Spike was at the bar, drinking away his worries. He was on his
seventh beer, when he had to go to the bathroom. It was a lot quieter in
there, which caused him to hear his cell phone beeping, telling him he had
a voicemail message. "You have one new message, and twelve old messages.
*Beep* "Oh, hey Spike. This is Willow, at the hospital. You don't need
to worry, everybody's okay ..." He heard the good news and put the phone
down and sighed in relief. He could hear the other messages playing, even
with the phone down. His sense of happiness melted away to the real worry
he felt. "*beep* It's Dawn, Spike, we're doing horrible. Buffy hasn't
looked this bad since mom died. As mad as I was at you, I love my sister
and she needs you. I realize neither of you want to admit it, but you need
each other. I've seen you together, and can tell something was there that
isn't here now. I have to go now. I hope you do the right thing. *beep*
It's Dawn again. I realize that maybe Buffy isn't your favorite person
right now, but I know she misses you. I know I miss you. Come back,
please. *beep* "Spike, we miss you. I caught Buffy crying in her room,
listening to one of your Sex Pistols tapes. I think she really misses you.
Oooh, she sees me. Bye. *beep* Xander tried to hook her up with one of
his friends, but she told him that she was too sick to go. Every time I
see her, I swear, she looks like a zombie. She doesn't try hard with
anything anymore. She lets me patrol with her now, and I do most of the
work. After we patrol, she'll go lock herself in her room and cry. I'm
worried. Spike, come back, please. *beep*" Spike turned the phone off.
He decided that he'd waited long enough. No one was injured. He could
show up and it would be okay. He took off for the hospital.
Buffy and Willow walked out into the hallway. Buffy closed the door. "You know. You know I love him. You found it first." Buffy started to cry. "It's okay Buffy. We kinda knew you felt something. We'll learn to live with it. It's not that big of a deal." Willow put her hand on Buffy's shoulder, trying to comfort her. Buffy pulled her hand away. "It's not okay. It's never going to be okay. I let him get away with trying to rape me. I still love him, and I understand why he did it. But that's not even what I'm upset about. I'm upset that he's never coming back. I made him leave because I couldn't admit that I love him, and now he's gone forever." Buffy collapsed on the floor, with Willow kneeling down with her. They sat there for a minute, just crying. Even Willow started crying; crying for Buffy, crying because she felt the same way about Tara. and Oz. Then Spike showed up and walked down the hall. He saw them lying on the floor. He looked worried. Willow saw him, but Buffy was crying so hard, she didn't notice. Willow telepathically told Spike what was wrong. "Spike, she misses you and thinks you're gone for good. Now isn't the time for you to show up. You need to get out of here before she notices you're here. She isn't ready just yet." Spike was filled with a sort of grief, but he couldn't help but smile when he realized she did want him back. He walked over to the elevator. Buffy heard the elevator and wiped her eyes and looked over, only to catch Spike walking in. "Willow, I'm seeing him everywhere. I could have sworn that was him getting into the elevator right there, and when we were driving away in the ambulance. And I had a dream that was so lifelike. I could have sworn I went outside and saw him ride away. It even smelled like smoke, his smoke. I need to go home. Dawn is okay, lets check out and go home." Willow nodded, and helped her get back up. They woke up Xander and Dawn, and slowly left the hospital.
Back at home, Buffy spent about an hour with Dawn, lifeless as usual, but she wanted her sister to know that she was there. She went upstairs, and Xander and Willow took over and entertained Dawn, as it normally was. She was in her room crying a lot. She had become quite the Sex Pistols fan since Spike left. After about 2 hours, Will called Spike's cell. He picked up this time. "Hello?" "Hey, Spike? It's Willow" "Oh, hi Willow, what's up? Caller I.D. says you're at home. Where's Buffy? Is she okay?" "Spike, I know you want her to know you're back. It's just a waiting game." There was a moment of silence. "Spike, do you love her?" "Do I love her? Of course I love her. That's why I came back. That's why I got a sou." Spike regretted starting that sentence. "You got a .what? You got a S-O-U-L! Oh my god. You got a soul for her. Was it hard to get?" "It was hell. I got pretty beaten up. Let's just say, I got it in a month, and I've waited another month so I could heal up before I came back. Willow, I'm coming over. Don't tell her. I've got a surprise for her. I'll be there in a few minutes. Act normal." "Okay Spike, good luck. I'll see you soon. Come in the back door. She won't hear if you come in the back door. C ya." Spike gathered his souvenirs and hopped on his cycle. He was going to see his woman.
