Blurry 5/?
Author: Amanda
Summary: A few weeks after Grave in Sunnydale. And Spike's back!
Rating: PG, for now
Disclaimers: Nothing belongs to me I only wish they did, because then I wouldn't be
dragging myself to school everyday and facing repaying lots of loans back.
Feedback: All feedback is read, cherished and given a good home.
*************
It was so quiet. If she wasn't afraid that Buffy might come through the door any minute
and catch her, she'd turn the TV on. But Buffy had left with strict instructions that she
couldn't do anything until her homework was finished. Summer was supposed to be
about having fun, relaxing, sleeping in and spending time with friends. But not for her.
No, she had to go to school so that she could get into a good college and get a good job
And she had to make lots of money so that she could support Buffy. Or so Buffy said.
After finishing up the last of her algebra problems, she wondered into the kitchen to see
what she could snack upon. But snack food wasn't plentiful in the Summers household.
Whatever food their refrigerator held, tended towards meals of chicken and fresh
vegetables. And no teenager ate chicken or vegetables as a snack. She longed for the
days when Mom would have homemade cookies and rice crispy treats around for her.
But those days were past and now the only food they had was what was essential to three
square meals.
She often wondered where the money had gone. Or why Dad didn't send any for them.
But Buffy told her that it wasn't her problem, her worry. She would handle it and do
whatever was necessary to make sure she had food and clothes.
Except for Anya's foray into opening the shop after hours to demons, job prospects still
didn't look good for Buffy. She had interviewed for a position at a pet store. Anya had
thought she would be perfect. Spiders and snakes shouldn't scare her, since she dealt
with demons and monsters on a daily basis. But the birds did scare Buffy, and when one
parrot loudly squawked at her, she ran out and proclaimed that the pet store was not for
her. Even though the kittens had been cute and cuddly and she did want to make sure
none of them got sold to kitten poker players.
Buffy had then proceeded to fill her in on the demon bar Spike had brought her to. And
her foray into kitten poker. They'd realized how funny the whole thing sounded and had
laughed themselves silly. Kitten poker. Only Spike would be involved in something so
silly and so unevil.
A soft knock at the back door interrupted her thoughts It really could only be one person.
He had been back in town for several days, but neither she nor Buffy had heard from him.
Buffy had kept reassuring her that he would come by and see her after he had settled back
in. But she had gotten antsy.
Opening the door, she looked him up and down. He looked the same to her, despite what
Buffy proclaimed. Black, beat up shoes. Black jeans and a long sleeve black shirt.
Okay, the duster was missing. And the bleach blonde hair wasn't quite slicked back. If
she looked real close, she was pretty sure she could see curls. She'd tried to tell him once
that his hair curled if he didn't slick it back. But he'd made her take it back and proclaim
that he wasn't a nancy boy with curly hair.
"So you came back." As happy as she was to see him, she was still mad. She didn't plan
to let him off that easy.
"Can I come in?"
She merely stood back from the door, so that she didn't block the way. He looked
apprehensive, but stepped on through. "Why'd you come back?"
"It's home. And you're here."
"Buffy's here you mean."
Teenagers, he thought. He hadn't doubted the fact that Buffy said Dawn had missed him.
But he wondered why she neglected to mention that Dawn was mad at him. Probably for
leaving without saying goodbye. And of course the whole mess with Anya and who
knew what else. And a Summers woman pissed usually did not bode well for him. "I
wouldn't go off forever and leave you. I told you, I'd always be around to make sure
you're okay."
"But you can leave without saying goodbye?"
"I'm sorry. You're right, I should have said goodbye. But I didn't and I can't do it
differently now. I'm here now though and next time I'll say goodbye."
Next time, she thought. He's already planning on going away again. But he just got
back. She was glad now that she held herself back from giving him a hug. If he wasn't
going to stay, she wanted him to walk right back out the door and not come see her again.
Too many people had left, and she didn't want to rely on anyone that wasn't going to
stick around. "So you plan on leaving again?"
"I didn't say that. Just if I need to make another trip, I'll let you know next time."
"Oh. Okay, want to watch TV then? Buffy cancelled the cable, but we might be able to
find something on."
*************
She could see small flickers of light through the front curtains. She couldn't see what
time it was, but she was pretty sure it was after midnight. And if Dawn was still up, she
might kill her. Standing at the front door, she realized that right now would be a good
time for the door to be unlocked. But with unlocked doors, came unwanted visitors at
inopportune times. If her clothes weren't already ruined, they would desperately need to
be soaked, so what was a little demon gunk in her pockets.
