Disclaimer: Do I own Buffy or Angel? No I don't, which is a shame...its such a good idea. xsighsx
Author: Flaire Delacour with Faith
Title: Love should set you free
Spoilers: Entropy and Seeing red.
Couples: Buffy/ spike obviously…a namedropping of Willow/Tara and Anya/Xander
Summary: This what I think should have happened after Entropy…please note this was wrote before I saw Seeing Red.

Buffy wiped the tears from her eyes, seeing Spike with Anya had hurt her a lot more than she'd thought it would.

She heard Dawn sneaking past her room and could see cigarette smoke spiralling in the wind outside her window, knowing he was there, waiting for her,and sighed.

She went to the window and saw Spike leaning against the back wall smoking, the cigarette smoke enveloping him as she watched him battling the decisions in his head.

She watched him and felt her heart aching in her chest, she'd never felt that before. Not even with Angel and that had been months ago. Maybe Spike was more different than Angel ever would be.

She bit her lip as more tears gathered her eyes. Just looking at him reminded her of the scene she saw on the computer screen, that seemed to haunt her and replay in front of her like a badly made movie.

Spike... on top of Anya...kissing her…

Buffy turned away from the window just as Dawn opened her door and walked in, probably ready for a fight that Buffy didn't have the strength to give that night.

"He wants to talk to you Buffy," said Dawn quietly as Buffy sat on her bed wiping the tears out her eyes with the back of her hands.

"I should stake him..." whispered Buffy trying not to sob, bitting her lip angrily.

"Hey, that's your slayer side talking. He told me himself he regrets what he did." said Dawn sitting down beside her sister and watching her sister's reaction to her statement.

"He has a funny way of showing it. What the hell was he thinking anyway?" sobbed Buffy unable to contain herself anymore as the tears finally broke free from her eyes and streamed down her alreadydampened cheeks.

Dawn hugged her sister and knew how hurt she was from the way she tried to hide the tears without much sucess.

"Just go talk to him. For me." said Dawn hugging her sister for strength and comfort at the same time.

"Fine I will. But go to bed. You've got school," said Buffy wiping her eyes as Dawn let go of her.

"OK. Night." smiled Dawn before she left her sister to make a decision herself.

Buffy took a deep breath to compose herself, so the Blonde vampire from hell wouldn't think he'd got to her,before going downstairs to the kitchen.

She opened the back door to see Spike staring wistfully into the sky as he smoked his cigarette, the smoke from the butt blowing out into the atmosphere.

She walked out the door and closed it behind her so no one would come out and also so that Dawn wouldn't be able to eavesdrop which she had a habit of doing recently.

She felt his eyes on her and looked at the floor as she hugged herself against the cold night's air, not wanting to make eye contact with him in case his gaze managed to weaken her.

"Hey Buffy." said Spike quietly throwing the small cigarette butt to the ground and stubbing it out with the toe of his boot.

"Spike." said Buffy leading him to the seats on the lawn, making sure he didn't touch her or even try to.

The two sat down and Buffy looked up at Spike that was watching her as he lit another cigarette auomatically.

"I'm sorry, I really am." said Spike putting the cigarette between his lips as he put the lighter back into the pocket of his duster.

"I'll bet. Sorry you got caught more like," said Buffy angrily, surprising herself that she'd let her anger come out so freely. She'd promised Dawn she was going to talk to him not yell abuse at him for sleeping with the love of Xander's life.

"Buffy you told me to move on and I did." sighed Spike taking the cigarette from between his lips and tipping the ash from the end of it on to the grass beside him.

"I didn't say 'Go shag my best friend's ex fiancée just for the sake of It.' what the hell were you thinking!" exclaimed Buffy, taking her arms from around herself and clenching her fists into tight white balls under the long sleeves of the sweater she was wearing.

"Buffy I was drunk OK! I do that when somat upsets me and Anya was just there." said Spike taking a drag from the cigarette and silently praying that she wouldn't wake the whole neighbourhood.

"I bet you wouldn't have done that to Willow or Tara." said Buffy rewrapping her arms around herself, her fists still clenched in anger and the tension of her arms creating pain up her arms.

"Buffy, Red and Glinda are a couple! Of course I wouldn't do that to them." said Spike watching the smoke from the end of the cigarette wave around in frotn of him.

Buffy shook her head angrily, knowing she wasn't getting through to him.

"Buffy, listen to me luv. I am deeply sorry for what I did. Really I am. But you can't change the past, you just have to work on the future, put the past behind you." said Spike lightly brushing the hair from her forehead away with his free hand.

"Its hard Spike. I just need some time to think." whispered Buffy avoiding his gaze as one of her fists unclenched and brushed thehair behind her ear.

"I understand luv. When you've got an answer let me know. Ya know where I live." smiled Spike weakly putting the still smoking cigarette to the ground which he stomped on to let out his anger and heartache.

He kissed her lightly on the forehead before getting up and disappearing into the darkness of the trees of her garden.

Buffy bit her lip staring into the sky, deep in thought as she tried to figure out if he was telling the truth or lying to her again like he had a habit of doing.

Fin!