Chapter 2 – Explanation

"I'm sorry"

Spike wondered why she was apologising, what had she done wrong? He realised that she was apologising for what she was about to do, run away again. They were still standing very close to each other, both immobile, but after she finished her words she turned and fled out the door, into the sun where he couldn't chase after her. He stayed standing where he was, watching the door she had just disappeared out of. The stillness didn't last for long though, as the Watcher stepped forward and Spike could see that he was going to give him a piece of his mind.

"Spike, care to tell me what just happened?" Spike took a deep breath, he didn't need this right now. "Don't you have eyes Watcher?"

"I saw what happened, but I want you to explain it to me." His tone was hard and Spike could see he really didn't care for his usually annoying and witty response. Spike just gritted his teeth, thinking about how he could answer, he couldn't tell them the truth, Buffy wouldn't like that but they were bound to figure out there was something different between him and Buffy with what they had just witnessed.

"I was just trying to help. Buf- " He cut himself off, thinking he should re-word the next bit. "The Slayer was going through a hard time and I was just trying to help her."

"She doesn't need you." Giles was now glaring.

Spike let out a soft snort "Yeah" he paused and looked around the whole room, ready to give them all a piece of his mind. "What she needs is little comfort from her friends, but I didn't see any of you stepping forward just now. Do you all know that she's been miserable since she's been back and she was just too afraid of telling you she was in heaven all this time because he didn't want to hurt your feelings, didn't want to make you feel guilty for bringing her back? No, of course you don't, you have no idea what she's going through."

Spike was almost shouting now, but he didn't care anymore, didn't care what they thought. Giles cut him off. "That's enough!"

"Oh no, I'm just getting started. None of you could see what was happening because you were all too wrapped up in your own little worlds that when the person who's always been there for you was in trouble you didn't even notice."

"Of course we did!" Giles practically yelled at him.

"Oh, so that's why you're leaving is it?"  That silenced Giles, but only for a short while.

"I'm leaving because she needs to stand on her own two feet; she has to understand that she can't always fall back on me. She has got to learn to live in the real world and she can only do that on her own."

"Bugger that! Don't you think she's had enough of people leaving for her own good?"

"Look Spike this isn't about me."

"It's not about me either, it's about Buffy. Now is this interrogation over, or do you want to tie me to a chair again?" Giles didn't answer, instead just took off his glasses and began to clean them. Dawn was stood in the corner, looking quite upset, as was Willow. Tara and Anya both had pensive looks on their face and Xander who was stood by Willow placed a hand on her shoulder as he could see she was taking this hard. At the lack of any response from the gang Spike turned and walked to the back of the shop and out the door to the sewer entrance so that he could get back to his crypt.

As they all looked round at each, Anya was thinking that she had to say something, it had been silent way too long and she was always the one to say the blunt truth, which was what she thought everyone needed to hear right now.

"I think Spike was right." She said with her usual smile, but still very serious.

"What?" said Xander.

"Well come on it's true, none of us noticed how depressed she really was, I mean we all just thought she was adjusting from being in Hell right, and even now we know the truth it's not helping her it's just making us feel sorry for ourselves." At that last comment Willow glared at Anya, as it was mainly directed at her. Willow also wondered why her spell had not been successful, she had looked at the crystal and it had turned black so why wasn't it working.

"Yeah, I guess you're right An" Anya face lit up "You do?"

"Yeah, I mean I'm still psyched about my video club idea, what I mean is I think we all need to be a bit more considerate and think about how other people are feeling for a change."

"I agree." Said Tara quietly

"Yeah" murmured Dawn very faintly. She still looked quite distraught after what had happened and was trying not to let tears fall from her eyes. Everyone was looking at her now because it was the first sound she had uttered in a while. "Um…I also agree."

"Well great! Now that we all agree it's all going to be fine isn't it?" Willow sarcasm was evident.

"Willow, please." Giles gave a warning look to Willow, silently asking her to be quiet. He was worried about her; she hadn't been acting like herself for a while, since he had come back from England and now things were getting worse, this wasn't the Willow he used to know. "Look, I want to know that everyone is going to be alright when I'm gone and I'm still going to be leaving tonight so you should all take Xander's advise."

"They should?" Xander said looking very proud.

"Yes, I still believe Buffy can live without my help, but she is still going to need her friends and your support to get back to normal."

TBC…

Authors note: Hope everyone liked that, don't worry, there will be spuffy in the next chapter, although I don't think I'll get it out as quickly as this one, I'm going to try for one a week if everyone can handle that!