Key in hand, she softly walked into the house. Dawn was either asleep, or in trouble and
either way she didn't want Dawn to know she was there until she could figure out which
one it was. But she was the one surprised by what awaited her. The TV cast flashes of
light across the two. Both were asleep, Spike with his head resting against the back of
the couch and Dawn leaning against his shoulder.
She wondered if this is what it was like last summer? She hadn't been aware how many
times Spike had kept Dawn company, until Dawn had revealed it to her. It seemed while
everyone else had been planning to bring her back to life, they had left Spike taking care
of Dawn. It definitely hadn't been what she had expected of her friends, to willingly let
Spike take care of Dawn. But she was glad it had happened that way. It was what she
had wanted, Spike to protect her till the end of the world. He had taken that to heart.
And she had interrupted that protection, having his attention focused on her instead of
Dawn.
And when Spike hadn't been around, Dawn had had Tara looking out for her. And Buffy
hadn't taken over either responsibility when Dawn had been left alone. But that would
change know. It wouldn't be easy, but summer school could be a practice run for when
the real thing came around. And Spike was around now and she could make sure that he
was there for Dawn once again.
If she listened to herself, it almost sounded for a minute like they were going to be
playing house. The perfect mommy and daddy, watching out for their perfect child. But
she knew that wasn't the case. She was just an adult, trying to do the best thing for her
sister. Give her the best life that she could. And if that involved having a smoking,
blood-sucking, undead man as a father figure slash rebellious older brother, she'd suck it
up. Because it was one thing for her to want Spike in her life, but it was quite another for
her to want him to be a role model to Dawn. But it seemed he'd been doing well in that
role, until she got in the way.
It was then she noticed that he was staring at her. At some point in her standing and
musing, while dripping on the floor, he'd woken up.
"She fell asleep down here and I didn't want to wake her up."
"That's okay. I'm glad you were here. I didn't expect to be gone so long."
"Ran into some problems?" he questioned, his eyebrow perfectly arched and his head
tilted.
He needs to patent that look she thought. It was the head tilt, questioning gaze that
melted her every time she saw it. And he always got just the hint of a smile on his face.
She wondered if he heard her heart start to beat faster. Were those myths or were they
truths? And would she reveal herself if she asked? "Yeah. I need to get cleaned up."
"I'll carry Dawn upstairs and be gone."
"You don't have to leave. Well, unless you want to. But you can hang around here for
awhile."
"You've got to get cleaned up and get to sleep."
"That will only take a minute. I wanted to talk to you."
"I really should get going."
"About Dawn." Thinking that he might construe that as she wanting to cut off his contact
with Dawn, she quickly sprang forward to try and make her point clearer. "About you
spending more time with Dawn and all. Can you hang around for just a few minutes. If
you got somewhere to be, I can make it quick."
"Go take a shower. I'll be here when you get out."
As she made her way back down the stairs, she heard voices. The voice of one sister who
was supposed to be fast asleep upstairs. Especially considering it was almost two in the
morning.
"Xander, guess who's back."
Buffy heard Dawn speak and tried to contain her internal groan. This was so not going to
be good. And after the night she had just had, she just might lose it and spontaneously
combust on anyone that dared to cross her.
"It's Spike. He's back. And you won't believe where he's been."
Buffy sank down on the steps of the staircase and counted to ten. She wondered if she
went back upstairs and took another shower, would anyone notice? Hey, maybe she
could stay in the shower for the next year. The only problem would be the water bill.
"Well that's rude. How would you like someone to say mean things about you like that?
And anyways, Buffy said it isn't any of our business. It's between…."
Dawn trailed off as Buffy took the phone out of her hand. "Hello Xander. It's quite late
and Dawn has school tomorrow. Are you aware of what time it is? Hold on a minute.
"Dawn, get to bed."
"Xander said he had important news that couldn't wait."
"Then I'll tell you what it is in the morning. You'll have to get up in a few hours and you
need your sleep."
"What about you? And where were you?"
"I've gone many times with less sleep than I'll get tonight. I was out slaying, ran into a
problem."
"Look, I'll just be heading off. I'll catch up with you another time."
"No!" Buffy shouted. "Spike sit back down and drink your hot chocolate. This will only
take a minute. And Dawn, upstairs and in bed." Seeing that both were about to protest,
she continued on with, "And you both better listen to me."
