A/N: My thanks to Emmylou and Mita427 for their reviews!
Chapter 3:
Despite her resolve not to see him, by the end of her patrol, Buffy found herself in front of Spike's crypt. She hesitated slightly before entering the crypt, trying to decide whether or not to knock before entering. She was still freaked out by the incident in the basement with Drusilla. On the other hand, she didn't want Spike to think she knew anything about his being human. If she acted differently, he might get suspicious.
"Oh, hell!" Buffy thought of how ridiculous she was being-this was SPIKE, for God's sake-and she stormed into the crypt in her usual manner, the door flying open. As soon as she walked in, her mouth dropped open in shock. The previously bare, dusty crypt was completely renovated. Although the basic layout was the same, everything was upgraded. The place looked like a real apartment!
It took Buffy almost a full five minutes to get over her shock at the crypt's appearance. She wandered around, wondering why he had redecorated and who he had stolen all of his new furniture from before she remembered her wish. That thought sobered her up considerably, and she started looking around for the reason she had come to the crypt in the first place. He obviously wasn't at home. With a sigh, Buffy decided to check back in with Giles before going home for the night. Willow and Tara would probably want off Dawn-duty by now. With one final look around the drastically changed crypt, Buffy left, pulling the door shut behind her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Buffy walked into the Magic Box, the bell above the door chiming its usual too-cheerful greeting. She stopped short, seeing Giles and a strange man at the table, books spread all over the place. Both were researching heavily. As she walked in, Giles looked up at her, seemingly about to speak.
"Giles! Oh, my God! What's wrong? Did you find something about Glory? Is everyone ok? What about Dawn!? What happened?" Buffy stayed glued to the spot on the floor, worst-case scenarios involving Glory torturing her little sister springing into her mind.
"Buffy! Calm down! This has nothing to do with Glory," Giles spoke up when Buffy paused to take a breath. Buffy noticed that the other man at the table was still engrossed in his book.
"Oh. Sorry, I just saw all the books and I freaked. What's up then?" Buffy asked, cheerful once more. "And who's your friend?"
"Uh, Buffy. Hi," Giles's friend looked up almost bashfully. Buffy's mouth dropped open and she froze in shock.
"Spike?" she asked in disbelief. Before this moment, even after seeing his crypt, Buffy hadn't truly considered the possibility that her wish had made Spike human. What if he was angry? What if he knew it was her? Oh, this was not good.
"Look, I know you're probably not happy to see me, especially after that.incident.with Dru, but I didn't know you'd be in tonight, and I kind of needed Giles's help with research," Spike started, obviously uncomfortable with the situation.
"Uh, no, Spike, that's ok. What happened? I didn't know you were here," Buffy trailed off, looking at Spike with confusion. He looked like he was actually working; helping Giles do research. Of all the things he could be doing and all the places where she would have thought Spike would be, The Magic Box wasn't even on the list. She had expected him to be at Willy's or out picking a fight with some random demon. Then she remembered. This Spike wouldn't do that-he didn't drink and he didn't fight just for the fun of it. Oh. "And what happened to your hair?" she asked as an afterthought.
"Uh, I dunno. I just woke up this way-human. What's wrong with my hair?" Spike frowned, and tried to look up at his hair, without success.
Buffy laughed and Spike's efforts and his puzzled expression. Walking over to the table, Buffy surprised herself, Giles, and Spike by grabbing Spike's wrist and dragging him towards the bathroom. Spike followed behind her, trying to figure out what had just happened. He had chained Buffy up to a wall, declared his love for her, and threatened to feed her to his ex-girlfriend. And she hadn't taken it very well. Now, she was laughing and practically holding his hand. He had no idea where she was taking him, either. The bathroom? What the-?
"Look in the mirror!" Buffy, still laughing, pushed Spike into the bathroom.
