Part 6:

"Buffy." Spike whispered. Hoping the slayer heard him. She did, and with a yawn Buffy awoke and got up from her bed, grumbling something about cranky slayers who don't get enough sleep. However, when she saw who was outside the window, her eyes lightened.

"Hey you." Buffy said, opening the window and letting the cool night air waft into her room.

"I haven't seen you." Spike said sadly. Buffy smiled at his half pout.

"I know." Buffy whispered. "Come in." She added.

"Why are you whispering?" Spike asked as he leapt from the tree outside through Buffy's window.

"I'm grounded. Not supposed to have people over." Buffy said, rolling her eyes as she replayed the scene of her mother grounding her, in her mind.

"I'm sorry, about what happened on the beach." Spike said, taking a seat next to Buffy on her bed.

"What are you sorry about?" Buffy asked.

"Whatever I did to make you angry, whatever happened."

"I don't even know what happened." Buffy said, turning to look at Spike. A lock of bright, blonde hair fell over her face and Spike tucked it gently behind her ear. Just his touch on her skin sent sparks flying through her body. Spike smiled at her.

"I just don't want that to ever happen again, us to fight." Spike said. "Not that there's an us." Spike added hurriedly. Suddenly feeling like a nervous high school boy, about to ask a girl out on a date. Or even worse, feeling like William, the nervous poet and dreamer.

"There's no us?" Buffy asked, not sure how she felt about that statement.

"Well. You have a boyfriend." Spike said, raising his eyebrows. Buffy smiled. "What?" Spike asked.

"It's the way you said boyfriend, like it was some kind of disease." The slayer explained. "But I guess the disease will have to find somewhere else to fester."

"What are you talking about?" The vampire asked, not understand how they had jumped from the topic of boyfriends to sicknesses.

"It was like the world stopped for him." Buffy said, beginning her explanation. "I would see him, and the world would stop." Buffy looked over at Spike as she said this. "But then I met you, and it only took a day for you to turn my entire world upside down. And it was like, the world stopped for him. But for you, it kept moving. I just stopped caring what was going on outside our little world. It was like every second I wasn't near you, was a second I wasn't living." Buffy finished.

"Are you saying you love me?" Spike asked, his eyes reflecting his fear. Though he wasn't sure if his fear was of being rejected, or accepted.

"No." Buffy replied shortly. She laughed slightly. "I didn't mean it to sound like that. I mean…" Buffy paused. "I broke up with my boyfriend, because in the short time I've known you, I've felt more things than I knew I'd been missing."

"You broke up with your boyfriend?" Spike asked. Buffy nodded. Does that mean we're an us?" Spike questioned, not sure if it was good that the slayer seemed to be so taken with him. However, all his fears were cleared from his head when Buffy responded to his question.

"We're friends." Buffy replied.

"Good friends." Spike added with a wink.

"Good friends who like to kiss." Buffy said. "And go on dates."

"And kiss."

"Definite kissage."

It had been an entire week since the last time Buffy had seen Spike. She had finally gotten her mom to let her out of the house and she was enjoying not being grounded. Summer was beautiful and Buffy was happy. In all respects except missing Spike.

"Buffy. Are you listening?" Giles asked. He had gathered all the scoobies together for a meeting. However, Buffy seemed to be staring into space.

"What?" Buffy asked.

"Exactly my question." Xander seconded. Giles gave him a look.

"I understand what's going on perfectly." Cordelia said. Giles gave her a look saying that he did not believe her at all. "Buffy broke up with Angel, she's upset, and her new honey hasn't called."

"What?" Willow asked. "You broke up with Angel?" Buffy nodded the affirmative.

"Yes." Xander shouted happily, causing him to receive a glare from both Willow and Buffy.

"I'm sorry Buffy." Giles said, feeling fatherly protection for his slayer. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." Buffy says. "I'm not really too upset."

