Disclaimer: I am tired of writing these disclaimers when it is perfectly obvious that I don't anything recognisable.

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews.

Chapter 11: Confessional

The leaves and smoke cleared and there stood Rayya only she wasn't alone.

Buffy heard Tara gasp and a thump that sounded uncannily like someone hitting the floor. She looked at her best friend and sure enough, she was on the floor, gaping at the other end of the room. Buffy turned to look in the direction and came face to face with the witch and a grinning blond vampire. "Spike?" She gasped.

Dawn suddenly looked up; tears filled her eyes as she took in the dusty looking vampire. Before Buffy could stop her, she had stood up, ran over to him and slapped him forcefully across the face with a resounding smack.

His head snapped back slightly. He righted himself, touching his burning cheek. "Bloody hell! I nearly get sish kebabed by some demons and I get hit for it?!"

Dawn didn't wait to explain; she threw her arms around him and hugged him hard. It was difficult to tell which one hurt him more.

"But you blew up!" Willow insisted, having realised that she was still on the floor and sat back on the couch. "We saw you in there."

"I almost blew up." He choked out, Dawn was crushing his windpipe. "Just as it blew up, Rayya got me out of there. They got my TV didn't they?"

"Um Dawn." Tara said timidly. "You may want to let him go now."

Dawn reluctantly released him and stepped back. She suddenly noticed Rayya's presence and blushed muttering and apology. "Are you like his guardian angel?"

"Excuse me." Buffy said quietly from the couch. She stood up and walked out of the house, grabbing her coat as she went. Dawn didn't miss the tears that had filled her eyes and leaked over. She bit her bottom lip. Willow and Tara collectively shook their heads, signalling her not to say anything.

Rayya knew perfectly well what was wrong and she smiled secretively. "Spike, you have to home anymore, the crypt has gone and I do not think that it is safe for you to stay in the graveyard anymore."

"I'm not helpless you know!" He growled. "I can take care of myself."

"And I am telling you that you are staying here. Understood?!" Her eyes flashed and to add to it Dawn insisted the same thing. Willow and Tara smiled happily. Rayya nodded once, said goodbye and left in her usual cloud of smoke and leaves. Dawn left the room.

"Looks like me moving back in is not going to impress Buffy. It seemed that she was upset that I hadn't kicked it…for good this time." He sighed and took up Buffy's vacated seat.

"I believe that she's just a little overwhelmed at the moment." Tara informed. "We've all spent quite a few hours believing that you were a crisp pile of dust on the floor of your wrecked crypt." Willow added. She stood up and without warning, grabbed Spike – uncomfortably as he was still sitting – and hugged him. Tara followed suit as soon as Willow let go.

"Do you know how hard it is to deal with the belief that one of your friends is dead?" Willow asked, taking a place next to him.

"I'm a friend?" Spike asked dumfounded.

Tara grinned. "You've saved our lives enough times to put you into that category."

Dawn returned with a mug of blood. "From before you left. It was still in the fridge."

Spike grabbed it greedily. "I haven't had anything to eat since last night." He finished it. "Do you think we should leave Buffy alone out there? I could go and find her."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Spike, she's the Slayer. If anyone can handle themselves outside in the dead of night, it's her. She's done it plenty of times before."

He shrugged. "I don't care. I'm going to go and find her. Maybe I can find who tried to do me in while I'm at it."

"Do you have any clue as to who it might have been?" Dawn asked stubbornly.

Spike shook his head. "But if I kill enough of them, I might get them in the process."

"Maybe she needs to be alone right now." Tara persisted.

"And maybe she needs to talk." He stood up and left before they could impede him further.

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"Damn him!" Dawn cried vehemently.

"Dawn!" Willow reprimanded. "This may be a good thing. Buffy might finally open up to him."

"Yeah." Dawn rolled her eyes. "Coz Buffy really opens up to the opposite species. After dad, Buffy stopped trusting men completely."

"Spike's different." Tara insisted. "Besides, Buffy opens up to Xander."

"Buffy thinks of Xander as a fellow female." Dawn giggled. "Not because he looks like one, because they're so close. It's a lot like the relationship between Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, they think of her as a boy."

"Must you always refer to Harry Potter?" Willow asked exasperatedly.

"Hey!" Dawn cried. "Harry Potter rules! And besides, it was a credible reason. Sometimes I feel like our life is just like theirs."

"She has a point." Tara conceded. "Does anybody else want to watch a feel good movie?"

"Oh yeah." Willow sighed and Dawn nodded vehemently.

