Her mom was asleep on the sofa and Dawn was upstairs listening to Greenday
on her headset. Buffy was tempted to head straight back over to Spike's
crypt. She was kinda sorry that she had left in the first place as it had
really killed the moment. Whoa! She was having a moment? She and SPIKE
were having a moment. This was freaking her out on a whole new level and
for some reason it really did not feel icky. She wanted to go back and
finish that kissing session.with Spike. Deciding that she was going to do
something for herself for once and trying desperately not to think about
Riley and how he would be perfectly right to scream and yell at her along
the 'I told you so' line, she grabbed her coat from her bedroom. She
bounded down the stairs as quickly as she could without making any noise
that could disturb her family and pulled open her front door to see Riley
stood there his hand raised as though he was about to knock. A fresh stab
of guilt clutched Buffy, he had been right. Less than twelve hours after
Riley's 'superpowers' had been taken away she had kissed a master vampire.
What the hell did that say about her, "Riley? What are you doing here?
Shouldn't you still be in the hospital?"
"I just wanted to come and talk to you."
Buffy could tell that she was looking guilty, "You did? Now?"
Riley frowned slightly, "Well yeah."
"No, no, it's fine. I just thought that you'd still be getting prodded by needles and having tests and stuff."
Riley smiled at his girlfriend, "No. I wanted to see you. Can we go up?"
Buffy was almost on autopilot as she led Riley to her room. She kept imagining things going wrong somehow, that he would somehow know instinctively without her saying anything.
It was a few seconds after Riley started speaking that she even realised where she was, ".so I just wanted to apologise again and tell you how sorry I was. They were my issues; they weren't even really anything to do with you. I was putting them onto you and it was wrong of me."
Buffy tried to focus on the conversation, "It's okay Riley. We'll work it out. Somehow. You just have to understand that I'm with you for a reason, it's not because you could, you know, leap tall buildings in a single bound." Buffy was cringing inside as she thought about Spike. Spike! Spike!! Why was she thinking of Spike when she was sat here with her boyfriend. A boyfriend that loved her and made her feel safe and loved. Riley leaned forward and kissed her gently. She automatically responded. As Riley pulled her towards him she realised that her mind was not where it should be. The way it hadn't been with Scott. Buffy pulled away from Riley, at the hurt look on his face she quickly tried to cover up her reaction, "Oh.I'm sorry Riley. But you've just had a major operation on your heart and I don't want to do anything that means you wont heal as quickly."
Buffy smiled at him but he looked upset and angry, "God Buffy! So much for everything you said. That you didn't want a boyfriend with powers! That me only being a human being didn't bother you. You are already treating me like a child." Riley stood up and headed for the door.
"Look, I'm sorry," Buffy put a hand on his arm. "It doesn't matter what you are, you wont be in a fit state to get it on less than twelve hours after major heart surgery. It's not because."
Riley cut her off by taking her in his arms, "Then prove it to me. We'll take it slow and careful and you wont hurt me I swear and if you do I'll tell you and you can stop. Okay?"
Buffy really didn't feel in the mood but she returned his kiss anyway.
A couple of hours later Buffy saw Riley to her door with the ex soldier grinning like a Cheshire cat. She had to practically force him out of the door; he didn't even seem ready to leave then. But Buffy had to get rid of him. Her mother would need her help and she had to go on patrol. Buffy tried to convince herself that she was only going out to patrol. She wasn't going to see a certain bleach cloned vampire.
"I always wanted to kill a Slayer." Buffy ducked, "And I always wanted piano lessons, so really we've both been holding inside all this unexpressed rage." Buffy was winning and she knew it. She was taking out quite a bit of rage on this particular vamp, while taking her time. She had lost her nerve and she hadn't gone to see Spike, but she had promised her self that she would go after this one. She punched the huge demon in the face. "But really." kick, "I think." punch, "I'm expressing mine better." Thump. "Tell you what." arm wrench, "You find yourself a good anger management class and I'll jab this pokey wood stick through you heart." Buffy dusted her coat as she put her stake back in her pocket. Trying to delay the moment se would have to go and see Spike, "I think that sets the world's speed record for closure."
Buffy turned and was ready to leave when someone called out to her, "Miss if you're looking for one of those rave parties you're late. I cleared a load of kids out of here last night."
Buffy quickly fell into her role exchanging some brief banter with the guy and turned to leave as soon as possible.
"Hey miss," Buffy turned round again, "Take this, whatever it is with you."
Buffy looked down at the circular glowing object in her hands, "Thank you."
"Glow-balls huh? I swear I don't get your generation. What is that thing?"
Buffy turned to leave, "Let you know a soon as I find out."
