"-and then Clem just whipped off all his bloody clothes. Had a right feast, he did, what with all the old ladies watchin' and all," Spike chuckled.
"He's such a weirdo," Kat snorted. She was sitting sideways on the couch with her feet in his lap at his crypt. He'd painted her fingernails and then her toenails. They were practically dry but she was comfortable and he didn't seem to mind it. He'd been regalling her with tales from his time with Clem. Kat had met the demon a few times and she really liked him, he was sweet. Things felt calm and normal fully for the first time in a long while. She'd ended up falling asleep on the sofa with him the night before. She'd woken up in his bed despite the fact she'd been planning on sleeping on the sofa again, not wanting to put Spike out since he'd already done so much for her. He'd had other ideas though as he'd put her in his bed while she slept and he claimed the sofa. They'd spent all day together again, just hanging out in his crypt. Despite the lack of things to do, she'd enjoyed herself and it gave them more time to bond as they swapped stories. Willow had texted that morning saying she and Tara would pick Dawn up from her friend's. Kat still wasn't happy with them but she knew Dawn loved spending time with the witches, so she agreed. And it meant she got more time with Spike.
Her phone started chirping and she rolled her eyes with a sigh, grabbing it from her pocket.
"Yeah?" She asked softly, knowing it was Willow from the screen.
"Kat! I uh… you should… you need to… maybe you could come home for a minute? Like now?" She muttered anxiously, panic coating her voice. Kat sat up straighter, swinging her legs off Spike and letting her feet touch the floor.
"What is it?" Kat asked worriedly.
"You just need to get home," with that cryptic and very concerning message, Willow hung up.
"Guess we need to get you home, see what the hell that's about," Spike huffed as he stood up, clearly having heard the conversation with his vampire hearing. She frowned to herself, her stomach twisting in knots at what might be waiting for her. Would it really be that hard to just tell her over the phone so she'd be prepared? She slipped her jacket and boots on as her and Spike set off, not idling around given how serious Willow sounded. They made it back pretty quickly and she burst through the door like the kool aid guy.
"What's the big emergency?" Kat asked tensely, glancing around. Everyone was there but she didn't expect to see Buffy huddled on the couch, covered in dirt as she hugged her knees.
"Buffy?" Kat asked with dread, not able to even have hope this would be her cousin in the flesh. Buffy didn't say anything and just hugged herself tighter.
"What did you do?" Kat growled, her eyes sweeping over everyone in the room but landing on Willow. She visibly gulped and wrung her hands.
"I uh… we did the spell," she squeaked, a guilty look on her face.
"Right… the one you promised me you wouldn't do?" Kat asked harshly with a fire in her eyes.
"Look, you can shout at us later, but right now can we focus on the very jittery Slayer hiding on the couch?" Xander asked as he gestured to Buffy. Kat looked back to Buffy then. Dawn was by her side but Buffy was shying away from her and acting very unlike herself.
"Look at her hands, you bloody morons. You did the spell and then what? Decided it'd be a great old time if she dug herself out of her own grave?" Spike asked derisively. Kat's eyes widened as they traveled to Buffy's hands. She felt sick, stumbling back a little as tears pricked her eyes. She felt Spike's hand settle on her hip to steady her as her chest started heaving.
"Are you guys kidding me?! Not only did you do the spell you promised me you wouldn't do, but you also thought you'd tack on some more trauma for her?!" Kat seethed.
"We… we didn't think it worked or we would have…" Willow frowned tearfully.
"Get out," Kat hissed. When no one moved, she felt her anger ramp up like never before.
"Get out!" She roared at them. They scurried out quickly and Spike moved to the door. Kat grabbed his hand tightly and made him face her.
"You don't have to go," she murmured with a frown. She couldn't look at the others right now but Spike wasn't in on it.
"I know. But I think you three need some time. Slayer needs you, pet," he replied softly. She nodded with a heavy feeling in her chest, giving his hand a squeeze before she let it go. He gave her a sad smile before slipping out of the door.
