CLOSER TO HEAVEN
By: Passion4Spike
Chapter 4: Hope
Chapter Summary:
Hope returns.
"Buffy! I'm home!" Dawn called that afternoon, dropping her book bag on the floor by the door with a loud thump.
Buffy jerked awake, a heavy weight draped over her in the form of Spike's arm and one leg, his front spooning against her back as he held her to him.
"Spike?" she whispered, trying to slip out from his grasp. "Spike … can you just…"
"BUFFY! Are you home?" Dawn called again.
Spike groaned sleepily, turning over, grabbing a pillow and covering his head with it, blocking out the unwelcome commotion.
Buffy sighed in relief and slipped from the bed. She so didn't need Dawn just walking in on them. Buffy pulled her robe on quickly as Dawn's heavy footfalls began to stomp up the steps.
"Shhhh!" the Slayer admonished her sister in the hall, a moment before another round of teenage bellowing started. Buffy pulled the bedroom door closed with a soft click, Dawn's eyes shifting from her disheveled, robe-wearing sister to the door and back again.
"Is Spike in there?" Dawn whispered, her eyes growing wider by the moment. "Did you have sex with Spike?! OH MY GOD! You had sex with Spike!"
"Shhhh!" Buffy repeated, grabbing Dawn by the arm and guiding her back down the stairs. "Tell the whole world, why don't you?"
"I thought you said 'pie' wasn't code for 'sex'!" Dawn continued. "You are sooo busted!"
"It's not," Buffy insisted. "Pie is pie, and sex is …"
Dawn turned to face her sister at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes wide and eager. "Yeah? Sex with Spike is …?"
A wide grin spread across Buffy's face, lighting a spark of gleeful delight in the depths of her eyes. "Sex with Spike is… Wow!" she admitted with a girlish giggle.
"Oh, Buffy!" Dawn gushed, hugging her tightly while simultaneously jumping up and down. "I'm so happy for you! And Spike!" The girl pulled back and grabbed Buffy's hand, dragging her over to the couch and plopping down. "Tell me everything!" she insisted conspiratorially.
"I'm not telling you anything!" Buffy retorted indignantly, but she was still grinning. "Oh, my God, Dawn! I had sex with Spike!"
"And it was 'wow' … and you aren't giving me any details!" Dawn sulked. "Sisters should share details!"
"No details!" Buffy retorted again.
"Okay … generalities, then! Is he better than … Riley?"
Buffy rolled her eyes and bit her lip to curb her grin. "Yes."
"Better than Angel?"
Buffy made an 'eek' face, but then said, "Yes."
"I knew he would be!" Dawn gushed. "Angel's such a prude!"
Buffy laughed. "Angel's not a prude, he's just …"
"Dull and boring," Dawn provided.
Buffy shook her head, but didn't argue, the stupid 'I-just-had-incredible-sex' grin still plastered on her face. Was this another flash of 'normalcy'? Two sisters gushing over boys. Not that Spike was a boy, but … it felt like that. Like something normal sisters would do. It ignited a little ember of warmth deep inside Buffy, a glint of … hope?
Dawn's expression softened. "You look happy, Buffy," she pointed out. "Like, really happy. Like … 'before' happy."
Buffy took a deep breath and her expression sobered. "I … well, I've felt flashes of … I guess 'happiness' works."
"With Spike?" Dawn pressed.
"O-on the motorcycle with him … I felt, well, just free. And then, later, he just held me and I felt like things would be okay, like he would keep me from … just disappearing into nothing. And then when we …" Buffy cleared her throat. "I mean … later, when … and … ummm …"
"Too much with the stammering and not enough with the details," Dawn teased.
Buffy gave her an indulgent smile. "It's funny, when Angel felt perfect happiness, his curse was broken and he lost his soul. I think I may have that, but in reverse. Like, if I just touch the stars … touch heaven a moment, it's almost like my soul wakes up a little bit more … like maybe a tiny part of it finds its way back? Like I … un-lose it, bit by bit?"
"Oh, Buffy," Dawn sighed, leaning in and hugging her sister again. "I'm so sorry… I-I can't say I'm sorry you're back – I love you and missed you so much – but I'm sorry it's been so hard for you."
"It's not your fault, Dawnie," Buffy assured her, hugging her back. "I know I haven't been … fully back. I-I'm doing my best. It might take a while."
