40-Love

Disclaimer: Joss owns Btvs

A/N: Hi all. Well here's another chapter for those of you still interested. I'm sorry for the delay in any new chapter took so long. Truthfully I was busy with RL stuff and working on my main fic His Slayer. But as I seem to be in a bit of a rut with that story I decided to do something with this story. Enjoy. Skyz.

~*~

Chapter Six-

The past was something people rather liked to forget. Something they didn't think about, something that existed on a different level than the one they were on today. The past was just that. Meant to stay in the past. Mistakes that had been made, decisions that were skewed, loves gone awry. Those things should stay in the past.

After all it wasn't called the past for nothing.

As it was when ones past came back to haunt them and bite them in their arse, one tended to be a bit tense. With that in mind Giles kept his temper in check as Buffy marched along in stoic silence. She hadn't had much to say as she'd met him at the airport. And in truth he'd been a bit too tired to say anything rational.

So he kept his mouth shut and his thoughts to himself. But it didn't stop him from wondering and often speculating on what was going through his charge's mind. He knew for sure she couldn't be pleased with how things were progressing. He'd had a lengthy discussion with Willow just the other night, where he'd been informed of Buffy's frantic search for men to keep with her as a buffer to Spike.

While he admired her ingenuity he didn't see how that could possibly work. After all Spike was one persistent bastard. Gritting his teeth at the thought of Buffy's husband, he forced himself to relax.

"Do I not garner any form of polite small talk Buffy? I must say I am truly hurt," he said his voice stiff but laced with amusement as he reached out and ran a hand over her shoulder.

Buffy turned to look at him in surprise and chagrined she gave a small shrug.

"Sorry Giles. My mind was miles away. How was the flight? Did you buy the two seats next to yours so you could just spread out and relax, like usual? Have any pretzels? A beer? How are the kids? Olivia? I'm fine by the way. Nothing going on with me. How are you doing?" she asked in a rush. "That enough small talk for you?" she added with a full blown smirk.

Giles smiled in affectionate indulgence as he and Buffy left the terminal and Buffy headed for her car in the thirty minute parking lot.

"Well let's see where to start…" he began lightly. He filled her in on what was going on in his life, the kids, Olivia and how his flight had been uneventful except for the delightful movie Gigli. This almost caused a mass panic and thus was immediately switched to the latest straight to video release from Lorenzo Lamas.

Over all not all too exciting.

Buffy nodded along as she listened to him answer her facetious questions.

She knew she should have been paying attention to Giles, the man was like a father to her, and she loved him as if he actually were. With a small shake of her head she tried to keep herself focused. But it was a useless task.

She couldn't keep her thoughts off of Spike. And God knew she had been trying, but that damn man had a way of taking over her thoughts and making her think of nothing else.

It wasn't just the fact that now she had to be around him, be close to him, if that were all she was fairly certain she would have been able to handle it. But no it couldn't be just that could it? she thought with a small twist of her mouth.

He was her past. Her present. And she really had the most awful feeling that he would be involved somehow in her future. He'd always been there it seemed. On the fringes of her memory, lurking, smirking, and generally making an ass of himself. He brought with him a boat load of feelings and memories that weren't all that bad. It was the later years between them that had turned ugly, and bore no resemblance to what they'd once shared.

She unlocked the doors and popped the trunk so Giles could toss his carry on and suitcase into it. She put the car in gear after checking her mirrors and backed out of the parking space.

The past, she thought grimly, just couldn't stay the past. Not with her anyway. She had only to look at her list of friends, her list of ex's, her sister, and the rest of her life.

Her past was right now at her house eating his way through her cupboards.

Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel and her shoulders tensed. Breathing deeply she tried to relax. To consider all of the other possibilities that were out there as to why this wasn't so bad.

She just couldn't seem to come up with one at the moment.

~*~

Giles called Olivia telling her he'd made it back safely and that after a brief visit to Buffy's he would be on his way home. Placing his cell back into his coat pocket he glanced at Buffy.

She was tense again and it didn't take a genius to know why. She was thinking about Spike once more. This as far as he was concerned was never a good thing.

With a sigh he pursed his lips and began to broach the subject.

"Well, how are things going? Did you get the house set up for the judge? Has she arrived?" he asked carefully.

Buffy nodded.

"I don't know why she expected to stay with me. You know what she said? She said because I was a multi-millionaire and therefore could afford to keep her up at my house. She is one strange woman. Matter of fact she insisted that Spike stay with me too. Oh the joy," Buffy spat out with cold intensity.

Giles frowned.

"Really? Can she do that?" he asked curiously.

Buffy sent him a scathing look.

He took that to mean yes.

Clearing his throat and resisting the urge to clean his glasses he began again.

