A/N : Finally, I have brought Spike and Buffy back together! Of course, that does not mean that the story is over, so don't worry about that. Thanx to everyone who reviewed so far - every single nice review means a lot to an author. Hope you like this next chapter.
(For disclaimer, etc - see chapter 1)
Chapter 6 - Reunited
At the top of the stairs, Spike stopped, looking toward the door he knew Buffy was behind. He'd missed her. He wasn't sure where he'd been, somewhere between heaven and hell he guessed, all he knew was that he missed his love, his Buffy. Given what the Scoobies had said to him, that night on the tower had affected her badly, but could he assume she was such a mess because of him? Could it be that she loved him as he loved her? She had been echoing his final words apparently, that had to mean something, or was it simply guilt? Did she feel she should have made that sacrificial jump and that his death was somehow her fault? He would not allow her to think that.
Spike was suddenly aware he'd been standing outside the door almost five minutes. His new heart suddenly sped up as he thought of the girl on the other side and an unfamiliar heat surged through his body. He was human again, that was something that would take some getting used to, but right now all he cared about was Buffy.
He raised his fist to the door to knock and noticed is hand was shaking. He breathed deep, swallowed hard and tapped on the wood with his trembling fist. There was no sound from the other side so carefully Spike took hold of the doorknob and opened the door.
His knock had clearly been too quiet for she slept still. His Buffy slept, looking as angelic as he had ever seen her. She looked a little thinner, perhaps a little weaker, but nothing could lessen her beauty, not to Spike. His new heart raced as he moved toward her, kneeling down beside her bed, he brought one of his hands up to touch her face. He pushed some hair back from her eyes and marvelled at the sight before him. How long he'd been gone from this plane of existence he wasn't sure, but it had seemed too long for him. Too long without the beautiful woman before him now.
She stirred beneath his touch and he whispered her name. She stirred a little more and her eyes began to open.
"Hi honey, I'm home" he smiled, perhaps not the best time for a joke but it was the first thing he thought of to say. She smiled but did not move as she looked at him.
"I like this dream" she whispered, "I never want to wake up from this one"
He looked at her strangely, then realised what she meant and a warm feeling overflowed his beating heart. She dreamt of him, of his return and it appeared to be her favourite of dreams. That had to mean something, but he would find out what later.
"Luv, you are awake, it's not a dream" he smiled, "I'm really here"
Her eyes went wide and she blinked hard as she tried to take in what he was saying.
"I can't explain it exactly" Spike continued, "but Willow and the gang did some kind of mojo and brought me back, brought me back to you and the Bit"
Buffy reached out her hand to touch his face and ran her fingers down his cheek.
"You're a dream" she said sadly, withdrawing her hand.
"No pet, really, I'm here" he argued, grabbing the hand she tried to take away, "I'm here and I love you"
"Always remember - I love you" she echoed his words to him and he smiled.
"How can I make you believe I'm real?" he wondered aloud, "Because I am, luv, I promise you, I'm as real as you are, more than I was even" he grinned, "I'm back and...I'm alive, not undead, but human like you"
Buffy pulled herself up, a puzzled expression on her features as she stared at him. He wasn't sure whether he should speak or stay silent as she took her hand from within his and touched his face once more. She ran her hand down to his chest and felt his heart beat beneath her palm. If it was a dream it was very different to any she'd ever had, and usually the dreams did not last this long, he would have disappeared by now...
"You're really here?" she dared to ask, praying it wasn't an illusion, that he really had come back to her.
"I'm really here" he assured her.
Her smile lit up the room it was so bright as she flung herself into his arms. He was surprised but pleasantly so by her reaction. All he'd ever wanted was her love and affection and even if she wasn't in love with him it was clear she cared a lot. She hugged him so tight that he couldn't get the oxygen that he vitally needed now, but he didn't care. He hugged her back almost as tightly and they stayed that way for some time, sitting on Buffy's bedroom floor clasped together like they'd never let go.
Eventually, Buffy pulled way just enough to see his face, to look into his eyes, her arm still firmly around him and his around her.
"I can't believe you're here" she smiled as joyful tears streaked down her cheeks "I thought I'd lost you and you never knew..." she trailed off, glanced away and glanced back at him "it took so long for me to know, and when I did it was too late...you never knew..." she began to sob, partly from the joy of having him back and partly from some kind of strange relief that her pain was over.
"I never knew what?" Spike asked her softly, placing a finger under her chin and lifting her head so he could see her face again "I don't understand"
Buffy took a deep breath and swallowed hard.