Dawn trudged up the stairs in silence. She would have sat at the top step and listened, but
Buffy stood at the bottom of the stairs, making sure that she couldn't. Life was so unfair.
Spike watched Buffy as she tried to interject a word in-between Xander's ramblings.
Eventually she gave up and held the phone out into the air. He could pick up the whole
conversation and it wasn't making him feel to good. Words like rapist, evil, immoral,
self-serving were heard. And he knew Xander used them to describe him. But Buffy
didn't seem to want to hear any of it. After a few minutes, she seemed to reach her limit.
"Xander, shut up. I don't want to hear another word from you about Spike. Why did you
call?"
He thought that might be the first time she semi stood up for him. But then there was the
time she needed him to steal the RV for their trip in running from Glory. She had told
them to back off from him then. He was needed then, to help protect Dawn, to provide
muscle in the fight. But now, without needing for him any type of fight, she made one of
her friends leave him alone. He wondered if something had happened to the water while
he was gone. This Buffy was getting stranger and stranger. And she was turning pale
right before his very eyes.
"Is Giles there?" She made her way into the living room and sank on the floor. She
didn't need this now. She wasn't prepared to cope with this right now. A few more
weeks is what she'd been told. Giles' voice on the other end brought an end to her
thoughts.
"Buffy. Isn't it late there? Why are you still up?"
"Late night patrolling Giles. But Xander's the one who called."
"I guess he couldn't wait to tell you the news."
"I thought she wasn't ready to come home yet."
"The coven thinks she's ready. Her powers are binded and she needs to assimilate herself
back into society and cope with her actions."
"You're really going to be here in two days?"
"I've been busy arranging the flight plans for us all. Xander's mom is going to drop his
car off at the airport."
"Well that's good. I really got to go Giles. I'm glad you're coming back though."
"Don't forget Willow and Xander, too. Any luck on the job front."
"Not for a full time position, that's compatible with Dawn's school hours. But I'm
looking. I'll find something eventually. I promise. And I'll pay you back. I've gotten
pretty good at keeping track of our finances, I'll have to show you the breakdown of the
last few weeks."
"Don't worry about the money. And I have some ideas on the job front. Don't take a job
until I get there and we can talk."
"I don't think I'm in any danger of that happening. And in case you didn't hear, Spike's
back. And like I told Dawn, and Xander will get the same talk from me, we'll share
some details of what happened between us, but not all. What happened between us, we
have to work out ourselves with no outside interference. And no one stakes him."
"Just let him know that I want to talk to him. And I'll let Anya know when we'll arrive."
"Thanks Giles. Goodnight. Or good morning."
Clicking the off button, she threw the phone on the ground and buried her head in her
hands.
"You okay pet?"
"No. Yes. No. I don't know."
"If you still want to talk…."
"How do you tell your best friend that she's not welcome in your house anymore? And
that she can't be around Dawn without supervision? And how do I stand against the
onslaught of Xander, who will go apeshit over that? She wasn't supposed to come back
for a couple more weeks. How do I tell Dawn?"
He couldn't remember the last time she had asked his opinion on something. Had she
ever asked for his opinion? "Uh. Well, you got to be firm with them. Like you were on
the phone. And just tell them. You'll figure it out, you always do."
"Thanks. I wanted to talk to you about Dawn. About trying to make things better for
her. But I can't do it right now."
"Fine. Just stop by whenever you have time. You know where I live."
"Can you come by the Magic Shoppe tomorrow? A little after noon? I'll be there. We
can talk then and I need some help putting the training room back in order. And Anya
wanted to talk to you about helping out with the store? Unless you have plans or
something."
"I'll come by."
"Just see yourself out. I don't feel like getting up." She watched as he left. It didn't
seem right without the duster swirling behind him. Life had been bordering on good.
Spike was back and she thought she had time to start working things out with him. She
had thought if things were going good between them when Xander, Willow and Giles got
back from London, maybe she wouldn't have to put up with a lot of yelling, nasty words,
and ugly scenes. They would just have to live with what had already happened. But life
decided to get complicated.
She had a vampire that didn't want to talk to her. A teenage sister that probably fell
asleep trying to eavesdrop from her bedroom door. A witch that was supposedly without
any powers, that scared her sister. A best friend that questioned all her life choices and
didn't do it kindly. And a watcher that wanted to talk to her vampire and probably
threaten him.
The only one she didn't have any problems with was Anya. She wondered how much
money Anya would charge in lessons on saying what is on your mind. She might need to
brush up on that. Life sucked and it was just the start of summer.
