A/N : Thanx to; kargrif, Amandamanda3, candypir, gypsy-jin, RoleModelGirlie, Demonica Mills, kim, Slayergirlkal, stuckinabook09, mer, pixysticks666, Celestia Nailo, Mistik7, for the excellent reviews. I love writing this fic and I'm so glad you all like reading it so much. Here's more...
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 12

Usually Monday mornings came too soon, but Buffy was glad to see it arrive this particular week. Finally, after two days of badness, she could escape to work and forget Riley and William and Spike and anything else that had been bothering her. It would be so nice to just avoid everything for a few hours, and with any luck after yesterday's debacle, Spike would soon leave town. That wouldn't stop her head from spinning with thoughts of him or memories of her and William and all that they'd meant to each other, but it'd make things a little bit easier, she hoped.

She got herself up and ready for work before heading to the kitchen for breakfast. Riley emerged from the bedroom a few minutes later in just his boxers, yawning and scratching like it was going out of style.

"Morning sweetheart" he grinned when he saw her and Buffy was saddened to find that although she couldn't deny the sight of his body was kind of appealing, it didn't do half as much for her as simple memories of her ex could.

"Hey" she replied half-heartedly to her future-husbands greeting as she busied herself with making toast and coffee.

"You feeling better today?" he asked as he came around the other side of the counter and reached out a hand to her. Buffy swiftly moved away, pretending not to notice his attempt to touch her.

"I'm fine" she told him without really looking up, "I just have to get to work" she offered half a smile when she finally glanced over at him, grabbing her purse and going to find her jacket.

"Did I do something?" Riley asked, following her to the door, "I can't think what I did but you don't seem...I don't know, like you usually do?" he didn't really know what the change was or how to phrase what he meant. She'd been kind of cold towards him but he didn't want to say it like that.

Buffy felt awful when he asked what he'd done to upset her. He'd really done nothing but love her, and she could hardly tell him that's what the problem was. Expelling a breath, she moved to stand in front of him and put a hand to his face.

"Riley, I promise you didn't do anything to upset me" she told him, allowing him to kiss her. That, she realised, was a mistake as his hands found their way inside her blouse in an instant.

"Riley, no" she complained, squirming away, "I have to go to work"

They both knew it wouldn't matter if she didn't leave for at least another half an hour but he let her go anyway, calling behind her that he'd see her later.

All Buffy wanted to do was get away and get to work and forget all that had occurred over the weekend. Immersed in other peoples problems and complaints at the call centre she wouldn't have time to worry about the men in her life. She was actually outside the Hyperion International building more than a half hour early and waited on the door step fully ten minutes before her supervisor showed up to unlock the doors.

"Well if it isn't our own blushing bride to be" Mr Krevlorneswath greeted her.

"Hey Lorne" Buffy smiled, using the nick-name that all the girls at the call centre did.

"Hey yourself, honey" the overly chirpy guy grinned at her as he let them both inside the building and hit the lights "You're looking fantabulous as ever, but I have to ask, what are you doing here, pumpkin pie?" he checked.

"Er, I work here?" Buffy was confused by the question and Lorne started to look equally as puzzled when the girl didn't seem to know what he meant.

"Well, sure you do, my little strawberry shortcake but not this week" he informed her, before realisation set in, "Oh, did Willow not tell you? The little minx, she pleaded your case" he explained, "Told me how much stuff you had still to do for that great shindig of a wedding you got planned and I just had to fix it for you to have the time off" he smiled widely, seemingly very pleased with himself for helping out one of his favourite employees.

"Thankyou, Lorne" Buffy smile, feeling very nauseous, "really, it's great that you'd do that for me, but I can still work" she was trying to sound grateful and plead for a change of heart at the same time. She needed to work, she'd actually been looking forward to it, and now even that was being taken away.

"Nonsense, honey bee" Lorne shook his head in the negative, "we can handle everything here" he insisted, his hand going to her elbow and steering her back towards the door, "Now go on, get along home and finalise that wedding of yours"

Buffy opened her mouth to interrupt be put up a hand to silence her

"I will not hear another word about it" he said firmly but still with a smile.

