Chapter 6

Thank you to Nikki, jumping-jo, octopus1738, Unipeg, Mousewolf and Spike-n-Buffy-eva for your reviews, thanks Unipeg for your suggestion, I've not planned that far ahead though, I just write what flows so maybe, maybe not I'll just wait and see where my imagination takes me, hope you all enjoy this chapter, sorry it took so long, please R&R.

When they got back to the apartment Buffy slammed the door behind her, and then joined Spike on the couch.

"Buffy are you ok?" Spike asked putting his hand on her knee.

Buffy leaned towards Spike, lightly kissing him on the lips.

"What was that for?" he asked, staring deep into her emerald eyes.

"It was a thank you."

"For what?"

"Everything. What you've done for me. The way you just stood up for me, for looking after me for all this time, I wouldn't be sitting here if it wasn't for you. You saved me."

"You seemed to handle yourself just fine."

"I wouldn't of been able to if it wasn't for you."

"Buffy..."

"What?"

"What are you gonna do about the Scoobies?"

"I'm not gonna do anything. You were right Spike, they don't appreciate me, and if they value our friendship at all then they can fix it this time, cos I'm sick of it."

"What do you want to do now?"

"Can we just go to bed, I'm beat."

"Sure."

Spike held Buffy close as they lay in bed together, watching her fall asleep in his arms as he did every night, running his fingers through her golden hair.

"Spike?"

"Yes love?"

"Can we go to LA? I don't really like Rome that much anymore."

"Sure. When do you want to go?"

"Tomorrow."

Back at Scooby central the gang was trying to figure out what to do, Buffy had always forgiven them, or well pretended like nothing had happened, and as per usual Xander was blaming everything on Spike. Dawn wasn't saying anything, in fact she hadn't said a word since Buffy had stormed out, she was too upset, she just wanted to be with her sister.

"Xander shut up!" Dawn finally yelled, practically shrieked across the room, she was so sick of Xander, "This has nothing to do with Spike. This is about you guys. So can you just lay off."

"Dawnie it's ok, we'll work this out..." Tara began.

"No. It's not ok, and you know it. You agree Spike too. Don't you. I know you do," Dawn said, now pacing up and down the room.

Tara stood in silence, she didn't know what to say in reply to this.

"Tara?" Willow said, anxious to hear her answer.

"Go on. Admit it," Dawn urged her.

"Ok, yes I agree with Spike and you Dawn. You guys, you...you just...when she's the slayer you guys get annoyed with her for doing her job, and then when she treats you like civilians you think she she's not being a friend, when really all she's doing is what she always does and that's looking out for you guys. So yes I agree, but this isn't about me either. You want to know what I think? I think that you guys know exactly how to deal with this, but your just too damn proud and scared to do it."

"To do what?" Anya asked.

"Apologise," Dawn answered.

"That's not fair," Anya protested.

"No. It is. Buffy always forgives us, even when we don't say we're sorry and she always apolises to us when she does stuff. So I think we owe it to Buffy, she's done so much for us, I feel so bad that we..."Willow said, getting cut off by the annoying one.

"I'm not apologising."

"Xander!" Willow exclaimed, completely shocked thatXander was still unwilling to just let it go.

"No. I'm not. I don't see what we did wrong here and I'm not apologising for something I didn't do."

"Xander, I think you're missing the bigger picture here. I can't believe you're being so childish."

"Am not."

"Well there you go you just underlined your own immaturity, I'm not even gonna talk to you if you're gonna be like this. First thing tomorrow, I'm going over to apologise to Buffy, maybe I should make some cookies, I mean they say sorry, right, plus sugary goodness."

The next morning when Willow, Tara and Dawn got to Buffy's, they found Spike standing outside the door with hell of lot of bags and suitcases.

"What's going on?" Dawn asked him.

Spike simply looked back at her with his trade-mark raised eyebrow, and then leaned into the apartment threshold and shouted, "Come of Buffy love. Hurry up. Your friends are here!"

"Tell them to go away."

"Buffy, you can't just leave!" Dawn shouted out to the slayer.

"Why not?" Buffy said as she brought out the final bag.

"Because your my sister and I love you. And I'm sorry for what I've done or said to upset you, but please don't leave me. I need you Buffy."

"You mean it?"

"Yes. Of course I do."

"I love you Dawn," Buffy said as she gave her sister a hug, "But we're still going. Come if you must, but I just need to get out of here."

"I'm sorry too Buffy, I'm so sorry for everything, I've been a bad friend and I should of known that I could trust you, and...andI made cookies," Willow said, holding the cookies forward.

"I know you are Will, and your not a bad friend, and thanks for the cookies, but it's just I don't know if that's enough anymore. There's just been so much..."

"Then let me make it up to you, we could hang out more, or I could give you more space if that's what you need right now, I just want things to be good with us again, is there anything I can do?"

"Can you get us to LA?"

"Like, right now?"

"You can do that right?"

"I can totally do that, Tara are you ready?"

"Ready."

"Wait what about Xa...I mean, you know?" Willow asked.

"Well I guess that's up to him, but we're not taking him if that's what you mean. Why? You don't have a problem with that do you?"Buffy replied.

"No. I just wanted to be sure, we need to know all the specifics if this is going to work."

"Ok then, let's do this," Buffy said as she took Spike's hand.

Within a matter of seconds all five of them were already travelling through the air, it was an odd sensation to be moving so fast, but as they were going only one thing crossed Spike's mind, "Will she want him more than she wants me?"