Author: Amanda
Summary: A few weeks after Grave in Sunnydale. And Spike's back!
Rating: PG, for now
Disclaimers: Nothing belongs to me I only wish they did, because then I wouldn't be
dragging myself to school everyday and facing repaying lots of loans back.
Feedback: All feedback is read, cherished and given a good home.
*************
It was so quiet. If she wasn't afraid that Buffy might come through the door any minute
and catch her, she'd turn the TV on. But Buffy had left with strict instructions that she
couldn't do anything until her homework was finished. Summer was supposed to be
about having fun, relaxing, sleeping in and spending time with friends. But not for her.
No, she had to go to school so that she could get into a good college and get a good job
And she had to make lots of money so that she could support Buffy. Or so Buffy said.
After finishing up the last of her algebra problems, she wondered into the kitchen to see
what she could snack upon. But snack food wasn't plentiful in the Summers household.
Whatever food their refrigerator held, tended towards meals of chicken and fresh
vegetables. And no teenager ate chicken or vegetables as a snack. She longed for the
days when Mom would have homemade cookies and rice crispy treats around for her.
But those days were past and now the only food they had was what was essential to three
square meals.
She often wondered where the money had gone. Or why Dad didn't send any for them.
But Buffy told her that it wasn't her problem, her worry. She would handle it and do
whatever was necessary to make sure she had food and clothes.
Except for Anya's foray into opening the shop after hours to demons, job prospects still
didn't look good for Buffy. She had interviewed for a position at a pet store. Anya had
thought she would be perfect. Spiders and snakes shouldn't scare her, since she dealt
with demons and monsters on a daily basis. But the birds did scare Buffy, and when one
parrot loudly squawked at her, she ran out and proclaimed that the pet store was not for
her. Even though the kittens had been cute and cuddly and she did want to make sure
none of them got sold to kitten poker players.
Buffy had then proceeded to fill her in on the demon bar Spike had brought her to. And
her foray into kitten poker. They'd realized how funny the whole thing sounded and had
laughed themselves silly. Kitten poker. Only Spike would be involved in something so
silly and so unevil.
A soft knock at the back door interrupted her thoughts It really could only be one person.
He had been back in town for several days, but neither she nor Buffy had heard from him.
Buffy had kept reassuring her that he would come by and see her after he had settled back
in. But she had gotten antsy.
Opening the door, she looked him up and down. He looked the same to her, despite what
Buffy proclaimed. Black, beat up shoes. Black jeans and a long sleeve black shirt.
Okay, the duster was missing. And the bleach blonde hair wasn't quite slicked back. If
she looked real close, she was pretty sure she could see curls. She'd tried to tell him once
that his hair curled if he didn't slick it back. But he'd made her take it back and proclaim
that he wasn't a nancy boy with curly hair.
"So you came back." As happy as she was to see him, she was still mad. She didn't plan
to let him off that easy.
"Can I come in?"
She merely stood back from the door, so that she didn't block the way. He looked
apprehensive, but stepped on through. "Why'd you come back?"
"It's home. And you're here."
"Buffy's here you mean."
Teenagers, he thought. He hadn't doubted the fact that Buffy said Dawn had missed him.
But he wondered why she neglected to mention that Dawn was mad at him. Probably for
leaving without saying goodbye. And of course the whole mess with Anya and who
knew what else. And a Summers woman pissed usually did not bode well for him. "I
wouldn't go off forever and leave you. I told you, I'd always be around to make sure
you're okay."
"But you can leave without saying goodbye?"
"I'm sorry. You're right, I should have said goodbye. But I didn't and I can't do it
differently now. I'm here now though and next time I'll say goodbye."
Next time, she thought. He's already planning on going away again. But he just got
back. She was glad now that she held herself back from giving him a hug. If he wasn't
going to stay, she wanted him to walk right back out the door and not come see her again.
Too many people had left, and she didn't want to rely on anyone that wasn't going to
stick around. "So you plan on leaving again?"
"I didn't say that. Just if I need to make another trip, I'll let you know next time."
"Oh. Okay, want to watch TV then? Buffy cancelled the cable, but we might be able to
find something on."
*************
She could see small flickers of light through the front curtains. She couldn't see what
time it was, but she was pretty sure it was after midnight. And if Dawn was still up, she
might kill her. Standing at the front door, she realized that right now would be a good
time for the door to be unlocked. But with unlocked doors, came unwanted visitors at
inopportune times. If her clothes weren't already ruined, they would desperately need to
be soaked, so what was a little demon gunk in her pockets.