Spike was about to protest that he couldn't look in the mirror when he looked up. With a gasp, Spike looked at himself for the first time in over one hundred years.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 3:
Despite her resolve not to see him, by the end of her patrol, Buffy found herself in front of Spike's crypt. She hesitated slightly before entering the crypt, trying to decide whether or not to knock before entering. She was still freaked out by the incident in the basement with Drusilla. On the other hand, she didn't want Spike to think she knew anything about his being human. If she acted differently, he might get suspicious.
"Oh, hell!" Buffy thought of how ridiculous she was being-this was SPIKE, for God's sake-and she stormed into the crypt in her usual manner, the door flying open. As soon as she walked in, her mouth dropped open in shock. The previously bare, dusty crypt was completely renovated. Although the basic layout was the same, everything was upgraded. The place looked like a real apartment!
It took Buffy almost a full five minutes to get over her shock at the crypt's appearance. She wandered around, wondering why he had redecorated and who he had stolen all of his new furniture from before she remembered her wish. That thought sobered her up considerably, and she started looking around for the reason she had come to the crypt in the first place. He obviously wasn't at home. With a sigh, Buffy decided to check back in with Giles before going home for the night. Willow and Tara would probably want off Dawn-duty by now. With one final look around the drastically changed crypt, Buffy left, pulling the door shut behind her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Buffy walked into the Magic Box, the bell above the door chiming its usual too-cheerful greeting. She stopped short, seeing Giles and a strange man at the table, books spread all over the place. Both were researching heavily. As she walked in, Giles looked up at her, seemingly about to speak.
"Giles! Oh, my God! What's wrong? Did you find something about Glory? Is everyone ok? What about Dawn!? What happened?" Buffy stayed glued to the spot on the floor, worst-case scenarios involving Glory torturing her little sister springing into her mind.
"Buffy! Calm down! This has nothing to do with Glory," Giles spoke up when Buffy paused to take a breath. Buffy noticed that the other man at the table was still engrossed in his book.
"Oh. Sorry, I just saw all the books and I freaked. What's up then?" Buffy asked, cheerful once more. "And who's your friend?"
"Uh, Buffy. Hi," Giles's friend looked up almost bashfully. Buffy's mouth dropped open and she froze in shock.
"Spike?" she asked in disbelief. Before this moment, even after seeing his crypt, Buffy hadn't truly considered the possibility that her wish had made Spike human. What if he was angry? What if he knew it was her? Oh, this was not good.
"Look, I know you're probably not happy to see me, especially after that.incident.with Dru, but I didn't know you'd be in tonight, and I kind of needed Giles's help with research," Spike started, obviously uncomfortable with the situation.
"Uh, no, Spike, that's ok. What happened? I didn't know you were here," Buffy trailed off, looking at Spike with confusion. He looked like he was actually working; helping Giles do research. Of all the things he could be doing and all the places where she would have thought Spike would be, The Magic Box wasn't even on the list. She had expected him to be at Willy's or out picking a fight with some random demon. Then she remembered. This Spike wouldn't do that-he didn't drink and he didn't fight just for the fun of it. Oh. "And what happened to your hair?" she asked as an afterthought.
"Uh, I dunno. I just woke up this way-human. What's wrong with my hair?" Spike frowned, and tried to look up at his hair, without success.
Buffy laughed and Spike's efforts and his puzzled expression. Walking over to the table, Buffy surprised herself, Giles, and Spike by grabbing Spike's wrist and dragging him towards the bathroom. Spike followed behind her, trying to figure out what had just happened. He had chained Buffy up to a wall, declared his love for her, and threatened to feed her to his ex-girlfriend. And she hadn't taken it very well. Now, she was laughing and practically holding his hand. He had no idea where she was taking him, either. The bathroom? What the-?
"Look in the mirror!" Buffy, still laughing, pushed Spike into the bathroom.
Spike was about to protest that he couldn't look in the mirror when he looked up. With a gasp, Spike looked at himself for the first time in over one hundred years.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