She inhaled a deep and shaky breath to steady herself before she walked back into the living room. Dawn looked sad and confused at why Buffy was acting this way but Kat knew deep down she was happy to have her back.
"Dawnie…" Kat started quietly, making the teen look at her. Dawn got up and padded over to her.
"I'll go to my room. I hope she's okay," Dawn frowned. Her eyes were red and puffy betraying the fact she'd been crying.
"Me too," Kat replied as she gave her a quick hug. Dawn was definitely growing up. In the past she'd have kicked and stamped her feet to stay here, but she knew it was best if Kat tried to handle it. Kat made her way to the kitchen and grabbed the med kit and a bowl of warm water before she went back into the living room. Buffy hadn't moved and Kat made sure to move slowly as she sat next to her.
"Buff?" She asked softly. Buffy peeked out from her knees and glanced at her.
"Can I fix your hands?" She asked patiently. Buffy blinked at her for a long moment before she nodded, slowly untangling herself to sit properly. Kat gently took her hands, pain and anger stirring inside of her at the sight of them. She took her time cleaning them off before she put ointment on the wounds and wrapped them up for her.
"I didn't want this for you," Kat frowned as she shook her head, finishing wrapping Buffy's left hand. Buffy gave her a curious look at her words.
"I missed you. I missed you… so fucking much. But when they told me about the spell to bring you back, I told them not to do it. They had no right to do this to you," Kat muttered, her eyes stinging. Buffy took her hands back once they were wrapped, setting them on her legs. Kat saw it as progress that she didn't just curl back up. It still hadn't really hit her that Buffy was back if she was honest. She knew it but her brain wouldn't allow her to really comprehend it just yet.
"I…" Buffy started, her voice so raw and dry sounding, it made Kat wince.
"I was in heaven," Buffy lamented in a whisper. It took a moment for the words to register in Kat's mind.
"Heaven? You were in… I'm gonna kill them," Kat spat angrily. She was in heaven, she'd finally found peace after all the bullshit she went through and the guys just ripped it right out of her hands. She was livid. While she was happy Buffy was back and apart from being traumatized, she seemed to be Buffy, Kat didn't want her to get dragged back into this hell called life when she'd finally been at peace.
"Please don't say anything. I don't… I'm not ready for them to know yet," Buffy pleaded, grabbing Kat's hands so tightly that it caught her off guard. Kat blinked at her for a moment. She wanted to argue with her. Tell her that the others needed to know so they could fully see what damage they caused. She was pissed beyond belief at them that they'd go behind her back with something like this. This thing could have gone so very wrong. They didn't let her or Dawn, Buffy's actual family, have a say in this. And now Buffy had been ripped from heaven just so they didn't have to feel their grief anymore. It was so utterly selfish and it made her sick. But she couldn't deny Buffy this. It wasn't Kat's place to tell Buffy what she needed to tell others or not. She'd already been through enough.
"Okay. I won't say anything. But I'm not talking to them right now either," Kat huffed. Buffy gave her the smallest hint of a smile and it warmed Kat's heart up so much she thought it might burst.
"I really missed you," Kat murmured with a quivering voice. Here it was, she knew the waterworks would start when it hit her. She covered her mouth as a sob tore from her lips and Buffy wrapped her arms around her. The pair sat there for a moment, both of them crying as they held each other. Once they got it out of their system, Kat moved back and wiped her face with a snort.
"By the way, me and Angel did a little bonding. I went to LA to tell him you… anyway, we ended up talking a lot, kinda became friends I guess," Kat said wryly. Buffy's face lit up at the news and Kat enjoyed it. She hoped with time that Buffy would go back to her usual spirited self.
"Wow, if I knew all it would take was for me to die, I'd have done it sooner," it was intended as a joke, but the smiles seemed to melt off both of their faces after the words hit the air.
"Maybe you should uh… take a bath? All warm and bubbly and stuff. Might make you feel better," Kat suggested softly.