Willow walked into the living room. "Guess who I just talked to? Give up! Spike." "O my God! Spike called? Is he here? Is he back? Is he coming back?" "Shhh. We have to be quiet about it. Buffy doesn't know. He says he's going to surprise her." "Oh great. We all know what happened the last time he tried to surprise her." Xander looked concerned. "Xander, he's changed." "They all say that. How do we know he isn't ." "He got a soul for her." "Awww. See Xander, he did change. Willow, when is he coming?" "He's at his crypt. He's leaving now."
Spike rode faster now than he had ever ridden. He was so anxious. When he got there, he picked up the gifts he had gotten from Africa for everyone. He walked into through the back door. Dawn, ran over to him and gave him a big hug as he struggled with closing the door and not dropping the gifts. "Dawn, I missed you too. I would have come sooner, but I wanted to be healthy and strong so I could take the welcoming abuse." "Oh, sorry" Dawn loosened her grip. Spike grabbed a little package. "Here niblet, this is for you." She impatiently opened the box to find a little necklace. It was big and pretty. "Spike, I love it." She motioned for him to put it on her. She ran to the bathroom to see how it looked, and everyone followed. Spike frowned at his un-reflection, sort of hoping it would be there. Willow and Xander went to leave as Spike pulled out another box. "Willow, I thought of you when I saw it." She opened the box to find a beautiful fox statue, the same shade of red as her hair. "It's beautiful. I love it. Thank you Spike." She leaned in and gave him a light hug. Xander now looked pissed. Of course, everyone got something but him. "Oh, and Harris, this is for you." He found a bottle with a powder in it. "Wow, some powder. I'm a lucky fella." "Read the instructions." Spike pulled the instructions out of the bottom of the box. "Cool! Good luck powder. Thanks Captain Per . Spike." Xander had a smile on his face, which was rarely brought out by Spike. Spike made his way to the stairs. "Good luck" Willow and Dawn called to Spike, who made a strange face. "Uh, guys? Since when has Buffy liked the Sex Pistols?" "Since you left. We assume it reminds her of you." "Oh."
Spike was nervous. He tried to focus on the music, to make him less nervous, but he even told himself, that if it had a heart, it would be beating a million beats a second. He walked up to her door, just away enough so that she couldn't tell he was there. It was that moment that he was glad he didn't breath, because he was close enough to hear every word she said, but she couldn't hear him. He planned his entrance down to the smallest detail. "I'm so stupid. I'm an idiot. I let him get away. It's all my fault. I lost the one thing that was special to me. I'm an idiot." She was crying. Spike positioned himself directly centered in her doorway. She didn't look up. He started to sing, "I think you're smart, you sweet thing. Tell me you're glad, I'm dying here." She wiped her eyes and looked up. She couldn't believe her eyes. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around him, almost not believing that he was really there. He returned her embrace. She threw him on the bed and passionately kissed him. He returned it, only to have her pull away. "Spike, I've missed you so much. Can you do mea favor?" "Anything for you, Luv." "Could you just hold me?" He wrapped his arms around her, whispering "I've got you where I want you."
Buffy and Willow walked out into the hallway. Buffy closed the door. "You know. You know I love him. You found it first." Buffy started to cry. "It's okay Buffy. We kinda knew you felt something. We'll learn to live with it. It's not that big of a deal." Willow put her hand on Buffy's shoulder, trying to comfort her. Buffy pulled her hand away. "It's not okay. It's never going to be okay. I let him get away with trying to rape me. I still love him, and I understand why he did it. But that's not even what I'm upset about. I'm upset that he's never coming back. I made him leave because I couldn't admit that I love him, and now he's gone forever." Buffy collapsed on the floor, with Willow kneeling down with her. They sat there for a minute, just crying. Even Willow started crying; crying for Buffy, crying because she felt the same way about Tara. and Oz. Then Spike showed up and walked down the hall. He saw them lying on the floor. He looked worried. Willow saw him, but Buffy was crying so hard, she didn't notice. Willow telepathically told Spike what was wrong. "Spike, she misses you and thinks you're gone for good. Now isn't the time for you to show up. You need to get out of here before she notices you're here. She isn't ready just yet." Spike was filled with a sort of grief, but he couldn't help but smile when he realized she did want him back. He walked over to the elevator. Buffy heard the elevator and wiped her eyes and looked over, only to catch Spike walking in. "Willow, I'm seeing him everywhere. I could have sworn that was him getting into the elevator right there, and when we were driving away in the ambulance. And I had a dream that was so lifelike. I could have sworn I went outside and saw him ride away. It even smelled like smoke, his smoke. I need to go home. Dawn is okay, lets check out and go home." Willow nodded, and helped her get back up. They woke up Xander and Dawn, and slowly left the hospital.
