THE END IS ONLY THE BEGINNING
Disclosure: I don't own any of the characters except for the ones that I created.
CHAPTER 7-NEAR MISSES AND FINALLY SUDSY BLISS
It was almost an hour after Spike and Molly had left before Buffy was able to get a word in edgewise. Her heart had nearly broken when the two had left the room but if her shaky memory of this day was right it was for the best that Spike wasn't in the library for very long. Joyce had left shortly after Giles had explained to her that the woman standing in front of her did seem to be Buffy, but he couldn't give her any answers as to the how or why. For a bit Buffy expected her mother to not be able to handle all that Giles was trying to tell her, but as the elder Summers left the library she made sure to ask Buffy to come by the house to talk sometime, sooner rather than later. After that Giles had rambled off one question after another and Buffy had tried her best to answer them, being careful to keep back certain secrets. From the look in his eye Buffy could tell that Giles knew that she wasn't telling him everything but at present he didn't want to pressure her. Giles was just about to ask another in a long series of questions when Buffy glanced at the clock and bolted out of her chair, dashing for the stairs.
"What...what's wrong…," Giles stumbled out with a shocked look on his face as he turned around in his chair.
"I can't tell you right now…just don't tell him that I'm here…or Spike or Molly…," Buffy shouted back in a nervous answer as she ducked behind the bookcase and hoped that Giles wouldn't follow her and that her memory of this night was correct.
"I thought that he said his name was…Angel…what," Giles started to say with a very confused frown on his face as he stood up before Angel burst into the library looking panic-stricken.
"Where's Buffy…," Angel asked with a very nervous frown on his face as he shifted his weight slowly from one foot to the other.
"She left just a little bit ago with Xander and Willow, is there something wrong," Giles asked with a worried look on his face as Angel slowly looked around the library.
"I hope not…," Angel replied with a solemn tone to his voice before he turned on his heel and rushed out of the library. A few seconds later Buffy came out of her hiding spot and sat down on the steps.
"May I ask why the sudden disappearance…," Giles asked with a concerned and confused look on his face as he turned around to face Buffy.
"I couldn't let him see me…I don't know if I would have been able to convince him that I'm not the Buffy that he knew…and I sent Molly and Spike away because I didn't want to have to explain Molly and I didn't want Angel killing my boyfriend…," Buffy answered with a nervous and almost breathless frown on her face as she hung her head and ran her hands through her hair.
* * * * * *
Robin slept for a short time before he managed to painfully make his way back down to the lobby, hoping to catch Willow or Giles there and ask them some questions that he had been wanting answered. Instead he found a nervous Fred and Lorne trying to calm down a few skittish new slayers as well as keep some of the more adventurous ones from venturing out. He had to admit still that the sight of the green skin and the two red horns unnerved him a bit. Being around first Spike and then his little time with Angel had been bad enough, but at least the two were vampires and could hide their demon sides. Lorne on the other hand was a very visible demon and seemed to relish in that fact. He thought about going back up to his room and getting some more sleep but his thirst for answers drove him to sit down on the circular couch beside Fred.
"Excuse me…we haven't been formerly introduced have we, my name is Robin Wood," Robin said with as gentle and kind of a smile as he could muster as Fred turned his way and smiled.
"I'm Fred…well actually my name's Winifred Burkle, but everyone has always called me Fred…and this is Lorne…nice to meet you," Fred said with her usual trademark childish smile as she shook Robin's hand before she went back to the ancient tome that she had opened across her lap.
"I apologize if this is to forward but you look like you've got a lot on your mind, anything that we can help you with," Lorne asked with a sincere look on his face before he took a sip of his drink.
"Hopefully…this might sound a little strange but…what do you know about Wesley," Robin asked with a nervous frown on his face as he tightened his watch on his wrist. Fred brows furrowed in confusion for a bit before Lorne interrupted her with his question.
"There something specific that you want to know or do you want the entire story on Mr. Wyndam Pryce," Lorne asked with a slightly nervous look on his face as he used his finger to stir his drink a little further.
"I just…I don't know…it's just that Faith seems to act like she owes him a debt that she'll never be able to pay…or that something happened between them that she doesn't like to talk about…," Robin replied with a very nervous shuffle of his feet as Vi and Andrew turned from their conversation to look on.
"Well when we took Angel's soul away and turned him back into Angelus to help us battle the Beast…then Angelus escaped and we were at our wits end at how to recapture Angelus, then Wesley gets an idea and came back a few hours later with Faith in tow, saying that she was going to help us get him back," Fred explained with a small stutter to her voice as she seemed to Andrew to shrink back a bit into the couch.
"I don't think that's it…it must have been something sooner, has Wesley or Angel ever talked about their pasts…where Faith is concerned I mean…," Robin asked through a slight wince of pain as he shifted in his seat to quickly.
"Sorry but those two have always been pretty tight lipped about their pasts…especially where Faith is concerned…at least with Wesley…when I read him his feelings towards Faith ran the gambit…," Lorne answered with a concerned look on his face before he took another drink and leaned back.
