| Title: Arisen From Dreams |
| Author: Aydin S.K. |
| Rating: R |
| Summary: Buffy dreams about being back in heaven, and unintentionally brings the 'Happy-Buffy' from her dream, into this reality. Spike wakes up between two very identical Buffies. Will this shock him, or, shock him? |
| Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc. No copyright infringement intended nor implied. Don't sue me for my creative contribution. |
| Author's note: Post-OMWF. Assume Spike and Buffy have developed a serious relationship, and shared it with the gang. -- This fic will have a sequel, hence some stuff was left unexplained. So you just stick around! Hope you will enjoy and thanks for reading! |
Thursday night, Anya and Xander are the designated 'sitters to stay with Dawn, while Buffy was out. She didn't particularily share with the group where she was going, but of course, Anya has it all figured out,
"She's probably boinking Spike."
Appalled Xander looks up,
"Anya, thank you, for bringing this horrific detail to the surface. And do you mind, there's a minor sitting at this table," and points at the littlelest Summers.
Dawn looks at them with narrow eyes, and a cheezy grin,
"Come on, guys, stop trying to protect me from pleasure and procreation."
Xander bursts into hysterical laughter,
"Hahaha! You hear what she sais, what she calls it?"
"But, Xander, sweety. That's exactly what it is. Sex is for pleasurable purposes and to create life."
With tenacity Xander raises his index finger, trying hard to think of a well-grounded arguement to make them shut up. But he fails incredibly,
"I just can't win from you girls, can I?"
* * *
Meanwhile in Spike's crypt.
Spike and Buffy are lying face to face under the sheets. Enjoying the lingering ecstacy.
Gazing into Spike's eyes, she comes to realize how safe and secure she feels. She snuggles up a little closer against Spike, who wraps his arms tightly around her.
Satisfied Buffy sighs,
"Hold me until I sleep.."
Spike kisses her on the forehead, and holds her a little closer, as if he was never to let her go.
"'Course, luv. Always."
When Spike sees that his Slayer was sound asleep, he decides to do the same and closes his eyes.
Buffy finds herself in a dream, and a very familiar and comforting feeling washes over her; happiness. She saw herself, wearing a black dress. The same dress she had worn when she got torn out of heaven.
Clinging an aweful lot to the happiness, Buffy wakes up with a gasp and adjusts to the sight of a so non-heavenly view; Spike's poorly decorated crypt.
She watches Spike sleeping for a bit, and lies down again to nuzzle against him, and falls back to sleep.
Suddenly a bright glow appears out of nowhere, on the left side of the bed, gradually shaping itself into a human form, a woman, also asleep. Spike still sound asleep, with a woman on each side.
* * *
Next morning Spike is the first to wake up, and glad to see Buffy still lying next to him, he gives her a tender kiss on her shoulder. Slowly Buffy opens her eyes,
"Mornin', pet," Spike welcomes her into the early morning that went by the name of Friday, and caresses her upper arm.
He turns around to step out of bed, when another Buffy wakes up and greets him with a yawn.
Abrubtly Spike flinches, and stares at the two Buffies with disbelief,
"GAH! Bloody hell! What the..! Two Buffies!"
He takes a moment, studying each, to finally turn to the 'new' Buffy on his left with squinty eyes,
"Say, you a bot, a Buffybot?"
Surprised as she is, she raises her eyebrows,
"What? No. No way!" she then replies in disgust.
She pauses, and looks over his shoulder at the other Buffy, the actual Buffy, who did nothing but gawk at her twin, speechless.
"What about her? She looks just like me, is she fake?"
Spike turns his head and looks at his Slayer with a genuine smile, but before he get's the chance to answer the question, the real Buffy rises to her feet,
"Fake? Me?! Listen you - me! W- what the hell are you doing in - in our bed!"
Spike grins, and lies back on the bed with his hands behind his head. He grins content and interrupts,
"Our bed?"
The Buffies step out of bed and study each other, with Spike delightfully watching them.
"Maybe the 2 of you should wear name tags, like 'Buffy number 1' and 'Buffy number 2'."
Buffy#1 gives Spike a look,
"So seriously not. She's going straight back to where she came from!"
"Right. Just one obstacle, pet," Spike rolls on his side, popping his head up with his hand.
"Which is?"
