Goodbyes

-In the Car-

Buffy and Spike drive down the road with the top of the convertible down. The wind blows threw Buffy's hair and the cool ocean air feels good across her skin. They are on their way to Buffy's hotel room to pick up her things and then they will head back to Wolfram and Hart so that Buffy can say goodbye to Angel before Spike drives her to the airport. Buffy is sad to be leaving, but her day has gone so well that she isn't going to let her departure ruin it just yet. She knows that she is going to miss Spike, but she also knows that she will see him again, hopefully soon, and now that she knows that he's back she can call him and talk with him whenever she wants. Buffy knows that nothing will be the same as having him back living with her but she will just have to be patient and wait for him. Buffy is so lost in thought that she doesn't even realize that they have pulled up outside her hotel.

"Do you want me to come up with you?" Spike asks.

"No, that's fine; I only have one bag… I'll be right back."

Buffy gets out of the car and walks into the hotel leaving Spike alone for a moment. As he waits he visualizes what it would be like to go back with her, to spend each day with her, spending time with Dawn, patrolling at night, and then spending each night together; but he knows that he needs to help with things in L.A. until he understood just why he's back, until he knows a little more about himself. Buffy returns with a duffle bag around her shoulder and Spike pops the trunk. She throws her bag in and then gets in the car.

"Well pet, ready to go?"

"Yep."

-Wolfram and Hart-

Angel sits behind his desk sorting through papers as Buffy walks into the room, Spike lingers in the doorway looking in. Angel looks up as she nears, he can tell that she's been out with Spike, but he can also tell that she's there to say goodbye; a phrase that was often left unsaid between their meetings, and Angel knows that it will be a while before he will see her again.

"Leaving?" Angel asks as the blonde slayer walks into his office.

"Yea, my flight takes off in about an hour."

"Do you need…"

"A ride, no, Spike's gonna drive me to the airport, I just wanted to say goodbye."

Buffy walks closer to Angel as he comes around from his desk to hug her. Their hug is simple, something friends would share, but a small pain of the passion that they used to have still lingers.

"It was good seeing you."

"You too, and I promise the next time we see each other it wont be because of back-stabby business with slayers."

"Don't worry about it, that's your job."

Buffy just smiles, Angel's ability to forgive and accept, even if he did occasionally keep grudges, always amazed Buffy.

"Well I got to go, bye Angel," Buffy says softly.

Angel nods and waves then Buffy turns and gives Angel one last glance before following Spike out the door leaving Angel alone in his office dimly lit by a few table lamps.

-Airport-

It's dark in the airport despite the bright florescent lights above them; Buffy and Spike sit side by side in the gate waiting for the plane to start boarding; neither really knew what to say to the other. Buffy looks around she sees an old woman in a yellow dress sitting by herself, and a mother with two children, one was playing with a red fire truck on the floor, and a young couple sitting side by side.

This is it, Buffy's leaving, sure there is always the phone, and short visits, and eventually, if he didn't die first, Spike would come out to live with her, but she knows that it will be a long while before she will get to see him again. It was a cruel thing to finally get him back after realizing her feelings and then being forced to go off in another direction, but she's the slayer and hard decisions are what she's used to. The announcement is made overhead that they are starting to board the plane, Spike stands up and Buffy follows suit grabbing her bag.

"So, this is it then."

"I guess so."

Buffy and Spike both glance at the door where people are starting to get in line to board the plane; however neither makes an attempt to move.

"Spike I…"

"Buffy…"

"Sorry, you go first."

"… Buffy, I don't want you to leave… I know that you have to, but believe me when I say I wish that you could just stay here with me; and even more I wish I could go back with you, I just…"

"I know… I know what it's like to be here and not know why, but you'll figure it out."

Spike stares at her, he loves her and she knows it, but best of all she loves him back, and because of that she understands why he has to do what he's doing. He touches her face and then kisses her forehead. The overhead speakers announce her flight once again and with one final look into Spike's eyes she kisses him goodbye, turns and boards the plane without looking back. Spike watches her get on the plane and simply stares at the gate for a few moments after she's out of sight.

-On the Plane-

Buffy wipes a single tear from her face as she enters the plane, she walks down the isle of the plane looking at other passengers as she goes until she reaches her seat, it's on the isle and Buffy smiles at the old woman next to her as she puts her bag under her seat and fastens her seat belt.

