Spike sat at the small dining table and drank his coffee. He could hear the water running in the shower, he could imagine Buffy under the water. He shook his head, thoughts like that would get him nowhere fast. He would love to know how Buffy had ended up here, what kind of mission she was on, maybe even help. But he had problems of his own, problems that he didn't want her involved in. Maybe staying wasn't such a good idea after all. He stood and went to the sink pouring out the rest of his coffee. He heard the water turn off and the bathroom door open.
Buffy turned on the water and stepped into the shower. The hot water ran down her face while she gathered her thoughts. She wasn't sure how long he would stay so she was going to need some answers soon. She quickly washed her hair ,as she rinsed it she had a terrible feeling that he might not even be here when she got out of the shower. It would be just like him to try to leave - weak and vulnerable in the daylight. She quickly dried off and opened the bathroom door.
"Spike?" She called down the hallway.
"Yeah, I'm here." He answered guiltily; it was as if she'd known what he was thinking.
"Just checking." She called back.
He could hear the smile in her voice; any thoughts of skipping out were quickly swept away.
He retrieved his cup from the sink and took another from the cupboard for her.
Suddenly he was back in that cave and she was telling him she loved him. Silly memory to be having now, but it was a memory that had kept him going more than once lately, even if he hadn't believed her words.
He was placing both cups on the table when she returned to the kitchen her hair still damp. He had to grin; she looked sixteen again, with no makeup and jeans with a simple tee shirt.
"What are you grinning at?" She asked self consciously, "Do I have toothpaste on my face?" She ran her hand over her mouth.
"I was just thinking you look very young right now, like the first time I saw you." He nodded towards her coffee and sat down.
She blushed as she sat down across from him and sipped her coffee, "Very sweet of you to say that, but I haven't looked sixteen for a long while now."
"Well you do this morning." He smiled at her as he sipped his own coffee. He looked around the cozy kitchen, "You never explained exactly why you were here last night? Is it a big covert Slayer operation?"
She stood up, "What would you like for breakfast?" She replied quickly.
He frowned at the subject change but decided against pushing her…for now. "Are my choices still Buffy's famous near burnt toast or Buffy's boxed cereal?" He teased.
"That really hurts, Spike." She replied with mock pain in her voice, "And I can make pancakes now. I can also find you some blood later it you need it."
"Pancakes sound good for now." He watched her mix the batter and heat an old-fashioned iron griddle, he wanted to ask why she was here again but he just wanted to enjoy a simple breakfast with her more.
"What kind of syrup? I've got Aunt Jemima and Karo." She placed the bottles on the table, "This stuff is very sweet, Margie introduced me to it at the local diner." She pointed to the thick clear syrup, "Dawn would love it."
"Speaking of Dawn, how did you manage to get away with out her?" Spike decided to try another tactic.
"She's good. Loves school in Italy, she's made lots of friends, she's very happy." Buffy explained with a smile. She failed to mention that she had never given Dawn the option of coming with her.
"I'm sure she is happy, but I know she doesn't like being separated from you for long, especially since…well you know that Summer."
"She's okay, Spike." She sat down across from him again, pushing a plate of pancakes towards him. He had questions, well so did she. It was now or never, "Spike, I want to ask you something…Why…" She was interrupted by a knock on her door.
"Kind of early for company?" Spike stood up and immediately took a defensive position.
"I doubt the guys after you would knock, Spike. Also, daylight?" She stood and went to the window slightly opening the curtains to peek out, "It's okay."
She went the door and opened it, "Hi, Joey. How are you?" She could feel Spike's eyes on her back.
A tall, well built man in his late twenties entered the house.
Spike could tell by his smile that he was obviously very happy to see Buffy. He decided it was best to leave them alone and began to clear the table.
Joey smiled at Buffy, "I got here early and Aunt Margie gave me this letter for your sister, I just wanted to make sure that you…" He stopped midsentence when he heard Spike taking dishes to the sink in the kitchen, "I didn't realize you had company."
She turned to Spike. "This is my old friend, Spi...William. He's from California. William this is Joey."
Joey looked disapprovingly at Spike, taking in the wild bleached blond hair and the cuts on his face, "Nice to meet you." He offered his hand in firm shake, "Looks like you've had an accident."
Spike fought the urge to crush Joey's hand, "I…uh."
"He got mugged in Memphis last night." Buffy answered for him.
"Memphis can be a rough town, you have to be careful where you go at night." Joey commented still staring at Spike, "I didn't realize any of Beth Anne's friends knew she was here."
"I'm just passing through and why would none of her friends know she was here? " Spike answered defensively, it took him a moment to realize that Beth Anne was Buffy.
Joey looked from Spike to Buffy, "I guess you two have some talking to do. Beth Anne, I'll take your letter for you. If you need me, " He looked at Spike again, "for anything, you just call. I'll be in town for a couple of day."
"I'm sure I'll be fine, Joey. Thanks for taking the letter. Bye."
The door was barely closed when she turned and found Spike nose to nose with her.
"Okay, Beth Anne. What exactly is going on here? Why is that Soldier Boy wannabe delivering letters to Dawn for you?"
"I can explain." She took a step back from him.
"No one knows you're here do they?" His hands gripped her upper arms, " I know what I'm running from, Buffy." He looked directly in her eyes, "What I want to know is what are you running from?"
TBC