"So Spike is staying with you. That's…unexpected. And certainly unpleasant to say the least. Can I expect that you also have Xander and Gunn staying with you as well? I wonder if you'll survive it."

Amused by the thought he laughed aloud.

Buffy shook her head in slight irritation.

"I forgot how much Xander hates Spike. When he found out he threatened to toss himself into traffic just to get away. Then he reconsidered, and with my blessing, said he'd toss Spike instead. It's been like old times. All we need is Angel back to complete it all."

"The dreaded square," Giles's voice was wry as he sent a sidelong look her way.

Buffy couldn't help but smile.

"Ah, yes. Quite harrowing to say the least. I can assure you I never want to go through something like that again. But as long as Xander's in Spike's face, it keeps him out of mine. So bring on the snarkage. But then there's Gunn and he has a way about him…" her voice trailed off as her cell rang. "Get that will you Giles?" she asked as she began to merge with traffic onto the highway.

She indicated her purse with a jerk of her chin.

Giles held up her ridiculously small purse and unzipping it grabbed her cell phone.

He answered with a ready hello.

Only to grimace as Spike's voice came across the line.

"Oi, Rupes glad you could join the party. Welcome home old man. Might I speak with the missus?  There's been a bit of a thing."

Giles glanced at Buffy well aware that she could hear Spike's loud voice quite clearly.

"She's driving."

"Reeeaaallly?" Spike drawled out. "That's never stopped her before. In fact she's quite adapt at doing almost anything while driving. I remember this one time we were in Rome for the Italian Open and she-"

Buffy's eyes flickered to Giles ever tightening face and she shouted, "Spike what do you want? Stop grossing Giles out!" Even as she felt a slight blush rise to her cheeks as she thought of the memory Spike's words brought with him. Why did he have to do things like that? She wondered angrily. Why did he have to make her remember and then ruin it all with his irritating mouth?

It was like his mouth wasn't connected to his head most of the times he said anything.

And if she remembered correctly that time in Italy he hadn't been running his mouth, at least not in an irritating way.

"Well bloody hell woman! Why don't ya scream a little louder?" Spike yelled.

Giles held the phone from his ear with a tight-lipped grimace.

"Yes why don't you yell a little louder, the both of you? So that my hearing may be lost in both ears. It is only fair," he stated sarcastically.

Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Just hang up Giles if you don't want to talk to him. I can't cuz I'm driving and I know how you feel about both hands on the wheel at all times," she muttered.

"What is this thing, Spike?" Giles asked at length as he stared straight ahead.

"So the missus won't speak to me then? Well more's the pity. Thing is Rupes, while Buffy was away pickin' you up, me and the whelp had a bit of a disagreement. Seems he doesn't fancy being called a nutless buggerin' prat. One thing led to another and…now we're in county lockup."

Giles pondered this for one long moment.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked tightly.

"We're in the pin Giles! The big house! And oh God they've got the most depraved looking beings in here. They look at me like they want to eat me! Get me outta here!"

"I'll have to see what Buffy has to say," was Giles' only response. "Call me back."

"But Giles this was my one phone call--" Spike began in a slight panic.

Giles ended the conversation and snapped Spike's voice off mid sentence.

"So what was that about?" Buffy asked curiously as she switched lanes and headed on the exit ramp.

"Um…" Giles murmured and rubbed a hand over his face. He glanced at Buffy's cell and then shook his head. "Spike and Xander seemed to have found themselves in a bit of trouble. And have found themselves in county lockup."

He glanced at her waiting for her to do something, explode but all she did was scrunch her face up and bite her lip.

He waited patiently for some kind of reaction.

"That's too bad," was Buffy's response as she flicked a glance his way and then curled her lip into a sneer.

"Should have figured something like this was gonna happen. Putting the two of them together was bound to get them both into trouble. Wonder what Willow will say once she finds out about this. What did Spike want?"

Giles knew she was being deliberately obtuse on purpose. Getting irritated he clucked his tongue and glared at her profile.

"He wants you to bail him out. It was his one phone call and it seems his fellow inmates fancy him, in a sexual manner," he snapped through thin lips.

Buffy burst out laughing and shook her head.

"Too bad he got himself into this mess and he can get himself out of it. I'm not going to jail to bail him out. Screw that, he's stuck there until he finds some other way to get out."

Giles couldn't hold back his exasperated sigh as he rolled his eyes.

"He wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for you Buffy. Surely you know that. You invited Xander along and you know how he hates Spike. Like oil and water they are."

Buffy sighed, as sure a sign of defeat Giles knew. Glancing at his watch he calculated what time he might be getting home, if they did stop at the jail to bail them out.

Late, was his answer.

"Buffy…"

She knew that tone of voice and cringed inwardly. She was being reprimanded and knew she'd better do as he said or else. She might be an adult but Giles still had the power to bring out her obedience.