"Well he was her watcher right…so maybe Giles would know something more than us…," Vi said with an optimistic look on her face as she scrunched up her nose before Giles walked back into the lobby, holding several dusty old books under his arm and a steaming hot cup of tea in the other. By the looks on their assembled faces Giles knew that there was no getting out of the inquisition that was to come, so he reluctantly sat down in a chair that Andrew quickly vacated and prepared for the onslaught that was to come.
* * * * * *
Angel ignored the speed limit on his way back to the Hyperion. Gunn sat in the passenger seat desperately trying to get Angel's cell phone to work. Wesley sat in the back, scouring his brain through the haze of pain for any clues as to how Cordelia could possibly be back and who the blond woman beside her was, with a nervous and tense Faith sitting beside him, looking on with a very worried look on her face. For the most part the quartet passed the time without words, except for a few times that Wesley started to point out to Angel about an oncoming vehicle but Angel would just veer around it with ease and Wesley would leave his alert unfinished. Faith thought several times of asking what was wrong with Cordelia but the way that Angel and Wesley acted upon seeing the picture of her gave Faith a nervous pang of worry in the pit of her stomach.
"Damn…I can't get this stupid thing to work…do you hit enter or send first…," Gunn growled with an annoyed and angry scowl on his face as he started to push every single button that the cell phone possessed.
"Here give it to me," Angel said with a frustrated scowl on his face as he took the phone from Gunn and started to punch in some numbers. As he continued to drive through the city Angel tried a few more numbers before abruptly throwing the cell phone away as he rounded a corner with only, "What…stupid thing never worked right anyway," as a response to the blank stares that he received.
"Okay so who's going to be the one to fill me in on why the sudden shock at seeing Cordelia…I mean…," Faith started to ask with a confused look on her face before Wesley cleared his throat loudly and then leaned in close to Faith before answering.
"After you left we discovered that there was a demon inhabiting Cordelia's body, upon that demon's defeat it left Cordelia in an unresponsive coma, much like you were a few years ago," Wesley whispered softly into Faith's ear as Angel silently cursed his enhanced hearing for having to be reminded of how they had all come to this point.
"Then how'd she…," Faith whispered back with a confused look on her face and an arm propped up on Wesley's shoulder before Angel interrupted solemnly.
"That's what we're going to find out…," Angel interjected with a very stern frown on his face as he turned the last corner and headed towards the Hyperion.
* * * * * *
After Angel had left Giles had changed his questions from those of trying to find out who this woman, along with her two friends, was exactly to their accommodations. Buffy had tried to tell him politely that they'd find someplace to stay and that they had plenty of money to get a room, or two as an inner voice of Buffy's screamed. Despite her best efforts Giles had given her all of the money that he had in his wallet, saying that he couldn't explain why but that he just felt that he should give her the money. When she was shocked at the amount Giles told her that he had just cashed his paycheck and wouldn't take no for an answer, as he wanted to find a way to keep the perplexing trio around at least until he figured out a few more things about them. As she left Buffy only asked Giles that he make sure that no one outside of her mother and the Scooby gang knew of the strange events of the night. When he asked her how she would find her two friends she only smiled and gave out in reply as she left, "If Spi…William stays true to form then I think I know where he'll be…."
* * * * * *
"Why did you tell me that story about you and Dru killing the homeless man on that park bench…it wasn't very nice," Molly asked with a slightly scared and confused look on her face as she and Spike walked along the sidewalk. He had walked down this sidewalk what felt like a million times before, but somehow walking down this street during the day made him feel as if he were seeing the whole world through new eyes.
"A little to much for ya pet…to gory…," Spike asked at first with a smug smirk on his face before he thought about what he was saying and had to draw his smirk back into a puzzled look.
"No…it's just that I would have thought that you would have told me about…other memories of Sunnydale…ones that didn't involve someone being killed," Molly gulped in response as a familiar house came into view.
"Well for most of the time that I've spent here in good ole Sunnydale all I was about was killing…kill the slayer…her friends…and anyone else that got in my way…," Spike replied with a serious frown on his face as he felt the sudden overwhelming urge for a cigarette.
"So what made you change…become good…and stop all of the killing, was it the…," Molly asked with a tired look on her face as she and Spike walked down the driveway towards the backyard of that very familiar house.
"The chip…yeah that started it, guess that you could say that I have ole Captain Cardboard to thank for that…if those Initiative goons hadn't put that chip in my head then I never would have been able to get to know Buffy and the others, and I would have missed out on the greatest woman that I've ever known…," Spike said with at first a sly smirk on his face before his short speech ended with him leaning up against his familiar tree in the back yard with a worried and sad frown on his face.
"I hope you mean me…," Buffy exclaimed with a spunky smile on her face as she rounded the corner out of the neighbor's yard, a couple of shopping bags in her hands, and cocked her head to one side as Spike stood up from the tree, grinning in his usual way. It was the very same smile that Buffy loved.