Key in hand, she softly walked into the house. Dawn was either asleep, or in trouble and
either way she didn't want Dawn to know she was there until she could figure out which
one it was. But she was the one surprised by what awaited her. The TV cast flashes of
light across the two. Both were asleep, Spike with his head resting against the back of
the couch and Dawn leaning against his shoulder.
She wondered if this is what it was like last summer? She hadn't been aware how many
times Spike had kept Dawn company, until Dawn had revealed it to her. It seemed while
everyone else had been planning to bring her back to life, they had left Spike taking care
of Dawn. It definitely hadn't been what she had expected of her friends, to willingly let
Spike take care of Dawn. But she was glad it had happened that way. It was what she
had wanted, Spike to protect her till the end of the world. He had taken that to heart.
And she had interrupted that protection, having his attention focused on her instead of
Dawn.
And when Spike hadn't been around, Dawn had had Tara looking out for her. And Buffy
hadn't taken over either responsibility when Dawn had been left alone. But that would
change know. It wouldn't be easy, but summer school could be a practice run for when
the real thing came around. And Spike was around now and she could make sure that he
was there for Dawn once again.
If she listened to herself, it almost sounded for a minute like they were going to be
playing house. The perfect mommy and daddy, watching out for their perfect child. But
she knew that wasn't the case. She was just an adult, trying to do the best thing for her
sister. Give her the best life that she could. And if that involved having a smoking,
blood-sucking, undead man as a father figure slash rebellious older brother, she'd suck it
up. Because it was one thing for her to want Spike in her life, but it was quite another for
her to want him to be a role model to Dawn. But it seemed he'd been doing well in that
role, until she got in the way.
It was then she noticed that he was staring at her. At some point in her standing and
musing, while dripping on the floor, he'd woken up.
"She fell asleep down here and I didn't want to wake her up."
"That's okay. I'm glad you were here. I didn't expect to be gone so long."
"Ran into some problems?" he questioned, his eyebrow perfectly arched and his head
tilted.
He needs to patent that look she thought. It was the head tilt, questioning gaze that
melted her every time she saw it. And he always got just the hint of a smile on his face.
She wondered if he heard her heart start to beat faster. Were those myths or were they
truths? And would she reveal herself if she asked? "Yeah. I need to get cleaned up."
"I'll carry Dawn upstairs and be gone."
"You don't have to leave. Well, unless you want to. But you can hang around here for
awhile."
"You've got to get cleaned up and get to sleep."
"That will only take a minute. I wanted to talk to you."
"I really should get going."
"About Dawn." Thinking that he might construe that as she wanting to cut off his contact
with Dawn, she quickly sprang forward to try and make her point clearer. "About you
spending more time with Dawn and all. Can you hang around for just a few minutes. If
you got somewhere to be, I can make it quick."
"Go take a shower. I'll be here when you get out."
As she made her way back down the stairs, she heard voices. The voice of one sister who
was supposed to be fast asleep upstairs. Especially considering it was almost two in the
morning.
"Xander, guess who's back."
Buffy heard Dawn speak and tried to contain her internal groan. This was so not going to
be good. And after the night she had just had, she just might lose it and spontaneously
combust on anyone that dared to cross her.
"It's Spike. He's back. And you won't believe where he's been."
Buffy sank down on the steps of the staircase and counted to ten. She wondered if she
went back upstairs and took another shower, would anyone notice? Hey, maybe she
could stay in the shower for the next year. The only problem would be the water bill.
"Well that's rude. How would you like someone to say mean things about you like that?
And anyways, Buffy said it isn't any of our business. It's between…."
Dawn trailed off as Buffy took the phone out of her hand. "Hello Xander. It's quite late
and Dawn has school tomorrow. Are you aware of what time it is? Hold on a minute.
"Dawn, get to bed."
"Xander said he had important news that couldn't wait."
"Then I'll tell you what it is in the morning. You'll have to get up in a few hours and you
need your sleep."
"What about you? And where were you?"
"I've gone many times with less sleep than I'll get tonight. I was out slaying, ran into a
problem."
"Look, I'll just be heading off. I'll catch up with you another time."
"No!" Buffy shouted. "Spike sit back down and drink your hot chocolate. This will only
take a minute. And Dawn, upstairs and in bed." Seeing that both were about to protest,
she continued on with, "And you both better listen to me."
