"Don't put any bandaides on me," Spike demanded as Buffy sat down next to him on the couch with the wet cloth in hand.

"Why not?"

"Coz' I don't wanna look like a nancy hospital boy," Spike explained as Buffy smiled, completely humoured. Spike grinned. He noticed that she had been smiling a lot more. He loved it when she smiled. Buffy started wiping up a gash on Spike's forehead. Spike shivered at the thought that she was taking care of him.

"What did this thing do to you?" She questioned in a whisper as she continued tending to Spike's wounds.

"You know, few bloody blows in the head and what not. That sod threw me in the dumpsters, I'll have you know," Spike whined. Buffy chuckled and Spike laughed with her. They exchanged a glance as Buffy started taking care of the cut across Spike's cheek.

"You've been doing that a lot lately," Spike spoke softly.

"What?" Buffy asked in a whisper.

"Smiling. It's pretty rare, love," Spike smiled as he looked down at his lap and then his eyes shifted back up at the Slayer, "I mean, in the small amount of time we've seen eachother tonight... you've probably smiled... eighteen times."

"You kept count?"

"Sadly... yeah, I did." The two shared a look.

"Well, maybe I've been happy," Buffy dabbed at the cut on Spike's lip, "ya know. Things are... better. Especially... right now. With you here." Spike felt as if his unbeating heart could melt right then and there. Buffy gave Spike a look of all honesty as she took the rag off of his face.
"There," Buffy took her free hand and carressed Spike's cheek where the cut was, "all better."

"Thanks, pet," Spike leaned into her hand slightly in complete comfort. He could just sit like that forever. Buffy finally stood to her feet and walked into the kitchen to get rid of the bloody rag. Spike sighed in contentment and leaned back against the leather couch.

"Now let's talk about how you... got back," Buffy suggested as she re-entered the living room and stood before Spike. She folded her arms.

"So uh, why are you staying in Cleveland?" Spike shifted uncomfortably, trying to change the subject.

"Rhona needed help and what not. So, this was our assignment. We heard that the hellmouth is gonna open up... so here I am. Now don't change the subject, why are you here?" Buffy spoke all in one breath.

"Right then," Spike looked down at his hands on his lap.

"Spike..." Buffy glanced at him, "you can tell me."

"You're gonna be angry with me," Spike warned. Buffy just waited for him to talk. "Right, uh I came back to life in Angel's office at Wolfram and Hart..."

"Huh?" Buffy's eyes widened. Spike shot her a look. "Right, keep going."

"I wasn't very solid at the time. More like... incorporeal. I also couldn't go past city limits for stupid bloody reasons. Then one day I finally became corporeal again and then me, Angel and his team had an apocalypse to attend to. Sadly, everybody died except for me and peaches. Angel and I worked side by side for a while and then he decided that I should help out at the hellmouth which is here... in Cleveland. So, he sent me here. The place I'm stayin' is rather nice. Comfier than the crypt," Spike trailed off. Buffy looked shocked. She sat down next to Spike on the couch with a look of bewilderment on her face.

"So, lemme get this straight. You worked alongside with Angel?"

"Uh huh," Spike mumbled.

"And for how long?" Buffy wondered.

"A year," Spike quickly said under his breath.

"What?"

"I said... about a year, alright?" Spike stood up in front of Buffy.

"And how long have you been in Cleveland for?"

"Oh God... uh... two years?" Spike explained. He grew scared. Buffy's tightened her lips in anger.

"So, you've been alive all this time? For three years, Spike! And you never told me?" Buffy yelled as she stood up in front of Spike, waving her hands around, full of rage.

"I was gonna tell you but-"

"But what? But, 'oh! Spike died and he just didn't want to tell the girl he loved because' what Spike?" Buffy rambled. "Or maybe it's because you don't love me anymore, so that's why you never came back and told me?"

"What?"

"Well, why else would you not come back to me?"

"Buffy, that is really not the reason! Why the bloody hell would I ever stop loving you? It hurts so much that you would think that! Not loving you would be the last soddin' thing I'd do on this earth!" Spike explained in a raised voice. He sighed and then he spoke in a hushed voice, "I'll always love you. Buffy. With all of my bleedin' soul. I'd do anything for you. I'd die for you just like I did back in Sunnydale over and over again. Buffy, I will always unconditionally, desperately, always and forever love... you. " Buffy stared at him with emotion filling her eyes. Her eyes were wet and a tear started to form.

