From the End to a New Beginning                                 Chapter 8

Buffy quickly made her way back down to the lobby, after leaving Angel to his room & awaiting bath.

Walking through the archway at the top of the stairs, she paused to check out the scene below her.

She could see three people in the lobby area: two were sitting side by side on the round couch that was in the center of the lobby.  The third, however, was on the move.

Buffy sighed silently.

Spike was pacing.

This is so not a good thing, she thought.

She knew she had spent way too long talking with Angel. 

She shuddered to think just what he was thought was going on between them.

She sighed again.

As she started down the stairs, she caught Gunn's eyes.

'How long has he been doing that?' she mouthed to him.

Gunn glanced over at Spike who was not only pacing back and forth, but was muttering to himself as well.

'For a while now,' he mouthed back.

Buffy nodded and then continued to come down the stairs.

Spike, finally noticing her, stopped mid stride.

Buffy gave him a small smile, but let it waver out when she realized that Spike wasn't smiling at her and had narrowed his eyes at her.

She shook her head ruefully and, not being one to back down even when things looked dreary, walked over until she was about a foot in front of him.

Spike gave her a look as if he were trying to see in her and around her at the same time.

Buffy let out an exasperated breath.

"Oh come on now Spike.  I didn't do anything with him but talk, so you can cut the jealous boyfriend crap… alright?"

At Spike's lift of his eyebrow she said,

"You know… this little scene is one part adorable and two parts annoying.  If you have something to say… say it… to me."

As she spoke, she placed her hands on her hips and stood in a challenging stance.

Spike couldn't help but appreciate the way she always stood up to him.

"What took you so long?" was all he said, and softly at that.

"I got lost coming down the stairs?" she teased.

Spike's mouth twitched, but he wasn't giving in so easily.

Buffy almost laughed, but was able to catch herself.

"I saw you walking around… did someone give you too much caffeine again… or were you guys playing musical chairs?"

Gunn and Lorne chuckled.

Spike's mouth twitched again… he was still trying to fight it… damn her and her hold on his emotions, he thought. 

Buffy saw the way his mouth was curving up.

She decided to give him a bit of a reprieve.

She looked Lorne's way.

"What kind of demon are you?"
"They call me the Host."

"And what's that?"
"I'm an empath…sort of."
"Yeah… he reads your aura and can tell your thoughts, etc when you sing for him," Gunn explained.
"Neat."

"It is… most of the time, Sweetcakes.  But sometimes it can be a real …"

"Especially when Angel sings," Gunn said, interrupting him.

"Please don't remind me… I'm still trying to block the image from the last time that happened."

Gunn and Lorne both shivered.

"Angel can't sing?" Buffy asked, with a smile.

"No," Gunn and Lorne said together.

Buffy giggled before looking over at Spike, who had a very bored look on his face.

"Spike sings nicely," Buffy said.

Spike looked at her.

Buffy winked at him.

"You think so, luv?"
"Didn't hurt my ears a bit."

"You never did answer my question luv," he said, ignoring her teasing tone.

"Which one," Buffy asked, stalling.

Spike gave her a look saying he had a pretty good idea what she was doing.

Buffy smiled wickedly at him in return.

"You know which one Slayer."

"Oh… that… we were talking."

"What about?"

"You mostly."
"Me?"
"Uh huh."

"What about me?"
"Angel was telling me how much a pain in the butt you've been."

Spike smiled remembering all the tricks he had pulled on Angel during the past few months and then realized his glee was showing and quickly shut it down.

"I don't know what Peaches told you, but…"

"Spike…don't even try it… I saw one of your pranks.  A cross dome…feathers…sticky flour paste… ring any bells with you?"

Spike walked away from her, running his hands through his hair as he tried to come up quickly with a lie that would make it seem like he wasn't trying to torture Angel for the pure hell of it.

"It wasn't like that Buffy…luv… really.  See…what Gunn and I were doing… we were making um… Holiday Cards…yeah…"

"Holiday…cards?" Buffy asked, raising her eyebrow skeptically at him.

No way did she believe him, but she wanted to see what he would come up with.

"Yeah… see… Angel always seems so…dark and foreboding…right?"

Buffy nodded her head slightly…to get him to continue.

"Well… we figured that if we sent out pictures of Angel looking absolutely ridiculous…it would improve his image…and people would see him as the kind of vamp they want to protect them from danger, right Gunn?"

Gunn raised his eye at him.

"You want me to sink on that ship with you, huh?"

Spike sent him a glare.

Gunn turned toward Buffy.

"Yep…that's right.  It was all about making Angel seem like the hero vamp we all know him to be; instead of the big, hulking scary looking guy who doesn't say much and stares at you that he can appear to be, when you don't know him."

Buffy rolled her eyes at them.

"Please."

Lorne was too busy laughing at the whole situation to lend a hand to either side.

Buffy sauntered over to Spike, once she was a few inches from him she stopped.

"You really expect me to believe all that?"
"It was worth a try."

Buffy laughed.

"Spike…"

"Hmm?"
"He's gonna tell me… you know.  Everything you've done to him…for as long as you've been here…and probably some of the ones from when you and Dru were with him before…if he hadn't been so uncomfortable and if I hadn't wanted to be down here with you so much… I'd have made him tell me."

Spike was stunned…

"You wanted to be with me?"
"Yes."

"Why?"

Buffy stepped closer.

"Cause I love you, you dunce."

Spike stepped closer and gathered her in his arms.

"Please tell me I'm not dreaming.
"You look awake to me."

"Say it again."

"Say what again?"
"Buffy…"

"You're a dunce." Buffy told him laughing.

"You want me to shake you, don't ya pet?"

Buffy laughed.

"Please," he whispered softly at her.

"I…love…you."

"Bout bloody time," Spike said before pulling her even closer and lowering his lips to hers.

TBC