Buffy followed Spike down the stairs stepping down hard one each one as if puncutating her confusion, he never looked back at her. Halfway down it dawned on her.....sometimes I am so slow, she chided herself.
"Spike."
No answer as he stomped off the bottom step and into the basement. "Spike!" She called out loudly this time.
He turned around glaring at her, "Do you want the whole house to hear us?"
"Maybe.....then they wouldn't have to eavesdrop like someone else I know." She stepped off the bottom step and faced him.
"I...it's a good thing I did, when were ya' gonna fill me in, when the three of you left - waving goodbye to the Watchers and the Scoobs?" He slumped down on his cot.
"You obviously only heard or saw part of my conversation with Angel." Buffy began to tap her foot impatiently, "I've warned you about the listening to other peoples private conversations thing."
"I saw enough, " Spike's voice rose in a falsetto girlish pitch, "I love you, Buffy.," He lowered his voice again, "And his lips were on your's and your's weren't arguing about it."
"Are you through?" She asked still tapping her foot.
"Why, yes, Slayer I am." He fumbled for his ciggarettes.
"Then you best get packing." She shook her head at him and sighed.
"Oh, so you're kicking me out now?" Spike stood up and began to grab his few possesions, "Was leaving anyway."
The sight of Spike throwing his meager collection of clothes and assorted possesions into an empty bag he's found on the floor softened her tone.
"Spike, I don't want you to go." She reached her hand out to touch his shoulder.
He jerked away from her hand, "You made that clear, you want Angel to go with you."
"NO! It's not clear, thats what I'm trying to tell you." She pushed him back against the edge of the cot and then pushed the center of his chest till he was sitting again, "Please let me finish."
"Fine." He sighed as he took a drag off of his ciggarette.
"I don't want you to leave now, I want you to go with Dawn and I." She spoke the words slowly and sincerely.
"You want me to go with you?" He tapped his chest with his index finger.
"Yes, you- I want you to go with us." She smiled at him and took his hand in hers.
"But....Angel the 'I love you' and the kiss?" Spike raised his eyebrow in confusion.
"Words between two people who have meant alot to each other. And the kiss, yes it was nice, made me think of some old times, but nothings changed with Angel and I, it doesn't work with us." She used her free hand to caress his cheek, "You and I ......we may scream at each other all the way to Virginia, you'll be pissed every time Dawn and I have to stop to pee or want to stop at some silly tourist gift shop" She grinned at him, "And you'll no doubt annoy me with your smoking and your appalling taste in music, but I know when we get there.....I know you'll protect me and Dawn with everything in you and I know.......I know you'll be staying long after the danger is over." She dropped her hand and lowered her eyes shyly, somewhat embarrassed by her words.
He smiled then, and took her chin in his hand raising her face to his, "You mean all that?"
She stared straight into his eyes, "I mean every word."
"Alright then, guess I better pack." He grinned, "Don't know what I was worried about, knew you wouldn't really want to be stuck with Peaches. You and Dawn have enough luggage as it is, where would you put his two trunks of hair gel?'
Buffy laughed soflty, "Don't push it, Spike." She walked over to a corner of the basement and brought back a small suitcase, "Pack your things in this instead of the Wal Mart bag, please."
He pulled her close to him and kissed her soflty, "I love you, Buffy Summers."
"I know you do." She answered softly, "And I.....I can't do the hearts and flowers and I love you's yet. But I want you to be the one with us ... the one with me, maybe when we are all settled in then...." She shrugged her shoulders and flashed him a hopefilled smile.
"That's good enough for me...for now." He gave her a contented smile.
"I'm going to tell the others whats going on and finish packing." Buffy touched his hand again before she went back upstairs.
***
Buffy pulled Dawn aside first, "Dawn, I'm not sure how you'll feel about this, but I've decided Spike should go with us to Virginia." She chewed anxiously on her bottom lip waiting for her baby sister's reaction.
"Yeah." Dawn answered nonchalantly as she piled more boxes into the corner of her room.
"That's all you have to say?" Buffy looked surprised.
"I knew he was going with us, I just knew it." Dawn grinned, "It's okay, Buffy. I'm glad." She hugged the older girl tightly.
"Now we have to tell the others." Buffy sighed.
"I'll go with for moral support." Dawn linked her arm through Buffy's.
****
Spike grinned when he realized that he was humming as he transferred his belongings from the bag to the suitcase Buffy had given him.
"I guess you're quite happy with yourself." Angels voice came from the top of the basement steps.
"Come to say goodbye?" Spike asked as he closed the suitcase.
"Came to give you a warning..." Angel half smiled.
"Got one of those from Giles earlier." Spike snarked.
"Me too, but I just wanted to add something, you hurt her and I won't just come and stake you. I'll make sure you suffer first." Angel's voice was serious, the merest glint of Angelus in his eyes.
"I...." Spike began defensively then changed his tone, he replied to the threat in a soft voice, "I won't hurt her, if I do ....you have my permission to come after me."
"I will." Angel nodded and started up the stairs again, he stopped half way up and turned back to Spike, "You really do love her. I can tell."
"Yeah, I do. You do too." Spike acknowledged with a small smile, "She's hard to love....but harder not to."
"I know the feeling..." Angel sighed, "Take care of her."