"All done playing twenty questions with Rupert luv…," Spike asked with a tone to his voice and look in his eye that Buffy knew, along with his posture, that he was teasing her.
"For now…but…whew…you need to take a shower Spike…you stink worse than…," Buffy started to say as she walked up to Spike before she backed up and scrunched up her nose. Spike looked to Molly for confirmation or a disagreement and was greeted by a slightly squeamish nod.
"Okay I get it…but where am I supposed to take this said shower, last I checked we weren't exactly that well off…and the bags…," Spike exclaimed with a slightly overwhelmed look on his face as he threw his hands up in mock defense before both Buffy and Molly broke into a short fit of laughter.
"What's in the bags is for after your shower…as for where…I think I have an idea…," Buffy replied with an overly happy smile on her face as she slowly began to rock forwards and backwards on the heels of her feet. A few minutes later, and a quick talk with Joyce and Spike was standing in the infamous bathroom, staring at his reflection in the mirror while Buffy and Molly were downstairs, with Buffy trying to not let the feelings of loss towards her mother overwhelm her. Molly picked up on Buffy's fears and set about asking Joyce about every little aspect of the house and her life, giving a sly wink back to Buffy as she followed Joyce out of the living room.
After the two had left Buffy slowly rose to her feet before she began to walk around the room, taking in how everything was exactly in the place that she remembered. Her heart ached at the thought that in a few years all that she saw around her would be reduced to rubble. A pang tore at her heart to take some small reminder of all of the happy times that she, Dawn, and her mother had experienced in the house and leave. But she fought back against that pang and instead sat down on the couch and stared out the window, wondering what her next move should be. Her heartstrings were practically shouting one suggestion at her while her nerves and fears kept her seated in her place, allowing a small tear to skip down her cheek and form a possible future water mark on the couch cushion.
Upstairs in the bathroom Spike slowly took the time to check out every single aspect of his reflection, taking in with an unhappy frown on his face the fact that he was still caked with dried blood and that he looked a little thinner than he had expected. He lightly traced over the scar through his left eyebrow with his index finger before he turned his gaze to his hair. He had been asked once how as a vampire he had ever been able to keep his hair in any recognizable shape. He had answered the question by saying only one word, practice. He patted his cheeks in an attempt to bring some more color to a face that had seen so little of it in a good century and a half. Next came the myriad of small scars that were located all over his body, and finally with the aid of a mirror he was able to get a good look at a few. He finally closely inspected his now normal teeth and tried his best to morph into his game face but was pleased when he couldn't. He hadn't expected to be able to morph into his game face but in Sunnydale he knew that someone could take very little, if anything, for granted. With a final sigh and shrug of his shoulders he stepped into the shower and turned the water on, relishing in the new set of feelings that the warm water brought forth.
He set about ridding himself of all vestiges of the blood from the pool that he had risen from during his first moments back amongst the living, forming a shallow pool of bloody water at his feet. After that he pressed his face into the stream of water, humming a favorite song out loud as he did so. In fact he hummed so loud that he didn't realize that he was no longer alone in the bathroom until he felt a light hand on his arm. Spike nearly had a heart attack as he spun around in the shower and tried his best to clear his vision with one hand while grabbing the shower curtain to cover himself with the other. When his vision cleared enough he thought that the image that presented itself was a dream. Because there standing mere two feet away was the love of his life, slowly slipping out of her clothes.
"Uh Buffy luv…what are you…," Spike mumbled through with a nervous tone to his voice as his heart began to pound in his chest.
"What I should have done a long time ago…set aside my fears and followed my heart, no matter the consequences…," Buffy replied softly with a kind and also slightly nervous smile on her face as she pulled her shirt over her head and slid out of her bra. Before Spike could protest Buffy was out of the rest of her clothes and standing directly in front of him in the shower.
"But…are you sure that we…your mother…and the Bit," Spike stammered out nervously as he struggled to keep his composure, a large part of him scared to dream.
"Molly's making my mom give her a guided tour of casa de Summers…and don't worry I locked the door…hey I lived her long enough to know how to unlock the bathroom door from the outside if I had to," Buffy answered almost in a whisper as the faintest traces of a happy smile skirted across her face while she lifted her left hand up towards Spike's face. He met her left hand with his right halfway up and the two stared in silent respect of the act for a few seconds before turning their gazes back towards each other, his deep blue eyes back to her sparkling green. "This is what you want…right…," Buffy started to ask with a very worried look on her face and puppy dog eyes before Spike reached up and caressed her cheek softly with his off hand, eliciting a smile of relief from Buffy and a few tears from both to find their way out.
"Of course luv…of course…it's just that…," Spike started to whisper back softly before Buffy leaned in and kissed him softly at first before deepening the kiss, causing the rest of Spike's words to be lost in the steam and spray.
END OF CHAPTER 7