Chapter14: Something Long Forgotten

It was the last day of Cordelia's business trip in Sunnydale and once again she had to travel to another continent. She spent her last night chatting with her cousin until dawn, even though she needed much sleep before her flight departed.

Buffy sauntered sluggishly, her feet idly kicked the white sand while her eyes wandered around the quite beach. The waves were dancing across the sea, but they died down every now and then. The sky was marred in copper red, signaling that the sun was about to set. Her mind drifted to her cousin's beautiful visage. God, she'd missed her already! Cordy was more than a cousin or good friend to her. She was more like Buffy's big sister; a person she always looked up to, a role model. Tears began welling behind her eyes as she grasped the fact that her house would be empty and cold without her cousin's rich laughter. Her mother would be busy for her business trips and she would end up being home alone again.

Sighing deeply, she wiped her eyes quickly as soon as she caught the sight of her three friends. They were sitting on a wooden rectangle-shaped table, their feet landing on the long bench that attached to it. Green bushes bordered the back of their spot within several feet apart. This was their sacred place where they would gather together, watching the sun slowly made its way to the west and letting the breeze play with their hair. She forced a smile as she approached them.

"Hey…" She announced her presence in a soft voice. Her friends greeted back and threw her their warm smiles. Willow, who was sitting between her boyfriend's thighs, sat straight but still let Xander's arms encircle her waist firmly.

"So, Cordy's really gone, huh?" She gave a sympathetic smile to her best friend, noticing the sadness washing over her façade.

"Yeah, she has. Her flight departed an hour ago." Buffy climbed up the bench and sat between Spike's thighs. She leaned against his hard chest as he wrapped his arms around her, resembling Willow's and Xander's positions.

"How are you doin', pet?" He whispered his question into her ear, sending shivers to her spine. She shifted her position to distract the new sensation that filled her.

"Sad, but I'll be okay. Although I miss her already…" She answered while her eyes fixed to the sea waves.

"I know, luv. But I'm sure you'll be fine."

Buffy smiled half-heartedly at his comforting words. She leaned further against his chest and placed her head on the crook of his neck. Her white tank top exposed her slender shoulder, pale and smooth. Spike stared at it intently, being drawn to the bare tender flesh. He was struggling over the urge to suck and nibble it. Taking a deep breath, he lowered his head but instead of sucking and nibbling it like he desperately wanted, he planted a feather-like kiss on her shoulder.

Buffy closed her eyes when she felt his soft lips brushed over her shoulder. Her stomach was doing flip-flop and she shuddered vaguely as another new commotion overwhelmed her. She inhaled sharply, trying to contain her excitement; only it got worse when his unique scent filled through her nostrils. Attempting to ignore the new feeling that started building inside her, she exhaled warily, causing him squeeze his eyes shut as her warm breath tickled his neck.

Willow and Xander raised their eyebrows and exchanged looks at the scene played before their eyes. Both of them wondered how Spike and Buffy maintained to be so calm and comfortable at that position, knowing that they weren't a couple. Little did they know, the blond couple was trying their hardest to restrain their sexual tensions.

The sky got darker as the sun was vanishing through the horizon. The four of them sat in a comfortable silence. It was really peaceful out there. No distraction, no vehicle noises and only a few people visited the beach. Buffy sighed in contentment when the cool air hit her face. Soon she found herself fall deeply into slumber. One hour elapsed rapidly.

"I think we better get out of here. The sky is already dark." Xander declared, pointing at the darkened sky.

"Guess so. Let's go home, pet!" Spike murmured through her tresses. Buffy only shifted her position, nuzzling further towards the crook of his neck.

"Hmm…." was the only respond he got.

"Looks like you've got a sleeping beauty there. Should I get water to wake her up? Adding a bucket of salt might help…" Xander offered, indicating the seawater, a sly grin plastered on his face. Willow elbowed her boyfriend on the ribs and glared sharply at him.

Spike chuckled before answering, "Nah…don't need to. Let 'er sleep, she probably hasn't caught a wink last night." Slowly Spike slipped from his seat and landed his boots on the ground while his arms steadily caught her back. Once he stood straight, he easily swept Buffy from the wooden table and turned his heels around, started heading towards the parking lot.

"Let's go." He called over his shoulder. The brunette and redhead immediately followed Spike's footsteps. After they arrived in front of Spike's DeSoto, Willow and Xander separated themselves from the blond couple, having their own way to their homes. Spike drove Buffy back to her house while she was still asleep in the rear seat.


