Belong
Buffy opened her eyes to the morning sunlight streaming through her window to land on her bed. She groaned and struggled to sit up. Remembering yesterday's events, she decided to lie down again.
"Bad dream?" A voice asked. Buffy yelped, and jumped up.
"Bad REALITY," Buffy replied as soon as she was over her shock, "Spike, there is such thing as knocking."
"Really?" Spike didn't seem too concerned. "What's the matter?"
"There's too many for me to go over," Buffy said, "but your existence is one of them."
Spike half-snorted and went to sit on her bed. "Anything I can do to help?"
Buffy opened her mouth to speak, and closed it. What happened to the witty comebacks? She asked herself. "You can sit with me for a while," she answered softly instead.
"Okay," Spike looked unsure, "you're very odd today."
"It's an odd day." Buffy answered and moved to lean on Spike. Remembering his lack of a solid body, she leaned against the wall instead.
There they sat, next to each other, sharing a comfortable silence during which the only sound to be heard was their breathing. Buffy felt safe, relaxed and comfortable for the first time in many days as she watched the movement of Spike's chest as he breathed. She smiled as she took in Spike's stubborn yet delicate features and the unique scent of his aftershave.
Wait a minute, she thought to herself, Rewind! What am I doing thinking about Spike's aftershave?
Buffy shook her head a bit to clear it up. The truth was, she was starting to notice things about Spike like the scent of his aftershave, the way he ran his fingers through his platinum curls, and other tiny things that made him so cute. Evidence and experience told her that she was falling in love, but it seemed quite unlikely. Sure, she'd told Spike that she loved him, but she didn't really mean it. She had only asked him to stay with her because she needed support--right?
"I'd better be going," Spike said after a few minutes, getting up and going to the window.
To Buffy's surprise, her heart dropped at the thought of him leaving so soon. Determined to block out those feelings close to love, Buffy tried to think of why she shouldn't fall in love with Spike. Instead, she found the part of her memory that told her why she fell for him in the first place.
"Bye." Spike said, jerking her back to reality. Telling herself that this was not the best time to be thinking, Buffy got up.
"Bye," Buffy said as she walked him to the window, "I love you."
The words had come out without much thinking, but once she said it she knew that it was true. They had spent months doubting, wondering, but all the same building up untainted trust. He was one of the only people who stood with her through all she's been through, and kept loving her even though she rejected him so many times.
Spike turned and looked at her hard. Finally he turned and left without another word.
"Come back soon," Buffy whispered to his disappearing back.
Buffy settled herself onto her bed again, a new worry fresh in her already cramped mind. Being in love wasn't easy to begin with, but being in love with a vampire-turned-ghost was too much. What was it she always heard about falling in love being wonderful?
Why couldn't my life just be EASY? She thought to herself as, to her frustration, a lump appeared in her throat.
Oh no, she told herself, I'm not going to cry. I never cry. And I've cried too much in the last couple of days anyway. I am NOT going to cry.
So what was that single tear doing, rolling down her cheek?
And why is it being followed?
Buffy opened her eyes to the morning sunlight streaming through her window to land on her bed. She groaned and struggled to sit up. Remembering yesterday's events, she decided to lie down again.
"Bad dream?" A voice asked. Buffy yelped, and jumped up.
"Bad REALITY," Buffy replied as soon as she was over her shock, "Spike, there is such thing as knocking."
"Really?" Spike didn't seem too concerned. "What's the matter?"
"There's too many for me to go over," Buffy said, "but your existence is one of them."
Spike half-snorted and went to sit on her bed. "Anything I can do to help?"
Buffy opened her mouth to speak, and closed it. What happened to the witty comebacks? She asked herself. "You can sit with me for a while," she answered softly instead.
"Okay," Spike looked unsure, "you're very odd today."
"It's an odd day." Buffy answered and moved to lean on Spike. Remembering his lack of a solid body, she leaned against the wall instead.
There they sat, next to each other, sharing a comfortable silence during which the only sound to be heard was their breathing. Buffy felt safe, relaxed and comfortable for the first time in many days as she watched the movement of Spike's chest as he breathed. She smiled as she took in Spike's stubborn yet delicate features and the unique scent of his aftershave.
Wait a minute, she thought to herself, Rewind! What am I doing thinking about Spike's aftershave?
Buffy shook her head a bit to clear it up. The truth was, she was starting to notice things about Spike like the scent of his aftershave, the way he ran his fingers through his platinum curls, and other tiny things that made him so cute. Evidence and experience told her that she was falling in love, but it seemed quite unlikely. Sure, she'd told Spike that she loved him, but she didn't really mean it. She had only asked him to stay with her because she needed support--right?
"I'd better be going," Spike said after a few minutes, getting up and going to the window.
To Buffy's surprise, her heart dropped at the thought of him leaving so soon. Determined to block out those feelings close to love, Buffy tried to think of why she shouldn't fall in love with Spike. Instead, she found the part of her memory that told her why she fell for him in the first place.
"Bye." Spike said, jerking her back to reality. Telling herself that this was not the best time to be thinking, Buffy got up.
"Bye," Buffy said as she walked him to the window, "I love you."
The words had come out without much thinking, but once she said it she knew that it was true. They had spent months doubting, wondering, but all the same building up untainted trust. He was one of the only people who stood with her through all she's been through, and kept loving her even though she rejected him so many times.
Spike turned and looked at her hard. Finally he turned and left without another word.
"Come back soon," Buffy whispered to his disappearing back.
Buffy settled herself onto her bed again, a new worry fresh in her already cramped mind. Being in love wasn't easy to begin with, but being in love with a vampire-turned-ghost was too much. What was it she always heard about falling in love being wonderful?
Why couldn't my life just be EASY? She thought to herself as, to her frustration, a lump appeared in her throat.
Oh no, she told herself, I'm not going to cry. I never cry. And I've cried too much in the last couple of days anyway. I am NOT going to cry.
So what was that single tear doing, rolling down her cheek?
And why is it being followed?