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What Is To Be
-Seventh-
By Annie
2003-09-15
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤
"What do you suggest we do?" Buffy asked, the demons standing perfectly still with eyes observing the two mortals keenly.
"The second we reach for our weapons they'll be on us," Spike murmured. "We'll have to be quick and merciless and then..."
"Yeah?" she asked, feeling her heart beat elevate in her chest as the adrenaline began to pump through her veins.
"Then we run like hell," he finished and they shared a glance, then she nodded. "On three," he said and she smiled a little.
"Never thought that was used in real life," she said and he gave her a look before he grumbled:
"Not a lot of demon face-offs going on in 'real life' either, now are there?"
"Okay," she nodded, getting back into focus. "On three."
"One," he said.
"Two," she filled in, taking one last glance around at the threat she was about to face and then they both finished:
"Three."
Everything happened so incredibly rapid it was as though someone was fast- forwarding the next chain of events. Buffy reached for her sword at the same time as Spike did. She slid it out of its sheath when two of the demons quickly approached her. Spinning around she kicked one foot out and hit the right one in the stomach while she let the blade of her weapon sink through the ribcage of the other.
Ducking when she heard the sound of a fist moving through air behind her she rolled on the ground and then got to her knees, grabbing the sword with both hands and ramming it into the heart of her assailant. It grabbed its chest with a spurt of blue blood from its mouth. She pulled the sword out as she quickly rose, hearing the sound of Spike fighting furiously to her right.
She met the blow of a third demon, swinging her weapon and cutting its head off without much more ado, and then she jumped up and kicked another on the chin. Landing gracefully she drew a breath and spun around as she suddenly heard Spike let out a cry of pain.
"No!" she screamed, running up to him as he sunk to his knees and then jabbing the sword to pierce the demon responsible through its throat.
She looked around and noticed that a brawl had sometime during the fight started up between the demons themselves and at the moment more attention was directed to their own disagreements than to the two intruders.
"Can you stand?" she asked and he looked up at her, then nodded, his face beginning to grow awfully pale and she felt a rush of panic pour through her nerves as she saw the blood coming out of his side.
She encircled his waist, making him put one arm around her shoulders as she helped him to his feet. She got them moving, and though he could help she felt how the sting from his wound rippled through him at every step.
"You can do it," was the words she kept repeating, listening for the sound of treading feet behind them as she took them back to the place for their descent.
There were none, only silence.
'And on the sixth day there shall be silence as the people arises...'
What kind of prophecy WAS this?
Reaching the ladder she made him lean against the wall as she bent down and took a look at the gash. It was deep and she straightened her back quickly, tearing the strap of the sheath, which hung over her shoulder, over her head before she let her hands go to her shirt. Ripping it open she tore it down the back and had it in two pieces. The first one she bundled up in a tight bunch and then she pressed it against the wound before she took the second half and put it around his waist, securing it by two tight notches.
"Buffy," he mumbled and she nodded.
"It's gonna be okay," she said. "I'm gonna have a regular, hysteric shout- out at Angel for putting you in this situation, but it's gonna be okay," she added, once again supporting the bleached blonde as she led him up to the ladder. "Now, climb."
He put his hands on the steel-bars and looked up. His view was simmering and clouded, but he pulled himself up and did what her voice instructed.
***
"Angel!" Buffy yelled as she kicked the door of the Hyperion open and stumbled inside, holding a nearly unconscious Spike up by means of her own strength. "Angel, you wank!" she yelled and soon enough he came storming to see what all the noise was about.
"What happened?" he asked, running up to her as she was carefully putting Spike down on the floor.
"He became human, that's what happened!" she replied stiffly. "He needs to get to a hospital."
"We can't," Angel shook his head.
"What?!" she sputtered.
"He has no records, Buffy," Angel answered her, making her absolutely loathe the matter-of-factly tone of his voice.
Fred, Gunn and Cordelia came rushing down the stairs and Susannah came in through the doors leading to the garden, her face tightening as she was met by the disturbing sight at hand.