Dawn trudged up the stairs in silence. She would have sat at the top step and listened, but
Buffy stood at the bottom of the stairs, making sure that she couldn't. Life was so unfair.
Spike watched Buffy as she tried to interject a word in-between Xander's ramblings.
Eventually she gave up and held the phone out into the air. He could pick up the whole
conversation and it wasn't making him feel to good. Words like rapist, evil, immoral,
self-serving were heard. And he knew Xander used them to describe him. But Buffy
didn't seem to want to hear any of it. After a few minutes, she seemed to reach her limit.
"Xander, shut up. I don't want to hear another word from you about Spike. Why did you
call?"
He thought that might be the first time she semi stood up for him. But then there was the
time she needed him to steal the RV for their trip in running from Glory. She had told
them to back off from him then. He was needed then, to help protect Dawn, to provide
muscle in the fight. But now, without needing for him any type of fight, she made one of
her friends leave him alone. He wondered if something had happened to the water while
he was gone. This Buffy was getting stranger and stranger. And she was turning pale
right before his very eyes.
"Is Giles there?" She made her way into the living room and sank on the floor. She
didn't need this now. She wasn't prepared to cope with this right now. A few more
weeks is what she'd been told. Giles' voice on the other end brought an end to her
thoughts.
"Buffy. Isn't it late there? Why are you still up?"
"Late night patrolling Giles. But Xander's the one who called."
"I guess he couldn't wait to tell you the news."
"I thought she wasn't ready to come home yet."
"The coven thinks she's ready. Her powers are binded and she needs to assimilate herself
back into society and cope with her actions."
"You're really going to be here in two days?"
"I've been busy arranging the flight plans for us all. Xander's mom is going to drop his
car off at the airport."
"Well that's good. I really got to go Giles. I'm glad you're coming back though."
"Don't forget Willow and Xander, too. Any luck on the job front."
"Not for a full time position, that's compatible with Dawn's school hours. But I'm
looking. I'll find something eventually. I promise. And I'll pay you back. I've gotten
pretty good at keeping track of our finances, I'll have to show you the breakdown of the
last few weeks."
"Don't worry about the money. And I have some ideas on the job front. Don't take a job
until I get there and we can talk."
"I don't think I'm in any danger of that happening. And in case you didn't hear, Spike's
back. And like I told Dawn, and Xander will get the same talk from me, we'll share
some details of what happened between us, but not all. What happened between us, we
have to work out ourselves with no outside interference. And no one stakes him."
"Just let him know that I want to talk to him. And I'll let Anya know when we'll arrive."
"Thanks Giles. Goodnight. Or good morning."
Clicking the off button, she threw the phone on the ground and buried her head in her
hands.
"You okay pet?"
"No. Yes. No. I don't know."
"If you still want to talk…."
"How do you tell your best friend that she's not welcome in your house anymore? And
that she can't be around Dawn without supervision? And how do I stand against the
onslaught of Xander, who will go apeshit over that? She wasn't supposed to come back
for a couple more weeks. How do I tell Dawn?"
He couldn't remember the last time she had asked his opinion on something. Had she
ever asked for his opinion? "Uh. Well, you got to be firm with them. Like you were on
the phone. And just tell them. You'll figure it out, you always do."
"Thanks. I wanted to talk to you about Dawn. About trying to make things better for
her. But I can't do it right now."
"Fine. Just stop by whenever you have time. You know where I live."
"Can you come by the Magic Shoppe tomorrow? A little after noon? I'll be there. We
can talk then and I need some help putting the training room back in order. And Anya
wanted to talk to you about helping out with the store? Unless you have plans or
something."
"I'll come by."
"Just see yourself out. I don't feel like getting up." She watched as he left. It didn't
seem right without the duster swirling behind him. Life had been bordering on good.
Spike was back and she thought she had time to start working things out with him. She
had thought if things were going good between them when Xander, Willow and Giles got
back from London, maybe she wouldn't have to put up with a lot of yelling, nasty words,
and ugly scenes. They would just have to live with what had already happened. But life
decided to get complicated.
She had a vampire that didn't want to talk to her. A teenage sister that probably fell
asleep trying to eavesdrop from her bedroom door. A witch that was supposedly without
any powers, that scared her sister. A best friend that questioned all her life choices and
didn't do it kindly. And a watcher that wanted to talk to her vampire and probably
threaten him.
The only one she didn't have any problems with was Anya. She wondered how much
money Anya would charge in lessons on saying what is on your mind. She might need to
brush up on that. Life sucked and it was just the start of summer.