Chapter 27.
They stood together in the room for what seemed like an eternity. Spike held Buffy close to his chest, gently stroking her hair and delicately placing soft kisses down the side of her neck. They didn't speak, they didn't need to. No words were necessary. The relief and joy he had felt, when he opened the door to see her standing there was so overwhelming. It had taken Spike several minutes, to actually allow himself to believe that she was really there. That she had really wanted to be near him. He was scared to move, not wanting to break the moment they were sharing, terrified that if they broke the embrace, somehow she may disappear.
Buffy melted deeper and deeper into his embrace. She felt warm, alive, wanted, she hadn't felt like this in such a long time, in fact the last time she had felt so loved was the last time he had held her this way, when they had been dancing around the gym at prom. They were just kids then, now they had all grown up. Things had changed so much, yet their feelings still remained the same.
Eventually they broke apart, Molly was taking up most of the bed, so Spike led Buffy over to the couch. He picked up some clothes that had been thrown there, and made space for her to sit down. He opened the fridge and retrieved a bottle of wine.
"Would you like a drink pet?" He asked her softly.
Buffy nodded, and he proceeded to pour two generous glasses out. Handing one to her he settled on the couch.
"How's the head?" He asked, as he brushed his hand gently across her temple where the bandage was.
"I think there is a small band drumming in my head, but apart from that I'll live." She smiled meekly.
Spike unstuck the edges of the bandage and pulled it off, examining the cut beneath. Buffy winced as some of the plaster pulled at her hair.
"Sorry love, you just looked a bit ragged with that dirty bandage. Need to keep it clean," he said, placing a kiss softly over the wound.
Buffy tried to stifle a yawn, but it was obvious to Spike that she was pretty exhausted. He pulled her gently down to lie on him, her head resting in his lap. She drifted off to sleep as he gently stroked her face.
....
Faith opened her eyes, she was lying on the couch wrapped in the arms of her new man. He was snoring gently, his head lying back over the edge of the couch. She chuckled to herself, he was lying so awkwardly, obviously positioned that way so he didn't wake her up. She stretched out her arms, the movement causing Gunn to wake. He rolled onto his side almost falling off the couch. Faith put an arm out to grab him before he fell.
"Hey," she whispered in his ear. "How you doin?"
Gunn turned to her smiling and placed a kiss on her lips.
"I was having one hell of a good dream." He grinned at her.
"Me too!" She beamed back. "I am just gonna go check on B, see if she wants anything," she announced as she clambered over him to get off the couch. She stretched her arms above her head again, as she wandered down the hallway to her friends bedroom. She knocked on the door gently before pushing it open. It was dark inside, Buffy had closed the curtains before she left.
"B, you ok girl?" Faith said quietly, as she crossed the room to the bed.
Getting no response she sat on the side of the bed, reaching out her hand towards her friend. Finding the bed empty panic flooded through her. She reached over and turned on the lamp by the side of the bed, confirming he fears. Buffy was gone.
'Ok, don't panic!' She thought to herself as she made her way through the apartment, checking each room methodically, before returning to the living room. She sat back down on the couch beside Gunn, putting her head in her hands.
"Shit!" She shouted, "Shit! Shit! Shit!"
Gunn put a comforting arm around her.
"She can't have gone far," he said, "Let's phone around some people, and see if they have set eyes on her."
Faith nodded and reached for the phone. She was angry with herself for falling asleep and not hearing her leave. She knew she could be anywhere by now, she was obviously gone for the night as it was already 3am.
"What if she doesn't know what she is doing?" She exclaimed. "I mean, she had a pretty hefty bang on the head Gunn, she could do anything!"
She began to dial round all their friends, waking each one up in turn.
......
Buffy woke to the sound of a child crying. She noticed Spike had gotten up and was sitting on the edge of the bed, trying in vain to comfort his distraught daughter. She was hysterical, tears streaming down her face, punching wildly at her father as he tried to calm her. The hospital had given her something to help her sleep, but this had obviously worn off.
Spike looked over to Buffy, his eyes were red and sore from his own tears, and he struggled to keep the little girl from causing herself an injury.
"I don't know what to do Buffy!" He sobbed, as the little girl continued to scream. "What can I possibly do to make this better for her?"
Buffy moved to the bed, placing an arm around him. She comforted him as he tried desperately to console Molly.
She got up from the bed, and walked over to the spot where she had dropped her overnight bag, when she arrived. She bent down and picked up the bag, before walking back over to the couch. She unzipped the bag and started to remove the contents, finally she found what she was looking for. She walked back over to the bed and sat down the other side of the little girl.