"Oh, my God!" she said, coming up to the three ahead of the others, and getting to her knees beside the fallen. "I TOLD you!" she then yelled, glaring up at Angel. "I TOLD you this would happen!"
Tears were quickly forming in her big, blue eyes and they kept the accusation in them for another long moment before she turned them back on Spike.
"'He has no records'?!" Buffy demanded, disbelieving. "You think I'm actually gonna stand by and watch him die on those grounds?! I'd just as soon kill myself!"
"Calm down!" Wesley cut in as he and the other two women joined the group. "I'll call Darren," he added with a look at Angel, and the latter nodded.
"Who the hell's Darren?" Buffy asked.
"Someone who can help," Angel replied coolly, then he nodded to Spike. "Let's bring him upstairs," he said.
***
"There were different demons there," Buffy stated two hours later.
She was surrounded by Angel, Cordelia, Fred, Gunn and Susannah as they were all sitting by the research table.
"Different species working together?" Wesley inquired and Buffy nodded.
"The only time I've seen that happen was at the hands of a madman. Or... demon," she said. "And I have a feeling he'd have trouble rising from the grave," she added, then she furrowed her brow. "It has something do to with the countdown. Spike... I mean, William, said something about the sixth day..."
"Of course!" Wesley nodded, rising and walking up to the shelf running along one wall on which books and heaps of paper, as well as notebooks, were gathered.
He immediately got the one of the latter he had been aiming for, opening it up to the page where he had written down the translation as well as their own interpretations of the prophecy.
"'...There shall be silence as the people arises in acknowledgement and trust," he nodded, reading the passage out loud as he once more faced the group. "You were right, Fred," he added and the girl looked up with a slightly surprised look on her face. "You thought the 'people' might be a reference to something other than the human race. Now it seems quite obvious that the prophecy points to a more demonic view of the text. They have risen together as their Elders must have told them of what is to come."
Buffy frowned once more, not sure that she was following this train of thought.
"It makes sense," Wesley continued. "A prophet documented in the underworld, going by a demonic name... Of course his prophecy will have major ties to the world from which he stemmed. If not all of the text was for his kin, if some of it truly was meant for the human world to know of, then why is there not one record of it anywhere?"
"Not all prophecies were meant to be known," Fred cut in.
"No," Wesley agreed. "But this one was."
Buffy rose quietly, meeting the eyes of Susannah as the former was about to leave the room. Buffy smiled tryingly and the brunette returned it, all be it reluctantly. Then she nodded a little and Buffy knew that she would want to know how he was doing. Buffy returned the nod and then slipped out of the room.
She walked up the stairs to the third floor, which hosted his bedroom.
Darren Walker had proven to be a gem of an acquaintance. He was half demon and skilled in a vast variety of medicine and remedies. He had spent half an hour with the injured and concluded that he had stopped the blood-flow successfully, but that the bandages needed to be changed every five hours over the next twenty-four hours. Then he had given Spike a few drops of a potion which Darren explained would make up for the blood loss.
Buffy paused outside the door of his room, placing her hand against the worn wood and wondering what had possessed him to go with her. Why had she let him?! She was such a fool. She had nearly forgotten that he could get hurt. And as a reminder he had. She didn't even want to stray in the outer boundaries of what would have happened if he had died. Again. God, she wouldn't have been able to take it.
She slid her hand to the doorknob and turned it carefully, pushing the door to stand slightly ajar before she poked her head inside.
His eyes were closed. He was sleeping.
She was about to retract when his voice stopped her.
"It's like someone dropped a box of bloody needles inside me."
She smiled at the sound, opening the door and stepping through it, proceeding up to his side. She looked down at him for a moment before she slowly sat down next to him.
"It must be the blood-back-in-body treatment," she replied, voice lowered. "The good thing is it'll have you back on your feet in no time."
"Feels like I've been lying here forever," he murmured, opening his eyes and turning his head to look up at her.