"Where the bloody hell did she come from?"
"Eh..it's still so early. Too - too early to deal with a twin,"
Buffy replies hesitantly, and climbs back in to bed with Spike.
With curiosity Buffy#2 checks out the rest of the crypt.
"I don't remember falling asleep in this dump.." she mutters, with Spike and Buffy watching her every move,
"Think this could be one of Red's pranks, aka backfiring spell?" Spike takes a moment and continues, "'cause she can't be a bot, I mean, look at 'er, she's too -"
" - me? She does seem to be bright. The bot was more like a..-"
"..- daft ninny?" he finishes her sentence.
"I was gonna go with 'defective', but yeah, that'll do it..- Oh my God, check that out, she's dusting off your crypt! Now that's a scary sight."
Immediately Spike jumps out of bed, completely ignoring the fact that he's naked, he rushes to Buffy#2.
"What the bleeding hell do you think you're doing?"
"What's it look like? Dusting."
He janks the piece of cloth out of her hands,
"I can bloody well see what it looks like, I'm not a complete idiot!"
Defeated Buffy#2 looks down at her feet, in the process she catches a glimpse of Spike's nakedness, and can't help but raise her head enough to throw a leering look at his member.
Both Spike and Buffy#1 notice this,
"Hey!" they exclaim in unison.
* * *
They all stand there in silence for a few minutes, until Buffy#1 forcefully walks over, to stand between them, with her back against the ever so naked Spike, who wraps his arms around his scarcely dressed Slayer.
All she was wearing was one of Spike's black t-shirts, that just barely covers her parts. She enjoys his strong arms around her, and let's her head unconsciously lean back against Spike's chest as she closes her eyes. A soft shower of kisses fell on her neck, and she turns around to plant a lusty kiss on his lips.
It was when Buffy#2 clears her throat, to re-announce her presence, the two promptly stop kissing and touching each other. Both a little embarassed, they make their way to get fully dressed. But not before Buffy gives her 'alter ego' a warning:
"He's mine, as in; not yours. You may look like me- exactly look like me, but you're not laying him - eye! You're not laying an EYE on him!"
As Spike throws on a black pair of jeans and a black shirt, he enjoys his Slayer's jealousy.
"Oh yeah, she loves me." he mumbles to himself and smirks as he watches them from a distance.
When the 2 Buffies notice him looking at them, they give him a mean look for Spike to throw his hands in the air, as if surrendering, followed by an exasperated sigh.
"Alright, children. 'Nough with the bickerin'."
Furious Buffy#1 storms to the bed, and collects her clothes. She gestures her 'twin' to turn around, who doesn't have the slightest intention to oblige.
"Like I don't know what we look like.." she argues.
"Fine." she replies with a shrug, and just takes off the t-shirt she was wearing, for everyone to see she was completely naked underneath it.
Spike just stands there, gawking at his nude Slayer, and then looks at her 'alter ego'. Not believing his eyes. Two Buffies, with one of them as naked as naked gets. In his crypt, not too far from his bed, what if.. -
"Oh! Don't even think about it Spike!" the naked Buffy yells at him as she throws the t-shirt in his face.
"W-what? I... I didn't say a sodding word!" he replies disgruntled, jerking the t-shirt off his head.
"No, but you were thinking it!"
"Oh c'mon! What's a bloke like me to do!"
"Pig!"
Spike stopped counting as to how often she had called him a pig by now. Well, he never really counted it, come to think of it. But which ever way you put it, he was fed up with it. She was impossible.
"I urge you to stop calling me a bloody pig!"
"Why? Can't stand the truth?" with that she heads to the door.
"Buffy, you can't just leave."
She turns around briefly,
"Watch me."
"No, no. Slayer, really think you should reconsider stepping out that door."
Buffy just shrugs, not caring for what ever reason Spike thinks she can't leave. She opens the door, and just walks out.
Both Spike and Buffy#2 can't help but exchange an amused look.
When Buffy frantically bursts back inside after 5 whole seconds, Spike can't even act surprised.
"Well, took you long enough." he grins.
"I can't believe you just let me walk out in my bra." Buffy mutters as she throws on her white blouse.
"Tried to tell you, didn't I?"
"You could've tried harder." Hasty and slighty frustrated she buttons up her blouse.
