"Tell Angel I'm not going to work today." Buffy said through the closed bathroom door.

"Are you okay?" Faith asked concern in her voice. It wasn't like Buffy to skip out on work.

"I'm fine. I just, I'm not feeling well. I think I just want to stay in bed for the day."

"Does this have to do with a certain Boy Wonder?" Faith asked knowing that Buffy more then likely wasn't sick.

"No, Faith. I just don't feel well."

"Come on B. I know you better then that. I tried to talk to him last night after we came back from dinner and he wasn't in much of a talking mood either. What happened?"

"It's nothing Faith. It has nothing to do with last night."

"Fine." Faith stated. "I'll tell Angel that you aren't coming to work."

"Is she okay?" Buffy heard Angel's voice in her bedroom now as well.

"Said she isn't feeling well." Faith's voice echoed through the door. "Maybe we should just let her stay home and rest."

"Buffy?" Angel called to her.

"Yeah?"

"Don't worry about it. If you aren't feeling well then just take the day off."

"Thanks Angel."

"Come on Faith." Angel said. "We better get going. We are short two people today from yesterday and we have just as much work to do."

"Who else isn't coming?" Buffy heard Faith ask, but she didn't hear Angel's reply.

Buffy waited a long while before she left her bathroom. She didn't want to chance coming out if anyone, besides whoever had also decided to take the day off, was still in the building. She grabbed a blanket off of her bed and went into the living room so she could watch television, hoping that it would take her mind off of the man that had been in her bedroom this morning. After flipping through the channels a dozen times she decided to just leave on a local news station. 'Maybe I can forget about my problems if I pay attention to some one else's' She thought as she made herself more comfortable. Needless to say it wasn't working. The events of the morning ran through her mind. 'Why was I being so stupid again?' She asked herself. 'He came to me and apologized for everything, even though he didn't have to. It wasn't his fault that he broke my heart, that was his father's doing. I shouldn't have taken it out on him. I don't know why I did.' Buffy lied to herself. She knew why she had said what she had that morning. That it didn't matter. That she wasn't the girl he left behind. It was because she was scared. She was afraid that they would get close again and he would leave again. He had already told everyone that he was leaving at the end of the week. Even now she knew that it was going to hurt to see him go again.

Around twelve thirty that afternoon Buffy's stomach had started to growl constantly. At first she couldn't figure out why, but when she thought about it she realized that she couldn't remember when the last time was that she ate. She had been so caught up in her problems that she hadn't even thought about food. She knew her fridge was empty so Buffy decided to venture downstairs to the community kitchen to see what was there to eat for lunch.

As she was finishing washing up her dishes from lunch Buffy thought that she had heard the front door close. When she checked the main living room there was no one to be seen. 'Maybe I'm just hearing things' She told herself then retreated to her apartment. Buffy went back to her sofa and as she sat down she noticed an envelope on the coffee table that hadn't been there before she went down for lunch. As she picked it up her hand began to shake when she saw her name written across the front in the same handwriting as the one she had gotten the day before. Only this time Buffy was written on it. At first she wasn't going to read it, she had a feeling it was going to be bad. Curiosity got the better of her and she opened it.

Dear Buffy,

You're right. Time changes people. I can see that. You aren't the girl I left behind. I guess in a way I had hoped you would be, but deep down I knew better. Maybe that is why it took me so long to come back, because I knew you wouldn't be the same and I was afraid of what I would come back to. I should have stayed in England, that's where I am heading to now. By the end of the week I will be back there. I'm sorry I troubled you and I'm sorry for disruppting your happy life here. I just want you to know that even though things didn't go so well, I am glad that I had the chance to see you again. I talked to your father this morning and told him that I ran into you and that we had a little bit of a chance to talk. I told him that you are doing well and that you have friends with you that are taking good care of you. I didn't tell him where you were or what you were doing, but I told him that if he would let you live your life the way you want to then maybe you would call him yourself. Hank also said that he would pass on the message to your friends that you were okay. He wants you to call him Buffy. He wants to be able to talk to you, to hear your voice, to hear it from you that you are okay and that you are happy. He misses you. I missed you too. I only wish things had been different. I would have liked to stay here and build up the friendship that was taken away from us, maybe even something more. I love you. Take care of yourself.

Love,

Spike

Buffy threw the letter on the table scrambled from off the sofa and ran out of her apartment down the hall to where Spike was staying. "Spike?" Buffy called out to him once she had reached the open apartment door. She went inside and checked all of the rooms, but he was no where to be found. She opened the dresser drawers to see if any of his stuff was still there, but they were all empty. "No." Buffy said as she fell onto the bed where he had slept and cried until no more tears would come and she passed out.