"You mean, you may have to have lots of sex with Spike so you can find perfect happiness over and over and over?" Dawn teased, pulling back to grin at her sister.
Buffy shrugged, smothering a wider smile. "Well, I think I should give it a fair chance, right? I mean, Chosen One here, if that's the sacrifice I have to make…" Buffy smirked at her sister.
"You're all about the self-sacrifice," Dawn laughed, but then her face fell into seriousness again. "He loves you, Buffy. He's my friend. He's … he's not just all that Big Bad stuff, ya know? He's got a good heart … a tender heart. Don't break it, okay?"
Buffy nodded, her own expression sobering. "I know, Dawn. I-I warned him that I'm not … all here. I … don't know what will happen, but I'll try. I don't want to hurt him. It's all I can promise right now."
Dawn took a deep breath and let it out, nodding. "Okay, well, just know, that I'll be super-pissed if you screw this up. The wrath of Dawn will come down on you."
"Didn't they make a Star Trek movie about that?" Buffy joked.
"Totally! And I still haven't gotten my royalties for it," Dawn agreed, her smile returning.
There was a muffled sound from upstairs, drawing both girls' eyes upwards.
"Oh! Uh … I just remembered," Dawn said, jumping up. "I was supposed to go … go, um … over to Janice's to study," she announced unconvincingly, heading over to the door and picking up her book bag. "I'll just … be on my way. I'll be gone for hours! Hours and hours! All night if you want!"
Buffy got up and followed her. "That won't be necessary. Spike and I will come get you at nine. I don't want you walking home alone after dark."
Dawn looked up at the clock on the wall and grinned at her sister. "Just how many moments of perfect happiness can Spike give you in five hours?"
"None. Of. Your. Business," Buffy insisted sternly, opening the door for Dawn. She wagged her brows then and lowered her voice conspiratorially. "So very many!"
Dawn giggled and headed out. "Best get to that, then! Tick-tock!"
** X-X-X-X-X **
Dawn hurried down the front walk onto the sidewalk, almost skipping. Buffy had sounded more like herself than she had the whole time since she'd been back. And she was with Spike! Things were looking better than they had in months!
"Oh! Sorry!" Dawn exclaimed as she turned a corner and ran right into a middle-aged woman, nearly knocking her down.
"It's alright, honey," the woman assured her as Dawn caught her shoulders to help the woman regain her balance. "It was completely my fault. Not watching where I was going. Are you alright?"
"Yeah, sure, fine," Dawn said, releasing the hold she had on the woman's shoulders. "Do I know you?"
The woman shook her head, her eyes widening a moment. "No! I mean … I don't think so. I'm just … visiting some old friends in the neighborhood."
Dawn shook her head slightly. "Oh … okay," she agreed. "It's weird, I guess something just … reminded me of someone."
The woman smiled, and her face seemed to transform into something more, practically stunning. "I get that a lot, Dawn. Must just have one of those faces."
Dawn's brows furrowed. "How do you know my name?"
The woman pointed to the name scrawled in black marker across her canvas bookbag. "I assumed you hadn't stolen it…"
Dawn looked down, then back up, embarrassed. "Oh, yeah. No … who would steal a bookbag, right?"
The woman smiled again, her face glowing warmly, as if lit from within. "Well, it was lovely to meet you."
"Sure, you too… ummm … what was your name?"
"Hope," the woman replied.
"Pretty name," Dawn said. "Maybe I'll see you again. I'll try not to bowl you over next time."
Hope nodded, a sad smile curving her lips, the light seeming to dim a bit. "I'm sure we'll meet again … one day, honey."
Hope turned and began walking away. Dawn watched her a moment, her brows furrowed, something still niggling at the edges of her consciousness. Something oddly familiar about the woman … her voice, maybe? Or just the tone of voice? Finally, she shook it off and headed for Janice's, the bounce still in her step, a smile curving her lips, and a song in her heart. Buffy and Spike, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…
** X-X-X-X-X **
When Buffy re-entered the bedroom, Spike was on his side, propped up on one elbow, waiting.
"Sorry," she apologized. "Dawn. 'Quiet' isn't in her vocabulary."
"'S alright, luv. Waking up in your bed, even without you in it, covered in your scent …" He shrugged. "Well, not complainin', am I?"