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The house looked empty when Spike unlocked the front door with the key he found in Buffy's shorts pocket. He put a holder on the door to keep it open, then went back to his car to get Buffy. Slamming the rear door with his foot, he headed inside the house with Buffy in his arms, still sleeping soundly.

"Home sweet home, pet…" He whispered softly as he ascended the stair and purposely strolled over her bedroom. Buffy stirred slightly when Spike struggled to open her bedroom door with his hand, her body still attached in his arms. He sighed in relief once the door swung open. Very carefully, he laid her on the bed, puffed the pillow to make her head as comfy as he could. Next, he reached for her beach sandals, taking them off with care as to not disturb her nap. Just after he put the second half of the sandals on the beige carpet, Buffy was fully awake. She rubbed her eyelids with the sides of her index fingers and partly yawned.

"Spike…are we home already?" She propped onto her elbows, raising her upper body as she took in her surroundings.

"Yes, luv we are." He stalked around the bed, then slumped his body next to her, causing the bed to bounce a little.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry you had to carry me home, right to my bed." She apologized as soon as a realization of her being deep into siesta hit her.

"S'okay, pet. Didn't even break a sweat." He shrugged casually. Truth be told, he had troubles with getting the bedroom door rip open since his hands and arms were full of the petite body. He cursed himself for not having opened it before he fetched her from his car.

A long silent passed between them. Buffy was trying to remember what she needed to tell him…or maybe it was something she needed to give him.

"OH YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT!!" She exclaimed, slapping her forehead after the answer to her mental question popped into her mind. Spike jolted slightly at her outburst. Before he could ask what it was, Buffy crawled across his lap, headed for her nightstand. She crawled so low, her breasts brushed over his arm that was placed on his thigh. Spike gripped the bed headboard with the other hand as she sprawled her upper body on his lap with her busts crashed against his arm. The fact that her right one was accidentally cupped in his hand, made him clutch the board tighter. He swallowed hard, closed his eyes and took a gulp of air to resist the notion of squeezing the mound instinctively.

Buffy though didn't notice it. She was too busy exploring her drawer, trying to find something she wanted to give him. She stuck her hand further inside the drawer, pulled it back and examined whatever it was she caught. When the item was not the one she searched for, she discarded it then thrust her arm again. The movements of her hands shuffling the contents of the blue-painted timber furniture, made her breasts rub their heat to his palm back and forth in the process. He tightened his jaw at the teasing action she unwittingly did, trying to keep his loaded hand remain still until it felt numb.

"Wha-" He cleared his throat right away when his voice came as a squeak. He tried again, "What are you looking for, pet?" He needed to distract her from her activity…and distract himself from the affects she currently had on him. Thankfully, Buffy was now sitting up straight after she found what she was looking for.

"AHA!! Here it is…" She held a white envelope in the air triumphantly, satisfied look in finding it evident in her features. Spike let out a long breath, releasing the tension that had built up inside him.

"What is that?" He tilted his head, soon looking curiously at the envelope. He was about to reach for it with a shaky hand but quickly changed his mind, considering that she might ask the reason his hand was trembling.

"It's a letter from Cordy…" She answered, then handed it to him. "…for you."

Spike stared at it for a while, clenching and unclenching his fist as if to relax his hand. He finally took the letter from her and stared at it again, brushing his finger to a delicate handwriting that read his name - William Giles.

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Well, are you going to open it or not??" her voice screeched with impatience. She was curious herself as to the unusual way Cordy gave words to Spike. What could this be about? If Cordy wanted to say her goodbye, she could simply call him or drop by to his place. As far as Buffy knew, they rarely wrote to each other. Talking via phone would save time greatly since Cordy had a hectic agenda.

Spike was startled by Buffy's snap. He promptly torn the envelope off from one side and slid two fingers to pull a folded paper out. He chuckled once he read a brief message on it before he attempted to unfold it. Buffy drew her eyebrows together in a frown. "What are you chuckling 'bout?"

He looked up to her while pushing the letter back inside the envelope. "She said, 'Read this on your privacy.'" He chuckled again when she pouted, a smile already formed across his mouth.

"Fine. Keep all your secrets from me. It's not like I care." She grunted, making her way to descend her bed and collecting the abandoned items from the floor to be put back into her drawer. She was plainly annoyed at being out of loop. When there was Spike, there should be Buffy too. It was somewhat their unspoken promise to each other.