Spike relaxed his tense shoulders and sighed once more.

"Then explain to me," Buffy choked as a tear started to run down her face. Spike moved closer to her.

"Shhh, love, " Spike wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace, "please don't cry." Spike was holding her and she let him. Buffy wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes. Spike stroked her blonde hair. "See, I was scared to see you. And... and I thought that dying a champion for you would be enough. And... I didn't want to just barge in on your life."

"Barge in on my life?" Buffy pulled out of Spike's embrace and looked at him, "Spike, you'd be doing anything but barging in on my life."

"Buffy... love, I did try to come to you. Right when I bleedin' came back to life, I tried to come to you. But, I couldn't go past city limits. And then when I became corporeal again, I tried coming to you. But then, I had second thoughts and I was... scared. I had too much time to think about it and all that time made my mind think of too many bloody things," Spike explained as he searched her eyes.

"Why are you scared all of the sudden, Spike?" Buffy asked with a touch of anger to her voice. " I mean, in those last nights of Sunnydale, you were even 'terrified' as you would put it."

"Because... I don't ever want to hurt you again. And... I want to be careful to make sure that I... that I don't do that ever again," Spike explained as he looked to his feet. Buffy knew what he was talking about. She hugged him once again, wanting to feel his touch. Spike's eyes widened in a bit of surprise as he wrapped his arms around her. He hugged her tightly, as if he was holding on for dear life. She did the same.

"Spike, you won't ever hurt me again. I know you won't," Buffy whispered into his ear, "the only way you could hurt me is by leaving me. Which is what everybody does nowadays. But you... it's not like you to leave me or to even not tell me about being back for that matter."

"I'm sorry, pet," Spike stroked her back in circular motions, " I should've came back to you as soon as possible. Oh God, I should have-"

"It's okay, Spike," Buffy held him tight, "I'm just glad you're alive. And with me." Spike smiled and Buffy did the same. They held eachother and it seemed like time had stood still. Spike listened to Buffy's heart beat and he closed his eyes. He could smell her familiar vanilla scent. Her warmth overcame him. Oh, do I love this girl. Buffy could recall that this was the first time she felt completely safe from the world. The last time that she felt this safe was... the last time Spike held her in his arms. Her heart raced with the contact. She moved her head back and looked into his blue eyes.
"You know, I always loved your hair like that," Buffy smiled as she stroked Spike's messed up hair.

"What? My sex hair?" Spike teased. Buffy's smile only widened.

"Oh, sex hair is very sexy," Buffy joked. They laughed with eachother. Their arms were still around one another as they looked into eachother's eyes. The smiles never left their lips. Buffy's heart was still beating fast. She could feel the butterflies pull at her gut. And Spike's soul bounced inside of him. The sound of a beating heart, the quiet breathing, and the opening of a door...

"Anyone back here yet?" Buffy and Spike heard Faith call across the condo. Buffy stepped out of Spike's embrace and looked at Faith. Spike grumbled in anger. Bloody hell.

"Yeah, right here," Buffy answered as Faith entered the family room.

"Spike? You gotta be shittin' me!" Faith placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head.

"It's you. Lovely," Spike said sarcastically as Faith rolled her eyes.

"I thought you were dead. Ya know? Dust," Faith wondered.

"Yeah well, now I'm not," Spike rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, he's been back for awhile now," Buffy explained as Faith nodded her head. She took in the scene in front of her.

"Uh huh. And did I just... interrupt something?" Oh Faith was good.

"No!" Buffy reassured Faith in a raised voice, "no, you didn't."

"Yes she did," Spike mumbled under his breath as Faith folded her arms and shot him a glare. Footsteps were made from the hallway into the family room. A voice was heard while the man was making his way into the family room behind Faith.

"So, that was what happened and we still have to figure out the name of this guy before we jump to any-" Robin Wood stopped beside Faith, "...conclusions."

"Great," Spike muttered. Both women rolled their eyes with smirks on their faces. Robin's expession held surprise in it. But then the features on his face quickly showed anger and hate.