Leaning over she stroked back the hair that had fallen over the girls face, in long black ringlets.
" I thought you would be sad," she began, speaking quietly so as not to alarm the child. "So I brought a friend with me. Do you want to say hello?"
Molly turned to look at the blonde woman, wiping her hand across her face she nodded.
Buffy handed the soft toy to her, and noticed that the girls' sobs subsided a little.
"This is Mr Gordo," she continued, "when I am sad I give him a cuddle, and he makes me feel better again."
Molly hugged the toy to her, wiping her runny nose on his ear as she did.
"Do you think you could look after him for me?" Buffy asked the little girl.
Spike looked over her shoulder, appreciation clear on his face. "Thank you," he mouthed as he wiped his eyes.
Molly nodded and snuggled into the toy, leaning into her dad for a cuddle.
"Say thank you to Buffy," he whispered in her ear.
"Fang you,"
Spike looked at the clock, it was 3am.
"It's late pumpkin, shall we try and get you back to sleep?" He said to his child.
Molly shook her head.
"I want mummy!" She sobbed.
"I know baby," he said softly.
She began to cry again as Spike held her.
"But mummy is in heaven now, remember??" Molly screamed some more, and resumed punching out at anything near her.
"The policeman said she was in hell!" She wailed.
Buffy looked over at Spike concerned, and he just stared back blankly, not sure of what to say. Buffy reached over towards the little girl again, in an attempt to help him.
"That's not true Molly," she began, "Your mummy is in heaven, with the angels." She continued.
Molly rubbed at her eyes.
"The policeman said she was evil and did bad things," she stuttered, "and mummy said bad people go to hell."
Buffy pulled the young girl towards her, putting her arms around her.
"Your mummy wasn't evil, she was confused," she said softly as she stroked the child's hair. "And confused people go to heaven, so that's where she is now, in heaven with the angels."
Molly sniffled and wiped her nose on Buffy's sweater. Buffy rocked her gently, trying to soothe her.
"Is that true daddy, is mummy in heaven?"
Spike nodded, and moved over towards them, placing his arms around them both.
"Yes, it's true pumpkin, she is with the angels now." He whispered as she began to drift gently back to sleep.
They stood together in the room for what seemed like an eternity. Spike held Buffy close to his chest, gently stroking her hair and delicately placing soft kisses down the side of her neck. They didn't speak, they didn't need to. No words were necessary. The relief and joy he had felt, when he opened the door to see her standing there was so overwhelming. It had taken Spike several minutes, to actually allow himself to believe that she was really there. That she had really wanted to be near him. He was scared to move, not wanting to break the moment they were sharing, terrified that if they broke the embrace, somehow she may disappear.
Buffy melted deeper and deeper into his embrace. She felt warm, alive, wanted, she hadn't felt like this in such a long time, in fact the last time she had felt so loved was the last time he had held her this way, when they had been dancing around the gym at prom. They were just kids then, now they had all grown up. Things had changed so much, yet their feelings still remained the same.
Eventually they broke apart, Molly was taking up most of the bed, so Spike led Buffy over to the couch. He picked up some clothes that had been thrown there, and made space for her to sit down. He opened the fridge and retrieved a bottle of wine.
"Would you like a drink pet?" He asked her softly.
Buffy nodded, and he proceeded to pour two generous glasses out. Handing one to her he settled on the couch.
"How's the head?" He asked, as he brushed his hand gently across her temple where the bandage was.
"I think there is a small band drumming in my head, but apart from that I'll live." She smiled meekly.
Spike unstuck the edges of the bandage and pulled it off, examining the cut beneath. Buffy winced as some of the plaster pulled at her hair.
"Sorry love, you just looked a bit ragged with that dirty bandage. Need to keep it clean," he said, placing a kiss softly over the wound.
Buffy tried to stifle a yawn, but it was obvious to Spike that she was pretty exhausted. He pulled her gently down to lie on him, her head resting in his lap. She drifted off to sleep as he gently stroked her face.
....
Faith opened her eyes, she was lying on the couch wrapped in the arms of her new man. He was snoring gently, his head lying back over the edge of the couch. She chuckled to herself, he was lying so awkwardly, obviously positioned that way so he didn't wake her up. She stretched out her arms, the movement causing Gunn to wake. He rolled onto his side almost falling off the couch. Faith put an arm out to grab him before he fell.
"Hey," she whispered in his ear. "How you doin?"