"If you're sure" the blonde realised she was going to have to give in and leave, how ever much she didn't want to.

"Surest!" she was told "Now go!"

Finally Buffy conceded and she thanked Lorne with a hug before exiting the building and running right into Willow.

"Oh, hey" the red-head smiled a little nervously, but her friend didn't seem to notice.

"Hi Will" she said, "Lorne told me you fixed it so I didn't have to work this week. That was so...sweet" she decided on an adjective eventually as she reached to hug her friend. The urge to squeeze her so tight all the air left her lungs was just fleeting but it was there all the same - she'd just ruined the plan!

"I have to get inside" Willow shifted uncomfortably as she pulled away from the blonde, "but you enjoy your relaxy time" she grinned, disappearing inside. She waited until Buffy was a long way down the road before taking out her cellphone and speed-dialling a number she'd been given yesterday.

"William?" she checked when he picked up, "It's Willow. It worked" she informed him, feeling terribly guilty, though William seemed pleased enough with what she'd done for him.

"Red, I could snog you" he told her delightedly, "You're an absolute bloody star!"

"Well, I don't like lying to Buffy" she said uncomfortably, "but I also don't want her to do anything she'll regret"

Willow had actually engineered a plan for Spike, pleading with Lorne to let Buffy have this week off. Spike had explained how he needed that time to spend with his ex and convince her he was what she wanted and not Riley.

"She won't regret taking me back, Will, I swear it" the bleached blond promised her sincerely and she nodded to hereself.

"I'm trusting you so far, Spike" the use of his other name told the truth of why her trust might waver. She didn't know him as well now as she had once.

"I'm still me y'know, Willow" the man they used to call William assured her, "Might've changed my name and my looks a bit but my love for Buffy never changed, that's the truth"

"I know" his old friend agreed "I wouldn't be helping you if I didn't believe that"

-

Buffy couldn't face going back to the apartment. She knew Riley would still be there for a while longer and the idea of him either fussing around or simply man-handling her made her just want to stay away til he'd left for work.

She wandered down the street and did a little window shopping, before heading out to the residential part of town. It was strange to walk past her old house where she'd spent so many happy times with her Mom, and also Willow, Xander, and William. It was as she stood there, looking up at 1630 Revello Drive, her old home, she knew where she was headed next. Not home just yet, even though it was likely Riley would be gone by now. There was one other house she hadn't seen for a while and she made the short journey to it that was so familiar she was surprised not to find some kind of mark on the sidewalk that she'd trod so often in her teens.

With a nostalgic smile on her lips she stopped outside the house she'd been headed for and looked up at it. She'd spent a whole lot of time in there, eating dinner with the family, kissing on the couch with William, it seemed so strange to stand out here now and know a whole new family was living their life in that place. It was literally years since she'd last been in that house though, just over three to be precise, when her last connection to William had disappeared.

Flashback

"Well, that's everything" Mr Anderson sighed as he closed the trunk of the car and glanced up at the home he was leaving behind. His gaze shifted to the two women on the side walk that he wished he didn't have to say goodbye to either, but he must.

The family had originally moved to America for a better way of life. There wasn't much in England to stay for, and they hoped that the better weather and atmosphere might help Drusilla's condition. She had mental problems and as such didn't make sense an awful lot of the time, but her father and brother loved her very much and refused to let her disappear off into an institution or something.

With advances in medicine and mood-controlling drugs in America they hoped to make her better, but it was not to be, and when William walked out on Buffy and consequently his family, Drusilla got considerably worse. She doted on her dear brother and she seemed to give up trying to fight when he left.

"Take care, Joyce" Mr Anderson told a woman he'd come to see as a very good friend, "I won't forget your kindness to us" he told her as they hugged.

Buffy was by now in tears as her ex-love's father turned to her.

"Oh my dearest Buffy" he sighed, "You'll never know how sorry I am for what my son did to you" he told her.