"I'd like that," Buffy nodded. As she stood, Kat did too, unable not to hover like a worried mother.
"I'm fine, Kat," Buffy murmured with a small smile. Kat gave her a pointed look and Buffy looked down.
"I'll be fine, I swear," she said firmly. Kat nodded and let her go, not wanting to annoy her by smothering her. She slumped down onto the sofa when she heard the bath running and heaved a sigh. There were too many emotions to process right now, so as usual she just didn't.
The air was cold in the cemetery, not that it bothered Spike much. He knew it bothered Kat though as she tugged her jacket tighter around herself. It had been a few days since the Slayer came back and Kat didn't seem as happy as he figured she would. He knew she was pissed at the Scoobies for going behind her back like that, as she should be. But it was different. Something felt off. She'd retreated into herself more again. Distant and depressed. Didn't feel right given the fact her cousin was up and walking again. They already dusted two vamps and were now just walking around before their patrol ended. Buffy wasn't feeling up to it just yet, not that he blamed her, so they were still going along with their usual routine. Only difference was Kat refusing to speak to any of the others.
"You alright, luv?" Spike asked after the silence started to eat away at him.
"I'm fine," she replied, no inflection in her voice. It worried him. He sighed as he stopped, gently grabbing her hand in his to halt her. She looked up at him confused for a moment before she frowned and looked away.
"I know you're not fine. You know you can tell me anything," he murmured sincerely. She looked back up at him then with those bright blue eyes. Always made him feel like his legs turned to jelly. She just stared at him for a moment in a way that made him feel far too exposed. Like he was inside out, everything bared for her to see.
"Buffy wasn't in some hell dimension like the others thought. She was in heaven," she admitted in a pained tone.
"Bloody hell," Spike muttered. Hardly expected that, did he? He wasn't sure what to expect, but now it made sense why she was so glum. Her poor cousin had been done with her life's work, finally able to rest and reap her rewards. And the jolly witch and her merry band of idiots stomped all over it.
"I just… I can't believe they did this. It's bad enough they did it after I asked them not to, but this?" She lamented with a shake of her head.
"Want me to go lay into 'em for you? Can't do much on the physical side of things, though I'd love to smack the whelp about a bit. But can still scare 'em," he shrugged. He didn't really know what else to do to make it better. He hated feeling helpless. He'd dealt with it for months after Buffy died and now he was dealing with it all over again. She smiled a little and he was glad he at least got that out of her. He wished he could just make her smile forever.
"As much as I'd love that, Buffy doesn't want them to know," she sighed.
"Why not? They already feel guilty, add some more on top and it'll be torture. Bloody deserve it," he huffed. He didn't care much for the Slayer but she was important to Kat and that made her important to Spike. He didn't appreciate the Scoobies upsetting Kat like they had. Or the Bit. If Buffy had come back all wrong, Kat and Dawn would be the ones worst affected by it, but the tossers didn't seem to care about that, did they?
"She's just not ready for them to know. It's not my place to tell them. She will when she's ready. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but… I trust you so," she trailed off a little and the slight blush to her cheeks didn't go unnoticed by him. He was touched she'd tell him something like this. Something big and private that she wasn't supposed to tell anyone. Made him feel special if he was honest.
"I appreciate you sharin' it with me then," he smiled softly. The smile she gave him almost made his heart start beating again. My god, he was so in love with her. He wanted to kiss her again but it wasn't the time. Wouldn't put that on her shoulders when she wasn't ready. He was still plagued with the memories of when she came onto him. He'd wanted to. Badly. But he knew she was just hurting and it'd feel far too much like taking advantage of her like that. She'd regret it and then things with them would be ruined. He couldn't believe how much she'd changed him. In the past he'd have just taken what he could get and damn the consequences. But it wasn't fair to her and she meant far more than some one time thing. He wanted her when it was right. Real. He never pegged himself as someone with the patience of a Saint but apparently she brought out the best in him.