Buffy bit her bottom lip, her eyes flicking back toward the door nervously. "How much of that did you hear?"
Spike curled his tongue over his teeth, a smug grin curving his lips. "Enough."
Buffy groaned and rolled her head to the ceiling. "Stupid vampire hearing," she muttered.
Spike laughed. "Didn't need vampire hearing, did I? 'Quiet' isn't really in your vocabulary either, luv."
Buffy rolled her eyes and shook her head in dismay. Well, it wasn't like anything she said was untrue. And probably not anything Spike didn't already know, honestly. Buffy dismissed it. Why waste time worrying about water that had washed the bridge away? She had better things to waste time on.
Buffy dropped her robe on the floor and slid into the bed, back into his arms. "Well, now that you're awake … I wonder what we could do?" she teased, pressing the length of her soft, warm, willing body against his.
"That is a riddle, innit? Parcheesi?" Spike suggested, wrapping his arms around her and rolling over, pulling her atop him.
Buffy laughed. "Not exactly what I had in mind," she replied, her mussed hair falling over his chest in a curtain of silken sunshine.
"Oh, backgammon, then? Chess?"
Buffy made a face.
"No chess," Spike agreed. "Checkers? Chinese Checkers?" he continued, as Buffy straddled him and sat back. Her hips began to undulate sensually, stroking his already-hard cock where it was trapped between their bodies.
"A world of 'no' to board games," she replied, grinning down at him. "I had something more … physical in mind."
Spike looked out the window, then back up at her. "Bit early for patrol. Sparring, then?"
"We can call it 'sparring' if you want," she agreed, lifting up and guiding his hard cock to her slick, wet opening. Their eyes met and held, neither blinking, neither even seeming to breathe in that moment. "But I think I like the term 'making love' better …" she admitted, as she slid down his length, taking him into her slowly, deliberately, inch by tantalizing inch.
Spike gasped as he entered her, blissful fireworks exploding in his belly and rolling out like ripples in a pond, threatening to drown him in rapture. "Seems fitting," he rasped finally as her ass hit his lap, his cock buried within her warm, supple depths to the hilt. "Cos, I love you, Buffy."
Buffy didn't reply, but leaned down and kissed him, deeply, slowly, passionately. Spike's hands trailed up and down her sides and back with feathery touches, tingling her skin with cool fire. Their bodies began to move, rocking gently against each other, rolling with the currents of pleasure that lapped at their bodies like bubbling ocean waves.
"Take me to heaven," she breathed against his lips as they flowed together and apart, his sword slipping in and out of her velvet sheath, the dance building slowly from sensuous towards feverish.
"Not heaven. Closer," Spike rasped back, reaching a hand between them to find her clit.
Buffy inhaled sharply as his talented fingers found that bundle of nerves, sending a new swell of euphoric sparks rocketing through her veins.
"Closer … is … good," she gasped as her eyes fluttered closed and she lost herself in the dance, letting herself drown in the swelling tide of pleasure as another tiny flicker of hope ignited within her soul.
** X-X-X-X-X **
Spike stumbled down the stairs several hours later. He'd managed to get his jeans on, though somehow fastening the belt seemed beyond his ability to manage. The ends dangled from the loops, the buckle jangling like a bell with each heavy step.
He found Buffy in the kitchen, sitting at the breakfast bar, which was covered with books and papers. She was smirking up at him as he entered, running a hand over his face and through his disheveled curls as he tried to wake up.
"I have to admit that's better than a bell around your neck," she teased as he trundled to the fridge and opened it.
He muttered something Buffy couldn't hear, sliding the milk and OJ aside and grabbing a container of blood from the back. He opened it and sniffed, shrugging. Old, but not rancid, at least.
"Did I break you?" she wondered, still smiling at him as he moved around the kitchen like it was his own, grabbing a mug from the cabinet.
"Huh?" he asked, looking around at her as if he'd forgotten she was there.
"Do I need to call a vampire repairman for you?"
Spike shook himself, trying to force more blood up toward his brain, as he put the mug into the microwave, realized he hadn't but any blood in it, and pulled it back out.
Buffy laughed again and got up from her seat, coming over to where he was working diligently on pouring the blood into the mug. "Let me," she suggested. "You're likely to burn the house down or something the rate you're going."
"Ta," he muttered, handing her the container of blood and backing up to lean against the breakfast bar. "Just a little … uh … drained."