But then Buffy sighs and relaxes, she looks at her 'alter ego', and back at Spike.
"We better figure out where she came from and why she's here."
"Actually.." Buffy#2 interrupts, "I know where I'm from. Just haven't got the slightest idea how I got here."
* * *
"Bloody hell! You knew all along?"
"Yeah, of course I did." she replies lightly and shrugs before she continues. "But why am I here! I sure as hell didn't bring myself here. I mean, look at this place!"
"What ? Don't like what I did with the place?" he asks insulted.
"More likely what you didn't do. How can and do you live like this?"
"Well, negligence."
Spike glances at his Slayer when she irritable clears her throat, he sees she's impatiently waiting for an explanation. He looks back at number 2.
"Right then. Think you better start explainin' what place you popped out of. Look at 'er, see that?"
he pauses to point at the angry Buffy and continues,
"- she's getting testy. Wouldn't want to piss 'er off, she can get very nasty. I r'member her comin' over several times, for some info-pumpin'. So let me give you a piece of advice; cover your nose 'til she's out of sight. She always goes for the nose, even..-"
Buffy furrows her eyebrows to look up at Spike, folds her arms across her chest, and interrupts him.
"Spike. You're yapping."
"Yeah, so?"
"So, stop it. We need to find out where she's from. For all we know she's another seasonal demon or god from hell."
Spike can't help but scoff at her remark.
"Yeah right. You happen know of a demon that fancies a little dusting off?"
A little awkward Buffy looks around, thinking Spike did have a point. No creature would come all the way from hell to..mop the floor of Spike's crypt.
"Well, no. But..-"
Spike lets out a sigh, almost exasperated, and lights a cigarette.
"But what, Buffy? Look at 'er, don't you see? She's you. In a form of happiness and filled with life. She's got all the things you once had. You see that spark in 'er eyes, Buffy? If she were evil, I could tell, and you bloody know it! She loves life, she's not 'ere to take it."
Buffy finds herself shocked. Did he really just said that? Clearly she didn't know what to say to that, and decides to just play dumb until she did. She turns to her Double, and smiles awkwardly at her.
"So, where ya from?"
* * *
The 3 of them sit down, Buffy and Spike stared at Buffy's Double, patiently- make that impatiently, waiting to hear what she has to say.
"When I went to sleep, I wasn't here, in this dump. Really not. How I got here will be up to you to figure out."
"Just bloody get on with it."
The Buffy-Double looks at their faces, that once looked hopeful, but are now slowly turning into an expression that clearly means 'talk or spend an eternity stuffing your nose with tampons'. Uncomfortably she shifts on her seat. She looks away from them, and takes a deep breath.
"Heaven."
Spike and Buffy look at her, not understanding what she means,
"Huh?" they exclaim at the same time.
"Heaven. I came from Heaven. Or atleast I think that's what it was. The surroundings were soothing."
Again they stare at her, but this time as if she just grew a disgusting 3rd eye on her forehead, they exchange a look and Spike frowns,
"You don't appear to be very traumatized." he then says, to break the silence.
This time it was the Buffy-Double whose eyes grew big.
"What? Traumatized? Why- why would I be traumatized?"
"Well..my pretty Slayer here, got torn out of the sky. Quite the traumatizing experience when she had to -"
"Spike, thanks. No need to go into vivid details.." Buffy interrupted him with a weary smile, and laid her hand on his knee.
He smiled back at her, and placed his hand on hers.
"Right, no details. So, you were sayin'? From Heaven eh?"
The Buffy-Double just nods.
"I think she might've come from some sort of alternate dimension." Buffy suddenly comments, her expression clearly showing there's some major brain activity going on in there.
"How'd you figure?" Spike asks.
"'Cause, she - she can't come from the Heaven I was in. The Heaven I got torn out of. She can't. She just can't. Last night, something...I can't remember."
Defeated she looks up at Spike, who gives her a comforting squeeze in her hand.
"Quite alright, love. Don't fret, we'll figure it out. Always do. Maybe we should head over to your mates, help figure it out."
* * *
An hour later Buffy walks in on the gang at the Magic Box, with the somewhat sizzling Spike covered under his blanket, right behind her.
"Hey guys." Buffy greets her friends.
Willow looks up from her book,
"Oh hey Buffy, Spike -"
When Willow sees the Buffy-Double entering the store as well, she gasps.