She slid her hand into his, and he held hers back.
"Good rescue," he grumbled and she smiled. "Made me feel like less of a hero, but..." he added and she shook her head.
"You'll always be my champion," she said, moving his hand cautiously to her lips and closing her eyes as she kissed it softly.
He bit back the sudden lump in his throat at her gesture, at her words.
She let their hands move to her lap as she opened her eyes again.
"I was so scared," she then said, not able to hold back her tears. "It would've been my fault all over again!"
"It was NEVER your fault," he shook his head, trying to sit up which only resulted in a mask of pain and he sighed, meeting her gaze and holding it.
"What we're you thinking?!" she now asked. "You had no business coming with me tonight! And ME! God, how the hell could I forget that you could get dead in a fight these days?! I feel so SELFISH! I should've made you stay here, then nothing would've happened to you..."
"Enough!" he stopped her. "Bloody hell, Buffy, you do think high of yourself. You think you - or anyone else - could've made me stay and just watch you go out there alone?"
"Angel could've..."
"Yeah, he could've. But he asked me 'cause he knows I can't just sit on my ass doing nothing, and 'cause he knows I can handle it. Usually. And 'cause he knew I'd rather have gone through fire than do the ass-sitting while you were out there - alone or no. So stop with the self-blame!" he finished and she blinked at her tears before she smiled a little through them.
She hesitated, then let his hand go and carefully climbed up on the bed, placing herself along his side and he looked at her rather quizzical and with a hint of surprise before he opened his arms so that she could place her head on his chest.
He gently put his arms around her and she slipped her right hand up his chest and to the crook of his neck, pressing herself closer as she nestled her face against his throat.
He closed his eyes, holding her tighter and then he moved his head so that he could bury his nose against the top of her head, breathing her scent as casually as he could, but unable to stop himself.
Buffy had closed her eyes as well, her mind filled with nothing but growing relaxation as she finally let her head rest from worries. He was all right, he was healing, and nothing bad would ever happen to him ever again. Not if she had any say in it.
And finally his arms were around her, at last he was close. She had longed for this, ached for it.
She was home.
"How much do you remember?" she murmured, moving her head back so that she could look up at him. "I mean, from your era as a vamp," she added and he smirked.
"Is that what you wanna call it?" he wondered and she smiled a small smile back before she waited for his real reply. "Well, it depends on which part of it you're talking about," he added.
"I mean, from those last moments," she grumbled quietly. "Before you... died."
He held her gaze for the longest time and she swallowed unnoticeably, feeling the tug to move her head forward and grace his lips with hers growing practically overwhelming.
"I remember..." he said quietly, his fingers brushing her cheek again and she closed her eyes as she knew he was about to grant her what she craved.
"You guys won't believe this!" Cordelia's voice shouted as she came up the stairs, continuing down the hallway.
She sounded very excited, but Buffy's curiosity did nothing to prevent the very heavy disappointment as she pulled away from Spike and sat up. He looked at her for a moment, then he smiled and she returned it before turning her head to the door as the other woman burst through it with a wide smile on her face.
Couldn't have waited just five more minutes? Buffy thought glumly. Soap ahoy, whenever things seem to be growing a few degrees warmer... whenever on the brink of some sort of break through... WAM! Here comes the cavalry to blow it off and bring those thoughts to close.
She smiled to herself at that, shaking her head a little and meeting Cordelia's glittering eyes.
"What's with you?" Buffy asked, her smile widening as Cordelia replied:
"We're going to a ball! Can you believe it?! I haven't been out in ages! I have to get a new dress! Us girls can go out for a shopping spree tomorrow! God, this is gonna be SO much fun!"
Buffy furrowed her brow slightly.
"A ball?"
"Well, we're going there to work, but it's still gonna be music and food and people and..."