Gunn turned to her smiling and placed a kiss on her lips.
"I was having one hell of a good dream." He grinned at her.
"Me too!" She beamed back. "I am just gonna go check on B, see if she wants anything," she announced as she clambered over him to get off the couch. She stretched her arms above her head again, as she wandered down the hallway to her friends bedroom. She knocked on the door gently before pushing it open. It was dark inside, Buffy had closed the curtains before she left.
"B, you ok girl?" Faith said quietly, as she crossed the room to the bed.
Getting no response she sat on the side of the bed, reaching out her hand towards her friend. Finding the bed empty panic flooded through her. She reached over and turned on the lamp by the side of the bed, confirming he fears. Buffy was gone.
'Ok, don't panic!' She thought to herself as she made her way through the apartment, checking each room methodically, before returning to the living room. She sat back down on the couch beside Gunn, putting her head in her hands.
"Shit!" She shouted, "Shit! Shit! Shit!"
Gunn put a comforting arm around her.
"She can't have gone far," he said, "Let's phone around some people, and see if they have set eyes on her."
Faith nodded and reached for the phone. She was angry with herself for falling asleep and not hearing her leave. She knew she could be anywhere by now, she was obviously gone for the night as it was already 3am.
"What if she doesn't know what she is doing?" She exclaimed. "I mean, she had a pretty hefty bang on the head Gunn, she could do anything!"
She began to dial round all their friends, waking each one up in turn.
......
Buffy woke to the sound of a child crying. She noticed Spike had gotten up and was sitting on the edge of the bed, trying in vain to comfort his distraught daughter. She was hysterical, tears streaming down her face, punching wildly at her father as he tried to calm her. The hospital had given her something to help her sleep, but this had obviously worn off.
Spike looked over to Buffy, his eyes were red and sore from his own tears, and he struggled to keep the little girl from causing herself an injury.
"I don't know what to do Buffy!" He sobbed, as the little girl continued to scream. "What can I possibly do to make this better for her?"
Buffy moved to the bed, placing an arm around him. She comforted him as he tried desperately to console Molly.
She got up from the bed, and walked over to the spot where she had dropped her overnight bag, when she arrived. She bent down and picked up the bag, before walking back over to the couch. She unzipped the bag and started to remove the contents, finally she found what she was looking for. She walked back over to the bed and sat down the other side of the little girl.
Leaning over she stroked back the hair that had fallen over the girls face, in long black ringlets.
" I thought you would be sad," she began, speaking quietly so as not to alarm the child. "So I brought a friend with me. Do you want to say hello?"
Molly turned to look at the blonde woman, wiping her hand across her face she nodded.
Buffy handed the soft toy to her, and noticed that the girls' sobs subsided a little.
"This is Mr Gordo," she continued, "when I am sad I give him a cuddle, and he makes me feel better again."
Molly hugged the toy to her, wiping her runny nose on his ear as she did.
"Do you think you could look after him for me?" Buffy asked the little girl.
Spike looked over her shoulder, appreciation clear on his face. "Thank you," he mouthed as he wiped his eyes.
Molly nodded and snuggled into the toy, leaning into her dad for a cuddle.
"Say thank you to Buffy," he whispered in her ear.
"Fang you,"
Spike looked at the clock, it was 3am.
"It's late pumpkin, shall we try and get you back to sleep?" He said to his child.
Molly shook her head.
"I want mummy!" She sobbed.
"I know baby," he said softly.
She began to cry again as Spike held her.
"But mummy is in heaven now, remember??" Molly screamed some more, and resumed punching out at anything near her.
"The policeman said she was in hell!" She wailed.
Buffy looked over at Spike concerned, and he just stared back blankly, not sure of what to say. Buffy reached over towards the little girl again, in an attempt to help him.
"That's not true Molly," she began, "Your mummy is in heaven, with the angels." She continued.
Molly rubbed at her eyes.
"The policeman said she was evil and did bad things," she stuttered, "and mummy said bad people go to hell."
Buffy pulled the young girl towards her, putting her arms around her.
"Your mummy wasn't evil, she was confused," she said softly as she stroked the child's hair. "And confused people go to heaven, so that's where she is now, in heaven with the angels."
Molly sniffled and wiped her nose on Buffy's sweater. Buffy rocked her gently, trying to soothe her.
"Is that true daddy, is mummy in heaven?"
Spike nodded, and moved over towards them, placing his arms around them both.
"Yes, it's true pumpkin, she is with the angels now." He whispered as she began to drift gently back to sleep.