CHAPTER TWELVE
FIVE MONTHS LATER
Time hadn't passed so quickly for Spike since his daughter and Will got married, nothing seemed to be happening in his life. The work on his book was taking longer than normal and he felt more alone than ever, he had toyed with the idea of going back to Sunnydale but he stopped himself. She had told him to leave so if she wanted him back then she'd have to some and get him.
Joy spoke to him on the phone all the time, every other night she'd call him and say, "You ok daddy." And every other night Spike would tell her that he was fine.
Joy had fallen in love with Sunnydale, well more fallen in love with the life it gave her the new family that was treating her so well. Because both her and Will worked from home they'd moved to Sunnydale for good after getting back from England.
Although Dawn was twenty-one years older than her Joy felt like she finally had a sister, the two had become so close over the past few months. Dawn was always there, having never married and stayed living at home with Buffy.
Spike smiled at the thought of his little Dawn taking his little girl under her wing, that girl could really be selfless sometimes. In Dawn's life there had been men that loved her so much and wanted to marry her and she'd liked them as well but she wouldn't leave her sister.
Dawn called him a lot too and they'd sit on the phone for hours talking as if he'd never been out of her life. Every time she would nag him a little to come back, trying to slowly work on his resolve. Every time asking if he wanted to speak to Buffy, and every time he would say no.
Buffy had written to him a few times and he had written back, it was an arrangement that seemed to work well for both of them. Some how fights didn't flourish as well on paper. The topic was always the same, their children, it was a safe topic for both of them.
Yes he felt alone but he knew that his daughter was safe, happy and loved that was all he needed.
~*~
Buffy sat on the sofa in her lounge tapping her fingers on the plastic casing of the phone, she really wanted to call him.
"Just pick it up and dial." She said to herself.
Why was thing so hard? She'd spoken to Spike on the phone before, granted it was over twenty years ago and he was summoning her to kill her but she'd still done it. But they had a sort of unspoken agreement that they would stick to letters, but Buffy didn't have time for letter she wanted him here now.
She picked up the phone and slammed it down again, she knew what was stopping her. Fear, fear that if she begged him to come back he still wouldn't, but this wasn't even about her. Sighing she went over to her small laptop computer and turned it on.
Email, everyone used it and Dawn had given her Spike's address so that seemed like the best move, it wasn't as instant as she was hoping for but it would have to do. Still the problem of what to write though.
Buffy was in the house alone and it made it harder, if Dawn had been there then she could have done this but no it was left down to Buffy again. She stretched her fingers out over the keys and started to type.
'Hi Spike,
It's me Buffy. Look this is really important you need to come home now. Please don't argue just come like I said it's important.
Could you e-mail me when you get this so that I know you're on your way.
Buffy.'
Buffy looked back at the screen, sure it was probably a little too short but she couldn't think of anything else to say. She knew that she couldn't give too much away, it wasn't her place, she just hoped that he'd come.
Taking one last look at the screen Buffy hit the send button and hoped for the best.
~*~
Spike was stood in his kitchen making himself a cup of hot chocolate, he was meant to be finishing the next chapter of his novel but he just couldn't settle into it. He knew what he wanted to write but when he put the words down they just didn't seem right, so he was taking his third break in the last hour.
"Must be the typewriter." He mused, the publishing house he worked for had bought him a laptop and told him to write on that, so far the relationship wasn't going to well.
Taking his first sip of his favourite hot drink Spike heard a high-pitched beep, his head shoot round and he stared at his microwave. As he thought there wasn't anything it there, but where the hell had that beep come from? Then he remembered Dawn explaining it to him, instant messenger!
Spike went over to the laptop sat on the desk and looked at the screen, sure enough there was a message telling him he'd been sent an e-mail. He clicked the read button and waited for it to appear.
'Message From: KickAssGirl@msn.com
Message To: Spike69@yahoo.com
Hi Spike,
It's me Buffy. Look this is really important you need to come home now. Please don't argue just come like I said it's important.
Could you e-mail me when you get this so that I know you're on your way.
Buffy.'
Spike read the message and was unsure what to do, at first he thought he better take his car and drive all the way there breaking the speed limit, but then he thought that it was just another way to get him to come back.
He read the words again, she wanted him to come home? He already was home, when would she see that their lives weren't the same now, Sunnydale was in the past. He slammed down the screen of the computer.
"I'll be damned if she thinks I'm just gonna come runnin' I mean what kind of poof does she think I am?" Spike shouted as he turned round to look at the phone.