"Boy, if I broke up with my boyfriend I would be devastated. I mean, it would be the end of an era. An entire relationship…gone." Willow said. She looked around and noticed the strange looks she was getting from everyone.

"I guess you'd have to be there." Cordelia said, resting her hand under her chin and looking at Willow as if she was the ghost of Christmas past.

"Anyone new Buff?" Xander asked, hoping the answer was no. Buffy hesitated. However, she smiled in Xander's direction.

"No." She lied. Buffy wasn't sure why, she just didn't want her friends to know about Spike. She was enjoying having him all to herself. Buffy zoned out as Giles once again began to talk. She smiled dreamily as she traced her fingers over her lips, trying to remember the exact feel of Spike's lips on hers.

The meeting ended and Buffy stayed late for training. It was almost five o'clock when her training ended, and she walked towards the school parking lot lazily.

"I know your seeing someone." A familiar voice coming from behind said.

"No I'm not." Buffy said, all too quickly.

"He must be a real something to keep him from the group like that." Cordelia said, coming up beside Buffy. "Or a real nerd." She added.

"What do you want?" Buffy asked impatiently.

"I want a new leather jacket that matches my prada shoes." The cheerleader answer truthfully. Buffy glared at her and then sped up her walking pace. However, Cordelia kept in step.

"Look Cordy. Not that I don't enjoy these little chats of ours, but I'm very busy, and I have some serious…stuff to do." Buffy said.

"Just be careful." Cordelia said. "Your vulnerable and hurt. Some guys aren't all they seem to be…some are more." Buffy stopped walking for a moment when Cordelia said this. However, she shook the thought off and continued walking. Leaving Cordelia in the dust as she headed for the mansion.

Buffy didn't expect to find Spike at the mansion. So, when she found him, huddled in a corner, reading a book of poetry, she was very confused.

"Do you live here?" Buffy asked sarcastically. Spike looked up, smiling when he saw the slayer standing in the entrance of the mansion. Spike replied to her question only by rolling his eyes. He got up lazily and placed the poetry book on a table in the middle of the mansion before walking over to Buffy and kissing her softly on the lips. Buffy smiled, feeling completely comfortable around Spike. It was like this was home, and everywhere they went that they weren't together was strange and somehow not right. Spike broke her out of her train of thoughts.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, obviously pleased that Buffy had stopped by.

"I wanted to think." Buffy said. "And my feet just carried me here. It's a place I can be alone." Buffy quickly amended the statement. "A place we can be alone."

"That it is love." Spike said, placing a protective arm around the slayer and kissing the top of her head, inhaling the scent of vanilla that was clearly smelled in her hair. Spike reached up for his neck, making sure his necklace was in place. When he saw that it was, he walked with Buffy out onto the courtyard.

"Your not grounded?" He asked.

"Nope." Buffy answered.

"Good." Spike replied. "Good." He murmured again, softer. The two walked in compatible silence until Buffy broke it with a question.

"What were you doing?" She asked, turning to look at Spike, her hazel eyes shining in wonder. To Spike it looked so innocent that he hesitated a moment. When Buffy gave him a concerned look, Spike realized that he hadn't spoken for too long a period of time.

"I was reading poetry." Spike replied, truthfully, though slightly embarest.

"I don't like poetry." Buffy said.

"What?" Spike asked, her voice loud.

"Calm down." Buffy said, smiling slightly at how outraged she had made Spike by simply admitting that she didn't like poetry.

"How can you not like poetry?" Spike asked, his voice still slightly loud, yet back in control.

"I just don't get it. If it doesn't rhyme, it's not worth my time." Buffy said, shrugging. Spike took a firm hold on her hand and dragged her back into the mansion. "Where are we going?" Buffy asked.

"To get some culture." Spike replied. Grabbing his duster of a chair he shrugged it on and then made his way, still dragging Buffy, toward the woods. Buffy noticed that Spike had pocketed the poetry book as they left.



It is true, there are plenty of fish in the sea, but there are only a few mermaids.

Source unknown