"If I were intoxicated, it might explain why I'm seeing 2 Buffies. Buffy, why am I seeing 2 Buffies?"
When Buffy opens her mouth to try and explain, the rest of the gang looks up, struck with utter surprise. Xander is appalled at the sight of Buffy, Spike, and another Buffy.
"Oh my God! What kind of sick people are you!" Xander shouts, thinking what only Xander can think.
"I beg your pard'n?" Spike frowns.
"Well, you with Buffy.. and the other.. Buffy!" Xander stutters, now waving his arms spastic in the air.
"Xan, it's not like that! Ew!" Buffy exclaims with a disgusted face.
Spike turns around to Buffy and her 'ew!', a tad offended.
"Ew?"
"Well, yeah. The 3 of us is 'ew', not- not us two." Buffy corrects her 'ew'.
"Oh right. Had me worried there for a bit, pet." Spike gives her his sexy half-grin.
After rounding off her little money-dance, Anya looks up from behind the register, noticing everybody looking at something. Glancing over the counter, not able to see, she asks:
"What are we looking at? Is it more interesting than money?"
Nobody answers, so she decides to have a look herself, she stands still next to the ever so appalled Xander and looks at him.
"You look a little pale, Xan."
"Uh-huh.."
She turns her head, to see Spike, Buffy and -
"Hey look! Another Buffy. How's the threesome-thing working out for you?"
Disgusted everybody looks at Anya, who sighs exasperated and walks back to the register.
"Money. Atleast money appreciates my company."
"That's because they don't have ears, Anya." Xander replies annoyed.
"What ever, Xan." Anya mumbles as she fondles the money.
Then Spike steps forward, and takes a seat at the table,
"Let's focus on the problem at hand, shall we?"
"Just for my personal education, what's with the Buffy-twin?" Xander asks Spike as he sits down as well.
Slowly everybody gathers around at the table, to hear that the Buffy-Double came from Heaven, possibly an alternative dimension of some sort. When the gang looks worried at Buffy, wondering how this might affect her, she smiles at them to ensure them she's alright.
"Well guys, don't look so sad. I'm okay, really."
They're not entirely convinced, but they decide to take her word for it and lightly smile back at her. Spike on the other hand gives her a worried look, knowing that this whole 'twin-from-heaven' thing might be a little too confronting for her to deal with, without any more emotional distress.
* * *
"So, what's she like?" Willow asks as she studies Buffy's alter ego.
"Like Buffy, only happier." Spike replies, taking a drag from his cigarette.
"Oh." Willow wants to add something, but decides against it.
"What?" Spike asks her, almost exasperated.
"Is..is she capable of doing evil?"
Spike rises, tense and with a mix of hurt feelings and aggravation showing on his face. At the sight of Willow flinching by his somewhat threatening attitude, he relaxes, his face softened and he apologizes for giving her a fright.
He answers her question with a "No." and plops back in his chair.
Willow just nods, and can't help but give Spike a sympathetic glance.
From the corner of his eye Spike could see obvious signs that Will feels a little guilty for asking what she just asked.
"C'mon Red. Don't fret."
"No, must fret. Fret much! That - that was a stupid thing for me to ask."
"Not in our line of work it isn't." he ensures her.
"Can I ask you another stupid question?" Will reluctantly asks, walking over to the table, taking a seat next to Spike.
"What is it now then? Wonderin' how I know for sure this specimen isn't evil?"
"Kinda. But don't get all 'sod off!' on me, k?"
"All it took was one look. One bloody look. I know Buffy when I see 'er, even if she'd be disguised in someone else's body or popped about from another universe. Besides, if I hadn't stopped 'er, she'd be moppin' my floor and make my place all bright 'n shiny. Now what does that tell you?"
"Buffy mopping a floor? That doesn't sound like Buffy at all, Spike."
"Okay, so there might be slight differences. But she is Buffy, I'd bet my life on it."
"What I'm about to say will probably come back to kick me in the ass; but Spike's right. She's genuine." Xander piped in.
The actual Buffy was phoning Giles in the meantime, to inform him of her newfound twin. He was at the Summers residence, with Dawn. When she'd hung up and returned, everybody at the table looked up at her. Except for the Buffy-Double, she was glad their attention was now focused on someone other than herself. She stands up, and lurks around at the shop as the conversation at the table went on.