What if it was serious? What if he didn't answer and everyone got murdered. He picked the phone up and dialled the number. But if she was just messing him about then she'd be sorry, he'd rip of her stupid little head, well sexy head.
~*~
Buffy was pacing the kitchen, maybe an e-mail wasn't such a good idea, he might not pick it up for a week. She knew staring at the computer screen wasn't going to do any good but it made her feel better, like she was doing something productive.
Little knots had formed in her tummy, the thought of Spike been back, stood right in front of her was making her sick. She didn't know what she wanted, a lot had passed since he left all those years ago and now he was a man and she couldn't see where she could fit in his life. Or even if she wanted to be in his life.
Then the phone rang and Buffy dived on it, "Hello."
"Buffy." She heard his deep rumbling voice say.
A chill ran down her spine, his voice always did that to her, it always had done ever since that first she met him when he told he was going to kill her Saturday. She hadn't planned for him phoning her and wanted to actually talk to her, her heart raced it was Spike so why did she feel like a stupid teenager again.
"Yep it's me." She said in a chirpy manner trying desperately not to let her nerves show.
"I just got you're e-mail you want me fer somethin' pet?" He asked his voice soothing her.
"Yeah, well it's not me really but you have to come back."
"So who is it then Slayer?"
Buffy clenched her jaw, "Please don't call me that Spike."
"Why?" He asked like a child trying to annoy their parents.
"Because I'm not the Slayer anymore Spike, they let me go. Anyway shut up are you coming back?"
"Not until you tell me what's goin' on." He stated firmly, Buffy knew that he was set on this he wouldn't come back unless she told him why.
"God why do you have to make everything so damn difficult, it's not my place to tell you I promised." She shouted, she wanted to get off the phone before the argument went into full flight.
"Fine well I'll see you around then."
Buffy couldn't just let him go, "Spike don't I'll tell you but when you get here you'll have to pretend you don't know, k?"
"Yeah whatever."
"Joy wants you here so that she and Will can tell you you're going to be a Grandad."
Buffy heard Spike squeal down the phone, 'I didn't' know he could even make that noise' Buffy thought to herself.
"I'm on my way Slayer." Spike said before slamming the phone down.
As he threw a few bits into a bag all he could think out was his little girl being a mother, and a broad smile crept across his face, he'd face to think about staying in Sunnydale now.
TBC.
FIVE MONTHS LATER
Time hadn't passed so quickly for Spike since his daughter and Will got married, nothing seemed to be happening in his life. The work on his book was taking longer than normal and he felt more alone than ever, he had toyed with the idea of going back to Sunnydale but he stopped himself. She had told him to leave so if she wanted him back then she'd have to some and get him.
Joy spoke to him on the phone all the time, every other night she'd call him and say, "You ok daddy." And every other night Spike would tell her that he was fine.
Joy had fallen in love with Sunnydale, well more fallen in love with the life it gave her the new family that was treating her so well. Because both her and Will worked from home they'd moved to Sunnydale for good after getting back from England.
Although Dawn was twenty-one years older than her Joy felt like she finally had a sister, the two had become so close over the past few months. Dawn was always there, having never married and stayed living at home with Buffy.
Spike smiled at the thought of his little Dawn taking his little girl under her wing, that girl could really be selfless sometimes. In Dawn's life there had been men that loved her so much and wanted to marry her and she'd liked them as well but she wouldn't leave her sister.
Dawn called him a lot too and they'd sit on the phone for hours talking as if he'd never been out of her life. Every time she would nag him a little to come back, trying to slowly work on his resolve. Every time asking if he wanted to speak to Buffy, and every time he would say no.
Buffy had written to him a few times and he had written back, it was an arrangement that seemed to work well for both of them. Some how fights didn't flourish as well on paper. The topic was always the same, their children, it was a safe topic for both of them.
Yes he felt alone but he knew that his daughter was safe, happy and loved that was all he needed.
~*~
Buffy sat on the sofa in her lounge tapping her fingers on the plastic casing of the phone, she really wanted to call him.
"Just pick it up and dial." She said to herself.
Why was thing so hard? She'd spoken to Spike on the phone before, granted it was over twenty years ago and he was summoning her to kill her but she'd still done it. But they had a sort of unspoken agreement that they would stick to letters, but Buffy didn't have time for letter she wanted him here now.
She picked up the phone and slammed it down again, she knew what was stopping her. Fear, fear that if she begged him to come back he still wouldn't, but this wasn't even about her. Sighing she went over to her small laptop computer and turned it on.
