Thanks for the reviews. I'll be going to Georgia tomorrow and won't be back until Saturday night, so you guys will have to wait a little longer for the next chapter. I'm not sure if I would be able to update there. Well, I hope you guys like this one!

Chapter 8

Buffy walked into the apartment with Spike. It was a few weeks later and they have grown very close. She smiled at the dark haired man that greeted them. "It's good to see you, Spike. Thought you would have forgotten about me. You really need to consider moving in with me if you're not living in a dorm. I could use a roommate." He told him.

"I'll keep that in mind, mate. Sorry I haven't been by lately. I've just been a bit busy." He said and the guy smiled as he looked at Buffy.

"I can see that. My name's Xander." He said as he held his hand out and she shook it.

"Buffy," she replied and Xander raised his eyebrows as they dropped hands.

"So, this is Buffy?" He wondered as he looked back at Spike. "I definitely approve." He said and Spike smiled at his friend.

"I'm sure you do." Xander ushered them into the apartment and they all sat down on the couch. They ate and Buffy got to know Xander better. He seemed like a decent guy and he loved to make jokes. She didn't always get them, but she would laugh anyway. It meant a lot to Buffy that Spike wanted her to meet his friends. That meant that he wasn't embarrassed to be with her. She still had a lot of insecurities to work through. She excused herself to go to the bathroom after a little while and Xander looked at Spike when she was gone.

"I like her, man. She's a sweet girl. I'm surprised you would go with someone so young though. Not that there's anything wrong with that." Spike sighed as he looked at his friend.

"I don't care about that. Buffy's different than the other girls I've been involved with. This one is really special and I wouldn't give her up for anything in the world." Spike explained and Xander smiled as he took a bite out of his sandwich.

"Sounds like you're in love." He said with his mouth full and then grew surprised when Spike didn't answer. "Wait, you're in love with her? I was only kidding about that." Spike shrugged and looked away, when he then noticed that Buffy was standing behind him. The look on her face proved that she heard what they were talking about. She then ran out of the apartment and Spike let out the breath he was holding.

"Bloody hell," he said as he looked at Xander. "Thanks for that, mate." He told him as he took off after Buffy. He really hoped that he didn't scare her away for good. He saw her walking down the street and ran to catch up with her. "Buffy, wait!" He exclaimed as he grabbed her arm and made her stop. He was confused at the look he saw on her face. "I can explain." He let her arm go and she took a step back.

"Explain what? Is what he said true? You love me?" Spike sighed and wondered how he could get out of this one. He figured that telling the truth would be the best start.

"I don't know when it happened, but it's true. I just wasn't planning on you finding out like that." Buffy didn't know what to think as she took another step away from him.

"You do know that's crazy, right? Spike, we've only been dating for a few weeks. I know that we've known each other for years, but that's not the point. How can you be in love with someone after such a short time?" She explained and he thought about what to tell her.

"It has been known to happen before. It happened with my parents, Buffy. My dad knew that he loved my mum from the first moment he saw her. I'm not saying that happened with me, but I know that I feel it now." Buffy ran her fingers through her hair and looked into his eyes. She took a deep breath before she spoke again.

"I really care about you, but this is all happening so fast. I never expected any of this, Spike. I'm only 16 and I've never dealt with love before. I wouldn't even know how to deal with it. I just think I need some time to think about everything." She was about to walk away, when Spike grabbed her hand and turned her to look at him.

"Please tell me you're not ending this, Buffy. I can't lose you now. If you don't want me to love you, then I'll try not to. It won't be easy, but I'll do what you want." He told her and Buffy shook her head.

"That's not what I want and I'm not ending anything. I just need to be alone right now and figure out what I feel. We'll talk later, okay?" She said and he nodded as he let her hand go.

"Yeah, take all the time you need. You know where to find me." He stated and she nodded also as she placed a kiss on his cheek. She then turned and walked away, leaving Spike to stare after her and hope that he didn't just ruin everything.

"He actually said he loved you?" Willow asked Buffy later that night as they were both sitting in her room.

"He didn't say the words exactly, but he feels it. I think I could have reacted a little better." She said and Willow shook her head.

"That's a big deal, Buffy. I would have freaked if I were you. You were right to spend some time apart." Buffy sighed and really wished she could believe that.

"I don't think it was the right thing. I think...I think I do love him. I never expected any of this to happen so soon. I've never been in love before, but I'm sure that's what this is. No one makes me feel the way he does, Will. He treats me like I'm the only person in the world. I don't think there could ever be anyone else for me." Willow smiled and was happy that her best friend found someone.

"Are you going to tell him?" She wondered and Buffy nodded.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to talk to him tomorrow. This whole spending time alone thing was stupid. I can hardly go one day without seeing him." She explained and Willow had to smile again.

"Well, I would say that was love." Buffy smiled also and then grew nervous when she thought about telling Spike. There was hardly any pressure since she already knew that he loved her, but she had a hard time expressing her feelings. Buffy has never been in this position before and she wasn't sure what to do. The only thing she knew was that she loved Spike, nothing else seemed to matter.