DISCLAIMER IS ON FIRST PAGE
A/N: Disregard the note on first page, I decided like 2 seconds ago to incorporate this directly after Girl in Question with this chapter.
Birthday Girl "Tough Hearts"
"We need to talk," Spike said softly as tears welled up in her reddened eyes. Buffy stood frozen, then nodded. He glanced over her shoulder at Angel, who gritted his teeth at him in silence. Spike let out a small chuckle, knowing exactly what he was thinking. He put his hand on the girl's shoulder and led her out of the office. In the lobby, Dawn stood waiting for them at the reception desk.
"Just give us a minute, Little Bit," Spike whispered as he ushered Buffy towards a vacant office. Once inside, they took seats opposite each other, but could not bring themselves to look at one another. They sat in silence for several moments until Buffy finally broke the silence.
"How long have you..." she softly trailed.
"Awhile now. Lost track of days, really," he answered stoically.
"Why didn't you call?"
"And say what? I'm not a big pile of heroic dust any more?"
Buffy sniffled. He was right. She knew that this could not be easy for him. Lord knows it wasn't easy for her. Thoughts began to swirl her head and she finally gave in and broke down. Spike rushed to her, crouched down in front of her and took the sobbing girl in his arms.
"Hey, hey, shh," he said gently. "It's alright, I'm here."
She looked up into his deep blue eyes. He was different than she remembered. There were no burns, no scars. He was completely unscathed, completely perfect. At that moment, she realized that she couldn't remember what it was like before she had seen those eyes. Knowing that, she slapped him.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"For not believing me," she whispered shakily. Her bottom lip quivered as she took in a staggered breath. A burning revelation surged through Spike. He brushed his thumb across her lips, then drew her into a passionate kiss.
It was unlike any other kiss they had ever shared. It was pure and true, almost like they had never kissed before. For a fraction of a second, they could faintly hear the swell of the rising music. As they gently pulled away from each other, another tear streamed down Buffy's cheek.
"I'm here," Spike reassured her. "I'm not leaving you for a second."
Buffy looked down at her hands. As much as she wanted to be with him from that moment on, she knew that there was a bigger plan for the vampire.
"It's not our time yet," she said sadly as she brought her gaze back up to meet his.
"This isn't about the Immortal is it?"
"No," she replied. "That, with him, wasn't love. It was fleeting."
"Then what-"She cut him off by pressing her finger against his lips to shush him.
"I have to go back... to Italy. We'll be together when the time's right."
"Just when I thought I had you, Summers, you up and leave again," he remarked, grief stinging his voice. "Any way I can talk you out-"
She interrupted him again by pulling him into another gentle kiss. As she broke her lips away from his, she rested against him, forehead to forehead, and sniffled as she looked into his eyes.
"We're not Ross and Rachel, and I'm not getting off the plane," she whispered, tears streaking down her cheeks like raindrops on a windshield. He gave a timid chuckle. He remembered how she always patrolled an hour later on Thursday so as to catch her favorite program. She blinked, and then found not heartache, but understanding in his gaze.
"I know," he said gently, a few tears falling down his face now, "I get it. Don't necessarily mean I like it, but you have to."
Buffy smiled weakly and kissed his cheeks where the tears had fallen. She leaned to the side and grabbed her bag, from which she extracted the neatly folded red shirt.
"I found this, thought you might want it back," she said thoughtfully as she tried to hand it to him. However, he pushed it back towards her.
"Keep it," he said shakily "I'll be back for it one day."
"Spike, I can't. It's your favorite."
"Consider it a Birthday present," he replied as he embraced her one last time and gave her one last tearful kiss.
A/N: Disregard the note on first page, I decided like 2 seconds ago to incorporate this directly after Girl in Question with this chapter.
Birthday Girl "Tough Hearts"
"We need to talk," Spike said softly as tears welled up in her reddened eyes. Buffy stood frozen, then nodded. He glanced over her shoulder at Angel, who gritted his teeth at him in silence. Spike let out a small chuckle, knowing exactly what he was thinking. He put his hand on the girl's shoulder and led her out of the office. In the lobby, Dawn stood waiting for them at the reception desk.
"Just give us a minute, Little Bit," Spike whispered as he ushered Buffy towards a vacant office. Once inside, they took seats opposite each other, but could not bring themselves to look at one another. They sat in silence for several moments until Buffy finally broke the silence.
"How long have you..." she softly trailed.
"Awhile now. Lost track of days, really," he answered stoically.
"Why didn't you call?"
"And say what? I'm not a big pile of heroic dust any more?"
Buffy sniffled. He was right. She knew that this could not be easy for him. Lord knows it wasn't easy for her. Thoughts began to swirl her head and she finally gave in and broke down. Spike rushed to her, crouched down in front of her and took the sobbing girl in his arms.
"Hey, hey, shh," he said gently. "It's alright, I'm here."
She looked up into his deep blue eyes. He was different than she remembered. There were no burns, no scars. He was completely unscathed, completely perfect. At that moment, she realized that she couldn't remember what it was like before she had seen those eyes. Knowing that, she slapped him.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"For not believing me," she whispered shakily. Her bottom lip quivered as she took in a staggered breath. A burning revelation surged through Spike. He brushed his thumb across her lips, then drew her into a passionate kiss.
It was unlike any other kiss they had ever shared. It was pure and true, almost like they had never kissed before. For a fraction of a second, they could faintly hear the swell of the rising music. As they gently pulled away from each other, another tear streamed down Buffy's cheek.
"I'm here," Spike reassured her. "I'm not leaving you for a second."
Buffy looked down at her hands. As much as she wanted to be with him from that moment on, she knew that there was a bigger plan for the vampire.
"It's not our time yet," she said sadly as she brought her gaze back up to meet his.
"This isn't about the Immortal is it?"
"No," she replied. "That, with him, wasn't love. It was fleeting."
"Then what-"She cut him off by pressing her finger against his lips to shush him.
"I have to go back... to Italy. We'll be together when the time's right."
"Just when I thought I had you, Summers, you up and leave again," he remarked, grief stinging his voice. "Any way I can talk you out-"
She interrupted him again by pulling him into another gentle kiss. As she broke her lips away from his, she rested against him, forehead to forehead, and sniffled as she looked into his eyes.
"We're not Ross and Rachel, and I'm not getting off the plane," she whispered, tears streaking down her cheeks like raindrops on a windshield. He gave a timid chuckle. He remembered how she always patrolled an hour later on Thursday so as to catch her favorite program. She blinked, and then found not heartache, but understanding in his gaze.
"I know," he said gently, a few tears falling down his face now, "I get it. Don't necessarily mean I like it, but you have to."
Buffy smiled weakly and kissed his cheeks where the tears had fallen. She leaned to the side and grabbed her bag, from which she extracted the neatly folded red shirt.
"I found this, thought you might want it back," she said thoughtfully as she tried to hand it to him. However, he pushed it back towards her.
"Keep it," he said shakily "I'll be back for it one day."
"Spike, I can't. It's your favorite."
"Consider it a Birthday present," he replied as he embraced her one last time and gave her one last tearful kiss.