Email, everyone used it and Dawn had given her Spike's address so that seemed like the best move, it wasn't as instant as she was hoping for but it would have to do. Still the problem of what to write though.
Buffy was in the house alone and it made it harder, if Dawn had been there then she could have done this but no it was left down to Buffy again. She stretched her fingers out over the keys and started to type.
'Hi Spike,
It's me Buffy. Look this is really important you need to come home now. Please don't argue just come like I said it's important.
Could you e-mail me when you get this so that I know you're on your way.
Buffy.'
Buffy looked back at the screen, sure it was probably a little too short but she couldn't think of anything else to say. She knew that she couldn't give too much away, it wasn't her place, she just hoped that he'd come.
Taking one last look at the screen Buffy hit the send button and hoped for the best.
~*~
Spike was stood in his kitchen making himself a cup of hot chocolate, he was meant to be finishing the next chapter of his novel but he just couldn't settle into it. He knew what he wanted to write but when he put the words down they just didn't seem right, so he was taking his third break in the last hour.
"Must be the typewriter." He mused, the publishing house he worked for had bought him a laptop and told him to write on that, so far the relationship wasn't going to well.
Taking his first sip of his favourite hot drink Spike heard a high-pitched beep, his head shoot round and he stared at his microwave. As he thought there wasn't anything it there, but where the hell had that beep come from? Then he remembered Dawn explaining it to him, instant messenger!
Spike went over to the laptop sat on the desk and looked at the screen, sure enough there was a message telling him he'd been sent an e-mail. He clicked the read button and waited for it to appear.
'Message From: KickAssGirl@msn.com
Message To: Spike69@yahoo.com
Hi Spike,
It's me Buffy. Look this is really important you need to come home now. Please don't argue just come like I said it's important.
Could you e-mail me when you get this so that I know you're on your way.
Buffy.'
Spike read the message and was unsure what to do, at first he thought he better take his car and drive all the way there breaking the speed limit, but then he thought that it was just another way to get him to come back.
He read the words again, she wanted him to come home? He already was home, when would she see that their lives weren't the same now, Sunnydale was in the past. He slammed down the screen of the computer.
"I'll be damned if she thinks I'm just gonna come runnin' I mean what kind of poof does she think I am?" Spike shouted as he turned round to look at the phone.
What if it was serious? What if he didn't answer and everyone got murdered. He picked the phone up and dialled the number. But if she was just messing him about then she'd be sorry, he'd rip of her stupid little head, well sexy head.
~*~
Buffy was pacing the kitchen, maybe an e-mail wasn't such a good idea, he might not pick it up for a week. She knew staring at the computer screen wasn't going to do any good but it made her feel better, like she was doing something productive.
Little knots had formed in her tummy, the thought of Spike been back, stood right in front of her was making her sick. She didn't know what she wanted, a lot had passed since he left all those years ago and now he was a man and she couldn't see where she could fit in his life. Or even if she wanted to be in his life.
Then the phone rang and Buffy dived on it, "Hello."
"Buffy." She heard his deep rumbling voice say.
A chill ran down her spine, his voice always did that to her, it always had done ever since that first she met him when he told he was going to kill her Saturday. She hadn't planned for him phoning her and wanted to actually talk to her, her heart raced it was Spike so why did she feel like a stupid teenager again.
"Yep it's me." She said in a chirpy manner trying desperately not to let her nerves show.
"I just got you're e-mail you want me fer somethin' pet?" He asked his voice soothing her.
"Yeah, well it's not me really but you have to come back."
"So who is it then Slayer?"
Buffy clenched her jaw, "Please don't call me that Spike."
"Why?" He asked like a child trying to annoy their parents.
"Because I'm not the Slayer anymore Spike, they let me go. Anyway shut up are you coming back?"
"Not until you tell me what's goin' on." He stated firmly, Buffy knew that he was set on this he wouldn't come back unless she told him why.
"God why do you have to make everything so damn difficult, it's not my place to tell you I promised." She shouted, she wanted to get off the phone before the argument went into full flight.
"Fine well I'll see you around then."
Buffy couldn't just let him go, "Spike don't I'll tell you but when you get here you'll have to pretend you don't know, k?"
"Yeah whatever."
"Joy wants you here so that she and Will can tell you you're going to be a Grandad."
Buffy heard Spike squeal down the phone, 'I didn't' know he could even make that noise' Buffy thought to herself.
"I'm on my way Slayer." Spike said before slamming the phone down.
As he threw a few bits into a bag all he could think out was his little girl being a mother, and a broad smile crept across his face, he'd face to think about staying in Sunnydale now.
TBC.