"Spike."

"What's up, principal? How are the kiddies? Got any certain vendettas you wanna let me in on?" Spike insulted. Robin's expression didn't change.

"Spike..." Buffy folded her arms and tilted her head towards him.

"Alright, fine I'm done," Spike waved his hands in the air and perked his eyebrows.

"Okay, can we talk about this demon now?" Buffy asked, annoyed. She wasn't really annoyed of Spike but more of Robin. Spike amused her whenever he'd toss around his insults at Robin. Robin was being even more childish by keeping his hatred for Spike.

"Yeah, we got nothin'," Faith explained as she took her eyes off of Spike and looked over at Buffy.

"We slayed a few vamps. None of them would talk," Robin explained as he, too finally looked over at Buffy and snapped out of his rage.

"You get anything, B?" Faith asked.

"Yeah, I bumped into the three-eyed demon itself. Didn't kill it though. Then I bumped into Spike who was pretty banged up from the thing. It's pretty strong... especially to get Spike hurt like that," Buffy explained. Spike nodded his head full of pride. "It left and said how it was gonna 'finish me later'... scary, right?"

"Tell them about the name, love," Spike reminded her as she nodded her head.

"I was gonna get to that," Buffy whispered and then she turned her head towards Robin and Faith, "Then we bumped into this vamp and right when we dusted him, he said 'Alkardo will kill you and yours' and what not."

"Alkardo?" Rhona asked as she and Monica entered the family room. Monica turned her attention towards Spike and stared at him in perplexity.

"Who's that guy?" Monica asked as Rhona turned her head towards the bleached blonde vampire.

"Spike?" Rhona asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, we were just down that road," Faith murmured as Spike gave Rhona a wave.

"Monica," Buffy paused to make sure she said the right name and then nodded to herself when she witnessed no objections, " this is Spike. We have a ... past and uh, yeah. Spike, this is one of the Slayers, Monica."

"Hi," Spike smirked, uninterested.

"Hello there," Monica smiled as she turned towards Rhona. Rhona just stared blankly.

"Yeah, they have a past," Rhona joked as Buffy's cheek became flushed.

"Huh?" Monica asked, wanting to know the story.

"Let's just say Buffy got her naughty on!" Faith grinned and Buffy's cheeks grew redder by the moment. Monica's eyes shifted from Buffy to Spike, completley interested in the story. Spike just looked at Buffy, loving how it had affected her.

"Right! So, back to Alkardo," Buffy hesitantly changed the subject as her shoulders tensed.

"Right, we heard just about everything you said while walking in. Is that all you got?" Rhona explained as she took a seat on the stairsteps which stood right behind her.

"Pretty much," Buffy folded her arms, "we should research it. Look up his name and figure out what he wants."

"Can we do that tomorrow morning? It's late and I'm tired," Faith yawned.

"I don't suppose he we will be working on this assignment with us, will he?" Robin muttered as he pointed to Spike. Spike leaned back, insulted.

"Actually, he is. If you want to object, I don't care. We need all the help we can get," Buffy commanded. She knew that that wasn't the only reason and so did everybody else in the room... except for Monica for she was still dumbfounded. Robin couldn't object.

"Right, so we get some sleep, wake up tomorrow morning, and hit the books," Faith clapped her hands together as Rhona and Monica headed up the stairs to retire. "Night, B and... Spike. If you two end up sexin' it up, keep it down a little. You might interrupt me and Robin upstairs."

"Good night, Faith," Buffy rolled her eyes as Faith and Robin headed up the stairs. All was quiet. Buffy turned to Spike.
"Ah, Faith... some things never change."

"You're not wrong," Spike nodded as he faced Buffy, "So uh... do you want me to just come back tomorrow?"

"Yeah, if you can."

"Course I can, love."

"Great, so then I'll see you tomorrow night then? Come here at about... nine? We have to find this demon thing-y," Buffy explained as Spike nodded.

"I'll be here," he reassured as he gave Buffy one last look. Spike turned to exit the room so he could leave the house but then he stopped at Buffy's voice.

"Spike..." Spike turned his head and looked at Buffy. "I'm glad you're back." They shared a smile. Spike turned and headed for the door. Buffy watched him leave.