Mentally she went over how she was going to get to the jail from where she was and abruptly sighed.

"Got any money on you?" she asked sarcastically.

~*~

Spike was led from his cell by a uniformed officer and back to the entrance of the jail. Since the jailhouse wasn't connected to anything in particular he was put into a waiting SUV. He wondered again how he and Xander had ended up in this little shit of a town. Guess it was one drink too many.

Glancing around curiously he tried to discern some distinguishing signs. Something that would tell him where he was. He'd heard about these country policemen and their archaic ways. But since he wasn't black he didn't think he had too much to worry about.

Well he was a foreigner and he had a bad attitude. It actually might make one of these good ole boys wanna rip him a new one.

He really wished Giles hadn't hung up on him like he had. After all he knew the old goat didn't care for him but still… Couldn't leave a bloke in jail just out of spite now could he?

He was sure that's what Buffy would do. She wanted to see him rot away and be gone from her life forever.

Scowling at that unpleasant thought he made himself settle down for a ride back to civilization.

With his past this wasn't a new experience by any means, but it had been years since he'd been in jail. Furthermore since his last time locked up, he'd vowed he wouldn't be caught dead there again.

Unless a certain petite blonde could always bail him out with her cute upturned nose and gorgeous green eyes.

And since he wasn't so sure there was a chance of that happening at the moment, he couldn't help but feel like shit.

He closed his eyes and with thoughts of the past swirling around his brain, he managed to drift off to a restless sleep.

Remembering all the while.

Flashback:

He thought maybe that he was having visions again, because nothing could compare to the picture before him.

His coach and friend, one Angel Tierney and that ice bitch Buffy Summers were snogging in the corner. He made a disgusted face and shuddered. He didn't see what the appeal of Buffy was.

Well, okay he did. He knew her appeal and dammit he wasn't immune to it either. But it wouldn't do to let her or Angel in on it.

Scowling he shouldered his bag and twisted his way through the throngs of people in the lounge, until he was few feet away from the snogging couple.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you too much of that and your lips'll fall off," Spike snarked.

Much to his disgust and envy Angel took his slow sweet time pulling away from Buffy.

Angel lifted amused brown eyes to his and Buffy blushed under Spike's intense gaze, and moved slightly out of Angel's loose embrace.

"What do you want Spike?" Angel asked his voice laced with laziness and slight irritation.

Spike glared at Angel tearing his gaze from Buffy and focusing on Angel.

"Well mate, figured you'd be too busy to make practice today. Again. So I figured to head you off before you wandered off in your own little world. After all if I don't play, I don't win, and if I don't win then you can't get paid. Come on we've got court C and we've got an hour and a half to practice."

Spike slid his gaze back to Buffy who was fidgeting and blushing and making herself all…

Spike frowned at her, breaking off that thought.

"Don't you have something to do too? Like I don't know…maybe practice?! Can't imagine old Rupes is letting you off your leash. 'Less he doesn't know…Perhaps I ought to toddle off and-" he began icily wanting to make her squirm.

Buffy rolled her eyes and shoved out of the large armchair she'd been sharing with Angel.

"Shut up Spike. I don't see Dru anywhere. Must mean she's hooked up with one of her boy toys and left you to fend for yourself. Angel," she turned and gave him one of her brilliant smiles, reserved only for people she liked. "Will I see you later?"

Spike got the point early on in his pins and needles relationship with Buffy. She didn't consider him a friend and never would.

He pissed her off too much.

"Enough! Spike get your ass to the court, I'll be along in a minute," Angel gritted out.

Spike shook his head.

"No thanks. I'm good right here. Can't trust that Summers here won't use her feminine wiles on you to lure you off. Can't trust the likes of her."

Shut up, shut up, he told himself. Can't get her to fancy you if all you do is piss her off and talk about her.

"Seeing as how we've all been given an eyeful of what makes Buffy Summers so…good."

Shut up, shut up…

Buffy smiled and ran a hand through her hair. She met his eyes and pursed her lips.

"Don't think I don't see right through you, Spikey. I see the way you look at me."

Spike stared at her, pressing his tongue against his teeth and balancing on the balls of his feet. Smirking he took a step closer.

Leaned in and fairly purred.

"What way is that?" he asked.

He watched as Buffy swallowed and looked to be losing her nerve as she continued to stare at him.

Eyes wide and lips parted, looking for all the world like a ripe peach ready to be plucked. He wanted to wrap his hands in that glorious golden hair, take those velvety lips, and make her beg for him.

Have her legs wrapped around him, her heady cries in his ears as he took her higher and higher.

He was sure it showed in his eyes as they bored into hers. He licked his suddenly dry lips and waited for her to speak.