"Watcherboy comin' over?" Spike asks Buffy.
"Yeah. He'll be here in a few." she replies.
Meanwhile Buffy#2 sneaks out of the shop when nobody was looking, and went for a stroll. She needs some space, out of the spotlights. A few minutes went by, until Willow notices the Double was gone.
"Where'd Buffy go?" she asks concerned.
"I'm still here, Will."
"I mean, the other Buffy, Buffy."
The gang searched the entire shop, but after a few minutes they all gathered at the table empty-handed.
"Maybe she poofed back into her Heaven." Willow suggests.
"Very unlikely, Red." Spike mutters, and quickly continues after lighting a cigarette, "Buffy, earlier today you mentioned somethin' about last night, but couldn't r'member?"
"Yeah..I did," she hesitantly replies.
She sits down at the table, and tries to think back. Slowly something came to the surface, and suddenly looks up as if she had seen a ghost.
"A dream!" with a bewildered look she stands up, "I had a dream last night. I dreamt I was in Heaven. And happiness passed over me. It seemed so real.."
"Then what 'appened?" Spike asks her.
"I woke up. Gasping for air."
At the same time, Giles showed up at the scene, "Goodmorning everyone!", but his face fell when sensing the distress that hovered above the scoobies.
* * *
The group informs Giles of their recent discovery: that Buffy mostlikely brought the one thing she longed for so much, into this reality. Happiness, contentment, attached to a person in whole. Herself. Arisen from dreams.
"Alter ego from Dreamland. Okay, wow. Let me take in this new information with a donut." Xander remarks as he reaches to the carton box with, yes- donuts.
"How - how do we get rid of her?" Buffy adds insensitively.
"Take 'er back to where she belongs." Spike replies as he qualmishly watches how Xander devours his donut.
"Again I ask 'how' ?"
"Live. Let go. Sleep and let go. Reckon that'll do it."
"Let go? Of what?" Buffy's clearly getting aggravated.
Spike rises and approaches her, looking deep into her eyes.
"What do you think brought 'er into this bloody reality in the first place, pet? You're clingin' too much. You need to let go of Heaven, Buffy. You wanted 'appiness, and plucked it out of your dream."
She hangs on to his every word, her eyes and anger grew bigger at hearing each.
"I didn't 'pluck' anything!" was all she manages to say to that.
"Not intentionally. But you did, love. Close this book. Let -"
"- go. Yes, I heard you the first time, Spike."
Buffy feels the tears coming, but she forces herself to hold back. Spike can't help but notice the pain she tries to hide, and wraps his strong arms around her. She doesn't flinch, she actually doesn't mind to show her affection towards him in front of her friends anymore. She was done with that. Done with hiding, done with supressing what needs to get out.
And most importantly, done with the clinging. The Heaven-clinging. She liked clinging to Spike, and returns the embrace.
"Ooo-kay! Enough with the mushy, before we are blind for all eternity!" Xander complains, and destroying their moment.
"No need to get cute," he tells Xander, "Well, we better go fetch Slayer's Double," Spike points out, and asks Buffy if she's up to it.
"I so am. Let's send some divinity back to Heaven-dream-hea..-, well, you get the point."
"Divinity, wow, Buff. What's with the sudden arrogance?" Xander teases.
"No arrogance. But it sounded better than 'kick some evil ass back to Hell'. Got caught up in the moment."
* * *
They'd spent pretty much the entire day at the Magic Box, and around 8 o'clock they headed out, to spread out over Sunnydale.
Buffy and Spike decided to check out his crypt, expecting to find the Double there.
As they walk across the cemetery, Buffy holds on to his arm and nuzzles against him.
"Thanks for saving me, Spike. Again." She looks up at him, completely content.
"Welcome," he answers with a genuine smile.
Not much later they arrive at his crypt. They exchange a look when they hear music, and cheerful singing.
"Spike, what's with the screechy singing scattering out of your crypt?"
"How the bloody hell should I know?" he replies, slightly annoyed as he opens the door.
He enters his home, that once was dark, dank and filled with..void. Gawking at the renovated surroundings he fails to move a muscle. Not noticing Spike had suddenly stopped, Buffy bumps against his back.