"Sometimes I think it's my fault you have to leave" she cried, "If William had never been with me he might never have left and Dru would be okay and..."

"Buffy, no" he interrupted her rambling, "Drusilla was never going to be much better than she is" he said softly with as shake of his head, "And in any case, I blame you for nothing" he assured her, as he gave her one last hug.

"Do you want to say goodbye to Dru?" he asked and she nodded that she did, wiping tears away with the back of her hand as she walked over to the car and looked in the back.

"Hey Dru" she attempted a smile, "I'm going to miss you"

"We must leave the sun behind, because my boy was naughty" she said, her whole body swaying, eyes fairly un-focused, "but one day the dark will find the sun again" she giggled, "and all the bells will ring, ring, ring..."

"Goodbye Dru" Buffy sniffed as she stepped back from the car and watched Mr Anderson move around to get in.

They waved as they left and Joyce put a comforting arm around her daughter. It didn't help much.

End Flashback

"Always did hate to see you do that" Spike's voice broke into Buffy's memory-induced haze and she turned to look at him, her expression making it obvious that she had no idea what he meant. He reached out to gently wipe tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.

"I didn't realise" she admitted, stepping away from his touch and drying her face with her own hands, "I was just thinking...about the past, about your family" she admitted, still sniffing.

"I saw 'em y'know" he told her, though neither of them looked at the other, just at the house, "They got back to England and went straight to my grandparents house, arrived the day before I was due to leave...It felt weird seeing them again, mostly painful, especially when Dru bloody slapped me...s'pose I deserved it"

It was strange but here in this moment Buffy couldn't be mad at Spike, she couldn't yell and demand he leave her alone. Right now he was William, and this could very well be years ago when they were so in love it almost physically hurt to be apart.

"I'm sorry, for before" she heard him say as they both stood heir looking up at the house.

"Before at the coffee shop?" she asked flatly, "Or before when you walked out of my life without so much as a goodbye?"

Spike felt her words like a slap round the face and it showed when she looked at him.

"The coffee shop mostly" came his softly spoken answer, surprising she who asked the question until Spike continued, "Buffy, I can't make excuses and apologies for the way I left. This far on, what good would it do?" he asked her, not really needing an answer.

"I don't know" Buffy replied anyway, looking back at the house, "All I know is your leaving turned my life upside down" she said, tears finding a path down either cheek once again, "And then when your Dad and Dru left, I knew it was really over. I had to move on with my life, and it wasn't easy" she cried.

Spike couldn't bear to see it. Her tears always used to tear him apart before but now, especially knowing he was the cause of it, it almost killed him to see her so upset.

"Buffy, don't" he said, desperate to hug her but unsure that she'd let him. He took a risk and put an arm around her shoulders. In one movement she turned into his embrace and let him hold her, face buried in his chest as she cried.

"What did I do to my precious girl?" he sighed as he gently kissed the top of her head. Buffy said nothing, just allowed herself to be comforted until her tears subsided. She was finally letting go, crying for too much loss and pain from the past few years. Here in her ex-love's arms, nothing mattered but the two of them, just for a little while.

Unfortunately reality was too over-powering to let the daydream last for long and reluctantly Buffy pulled away from Spike, wiping the tear tracks from her face again.

"I'm sorry" she sniffed, looking away almost embarrassed by how upset she'd got and for no apparent reason.

"Nothing to be sorry for, pet" Spike assured her as she took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure.

"You busy right now?" she asked casually, surprising him slightly, "I really need a drink" she admitted.

"It's barely lunch-time" Spike smirked as he checked his watch, but the look on Buffy's face said she didn't care, "Which makes it the perfect time for boozin' it up, I reckon" his smirk turned into a smile as the blonde beside him managed to look happier too. Nobody could say they were getting back together, or that he was forgiven or anything so drastic, but they were getting along, and that was a start.

To Be Continued...

A/N2 : And here endeth the chapter. Now, what do you think will happen when Buffy and Spike start downing the alcoholic beverages? I'll update soon and then you'll find out! But in the meantime reviews would be very much of the good please.