"Cordy, you do know you need to come up for air sometime, don't you?!" Buffy interrupted with a laugh, rising to her feet. "I have to go see what this is about," she then said, face turned to Spike and he nodded. "I'm betting Angel just might be a bit more coherent," she added and Spike chuckled at that, Buffy grabbing Cordelia's arm and pulling the latter with her as she exited the room.
Spike closed his eyes as the two disappeared from view.
His heart was still beating very hard in his chest.
He had almost kissed her... and she hadn't seemed to have any complaints about it.
He couldn't understand why he felt so unsure around her. He just didn't want to screw it up, not again. He was so scared of ruining the frail structure of their relationship... Well, the moment would present itself where it was time to choose a side of the road. All he really knew was that that side would always be the one she was walking... no matter what happened.
But she had seemed ready to return his kiss, hadn't she?
He was afraid, though. Afraid that whatever she was feeling WAS brought forth by his sudden return into her life, and nothing else...
The answer was out there.
He just needed to find it.
**************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** ******************
Aw, I really love that you like it and that you dislike Susannah, though those hints are rather subtle. I mean, she is a meddling bitch at times, but at other times rather mellow. That your dislike with her is so strong makes me smile wide! ;)
Very warm thanks to Winters1 (*smirk* Warm thanks to Winters, thought that was pretty funny. But they are warm though!) ;), Ayavalla *hey* :), Night *evil laughter* ;), Taelyn (was Chris cute? And what with the sandbox?) :P, Rachel9 *BIG smile* :), wolf116 (mh, very true) ;), Mel *smiiiiile* :), Captain (Huge congrats on the publication and yes, please! Send it to me, k?!) :) and Christal (WOW, what a review! Xander will be mentioned in paragraph I promise, sit tight. And I agree about the Spike/Buffy love story thing, truly. And I hope you'll get my email 'cause I'll be sending it right after posting this.) :)
Thank you ALL for all your great comments and I just LOVE to read what you're thinking, truly! It's inspiring me to sit down at my laptop so please keep it coming! Thank you for putting in the time!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!!!
A.M.L, Annie.
What Is To Be
-Seventh-
By Annie
2003-09-15
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤
"What do you suggest we do?" Buffy asked, the demons standing perfectly still with eyes observing the two mortals keenly.
"The second we reach for our weapons they'll be on us," Spike murmured. "We'll have to be quick and merciless and then..."
"Yeah?" she asked, feeling her heart beat elevate in her chest as the adrenaline began to pump through her veins.
"Then we run like hell," he finished and they shared a glance, then she nodded. "On three," he said and she smiled a little.
"Never thought that was used in real life," she said and he gave her a look before he grumbled:
"Not a lot of demon face-offs going on in 'real life' either, now are there?"
"Okay," she nodded, getting back into focus. "On three."
"One," he said.
"Two," she filled in, taking one last glance around at the threat she was about to face and then they both finished:
"Three."
Everything happened so incredibly rapid it was as though someone was fast- forwarding the next chain of events. Buffy reached for her sword at the same time as Spike did. She slid it out of its sheath when two of the demons quickly approached her. Spinning around she kicked one foot out and hit the right one in the stomach while she let the blade of her weapon sink through the ribcage of the other.
Ducking when she heard the sound of a fist moving through air behind her she rolled on the ground and then got to her knees, grabbing the sword with both hands and ramming it into the heart of her assailant. It grabbed its chest with a spurt of blue blood from its mouth. She pulled the sword out as she quickly rose, hearing the sound of Spike fighting furiously to her right.
She met the blow of a third demon, swinging her weapon and cutting its head off without much more ado, and then she jumped up and kicked another on the chin. Landing gracefully she drew a breath and spun around as she suddenly heard Spike let out a cry of pain.
"No!" she screamed, running up to him as he sunk to his knees and then jabbing the sword to pierce the demon responsible through its throat.
She looked around and noticed that a brawl had sometime during the fight started up between the demons themselves and at the moment more attention was directed to their own disagreements than to the two intruders.