"Spike, what's wr.. - Oh my God!" she exclaims shocked.
Then she looks down at the floor underneath her feet.
"Spike, there's carpet on the floor. On *your* floor, carpet," she sais dubious.
Still in shock, he manages to look down.
"Where the bleeding hell is she!? I know she did this!" Frantically Spike gestures to the sudden changes.
"Calm down, Spike."
Out of nowhere the Buffy-Double jumps up in front of them.
"Surprise!" she cheerfully announces.
"And what a sodding surprise it'll be, WHEN I RIP YOUR BLOODY HEAD OFF!"
"You - you don't like what I did with your place?" she asks, with a hurt expression.
Spike takes a swing at the Double, but she ducks right in time, giving Buffy the opportunity to jump on his back. Covering his eyes with her hands she tries to make him stop. Spike lets out a loud, and clearly angry, groan ordering her to "Get off my back Slayer!"
"No!" she yells at him. "You're not going to hurt her!"
"Damn right I'll 'urt 'er! Look at what she - Buffy! She's glued flowery wallpaper on my walls!!" his voice slowly turning into desperate pleading.
While he struggles Buffy, he continues his outrageous ranting.
"And then the carpet! Bloody hell! And while you're at it, place a sodding door-mat with 'welcome 'ome' in front o' the door! That trollop's gonna pay for this!"
"Spike, are you done already?" Buffy sighs exasperated, still on his back, with one arm tangled around his chest and the other around his broad neck.
After a few more minutes Spike relaxes under her grip, and sighs.
"Yeah, yeah. Alright."
Slowly she slides off his back, and walks passed him to face her Double.
"Well - " she begins, to be interrupted by Spike.
"You do realize I will set this place on fire, right? No bloody way that - "
"Spike. Drop it," Buffy orders him, "Right now, we need to focus on getting her back."
"Right. Sorry 'bout that."
"So, how are we going to do this? I just, go to sleep, and kick her butt back in to my dream?"
"I'd say so. And r'member what I told you, love."
Buffy nods. She remembers all too well. To stop clinging, and let go. She was finally ready, to start living, even if it was just a little. It's a start.
* * *
Around 11 o'clock Buffy and Spike climb into bed, nuzzling against each other. Buffy asks him to hold her until she's asleep, and keep an eye on her Double, to make sure she'd gone back.
The Buffy-Double is sitting on a chair across the bed, staring at them, much to Spike's discomfort.
"Does she 'ave to sit there watchin' us like that?" he softly asks his Slayer.
"Just, don't fall asleep.. until she's..." Buffy mumbles as she trails off, slowly falling asleep, it's been a long day, you see.
Spike looks at Buffy, sleeping sweetly in his arms. She was so beautiful, after all this time, he still couldn't believe it was really her, lying next to him. Every night.
Abrubtly he looks up at the Double, with a nervous grin,
"So, how've you been?" he then awkwardly asks her.
The Double merely shrugs, and returns the nervosity.
"I see. Right then," Spike sighs at his failed attempt to make conversation.
After a few minutes of utter silence, he looks up again.
"Any slowly-disappearin'-into-oblivion symptoms yet?"
Once again, no response.
"Bloody say somethin'," he adds upon her continuing silence.
The Double sticks out her tongue and gives him the finger, to look away from him right after that.
"You're not still mad 'cause I didn't like how you transformed my gloomy crypt into a.. - I can't even bloody say it..! I'm scarred for life," he dramatically tells her.
"A comfy home."
"Yeah," he hesitantly replies. "S'pose you're still mad then."
"I'm not even going to dignify that."
"What's to bloody dignify? I've got every right to be damn peeved! But you, you get all nettled 'cause I didn't fancy you invadin' my crypt, and alterin' it to your, very distasteful, likin'. Dignify THAT! Sodding compulsive housekeepin' tart.."
"Shut up!"
"Oh, sod off."
"Yeah, any time now," she mutters, briefly glancing at the sleeping Buffy.
Then they both sigh, wondering how much longer this was going to take. Spike wants to sleep, and the Double, well.. she's just bored out of her mind. If it was up to her she would go do the dishes. But with Spike not having a sink whatsoever, or dishes for that matter...
Spike was on the verge of falling asleep, but the Double makes sure he stays awake by throwing a cigarette at him. Right on his nose.