Back at home, Buffy spent about an hour with Dawn, lifeless as usual, but she wanted her sister to know that she was there. She went upstairs, and Xander and Willow took over and entertained Dawn, as it normally was. She was in her room crying a lot. She had become quite the Sex Pistols fan since Spike left. After about 2 hours, Will called Spike's cell. He picked up this time. "Hello?" "Hey, Spike? It's Willow" "Oh, hi Willow, what's up? Caller I.D. says you're at home. Where's Buffy? Is she okay?" "Spike, I know you want her to know you're back. It's just a waiting game." There was a moment of silence. "Spike, do you love her?" "Do I love her? Of course I love her. That's why I came back. That's why I got a sou." Spike regretted starting that sentence. "You got a .what? You got a S-O-U-L! Oh my god. You got a soul for her. Was it hard to get?" "It was hell. I got pretty beaten up. Let's just say, I got it in a month, and I've waited another month so I could heal up before I came back. Willow, I'm coming over. Don't tell her. I've got a surprise for her. I'll be there in a few minutes. Act normal." "Okay Spike, good luck. I'll see you soon. Come in the back door. She won't hear if you come in the back door. C ya." Spike gathered his souvenirs and hopped on his cycle. He was going to see his woman.
Willow walked into the living room. "Guess who I just talked to? Give up! Spike." "O my God! Spike called? Is he here? Is he back? Is he coming back?" "Shhh. We have to be quiet about it. Buffy doesn't know. He says he's going to surprise her." "Oh great. We all know what happened the last time he tried to surprise her." Xander looked concerned. "Xander, he's changed." "They all say that. How do we know he isn't ." "He got a soul for her." "Awww. See Xander, he did change. Willow, when is he coming?" "He's at his crypt. He's leaving now."
Spike rode faster now than he had ever ridden. He was so anxious. When he got there, he picked up the gifts he had gotten from Africa for everyone. He walked into through the back door. Dawn, ran over to him and gave him a big hug as he struggled with closing the door and not dropping the gifts. "Dawn, I missed you too. I would have come sooner, but I wanted to be healthy and strong so I could take the welcoming abuse." "Oh, sorry" Dawn loosened her grip. Spike grabbed a little package. "Here niblet, this is for you." She impatiently opened the box to find a little necklace. It was big and pretty. "Spike, I love it." She motioned for him to put it on her. She ran to the bathroom to see how it looked, and everyone followed. Spike frowned at his un-reflection, sort of hoping it would be there. Willow and Xander went to leave as Spike pulled out another box. "Willow, I thought of you when I saw it." She opened the box to find a beautiful fox statue, the same shade of red as her hair. "It's beautiful. I love it. Thank you Spike." She leaned in and gave him a light hug. Xander now looked pissed. Of course, everyone got something but him. "Oh, and Harris, this is for you." He found a bottle with a powder in it. "Wow, some powder. I'm a lucky fella." "Read the instructions." Spike pulled the instructions out of the bottom of the box. "Cool! Good luck powder. Thanks Captain Per . Spike." Xander had a smile on his face, which was rarely brought out by Spike. Spike made his way to the stairs. "Good luck" Willow and Dawn called to Spike, who made a strange face. "Uh, guys? Since when has Buffy liked the Sex Pistols?" "Since you left. We assume it reminds her of you." "Oh."
Spike was nervous. He tried to focus on the music, to make him less nervous, but he even told himself, that if it had a heart, it would be beating a million beats a second. He walked up to her door, just away enough so that she couldn't tell he was there. It was that moment that he was glad he didn't breath, because he was close enough to hear every word she said, but she couldn't hear him. He planned his entrance down to the smallest detail. "I'm so stupid. I'm an idiot. I let him get away. It's all my fault. I lost the one thing that was special to me. I'm an idiot." She was crying. Spike positioned himself directly centered in her doorway. She didn't look up. He started to sing, "I think you're smart, you sweet thing. Tell me you're glad, I'm dying here." She wiped her eyes and looked up. She couldn't believe her eyes. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around him, almost not believing that he was really there. He returned her embrace. She threw him on the bed and passionately kissed him. He returned it, only to have her pull away. "Spike, I've missed you so much. Can you do mea favor?" "Anything for you, Luv." "Could you just hold me?" He wrapped his arms around her, whispering "I've got you where I want you."