"Can you stand?" she asked and he looked up at her, then nodded, his face beginning to grow awfully pale and she felt a rush of panic pour through her nerves as she saw the blood coming out of his side.
She encircled his waist, making him put one arm around her shoulders as she helped him to his feet. She got them moving, and though he could help she felt how the sting from his wound rippled through him at every step.
"You can do it," was the words she kept repeating, listening for the sound of treading feet behind them as she took them back to the place for their descent.
There were none, only silence.
'And on the sixth day there shall be silence as the people arises...'
What kind of prophecy WAS this?
Reaching the ladder she made him lean against the wall as she bent down and took a look at the gash. It was deep and she straightened her back quickly, tearing the strap of the sheath, which hung over her shoulder, over her head before she let her hands go to her shirt. Ripping it open she tore it down the back and had it in two pieces. The first one she bundled up in a tight bunch and then she pressed it against the wound before she took the second half and put it around his waist, securing it by two tight notches.
"Buffy," he mumbled and she nodded.
"It's gonna be okay," she said. "I'm gonna have a regular, hysteric shout- out at Angel for putting you in this situation, but it's gonna be okay," she added, once again supporting the bleached blonde as she led him up to the ladder. "Now, climb."
He put his hands on the steel-bars and looked up. His view was simmering and clouded, but he pulled himself up and did what her voice instructed.
***
"Angel!" Buffy yelled as she kicked the door of the Hyperion open and stumbled inside, holding a nearly unconscious Spike up by means of her own strength. "Angel, you wank!" she yelled and soon enough he came storming to see what all the noise was about.
"What happened?" he asked, running up to her as she was carefully putting Spike down on the floor.
"He became human, that's what happened!" she replied stiffly. "He needs to get to a hospital."
"We can't," Angel shook his head.
"What?!" she sputtered.
"He has no records, Buffy," Angel answered her, making her absolutely loathe the matter-of-factly tone of his voice.
Fred, Gunn and Cordelia came rushing down the stairs and Susannah came in through the doors leading to the garden, her face tightening as she was met by the disturbing sight at hand.
"Oh, my God!" she said, coming up to the three ahead of the others, and getting to her knees beside the fallen. "I TOLD you!" she then yelled, glaring up at Angel. "I TOLD you this would happen!"
Tears were quickly forming in her big, blue eyes and they kept the accusation in them for another long moment before she turned them back on Spike.
"'He has no records'?!" Buffy demanded, disbelieving. "You think I'm actually gonna stand by and watch him die on those grounds?! I'd just as soon kill myself!"
"Calm down!" Wesley cut in as he and the other two women joined the group. "I'll call Darren," he added with a look at Angel, and the latter nodded.
"Who the hell's Darren?" Buffy asked.
"Someone who can help," Angel replied coolly, then he nodded to Spike. "Let's bring him upstairs," he said.
***
"There were different demons there," Buffy stated two hours later.
She was surrounded by Angel, Cordelia, Fred, Gunn and Susannah as they were all sitting by the research table.
"Different species working together?" Wesley inquired and Buffy nodded.
"The only time I've seen that happen was at the hands of a madman. Or... demon," she said. "And I have a feeling he'd have trouble rising from the grave," she added, then she furrowed her brow. "It has something do to with the countdown. Spike... I mean, William, said something about the sixth day..."
"Of course!" Wesley nodded, rising and walking up to the shelf running along one wall on which books and heaps of paper, as well as notebooks, were gathered.
He immediately got the one of the latter he had been aiming for, opening it up to the page where he had written down the translation as well as their own interpretations of the prophecy.
"'...There shall be silence as the people arises in acknowledgement and trust," he nodded, reading the passage out loud as he once more faced the group. "You were right, Fred," he added and the girl looked up with a slightly surprised look on her face. "You thought the 'people' might be a reference to something other than the human race. Now it seems quite obvious that the prophecy points to a more demonic view of the text. They have risen together as their Elders must have told them of what is to come."
