A/N : Okay, I've finally got around to updating this story! This is quite a short chapter but the next one should be much longer. Also I plan to update 'The Guy Next Door' very soon too, probably tomorrow, and I'm working on a songfic too, but that might not work out...I think I've rambled long enough so I'll shut up now...oh, just a quick thankyou to all the nice people who have reviewed this fic so far and all my other fics too. It's so nice to be welcomed into the world of BtVS fanfic! : )

(For disclaimer, etc - see chapter 1)

Chapter 7

"Guys" Buffy said slowly, "Thankyou"

It was such a small word for all she wanted to say. All this emotion she had inside, all the thoughts that spun in her head and all the joy and love in her heart - but all she could do was say 'thankyou' to those friends that had made her happiness possible, by bringing her Spike back to her.

Tears slipped down her face, tears of happiness of course, and it was not long before similar tears fell down the cheeks of Willow, Tara and Dawn. No-one really knew what to say and so Spike echoed what Buffy had said.

"Yeah, thankyou for bringing me back to her" he said quietly, glancing over at Buffy, "I was lost without her"

"I know what you mean" she smiled, as more tears crept down her cheeks. Spike gently brought his hand to her face and wiped away the droplets that were gathering.

Dawn couldn't bare to stand there any longer just watching. She was so happy to have Spike back and over-joyed to see Buffy looking more like herself, she ran across the room and flung herself at both of them. She cried as they formed a three way hug which soon grew as Willow and Tara joined in. Giles, Xander and Anya stayed back for a moment as the others sobbed and held each other.

"Thankyou so much" Buffy repeated to the two witches as the large group hug split apart at last.

"You're so welcome" Willow told her "but it wasn't just us"

"Dawn helped and so did Xander and Anya" Tara explained, "We kind of didn't tell Giles til afterwards..." she looked down and felt half ashamed and half embarrassed.

"Don't worry about that now, Tara" the Watcher told her kindly, "Let's just thank our lucky stars that it worked"

"Better than it should've" Spike smiled, "I mean, I'm back in the real land of the living now, with you lot to thank for it"

"Does that mean we're supposed to hug you too?" Anya asked, wondering what the correct thing was to do when you had helped your vampire acquaintance to be recently resurrected as a human being.

"Yeah, I s'pose so" the ex-vamp smiled stepping toward the ex-demon and hugging her briefly. She smiled widely as they broke apart, feeling happy she'd down the correct thing.

"Your turn Xander" she said, shoving him forward and the brunette looked daggers at her. He was glad Spike was back for Buffy's sake and he had to admit he respected him for saving the world and everything the way he had but did he really want to hug him?

"What do you say Xan?" Spike asked and Xander was shocked to hear his real name, albeit an abbreviated form, "New life for me, new start for us?" he suggested.

It made sense, Xander thought. Spike wasn't a vampire anymore, no longer undead or evil or bad, plus he probably had a soul now and Buffy did love him...

"Why not" he shrugged, sticking out his hand which Spike took and shook it before pulling the bemused man forward and hugging him.

"I think there might be something wrong with my glasses" Giles mumbled as he cleaned them and everyone smiled knowing what he meant. The sight before them was a strange one.

"Don't start, Watcher" Spike threatened but with a smile on his face as he released Xander, "You're next"

"Thankyou Spike, but that really won't be necessary" he took a step back, "I had nothing to do with your, erm, resurrection"

The bleach blond almost looked offended but he just nodded and went back to Buffy's side, taking her hand in his again. She seemed to notice for the first time that he wasn't perhaps as clean as he might be.

"Spike, you're covered in dirt" she said without thinking about the possible reason for it. He glanced down to see trademark black T-shirt and jeans covered in dust and dried mud and suddenly the memories of digging from his grave came back to him. He closed his eyes and shuddered violently at the thoughts then curiously looked at his hands, the one holding Buffy's and then the other.

"My hands" he said almost to himself and Willow knew what he meant.

"I fixed them" she told him, "Cleaned them up with a spell whilst you were sleeping"

"Thanks" he nodded.

"What happened to your hands?" Buffy didn't understand.

"Can we sleep on it, luv, and talk about it in the morning?" he suggested, he didn't know if he had the strength to go over it all right now, besides he knew there would be plenty the Scoobies wanted to tell him as well as ask him and he needed to rest and get used to his new body before that.

"Sure" Buffy smiled and nodded, and Giles checked his watch.

"Oh goodness, yes, look at the time" he said, "We really should be going"

Soon he had gone along with Xander and Anya, who all promised to come back the next afternoon. Tara and Willow went up to their room, what used to be Joyce's, and Dawn went to hers after giving Spike a final hug.

"I'll crash out on the sofa" Spike told Buffy but she shook her head.

"No, you're coming with me" she smiled, leading up the stairs by the hand. They only got two steps up when he stopped her.

"Buffy, I don't think we should..." he started and she knew what he meant.

"We're not going to" she told him, "I just want you with me" tears came to her eyes as she looked down at him, "I just want your arms around me, I can't be away from you not again"

"You don't have to be" he said gently, his own tears starting to form. He pulled her into his arms and dropped a kiss on the top of her head as she hugged him back.

"I love you so much" she told him.

"And I love you too" he said, pulling back a little to look into her eyes, "I always have and I always will"

She smiled, moving to take hold of his hand again and leading him up to her bedroom, where they slept peacefully in each others arms.

To Be Continued