"The day, on the tower, when I lost you" she began "I realised something, something that scared me but that I knew was true. Before you jumped you said to me..."
"Always remember - I love you" he interrupted "isn't that what I said?" he smiled and she nodded and smiled a little herself.
"Yes, and I never forgot, I would never have forgotten, however long you'd been gone" she assured him "because I realised for the first time when you said that" she told him, her hazel orbs meeting his crystal blue ones "that I felt it too"
If Spike was shocked by those words, he was doubly surprised when the girl in his arms leaned forward and gentle placed her lips on his, a soft, chaste kiss, but it meant so much.
"You don't know what that means to me" he told her in a voice so hushed and quiet he couldn't believe it was himself speaking.
"I do" she nodded "I loved you and I lost you at the very same moment, to have you back here now, something I never thought possible, I do know what it means to you. I'm only sorry I never realised before, never realised that...I love you"
She smiled when as she said those three words that she knew would mean the world to him, it meant equally as much to her to have the chance to say them to him. His own smile was just as wide as hers as he could tell she meant what she was saying whole-heartedly, and it was all he'd ever wanted.
"I love you too" he said in that strange whispered tone, as he leaned forward to kiss her, a kiss that started as the other one had but soon escalated with much more passion, but more importantly, with love.
A need of oxygen on both sides caused the embrace to end too quickly for their liking but they were smiling none the less as they parted.
"I could stay here in your arms forever" Buffy sighed, turning around and leaning back against him. They were stretched out on the floor of her bedroom now, him behind her, the back of her head leaning on his chest as she felt the incredible beat of his heart there. His arms encircled her and her hands lay on top of his across her waist.
"I would love to keep you forever here, pet" Spike told her honestly, "but your friends are very worried about you"
"They're your friends too" she reminded him, tipping her head back to look at him, all be it upside down. He wasn't sure what to say to that. He did care for them all for the Nibblet and the Wiccas, the Watcher and the Ex-Demon, even the Whelp if the truth be told, he wouldn't have let anything happen to them, but his friends? He hadn't had friends before, did bringing him back from the dead make them his friends?
"We should go down and see them" he said sensibly, knowing they were all worried about their Slayer friend. He felt her head nod beneath his chin and she turned as she got up to a sitting position.
"You'll never leave me again, will you?" she asked, completely serious now.
"Not if I can help it, luv" he assured her, kissing her one more time before they both got to their feet. They both felt weak still, but seemed to gain strength just from being together. They held on tight to each others hands as they left the room.
Downstairs, the Scoobies sat in the living room, exhausted and confused but happy.
"They're very quiet" Willow said suddenly, "Do you think they're okay?"
"Buffy wanted Spike back and she's got him" Xander pointed out, "It can only be good, right?"
"Should I go and check?" Dawn offered, eager to know what was happening between her two favourite people.
"Maybe they're having sex" Anya suggested and Xander looked embarrassed.
"Anya, please, it's not always about...that" Giles told her in a tone that was perhaps a little too harsh.
"Sorry" the ex-demon mumbled.
"I still don't understand how we brought Spike back as a human" Xander thought aloud, "I mean is he completely human or still part demon? Does he have a soul? Is he still a fan of the violence or is he back to being a good human being?"
"Xander" Willow turned to him, "Too many questions, and we can't answer any of them right now. We'll have to check him over later and also check the spell, see what went wrong"
"I don't think you can call it 'wrong'" Tara pointed out, "I mean, it was supposed to bring Spike back, and it did"
"So it wasn't wrong, it was just...different" Dawn shrugged, "It doesn't matter, does it?"
"No, I guess not" Willow smiled, but she had a feeling it did matter. There were so many unanswered questions and some she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answers to. If the spell had changed Spike from vampire to man, what else had to done to him? Like Xander had asked, did he have a soul now and what would it do to him if he had? Did he remember everything about his life, from human to demon and back again? If he was completely human now, was he a healthy human being or did he have an expiration date that would come all to soon?
The witch was brought out of her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder - Tara. The blonde Wicca pointed toward the stairs and all the Scoobies watched as the ex-vampire and the Chosen one descended, hand in hand.
It was rare in the last few weeks for Buffy to venture out of her room, nevermind down the stairs, but stranger than that was the smile on her face. No one had seen her smile since the day on the tower, not once, and yet here she was now as happy as they had ever seen her, even before that dreadful day.
Beside her, Spike smiled just as widely. They looked to be two of the happiest people who ever existed and the only hope in all their minds was that that happiness might last...
To Be Continued...