Buffy frowned once more, not sure that she was following this train of thought.
"It makes sense," Wesley continued. "A prophet documented in the underworld, going by a demonic name... Of course his prophecy will have major ties to the world from which he stemmed. If not all of the text was for his kin, if some of it truly was meant for the human world to know of, then why is there not one record of it anywhere?"
"Not all prophecies were meant to be known," Fred cut in.
"No," Wesley agreed. "But this one was."
Buffy rose quietly, meeting the eyes of Susannah as the former was about to leave the room. Buffy smiled tryingly and the brunette returned it, all be it reluctantly. Then she nodded a little and Buffy knew that she would want to know how he was doing. Buffy returned the nod and then slipped out of the room.
She walked up the stairs to the third floor, which hosted his bedroom.
Darren Walker had proven to be a gem of an acquaintance. He was half demon and skilled in a vast variety of medicine and remedies. He had spent half an hour with the injured and concluded that he had stopped the blood-flow successfully, but that the bandages needed to be changed every five hours over the next twenty-four hours. Then he had given Spike a few drops of a potion which Darren explained would make up for the blood loss.
Buffy paused outside the door of his room, placing her hand against the worn wood and wondering what had possessed him to go with her. Why had she let him?! She was such a fool. She had nearly forgotten that he could get hurt. And as a reminder he had. She didn't even want to stray in the outer boundaries of what would have happened if he had died. Again. God, she wouldn't have been able to take it.
She slid her hand to the doorknob and turned it carefully, pushing the door to stand slightly ajar before she poked her head inside.
His eyes were closed. He was sleeping.
She was about to retract when his voice stopped her.
"It's like someone dropped a box of bloody needles inside me."
She smiled at the sound, opening the door and stepping through it, proceeding up to his side. She looked down at him for a moment before she slowly sat down next to him.
"It must be the blood-back-in-body treatment," she replied, voice lowered. "The good thing is it'll have you back on your feet in no time."
"Feels like I've been lying here forever," he murmured, opening his eyes and turning his head to look up at her.
She slid her hand into his, and he held hers back.
"Good rescue," he grumbled and she smiled. "Made me feel like less of a hero, but..." he added and she shook her head.
"You'll always be my champion," she said, moving his hand cautiously to her lips and closing her eyes as she kissed it softly.
He bit back the sudden lump in his throat at her gesture, at her words.
She let their hands move to her lap as she opened her eyes again.
"I was so scared," she then said, not able to hold back her tears. "It would've been my fault all over again!"
"It was NEVER your fault," he shook his head, trying to sit up which only resulted in a mask of pain and he sighed, meeting her gaze and holding it.
"What we're you thinking?!" she now asked. "You had no business coming with me tonight! And ME! God, how the hell could I forget that you could get dead in a fight these days?! I feel so SELFISH! I should've made you stay here, then nothing would've happened to you..."
"Enough!" he stopped her. "Bloody hell, Buffy, you do think high of yourself. You think you - or anyone else - could've made me stay and just watch you go out there alone?"
"Angel could've..."
"Yeah, he could've. But he asked me 'cause he knows I can't just sit on my ass doing nothing, and 'cause he knows I can handle it. Usually. And 'cause he knew I'd rather have gone through fire than do the ass-sitting while you were out there - alone or no. So stop with the self-blame!" he finished and she blinked at her tears before she smiled a little through them.
She hesitated, then let his hand go and carefully climbed up on the bed, placing herself along his side and he looked at her rather quizzical and with a hint of surprise before he opened his arms so that she could place her head on his chest.
He gently put his arms around her and she slipped her right hand up his chest and to the crook of his neck, pressing herself closer as she nestled her face against his throat.
He closed his eyes, holding her tighter and then he moved his head so that he could bury his nose against the top of her head, breathing her scent as casually as he could, but unable to stop himself.
Buffy had closed her eyes as well, her mind filled with nothing but growing relaxation as she finally let her head rest from worries. He was all right, he was healing, and nothing bad would ever happen to him ever again. Not if she had any say in it.