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Spike ambled down the street with his hands in his pockets. He wasn't all that confident anymore, now that he was out of the comfortable glow and friendly air of the Summer's household. He had a distinct feeling that they were holding something back.

He didn't have the first clue as to where to look for her. He didn't know if she was Slaying or just taking a stroll. She could be trying her best to avoid company.

Spike decided to try the 'Magic Box' first; she may have wanted to visit Giles.

As soon as he arrived, he knew that she wasn't there. Her scent was nowhere near and he could only hear Giles, Xander and Anya inside. He didn't even bother to go in, turning around; he headed in the opposite direction.

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"Do you think he'll find her?" Tara asked sceptically.

"Yes." Willow said confidently. "Vampires have this freaky ability to find humans by their scent. It's actually very gross."

Dawn giggled as she listened to both the conversation and the TV. She had a bag of popcorn and a large coke at her side. Something Buffy would never have let her do if she was there but due to the emotion that had suffused them for the last day, Tara and Willow thought it would be nice for her to enjoy herself. "Maybe she'll stop being childish now and tell him how she really feels. Unless she kills him for worrying her unnecessarily." She said anxiously.

"Come on." Tara said warmly. "Let's finish watching this movie."

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Spike was suddenly struck with such a strong scent of her. He hadn't realised where he was walking. He knew these streets so well that his legs just took themselves while he let his mind wander.

He finally gathered his bearings and took in his surroundings. He stood outside the cemetery where his crypt had once resided. He could now see the remains of it. He could also see Buffy sitting there among it. She looked desolate and fragile.

He walked slowly inside, hoping that she didn't hear him because she was most likely to attack, no matter how bleak she looked. He stopped behind her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to look at his hand and hissed. "Don't touch me."

Spike sighed and removed his hand. "Well will you at least talk to me?"

She stood up and turned to face him, the tears were very obvious. "What makes you think that you deserve it? I believed that you were dead. You let me believe it!"

"I thought that you didn't care about me." He retorted.

The slow tears erupted into full blown, gut wrenching sobs as she launched herself at him. He almost toppled over from the force of the collision. She clung onto him and he slowly and uncertainly wrapped his arms around her. "You left me! I thought you left me, just like everybody else." She pounded his chest forcefully as she said it, wanting to inflict physical pain to ease her emotional pain; just like last time.

"Hey, hey." He soothed grabbing hold of her hands. "I would never intentionally leave you. You know that." He pulled back so he could look at her distraught face.

"I treated you horribly." She continued, hurting herself. "I was a cow to you and then you didn't even know that I loved you before you died."

"You love me?" He asked. He didn't know if he believed her. His world was suddenly thrown off kilter. Willow and Tara had called him their friend and now Buffy was saying that she loved him. If he was in another dimension, he would like to stay here.

Buffy looked at him stunned. Processing what she had just said to him. "I just said that didn't I?"

Spike's hopes were suddenly dashed. Any minute now, she would take it back. Put it down to something that was said in the heat of the moment.

"Yes Spike. I love you." I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it.

"I love you too." He couldn't keep the grin off of his face. He reached up and wiped the tears from her face off. Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. They didn't know how long they stayed there like that but it suddenly dawned on Buffy that Dawn, Tara and Willow didn't know where. They wouldn't worry but it also wasn't polite to keep them guessing. "I guess that we have to get home."

"Oh right." He smiled sheepishly. "Rayya told me that I have to stay at your house again."

Buffy mock scowled. "I'm beginning to wonder who really has a say in that house; me or a witch who has no legal rights to it."

"Are you complaining?" He asked. "Because I could just go and live with Clem. It would serve him right after not realising that my crypt was bugged while in his care. It's his fault too you know."

"No." She smiled and kissed him again. "I guess I can put up with another house guest."

"But where will I sleep? My legs work now you know." He asked cockily.

Buffy shook her head. "Don't push your luck. You're back on that couch."

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Buffy and Spike re-entered the house twenty minutes later amidst an audience. Dawn, Willow and Tara were looking at the pair expectantly.

"Hmmm." Willow observed. "I thought that we wouldn't see then until just before dawn – not pun intended Dawn."

"Ha ha." Dawn said sarcastically. "Are they together?" Dawn whispered to Tara; not completely sure. Tara shrugged.

"Are you going to keep us waiting or do you just want us to burst with the anticipation?" Dawn yelled.

Buffy smiled cheekily and kissed Spike forcefully, amid whoops and screams of delight. They even came from Tara which was surprising.

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Ok, now I have a problem. Should this be the end or should I carry on? I just didn't know if I should end it or not so some input from you would help. Thanks.

Dina