Startled and surprised he raises his head, and looks annoyed at the Double.
"Oh, you still 'ere," he sighs with disappointment.
He grabs the fag that had bounced on to the sheets, parts his lips and slips in the cigarette. Upon hinting the Double that he could use a lighter, she throws that at him aswell.
"Ow! Watch where you bloody throwin' that thing," he exclaims as he rubs his sore forehead.
He takes a drag of the now burning cigarette, and raises his arm, with the fag between his index and middle finger, and points at her,
"You're quite the pesky little bugger, you know that."
"I'll be out of your hair in no time, Spike,"
"Well, that remains to be seen, pet," he takes another drag.
"Why are you such a stubborn ass?" she asks him, changing the subject.
"If this is 'bout me not likin' the new look; lay off," he pointedly tells her.
"See, what did I say, stubborn ass."
* * *
Spike's face lights up when suddenly a bright white glow, with a tinge of yellow, whirls around the Double. Much like a tornado, only calmer and less windy.
Surrounded by a bright pool of something that very well could be sunlight, she approaches Spike, and stands still on his side of the bed, and sits down.
She was so bright that he has to shut his eyes to keep them from burning up. For a split second he thinks he's going to vaporize into dust, until he feels the soft touch of her hands on his face. He opens his eyes, slowly adjusting to the light, it doesn't hurt anymore.
Sweetly she smiles at him, placing her left hand on his forehead, and her righter on the back of his head. Tiny waves of seraphic shocks pass over him, and something else that he can't put his finger on.
"Your gift," she softly speaks.
"My what? Gift? What the bloody hell for? What'd I do?" Spike asks confused after he recovered from 'his gift', with a suspicious look he continues, "Is it my birthday?"
"You'll see," is all she says.
Slowly the sunny glow around her continues it's whirling and the Double starts to fade away.
"Well, I s'pose this is goodbye then," he tells her with a smirk.
Before she completely vanishes, she throws a small, black object at him, for his quick reflexes allowing him to catch it.
"I almost forgot, your second gift," it echoes through his crypt, her voice lingering into nothingness, together with her physical appearance.
She was now completely gone. For a moment he stares at the spot where she stood, only seconds ago. As if spellbound, Spike falls abrubtly into a deep sleep.
* * *
Next morning Buffy awakens up with a wonderful feeling, in a way she feels elevated. She sits up, looking at Spike, lying on his stomach still fast asleep.
After sitting there for a while she decides she was bored to death. Lying back on the bed, she rolls on her side, popping up her head with her hand.
Soft she blows in his ear, tickles his bare back, gives him a push. But nothing seems to wake him up.
"Spike, wake up," she orders.
She let out an annoyed groan when he didn't even stir so much as wake up, so she pushes him again.
With a thud Spike hits the floor, taking the sheets down with him. Perhaps, she went a little overboard with the pushing.
"Bloody hell!" Spike exclaims as he popped his head up from behind his side of the bed. "Have you gone completely bonkers!? I was nappin'!"
Sweetly she smiles at Spike, and asks him if her Double was gone. It feels as if she was, but Buffy needs a confirmation from her lover. Still sitting on the floor, he tells her how the Double had disappeared.
Buffy just nods, and as she crawls across the bed, to give him kisses, she catches a glimpse of a black object, that probably fell off the bed along with Spike.
"What's that?" she asks as she points at it.
"Oh right. Your twin threw it at me last night, right before she poofed into nothingness. That's not all she threw at me, y'know. She assulted me wi -"
"What . is . it?" she repeats, a little more firmly this time.
"Don't know."
"Well, open it," she insists, impatiently.
Spike reaches his hand to the object, which appears to be a little box. Curious he opens it, and their faces portray utter amazement.
"That's im - impossible. Can't be!" Spike manages to say.
When he looks at Buffy, he figures she probably feels the same way, judging by her look. They both know what it was, and what it was for, but neither one of them has the nerve to say it out loud. After glaring at it with disbelief, for God knows how long, finally someone breaks the silence.
"It's..the Gem of Amara," Buffy finally says.
"Thought the bloody thing got destroyed."
"So did I.."
They exchange a concerned look, and glance back at the Gem. This went on and on for a while, until Spike looks up.
"Oh, did I mention she also did somethin' peculiar with my brain?"