Spike had a lot of evidence during that time in the alley that Buffy had regained her bearings. Most of them involved rapidly asked questions of escalating tone and volume.

She leaped back, as if singed on his flesh and only stared at him in disbelief. Then glanced to the sun and protectively tried to shield him from the rays. It was almost comical.

Only Buffy failed to grasp the cosmic joke. And that took away some of the humor.

Still more questions. What was he doing alive? Aren't you supposed to be dead? How did he come back? How long was he back?

It was on that question that Spike answered. One word. Months. And it gave him a bloody nose for his trouble, courtesy of Buffy's sharp fist.

"Ow! Dammit, Buffy! You can't do that anymore," he yelled. His hands shot up to his nose. Pinching his nostrils shut he tilted his head back, then forward, then back again, trying to remember how to stop the flow. Thankfully, the heavens decided to be merciful and allowed the rain to start up again, washing away the undignified blood.

Buffy rolled her eyes as she led Spike over to a step near the chain link fence. She used her sleeve to pinch his nose shut and cradled his head in her lap, softly petting his hair.

"Well, what do you expect me to do? I find out you've actually been alive for months. You suddenly turn human because of some prophecy Angel…and then you don't even tell me you're back. Is this some kind of relapse to when you were soulless or something?"

Spike shrugged off her coddling and strode into the rain. He hoped to whirl around and proclaim some brilliant romantic phrase to bring them crashing into each other's arms and lips. But when he did turn around, to his horror, all he could see was a blonde-topped blob. He squinted through the drops, but Buffy still remained blobbish.

"Oh, my bloody fucking Christ! I don't believe it. I'm human, all right. I've reverted back to sodding William. With my luck I'll start sounding all hoity-toity now and you'll bugger off!"

Buffy was about to question him further when Spike pulled out one of his cigs. She was about to tell him that might not be such a good idea. But the former vamp barreled on ahead, as usual.

He lit up and took a drag already feeling the nicotine work its calming magic. And then he followed it up with an undignified and violent bout of hacking up his newly reformed lungs.

Buffy only stared as suddenly the vampire she had always known and lusted for as the Big Bad, suddenly turned into Jerry Lewis.

"Bloody hell! What's next--?!" And that's when his nose began working. As a vampire he could control his need to take a scent when he wanted. But now his lungs actually worked. His lungs needed oxygen. And his lungs were willing to put up with whatever stench was out there to get it.

His nose, however, wasn't.

Spike recoiled and held his nose shut yet again.

"Oh, God. It smells absolutely horrid. God, the smog!"

Buffy just shook her head. What else could she do?

"You mean you just now discover how bad L.A. smells?"

Spike continued gesticulating and waving his arms. What Buffy's mom would define as "carrying on."

"Spike, the rain will wash away most of the smell," Buffy said patiently. "Come back and sit with me."

At Buffy's request, Spike finally stopped. And he stared at the Slayer.

"What's this? You want me to be close to you? That's a switch."

Buffy would always be grateful for the last moments with Spike, and how much they had overcome to get to where they had gotten. They did the damn near impossible. And they had done it together.

But as Buffy stared in silent pain form his remark for the first time in their long overdue reunion, Buffy had a feeling that it wasn't just the Shanshu she had to help Spike through.

"Of…of course, I want you close to me. Why would you think that?"

Spike scoffed and shook his head, raising his head to the pouring heavens. "Seemed to have everything all figured out, love. Had Angel's heart. Had the Immortal when Peaches let you down. Life got a lot better for you when you stayed out of ours. And vice versa, to be honest."

The words leaked out of Spike before he could stop it. And then to his horror (and relief) he found he didn't want to stop.

Buffy couldn't believe what she was hearing. And the fire that he had helped her regain began to glow, but it wasn't from love she was slowly realizing as her surprisingly long strides made evident.

"You think it's been easy for me? You think it was easy to leave you in that Hellmouth? I wanted knock your stubborn self unconscious and drag you out since the whole martyr bit you seemed to get a yen for worked out really well."

"I never wanted---!"

"And it doesn't matter anyway. You're back. Hopefully, here to stay."

"What's it matter to you?" he parried back.

"What do you mean?"

Spike began his predatory pacing that had so ingrained itself. It seemed Shanshu or no, there were some habits he would never break.

"I'm back. Yeah. And I find that instead of the life living in the light I died to give you, you're off demon-banging one of my most notorious enemies."

"You said it yourself. I need a little demon in my man. I get it now."

Spike couldn't even look at her.

But Buffy wouldn't give up.

"You taught me that. You showed me how little I really knew about my job. About me."

"I never intended you to fuck evil beings, love. I wanted you to have faith in me."

Buffy laughed shortly. "Did nothing I say in that basement sink in there? I said I believed in you."

Spiek whilred on her. "If you did, you'd realize what a God-given gift it was to love you. How rare and special it is. And instead you…you treat it like shit. You always treated it like shit. Off fucking an amoral demonic playboy that made Angel and me look like fools."

"Yes, so? He got the better of you two. It happens to anyone. Nothing to get worked up about!"

"That's not the point! We changed, Buffy! We fought the good fight, gained your respect, and we changed!"

Buffy brought her face up to Spike, staring daggers at him. "And don't think I've never been prouder to have loved two such men as you and Angel. And I shouldn't have to convince you of that."

But Spike could only shake his head. And as he spoke his words were clouded by the tears choking in his throat. "But that's just it, Buffy. You turned your back on him. What he stood for. You didn't trust him when he needed you most."

She shook her head in such bemused disbelief. "I never thought you'd ever be friends with him."

"Like I said. I've changed.." Spike only said. And then he brought her up to date.