Buffy walked away from the factory district trying to keep her mind on the glowing object. But he mind wasn't really there. It was in the Shady Cemetary where her feet were currently taking her. Before she even realised where she was she was staring at the door of Spike's crypt. Knocking on the door for the first timein her life she waited, "Come in."
Buffy felt her heart in her throat as she opened the door and stepped inside, she shouldn't be doing this. Just turn around and run. Her feet didn't want to obey her though. She just looked at him, "Hey."
He just smiled, "I've been waiting for you pet."
"I just wanted to come and talk to you."
Buffy could tell that she was looking guilty, "You did? Now?"
Riley frowned slightly, "Well yeah."
"No, no, it's fine. I just thought that you'd still be getting prodded by needles and having tests and stuff."
Riley smiled at his girlfriend, "No. I wanted to see you. Can we go up?"
Buffy was almost on autopilot as she led Riley to her room. She kept imagining things going wrong somehow, that he would somehow know instinctively without her saying anything.
It was a few seconds after Riley started speaking that she even realised where she was, ".so I just wanted to apologise again and tell you how sorry I was. They were my issues; they weren't even really anything to do with you. I was putting them onto you and it was wrong of me."
Buffy tried to focus on the conversation, "It's okay Riley. We'll work it out. Somehow. You just have to understand that I'm with you for a reason, it's not because you could, you know, leap tall buildings in a single bound." Buffy was cringing inside as she thought about Spike. Spike! Spike!! Why was she thinking of Spike when she was sat here with her boyfriend. A boyfriend that loved her and made her feel safe and loved. Riley leaned forward and kissed her gently. She automatically responded. As Riley pulled her towards him she realised that her mind was not where it should be. The way it hadn't been with Scott. Buffy pulled away from Riley, at the hurt look on his face she quickly tried to cover up her reaction, "Oh.I'm sorry Riley. But you've just had a major operation on your heart and I don't want to do anything that means you wont heal as quickly."
Buffy smiled at him but he looked upset and angry, "God Buffy! So much for everything you said. That you didn't want a boyfriend with powers! That me only being a human being didn't bother you. You are already treating me like a child." Riley stood up and headed for the door.
"Look, I'm sorry," Buffy put a hand on his arm. "It doesn't matter what you are, you wont be in a fit state to get it on less than twelve hours after major heart surgery. It's not because."
Riley cut her off by taking her in his arms, "Then prove it to me. We'll take it slow and careful and you wont hurt me I swear and if you do I'll tell you and you can stop. Okay?"
Buffy really didn't feel in the mood but she returned his kiss anyway.
A couple of hours later Buffy saw Riley to her door with the ex soldier grinning like a Cheshire cat. She had to practically force him out of the door; he didn't even seem ready to leave then. But Buffy had to get rid of him. Her mother would need her help and she had to go on patrol. Buffy tried to convince herself that she was only going out to patrol. She wasn't going to see a certain bleach cloned vampire.
"I always wanted to kill a Slayer." Buffy ducked, "And I always wanted piano lessons, so really we've both been holding inside all this unexpressed rage." Buffy was winning and she knew it. She was taking out quite a bit of rage on this particular vamp, while taking her time. She had lost her nerve and she hadn't gone to see Spike, but she had promised her self that she would go after this one. She punched the huge demon in the face. "But really." kick, "I think." punch, "I'm expressing mine better." Thump. "Tell you what." arm wrench, "You find yourself a good anger management class and I'll jab this pokey wood stick through you heart." Buffy dusted her coat as she put her stake back in her pocket. Trying to delay the moment se would have to go and see Spike, "I think that sets the world's speed record for closure."
Buffy turned and was ready to leave when someone called out to her, "Miss if you're looking for one of those rave parties you're late. I cleared a load of kids out of here last night."
Buffy quickly fell into her role exchanging some brief banter with the guy and turned to leave as soon as possible.
"Hey miss," Buffy turned round again, "Take this, whatever it is with you."
Buffy looked down at the circular glowing object in her hands, "Thank you."
"Glow-balls huh? I swear I don't get your generation. What is that thing?"
Buffy turned to leave, "Let you know a soon as I find out."
Buffy walked away from the factory district trying to keep her mind on the glowing object. But he mind wasn't really there. It was in the Shady Cemetary where her feet were currently taking her. Before she even realised where she was she was staring at the door of Spike's crypt. Knocking on the door for the first timein her life she waited, "Come in."
Buffy felt her heart in her throat as she opened the door and stepped inside, she shouldn't be doing this. Just turn around and run. Her feet didn't want to obey her though. She just looked at him, "Hey."
He just smiled, "I've been waiting for you pet."