"Always." Spike answered as he watched Angel dissappear into the kitchen.
TBC
"Spike."
No answer as he stomped off the bottom step and into the basement. "Spike!" She called out loudly this time.
He turned around glaring at her, "Do you want the whole house to hear us?"
"Maybe.....then they wouldn't have to eavesdrop like someone else I know." She stepped off the bottom step and faced him.
"I...it's a good thing I did, when were ya' gonna fill me in, when the three of you left - waving goodbye to the Watchers and the Scoobs?" He slumped down on his cot.
"You obviously only heard or saw part of my conversation with Angel." Buffy began to tap her foot impatiently, "I've warned you about the listening to other peoples private conversations thing."
"I saw enough, " Spike's voice rose in a falsetto girlish pitch, "I love you, Buffy.," He lowered his voice again, "And his lips were on your's and your's weren't arguing about it."
"Are you through?" She asked still tapping her foot.
"Why, yes, Slayer I am." He fumbled for his ciggarettes.
"Then you best get packing." She shook her head at him and sighed.
"Oh, so you're kicking me out now?" Spike stood up and began to grab his few possesions, "Was leaving anyway."
The sight of Spike throwing his meager collection of clothes and assorted possesions into an empty bag he's found on the floor softened her tone.
"Spike, I don't want you to go." She reached her hand out to touch his shoulder.
He jerked away from her hand, "You made that clear, you want Angel to go with you."
"NO! It's not clear, thats what I'm trying to tell you." She pushed him back against the edge of the cot and then pushed the center of his chest till he was sitting again, "Please let me finish."
"Fine." He sighed as he took a drag off of his ciggarette.
"I don't want you to leave now, I want you to go with Dawn and I." She spoke the words slowly and sincerely.
"You want me to go with you?" He tapped his chest with his index finger.
"Yes, you- I want you to go with us." She smiled at him and took his hand in hers.
"But....Angel the 'I love you' and the kiss?" Spike raised his eyebrow in confusion.
"Words between two people who have meant alot to each other. And the kiss, yes it was nice, made me think of some old times, but nothings changed with Angel and I, it doesn't work with us." She used her free hand to caress his cheek, "You and I ......we may scream at each other all the way to Virginia, you'll be pissed every time Dawn and I have to stop to pee or want to stop at some silly tourist gift shop" She grinned at him, "And you'll no doubt annoy me with your smoking and your appalling taste in music, but I know when we get there.....I know you'll protect me and Dawn with everything in you and I know.......I know you'll be staying long after the danger is over." She dropped her hand and lowered her eyes shyly, somewhat embarrassed by her words.
He smiled then, and took her chin in his hand raising her face to his, "You mean all that?"
She stared straight into his eyes, "I mean every word."
"Alright then, guess I better pack." He grinned, "Don't know what I was worried about, knew you wouldn't really want to be stuck with Peaches. You and Dawn have enough luggage as it is, where would you put his two trunks of hair gel?'
Buffy laughed soflty, "Don't push it, Spike." She walked over to a corner of the basement and brought back a small suitcase, "Pack your things in this instead of the Wal Mart bag, please."
He pulled her close to him and kissed her soflty, "I love you, Buffy Summers."
"I know you do." She answered softly, "And I.....I can't do the hearts and flowers and I love you's yet. But I want you to be the one with us ... the one with me, maybe when we are all settled in then...." She shrugged her shoulders and flashed him a hopefilled smile.
"That's good enough for me...for now." He gave her a contented smile.
"I'm going to tell the others whats going on and finish packing." Buffy touched his hand again before she went back upstairs.
***
Buffy pulled Dawn aside first, "Dawn, I'm not sure how you'll feel about this, but I've decided Spike should go with us to Virginia." She chewed anxiously on her bottom lip waiting for her baby sister's reaction.
"Yeah." Dawn answered nonchalantly as she piled more boxes into the corner of her room.
"That's all you have to say?" Buffy looked surprised.
"I knew he was going with us, I just knew it." Dawn grinned, "It's okay, Buffy. I'm glad." She hugged the older girl tightly.
"Now we have to tell the others." Buffy sighed.
"I'll go with for moral support." Dawn linked her arm through Buffy's.
****
Spike grinned when he realized that he was humming as he transferred his belongings from the bag to the suitcase Buffy had given him.
"I guess you're quite happy with yourself." Angels voice came from the top of the basement steps.
"Come to say goodbye?" Spike asked as he closed the suitcase.
"Came to give you a warning..." Angel half smiled.
"Got one of those from Giles earlier." Spike snarked.
"Me too, but I just wanted to add something, you hurt her and I won't just come and stake you. I'll make sure you suffer first." Angel's voice was serious, the merest glint of Angelus in his eyes.
"I...." Spike began defensively then changed his tone, he replied to the threat in a soft voice, "I won't hurt her, if I do ....you have my permission to come after me."
"I will." Angel nodded and started up the stairs again, he stopped half way up and turned back to Spike, "You really do love her. I can tell."
"Yeah, I do. You do too." Spike acknowledged with a small smile, "She's hard to love....but harder not to."
"I know the feeling..." Angel sighed, "Take care of her."
"Always." Spike answered as he watched Angel dissappear into the kitchen.
TBC