"Dearie, what's wrong, you look a little upset, your not afraid of flying are you; my third husband was afraid to fly let me tell you he…" the old woman says in a sweet voice.

"no, no, I'm fine with flying, I just… I just had to say goodbye to someone I might not see for a while is all," Buffy replies.

"Oh, I see… if you don't mind me asking was this someone a special someone?"

"…yea."

"Trust me young lady I know how you feel. My first husband went off to fight in the war just a few months after we were married… I remember watching him get on that train and having it roll away, and I'll tell you I chased that train for as long as I could, just hoping that maybe it'd stop and I'd have him back… but it never did."

"That's so sad… did he write to you?"

"Oh yes, every chance he got, I've got a whole box of letters he'd sent me, it was probably the one thing that kept me going waiting for the war to be over, and then when it was over I waited for months and months for him to come home… but he never did… five months after the war was over I got another letter, however this one wasn't from him, it was from the government saying that he had died."

"Oh, that's horrible, I'm so sorry."

"Oh, don't fret about it dearie, it was a long time ago, I moved on, twice as a matter a' fact; but I never did forget him… it's a terrible thing that he'd left the way he had, especially after reading all his letters and him having made it up to the very end… but that's just the way life goes sometimes I guess."

"yea… I guess it is."

-Airport Terminal-

Spike watches out the window looking at her plane, it hadn't moved on to the run way and Spike keeps thinking that maybe she will decide to get off the plane and stay with him; as long as it sits there like it is she could get off. Spike stares at the lights of the plane contrasting in the dark of the night then Spike realizes then that what he wants most of all won't be happening; he glances at the gate one final time as the airport staff closed the doors and then turns and walks away. He keeps walking and makes it pretty far down the hall before he turns around.

Spike thinks to himself that if she isn't going to get off the plane herself then he is going to get on and go with her, he still has things that he wants to know about why he was alive, but he isn't going to waste another minuet without her. Spike figures that whatever he needs to know he can find out in England with her. So he runs, he runs down the hallway and into the gate area and gets there just in time to see the plane rolling out onto the runway through the window. Spike stops dead in his tracks at the sight before him, the plane is on the runway and near take off. She's good as gone, he's missed his chance. Immediately he runs towards the desk.

"Is there anyway to stop this flight?" Spike asks with urgency in his voice.

"No, this plane is about to take off, I'm sorry sir, you've missed this flight." the attendant says.

"Well, then I want a ticket for the next flight out, when is that?"

"If you would like to make reservations for another flight you'll have to go to the check in counter and look into flight information there."

Spike's upset, and very angry with the woman in front of him; just as he's about to argue why it's wrong form him not to be able to get his ticket right then and there, he stops, the gate that he had seen her vanish out of just minuets earlier opens, slowly and with a creak Buffy walks out with her bag over her shoulder. Immediately her eyes meet Spikes; they stare at each other for a short moment before rushing towards each other to embrace in a heart melting kiss, they cling to each other for dear life as if they would never again see each other. Then they pull away and look at each other with awe.

"Why'd you stay?"

"I just realized that I couldn't loose you again, even if it was only for a short while; Spike anything could happen to you while I'm waiting, and I can't live without you… So I'll stay here with you until you're ready, Dawn will be fine, it'll work out, some how I'll work it out."

"You don't have to do that, I'm going back with you; the next flight out we're going back together… anything that I need to figure out I can do with you."

"Spike, you don't have to…"

"Yes, I do… you can't leave Dawn and all the slayers, they all need you, I can't keep you here while I'm sorting through things; don't worry I'll figure out everything that I need to."

Buffy feels as if her heart was melting as he talks. It amazes her how each of them are willing to give up everything they have for each other. Buffy takes only a second to think about the choices that are being presented and then she kisses him again. How they make it out of the airport falls away and all either of them can think about is the other.

-Spike's Apartment-

The door flies open as Spike walks in pulling Buffy by the hand. Spike turns around to face Buffy and pulls her towards him, within seconds they're inches apart. Buffy stares up at him for a moment, and Spike looks into her eyes, they both know what the other is thinking. After a soft kiss Spike pulls away and shut the door they had come through.