buffy, still holding her to himself, reveling in the warmth and closeness of her.
Within a half hour or so, the Slayer was carefully ensconced in a nice warm bed, and Willow was steeping some chicken boullion with some healing and calming herbs, in preparation for Buffy's return to wakefulness. She was still mumbling in her sleep, still repeating the words, 'Come back Summers,' interspersed with an occasional 'Spike.'
Tara had arrived quickly, with Xander and Anya right behind her. After she got the brew going, and had made sure Buffy was comfortable in bed, Willow had gone back down into the Magic Shop and called Giles, who promised that he would be on the next flight over. He would wait until he saw the Slayer personally before reporting it to the Council. Not that it would matter. Buffy wouldn't work for them anyway, but it would be one heck of a story for the Slayer annuals.
Spike spent an hour or so pacing around in the living room of the big apartment, occasionally glancing into the bedroom, where one of the women was always sitting on the bed with Buffy, talking to her quietly and trying to wake her up. Spike wanted that job desperately, but he and Xander had been relegated to the other room, and so he spent the time retelling the story for Xander.
Willow appeared suddenly in the bedroom doorway. "She's awake," she told them excitedly. Spike and Xander raced for the bedroom, Spike standing in the doorway watching.
Minimum safe distance.
The Slayer was indeed awake, talking weakly with Willow and Tara, Anya and Xander standing close and listening raptly. She was relating the same resurrection tale, only from her own point of view. Willow and Tara hugged her, made her drink the healing soup Willow had made, and then started to go and make tea for her.
'Will," Buffy stopped her friend in the bedroom doorway, looking like she was trying to climb out of the big bed. "I need to talk to Spike, is he here?"
Willow ran to the bed, gently pushing Buffy back into it. "I'll get him for you, Buffy, he's just there in the other room. You stay right where you are for now," the redhead insisted.
But when Willow went to get him, Spike was gone.
Minimum Safe Distance 5 By Annie
Rated: PG ( yes, still, rating R in part 6, I promise)
Disclaimer: Still don't own them; that honor still belongs to the mighty JW
Feedback: crehnert@ptd.net
Spike heard her coming well before she actually arrived at his crypt.
He was leaning against the door, chain-smoking, one ear listening for sounds from within, one tuned to the outside, waiting for Willow.
He heard the car stopping outside the cemetery, heard her hurried steps as she raced his way, probably trying to avoid any rampaging demons as well. The Scoobies, and Spike himself, had tried to keep the demon population down, but news travels fast, and most of the denizens of the underworld had already found out that the Hellmouth was minus its' Slayer. Even now, Spike caught sight and awful scent of something or other cowered behind a tilting tombstone about a hundred and fifty yards away - right in Willow's path.
"Hey!" Spike called, reluctant to leave his doorway, ever conscious of Buffy inside.
The putrid-looking thing turned its' head in Spike's general direction.
"Bugger off, mate," Spike warned him dangerously. "You don't want to be in the middle of this."
The demon slunk off just as Willow came running into view, breathing hard, trying to watch the cemetery around her and relieved immeasurably when she spied Spike waiting for her.
Willow stopped gratefully in front of him.
"Spike, thank heavens it's you!" She cried. " I was so afraid this was some kind of trick, and then I was afraid not to come. Harmony said you captured Buffy, and I thought she was crazy, but she looked so scared.."
Spike stopped her with a raised hand, taking one last drag from his umpteenth cigarette and flipping it away. "She's in here," he said simply, pushing open the door, allowing Willow to precede him into the crypt.
She stopped in shock, and he walked into her, but then she ran over to where Buffy lay. "Oh, my God, Buffy! Buffy!" Willow started to cry, moving the comforters aside slightly to see if her best friend was really there, and really all right. Buffy groaned slightly, said, 'Spike," and seemed to fall back into her healing sleep. Willow grabbed her hand and held it tightly, only then turning back to the vampire beside her.
"How?" she asked, at a loss. So many times she had been prepared to do a resurrection spell, and every time the thought of a damaged and possibly deranged Buffy had stopped her.
Spike shrugged. "I don't know. I have been thinking about it, though. Maybe, since we live here in the Hellmouth, and maybe, as her death was not exactly a natural thing, or because she already died once, I don't know." His voice softened then. "I never question good fortune, Love."
Willow looked at Buffy's face once more, as if to reassure herself once again that she wasn't dreaming. "Is she all right? I mean, is she Buffy? You know what I mean."
He ran a hand through the platinum hair anxiously. "I think so. She wasn't at first, but then it all seemed to come back to her, and then she went into this shock, or whatever it is. I'm hoping this is just some kind of healing thing."
He went on to tell her the incredible story of what had happened, Willow all the while stroking Buffy's hand and arm. "Luckily, that empty- headed bint happened along, because I couldn't leave her here to go and find anyone. I'm not sure what we should do, or even if we should do anything."
Willow smiled gently. "I'm not sure we should do anything at all either, except to get her to a warmer place, where we can take better care of her."
"Yours and Tara's place then?" he asked.
Willow shook her head. "No, I don't want to take the chance of anyone stopping for a visit and seeing her until we know she's okay and we can figure out how this happened." She thought a few seconds and then stood. "I know. The apartment over the magic Shop. It's furnished and heated and all, and we can take her there. Anya won't mind. She's been trying to rent it out but no one wants to be there, I guess, because of the shop. Anyway, I can call Tara and Xander and Anya from the shop to come and meet us and bring food. I still have a key for the back door. Will you carry her to my car?"
"I would carry her to bloody China if I had to, Pet," Spike assured her, leaning over to bundle his Slayer up in the soft comforters, picking her up effortlessly and pulling the warm body close to him.
Willow led the way to her car, and Spike sat in the back with Buffy, still holding her to himself, reveling in the warmth and closeness of her.
Within a half hour or so, the Slayer was carefully ensconced in a nice warm bed, and Willow was steeping some chicken boullion with some healing and calming herbs, in preparation for Buffy's return to wakefulness. She was still mumbling in her sleep, still repeating the words, 'Come back Summers,' interspersed with an occasional 'Spike.'
Tara had arrived quickly, with Xander and Anya right behind her. After she got the brew going, and had made sure Buffy was comfortable in bed, Willow had gone back down into the Magic Shop and called Giles, who promised that he would be on the next flight over. He would wait until he saw the Slayer personally before reporting it to the Council. Not that it would matter. Buffy wouldn't work for them anyway, but it would be one heck of a story for the Slayer annuals.
Spike spent an hour or so pacing around in the living room of the big apartment, occasionally glancing into the bedroom, where one of the women was always sitting on the bed with Buffy, talking to her quietly and trying to wake her up. Spike wanted that job desperately, but he and Xander had been relegated to the other room, and so he spent the time retelling the story for Xander.
Willow appeared suddenly in the bedroom doorway. "She's awake," she told them excitedly. Spike and Xander raced for the bedroom, Spike standing in the doorway watching.
Minimum safe distance.
The Slayer was indeed awake, talking weakly with Willow and Tara, Anya and Xander standing close and listening raptly. She was relating the same resurrection tale, only from her own point of view. Willow and Tara hugged her, made her drink the healing soup Willow had made, and then started to go and make tea for her.
'Will," Buffy stopped her friend in the bedroom doorway, looking like she was trying to climb out of the big bed. "I need to talk to Spike, is he here?"
Willow ran to the bed, gently pushing Buffy back into it. "I'll get him for you, Buffy, he's just there in the other room. You stay right where you are for now," the redhead insisted.
But when Willow went to get him, Spike was gone.