Chapter 9 Alone

Spike sat in the Bronze after fighting vampires he could use a stiff drink.

"A bottle of JD." Spike said as the barman walked over to him.

A few seconds later he returned with a glass a bottle of Jack Daniel's, Spike handed his some money and poured himself a large glass. He sipped his drink and looked over at the stage at the band playing. They were playing "Collide" By 'Howie Day', Spike sighed and turned back round to his bottle of JD. He looked up and saw Buffy stood by the entrance looking over at Spike. She swallowed hard and slowly walked over to the bar and sat next to him.

"You ran off pretty quick earlier." He poured himself another glass.

"I know, sorry everything was piling up in my head."

"Here!" He said and pushed the glass to her. "This will help, seems to be helping me."

"No, thanks though!"

He shrugged his shoulders with no emotion on his face and drank the glass of JD himself then poured another glass.

"I thought me coming back to help you would be easy." He started to laugh and shook his head. "Boy was I wrong."

"This is weird for me as well Spike."

He nodded. "I know, I know it is I been thinking I might take off."

Buffys eyes opened wide and she started to take note.

"Give you some time then maybe come back."

"No!" She quickly said. "I mean you should stay you can make a difference I keep telling you."

"I know, but being around you. It's more harder than I thought it would be."

"Then we make sure that it's not. Stay in town we just keep our distance till we get use to everything."

Buffy placed her hand on top of his, he looked up at her and she was smiling. He glazed at her and ran his fingers through her slick well-known blonde hair. She loved the feel of him and closed her eyes. He pulled his hand away from hers and drank from his glass then stood up and faced Buffy.

"Well I guess I'll see you around then." He nodded.

She stood up as well and faced him. "Yeah." She wanted to kiss him so badly all these knew feelings were telling her to so she gave him a romantic kiss on the lips then pulled away. "I'll see you around." She walked away from Spike.

Spike had never kissed anybody like that before it had never felt so right. It was like he had found the man he used to be.

He walked slowly back to Clem's apartment he guessed he would be staying there for awhile he walked in and a poker game was going on.

"Hey Spike!" Clem cheerfully waved at him.

Spike nodded and threw his jacket on the sofa and walked into the kitchen He got himself a glass and a bottle of Whiskey and sat down on the sofa.

"Spike wanna join in?" A demon asked.

"No thanks mate." He said lighting up a cigarette.

"Why not?"

"I gone off kittens."

"Yeah I can smell the soul on your from here." Another demon hissed. "You were a hell of a vampire Spike and you just wasted it away."

Spike got up off the sofa with a cigarette hanging out his mouth and grabbed the demon by his shirt and threw him on the floor. "That's my business mate, so bugger off!"

The demon scrabbled up off the floor and ran out of the apartment.

"You know what I think I will join in!" He said cheerfully and sat down.

All the demons looked at him. "What? Just because I have a soul doesn't mean I'm still not the old Spike at heart! Now shall we play?"

Buffy sat curled up on her bed and Willow tapped on the door.

"Come in." Buffy mumbled.

Willow walked in and sat on the end of her bed. "Are you okay Buffy?"

"Yeah." She muttered. "It's just this whole Spike deal, I'm finding it hard to deal with, you know after everything what has happened."

"I know." Willow sweetly said and comforted Buffy.

"I have these…Don't worry." He shook her head.

"Okay, but if you ever need to talk."

Buffy nodded.

"Night." Willow said and left the room.

When it came to Spike Buffy always liked to keep things quiet.

The next few days Buffy had not seen Spike but Spike had seen Buffy and every time he did, he walked the opposite way. All she could think about is the kiss she planted on him out of the blue, how he saved her life and how he has a soul. She knew that if they got together it wouldn't work. Would it?

Buffy walked along Main Street she said she would meet Willow in the Grotto and she was already ten minutes late she rushed into the Grotto and sat down at the table.

"Sorry Will!" She panted

"It's okay! Vampires?"

Buffy rolled her eyes and nodded. "They are a pain in my ass!"

"Yup!" Willow said sweetly

"Well I got you a coffee…But it might be cold now."

"Don't worry I'll grab another one." She smiled.

Spike was stood on the other side of the street, talking to a girl and they were both laughing. Buffys smiled faded and quickly looked away. Willow turned her head and saw Spike and the girl and looked back round.

"Oh."

"I have not seen him for a few days and it's still weird!" Buffy faked a laugh. "I better get that coffee." She walked away from Willow.

Spike and the girl was stood talking on the sidewalk.

"Thank you." Spike smiled at the girl.

"For what?" She smiled back at him.

"You know what."

"That's okay, as long as you return the favour some time!" She pointed at Spike.

"You can count on it." He smiled.

She handed him a small box and said goodbye and he kissed her on the cheek, Buffy didn't see the small box being handed to him only the kiss on the cheek. Spike looked up and saw her looking at him in disbelief. He stood there holding the little box he looked at it then back at Buffy. He walked over to her.

"Buffy." He said manly.

"Looks like you got a new girlfriend."

"What? Her? No! She was just doing me a favour."

"How do you know her?"

"I just met her."

"So you just met her and she was doing you a favour! How kind of her."

Spike grinned. "Jealous are we?"

Buffy let out a little laugh. "No…A little."

Spike laughed. "How are you? I haven't seen you in a few days."

"I'm fine yourself?"

"Yeah I'm okay. I missed talking to you."

"It's only been three nights."

"Four if you count this one, but who's counting?"

Buffy laughed. "At the Bronze the other night-"

"Don't worry, you panicked. I didn't mean anything right?"

Buffy said nothing for a few seconds. "Right." She muttered. "What's in the box?" She pointed.

"Um this? It's um, well it's…its for you. Just a little thank you for you believing in me." He handed her the little box. "Open it then!"

She opened the box and there was silver ring with a stone in the middle.

"Spike…"

"That's why I was talking to that girl, she done me a favour. It's made to fit your finger and only yours and inside the ring I had a message engraved."

She looked in side the ring and read the message. "Thank you." She said slowly.

"I know its soft and everything but I been thinking and that ring and be a fresh start. For our friendship to start over and be friends." Spike bravely said he wanted to be more than friends and she wanted to be more as well but didn't look like either one wanted to say anything.

"Yeah, sure." She smiled.

"You gonna put it on then?"

Buffy slipped on the ring. "It's beautiful Spike, thank you." She kissed him on the cheek and said goodbye.

He walked away and felt good about himself and what he had just said. But they both knew that something more would happen than just being friends, they could both feel it and their friendship wouldn't last long un til it became something more.