And finally his arms were around her, at last he was close. She had longed for this, ached for it.
She was home.
"How much do you remember?" she murmured, moving her head back so that she could look up at him. "I mean, from your era as a vamp," she added and he smirked.
"Is that what you wanna call it?" he wondered and she smiled a small smile back before she waited for his real reply. "Well, it depends on which part of it you're talking about," he added.
"I mean, from those last moments," she grumbled quietly. "Before you... died."
He held her gaze for the longest time and she swallowed unnoticeably, feeling the tug to move her head forward and grace his lips with hers growing practically overwhelming.
"I remember..." he said quietly, his fingers brushing her cheek again and she closed her eyes as she knew he was about to grant her what she craved.
"You guys won't believe this!" Cordelia's voice shouted as she came up the stairs, continuing down the hallway.
She sounded very excited, but Buffy's curiosity did nothing to prevent the very heavy disappointment as she pulled away from Spike and sat up. He looked at her for a moment, then he smiled and she returned it before turning her head to the door as the other woman burst through it with a wide smile on her face.
Couldn't have waited just five more minutes? Buffy thought glumly. Soap ahoy, whenever things seem to be growing a few degrees warmer... whenever on the brink of some sort of break through... WAM! Here comes the cavalry to blow it off and bring those thoughts to close.
She smiled to herself at that, shaking her head a little and meeting Cordelia's glittering eyes.
"What's with you?" Buffy asked, her smile widening as Cordelia replied:
"We're going to a ball! Can you believe it?! I haven't been out in ages! I have to get a new dress! Us girls can go out for a shopping spree tomorrow! God, this is gonna be SO much fun!"
Buffy furrowed her brow slightly.
"A ball?"
"Well, we're going there to work, but it's still gonna be music and food and people and..."
"Cordy, you do know you need to come up for air sometime, don't you?!" Buffy interrupted with a laugh, rising to her feet. "I have to go see what this is about," she then said, face turned to Spike and he nodded. "I'm betting Angel just might be a bit more coherent," she added and Spike chuckled at that, Buffy grabbing Cordelia's arm and pulling the latter with her as she exited the room.
Spike closed his eyes as the two disappeared from view.
His heart was still beating very hard in his chest.
He had almost kissed her... and she hadn't seemed to have any complaints about it.
He couldn't understand why he felt so unsure around her. He just didn't want to screw it up, not again. He was so scared of ruining the frail structure of their relationship... Well, the moment would present itself where it was time to choose a side of the road. All he really knew was that that side would always be the one she was walking... no matter what happened.
But she had seemed ready to return his kiss, hadn't she?
He was afraid, though. Afraid that whatever she was feeling WAS brought forth by his sudden return into her life, and nothing else...
The answer was out there.
He just needed to find it.
**************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** ******************
Aw, I really love that you like it and that you dislike Susannah, though those hints are rather subtle. I mean, she is a meddling bitch at times, but at other times rather mellow. That your dislike with her is so strong makes me smile wide! ;)
Very warm thanks to Winters1 (*smirk* Warm thanks to Winters, thought that was pretty funny. But they are warm though!) ;), Ayavalla *hey* :), Night *evil laughter* ;), Taelyn (was Chris cute? And what with the sandbox?) :P, Rachel9 *BIG smile* :), wolf116 (mh, very true) ;), Mel *smiiiiile* :), Captain (Huge congrats on the publication and yes, please! Send it to me, k?!) :) and Christal (WOW, what a review! Xander will be mentioned in paragraph I promise, sit tight. And I agree about the Spike/Buffy love story thing, truly. And I hope you'll get my email 'cause I'll be sending it right after posting this.) :)
Thank you ALL for all your great comments and I just LOVE to read what you're thinking, truly! It's inspiring me to sit down at my laptop so please keep it coming! Thank you for putting in the time!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!!!
A.M.L, Annie.
