Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except for James. If I did own the shows I wouldn't be writing Fan Fiction about it.

Chapter Sixteen

The Talk

Buffy knocked softly on Dawn's door.

"Come in," Buffy heard Dawn say.

It was now or never. Buffy opened the door and peeked her head in.

"Can we talk for a moment Dawn?" Buffy asked, unsure whether or not he sister wanted to talk.

"If you're going to yell at me for the party. You can save it."

"That's not what I'm here to talk about," Buffy said.

"Fine. Then come in."

Buffy came into the room all the way and stood in front of her unsure of what to do now. There was a long uncomfortable silence. Neither Buffy nor Dawn knew what to say. Dawn cleared her throat and Buffy took it as a sign maybe she should be the one to start.

"Look Dawn, I know you're angry with me because… well you know. But I had a very good reason," Buffy began.

"What's that?" Dawn asked sarcastically.

Buffy didn't hold it against her though. She had a right to be mad.

"And you have a right to be mad," Buffy went on.

"I do," Dawn said dryly.

"I just wanted to tell the reason that I didn't tell you I was back."

Buffy waited to see if Dawn would say anything, but she didn't so Buffy went on.

"What the others told you isn't the truth. It's what I told them so they wouldn't know the real reason. I never told them where I went when I died. They think I was in hell. They've been searching for a way to bring me out of hell since I died. But I wasn't in hell. I think I was in… it was… heaven."

Dawn gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Buffy didn't notice since she was staring at her shoes.

"When I came back I was in a bad place. I thought that this was hell. I didn't feel anything. I didn't want you to know I was back because I wanted to pull myself together before I went to see you because I was a wreck. The only other person who knew where I was when I died is Spike. He helped me get myself together. By the time I did the first was here and I had waited so long to call you I thought you would have moved on by then. But I was wrong. And don't blame Spike. He tried to tell me you were miserable. It's just I had so many problems that I couldn't see yours at the time. I'm truly sorry."

Tears cascaded down both Buffy and Dawn's face. Dawn did something that surprised Buffy. She got up and hugged her. Buffy returned the hug when she got over the shock. Both were thinking that the other didn't hate them and they were foolish for thinking that. Buffy and Dawn were both relieved that the air was clear between them. Buffy knew she had another problem to deal with.

X
X
X
X
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Spike came down the stairs and found Buffy sitting on his cot with a guitar in hand.

"What's with the guitar love?" Spike asked.

"Just listen. Ok?"

"Sure pet."

Buffy sang:

I like when you whisper softly
Things only I should hear
That lead me on

I like the way you smile at me
And make me feel like nothig'
Can go wrong (nothing can go wrong)

Tell me this will last forever,
Don't you ever leave...

I don't wanna be without u,
dream without u-
walk without u,
talk without u baby...

I'll never take a chance without u,
Dance without u,
Nothing is the same without U, baby...

I could never be without u,
Heal without u -
Begin without u,
End without u...

Baby I'm in need,
I can't breathe,
No I don't wanna be...
Without U

I love when your eyes wash over me
With a look only I can tell
What's on your mind...(no no no)

I love the way that you find me
Whenever I've lost my way,
Your just in time...(yeah)

Baby we've got something started
Say we'll never stop
I don't wanna be without u,
dream without u-
walk without u,
talk without u baby...

I'll never take a chance without u,
Dance without u,
Nothing is the same without U, baby...

I could never be without u,
Heal without u -
Begin without u,
End without u...

Baby I'm in need,
I can't breathe,
No I don't wanna be...
Without U

I'll lock up my heart
and throw away the key
if that's what it takes
To keep you lovin' me...
You open the door,
To all that's good in me,
I cant deny the truth,
That I could never be without u...

I don't wanna be without u,
dream without u-
walk without u,
talk without u baby...

I'll never take a chance without u,
Dance without u,
Nothing is the same without U, baby...

I could never be without u,
Heal without u -
Begin without u,
End without u...

Baby I'm in need,
I can't breathe,
No I don't wanna be...
Without U

Buffy looked up from her guitar and saw that Spike, the big bad, had a tear in his eye. But he quickly wiped it away.

"Is that how you feel about me love?" Spike asked.

"It sure is. I should have told you sooner."

"Well it's how I feel about you," Spike said.

"I know."

Spike and Buffy smiled at each other.

"What will the others think?" Spike teased.

Because that was the one thing that always kept the apart. What everyone else thought.

"To hell with what think. It's what I think and what you think that matters. And I know that I love you," Buffy explained.

Spike went over and kneeled in front of her and kissed her. Buffy didn't fight back. Spike pulled away a second later and looked at her with love in his eyes.

"What?" Buffy asked.

"I didn't know you could sing.

A/N: Hoped you enjoyed it. The song is not mine. It belongs to Jessie McCartney. And don't forget to Review. If have any suggestions, please tell me and maybe I'll put them up. Just look at I-Cant-Think-Of-A-Name, she gave me a suggestion and the next chapter was her idea. No idea is too stupid. Unless your suggestion is to have them spend a whole chapter eating peanut butter. Maybe I should do that. Lol.