"Excuse me! I'm standing right here," Angel's loud voice interrupted the moment.

Spike blinked having completely forgotten that Angel was with them. He could see Buffy was just as affected by this as he was, had blocked out Angel as well.

Wasn't that interesting?

"Spike… Spike…Spike…"

~*~

An insistent hand on his shoulder brought him back from his dream. He lifted his head, and blinked trying to shrug off the lingering images of the snippet of memory he'd been reliving.

"Spike, damn you, get the hell up," Buffy's voice in his ear brought him to his senses. He swung his head around, almost catching Buffy on the chin.

She jerked back at the last minute and glared at him.

"Enjoy your nap?" she asked peevishly as she punched his shoulder.

Disoriented he gave her a grin and rubbed the spot where she'd punched him.

"Buffy…" he whispered. "What are you doing here? I…" he trailed off as Buffy looked at him as if he was crazy and he shook his head again.

Looked around and came completely back to the present and out of the past. He was in the back of the county SUV, in front of the small town he and Xander had found themselves in, municipal building.

"I got your message via Giles. Xander's in the car and you were sleeping like a baby so the police officers decided to let you rest. Anyway I paid your fine; by the way you owe me five hundred dollars. Get up so we can get the hell out of here."

Spike took offense to her tone and frowned

"You didn't have to come and get me," he snapped.

Buffy's face was incredulous as he shoved open the door on the opposite side and stepped out.

Ignoring her he stomped away.

"Excuse me? I didn't have to come get you? Well I'm sorry; I thought perhaps that was why you called me. My mistake. I guess I'll see you…not."

With that said Buffy spun on her heel and stalked off.

Furious she ran her hands over her heated cheeks and told herself she needed to calm down. Getting angry over this was pointless; after all she shouldn't have expected some kind of thanks.

Spike wasn't like that.

She didn't even glance at him as he fell into step next to her.

"So…does this bring back any memories?" Spike finally broke the tense silence. Couldn't stand the strained silence that had fallen. Never could, but usually after a blow up between them they ended up in bed. It was how they'd started and how they'd ended; only he hadn't been in bed with Buffy.

He felt himself flushing in lingering shame and humiliation. And was glad for the darkness, thankful that it shielded him from Buffy's inquisitive eyes.

A sidelong look at Spike had Buffy rolling her eyes.

"Now you wanna act all nice?" she asked, wondering how she had put up with him for so long before she'd left him. He made it impossible to be civil and actually try and help him out. Him and his iron pride were something he would never lose. Now she knew that and could hardly believe she had thought he could ever change.

Leave it to him to act like nothing had gone on between them. Just pick up as if they were the best of pals. She was getting angrier by the minute.

"'Bout another time you bailed me out? Remember Buffy? We were in Chicago, for the old Twilight tournament. We had that whole look thingy going on the week before in L.A. When I interrupted your snog with Angel. Remember?" Dammit why was he bringing this up with Buffy? He knew he should just shut his mouth and leave the tense silence be.

He wasn't sure why he was pushing this. It wasn't like he wanted to remember and knew Buffy damn well didn't. But that dream/memory had brought it all back to him. The beginning between them.

Buffy stopped and turned fully to stare at him. She crossed her arms over her chest and couldn't disguise the anger that had begun to simmer in her eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked genuinely confused by this. She couldn't for the life of her understand where he was going with this. Bringing up the past would do them no good.

"I don't know," Spike sighed and ran a nervous hand through his hair. He shifted on his feet and tried to still his rampant nervousness.

"Well just leave it alone. We have to get back so Giles can go home and see his family. Hurry up."

Spike didn't move as Buffy started to head off.

"Buffy…" he called softly.

Her back to him she bowed her head and gritted her teeth. Don't say anything else, she thought dully. He was always pushing things, shoving at her. Making her so confused and angry. Why couldn't he be passive for once?

"What?" she asked just as softly. She didn't have it in her to argue with him any longer, and wondered if this was a prelude to what the rest of these two months would end up being like.

She had a feeling they'd probably end up being worse.

"Do you ever think about it?"

"About what?" she asked tiredly.

"The past. You. Me. Us."

Buffy began to walk away.

"No," she answered coldly shoving her hands into her coat pockets and hurrying away.

"Liar," his voice carried to her.

And silently she agreed. She was lying, she thought about it. In fact she thought about it entirely too much. What had gone wrong, what had gone right, where it had ended.

She wasn't certain why it made her heart pound and her palms sweaty at the thought of Spike actually thinking about them.

That he actually took the time to think about what went wrong with them, how and why.

It confused her and touched her all at the same time, and she didn't like it, not one little bit.

Her feelings for Spike were in the past. And that was where they were going to stay as long as she had anything to say about it.