Spike heaved a sigh and shook his head briefly. "I'm just respecting her wish, luv. That's all I'm doing." He folded the envelope and shoved it into his duster pocket before climbing down the bed and helping her. He was sorting through the pictures when he stopped to a halt, drawing an unfamiliar picture out of the pile. It was an old black and white picture, a size of a tarot card. Since it was taken in a close distance, all that could be seen was an arm wrapping a curly fair-haired toddler around the shoulders. A half-inch width platinum bracelet with a string of small flowers and leafs engraved on it, hugged the wrist just right. Spike guessed the kid had golden locks like the person sitting next to him.

"I don't remember seeing this picture." He commented as he studied the portrait. Buffy leaned in to peek at it. Her eyebrows joined in a crease while she tried to remember when and where the old photo was taken. Her recent irritation was soon forgotten.

"I think it was taken when Mom was about 5 years old." She pointed at the arm, "That's Grandma's arm. Isn't the bracelet beautiful?" Spike only nodded. Buffy sighed, slumping her shoulders as mixed expressions played across her façade. He tilted his head when he noticed her reaction.

"Buffy, what's wrong?" She didn't answered immediately. Her eyes fell to the bedroom carpet as she gathered the memory when she and her mother just moved to Sunnydale. Sucking air in intensely, she began telling the tale she had not recalled for a long time.

"Remember when my mom got divorced, I was only 4 years old. Then we moved here and lived in a small apartment. My mom started working in various places but her income was always a little tight for the rent and the bills." She took a deep breath again. Her features were marred with sadness. Spike listened intently, waiting patiently for her to continue.

"Our condition got worse when I fell sick…malaria…" She uttered the last word in a whisper, her head hung lowly. He lifted one forefinger under her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. Her hazel orbs glistened with tears. For a full minute, their eyes locked. Spike's blue ones gave an assurance that it was okay to free all the emotions she'd been holding back. Buffy looked away as she resumed her story.

"The medications were quite expensive and to make matter worse, the rent was a couple of months overdue. She tried to get a loan everywhere but couldn't. A-and you know my grandparents died before I was born. Cordy's family was living in Europe and my mom didn't know how to contact them for help." Her gloomy expression transformed into anger in a flash. "And the person I 'supposedly' call 'father'…" She accentuated the words supposedly and father with hatred. Her voice raised one level per word as she said the next line. "…He didn't give a damn about us! He never called, he never visited or even wrote. He-" Buffy paused for a while, attempting to control her fury. 'Better move on with the story', she thought.

Discussing about her biological father would only bring back the pain she buried ever since she closed her heart from him. She remembered when she was a kid, she used to ask where her father was every chance she got. Her mother always lost in words, not knowing what to say to her. He no longer owned their house in Los Angeles and he quitted his job. He just vanished without a trace.

Buffy envied her friends whenever they talked about the time they spent with both of their parents…or the birthday presents their dads gave them. She even envied her friends when they ranted about the fight they had with their fathers and how their fathers made them go to their rooms. All the time she felt she was the odd one out…until she met Spike. The person who she could share her pain of missing a parent.

Spike laid a hand on her palm and squeezed it lightly. She looked up to him and gave a squeeze back. She sighed. "Anyway, my mom sold all the valuable things she had…y'know like jewelry and such. Except the bracelet in that picture." Buffy pointed at the portrait Spike found. "She said that she inherited it from my grandma when she got married. It was so precious to her. But then…we were still short out of money. So, she reluctantly sold it as well." In her mind, she still could see clearly the way her mom stared at the picture longingly. She could sense the older Summers was stabbed with regrets and failure of not being able to pass the tradition on.

Buffy stared blankly at the wall when she continued. "She worked very hard to claim the bracelet back, but it was too late. The bracelet was already gone…" She held her head down while she twisted the hem of her top unconsciously. She just realized it might be the reason - besides her being very sick - that her mother kept working really hard even though the bracelet was long absent.

As if reading her mind, Spike finally spoke, bringing her chin up again with his finger. "It's not your fault." His eyes sent warmth and soothe through her. She only smiled lackadaisically.

"I know. But it's-"

"Shh…No buts. None of that, 'kay…" Spike cut her off with a finger planted on her lips. He then cupped her face, stroked her cheeks lightly with his thumbs and gave her an affectionate smile. She nodded meekly and flashed him a smile again.

"That's my girl." He kissed her forehead as she closed her eyes, sighing in appease. "Now, what do you say we make a coupla hot cocoa with those tiny marshmallows?" He winked at her, a trademark smirk creeping over his handsome features. Without waiting for her respond, he stood up and pulled her on her feet. "Come on, luv!" He dragged her out of the room, deciding to clean the mess up later. Buffy trailed closely behind him, glancing back at the old photo before she disappeared into the hall.

to be continued

(A/N: Thank you for all the reviews. You guys are awesome. =D )