"So I noticed," she teased as she put the mug of blood into the microwave and set it to warming. "Guess I need to take it easier on you in the future."
Spike sniffed, coming a bit more awake, and stood up straighter. "Can take anything you dish out, Slayer. Just need a bit o' sustenance now and again t' keep things … flowing. Cocoa and stale donuts aren't proper fare for a vamp. Haven't had any blood since yesterday afternoon, have I?"
"Well, I guess I better keep plenty of blood on hand, then, huh?" she suggested as the microwave 'dinged'.
Spike bit his lip, watching her turn around and retrieve the blood for him. Did that mean he'd be stayin' here more? Lots more? Would every 'date' end with hours of heaven in her arms? If so, when could they go on another? Now? The sun was sinking outside; could he whisk her away again?
Buffy cleared some of the papers away and set the mug down on the breakfast bar, inviting him to sit.
"What's all this, then?" he asked as he pulled one of the stools out and sat down in front of the warm mug.
"Research," she answered, coming around to sit next to him, in front of what he now saw were road atlases, a couple of old Encyclopedia Britannicas, and a map of California. "There are some other mountains that I think we could get to and back in one night. They aren't paved all the way to the top, though, but gravel works okay, doesn't it?" she asked, pulling out the map of California and showing him a couple of places she'd circled.
"Probably not enough hours of dark in the summer," she continued as he took the map from her. "But in the winter …" she suggested with a shrug.
Spike sipped his blood, trying to seem nonchalant. Was she asking him to take her on more rides? Up more mountains? Closer and closer to heaven? Further and further away from that horrible promise of 'one good day' she'd made him agree to?
He stared at the map, trying to school his racing thoughts and mentally calculate the distance and time it would take to reach these destinations.
When he didn't say anything, Buffy continued, "I mean, you said we could go back to Rock Creek; I just thought …" she shrugged again, wringing her hands anxiously. "We could explore some other places, too. A-and … you don't have to pay for everything. W-we could take turns."
Spike finally looked up at her, swallowing back the hope and joy and the very real fear that he was mistaking her meaning. "Ya wanna got up these, then? On the motorbike? With me?"
"Umm…yes," Buffy furrowed her brow and bit her lip. "Isn't that what I said?"
A slow smile spread over Spike's face as relief washed through him. He hadn't mistaken her meaning. Bloody hell! More trips. More dates. More Buffy! He cleared his throat, composing himself, and looked back at the map. "Yeah, reckon these would work," he agreed, nodding. "Be cold again, though … winter and mountains and all."
Buffy let out a sigh of relief. For a moment she thought he was gonna say no, that he wouldn't take her. "Yeah, I'll totally be looking into some actual winter gear. LL Bean and I may become besties."
Spike looked up at her, his eyes practically glittered with joy as he drank her in. She was back in her flannel, sleepy sheep PJs, she'd brushed her hair and it hung in waves around her shoulders, her face was flushed, almost glowing, her green eyes looking hopeful.
Hopeful. Full of hope. He wasn't sure she'd ever been more beautiful. "Well, Christmas is comin' up, too, ya know? Ya could find some goodies from Santa under the tree."
Buffy grinned at him slyly. "Would this Santa happen to have washboard abs that quiver like jelly when you tickle his belly?"
"Oi! Told ya before, vampires aren't ticklish," he contended, sniffing. "And … yeah, could be that Santa."
Buffy's smile faded a bit, her expression becoming more serious. "I don't want you stealing stuff for me, Spike. I've got some leads on a couple of jobs and—"
"Not stealing, Buffy. Got money, don't I?" he assured her, taking a long swallow of the blood.
"I … you do? Because, mostly, you seem less with the Daddy Warbucks and more with the Oliver Twist."
"Have you ever heard of 'compound interest'?" he asked, setting his mug down and turning more in his seat to face her.
"Is that a math thing? Cos me and math broke up in high school. It was messy … ugly really. We don't speak."
Spike snorted. "Yeah, it's a math thing, but to put in in terms you'll understand: If ya put two vampires in a room with two numpties and leave 'em a while, what would ya have?"
"Uhhh … four vampires?" Buffy guessed.
"And if ya tossed a few more blighters in the room, what would ya have?"
"More vampires?"
"Works the same way with money when ya put it in a bank. Start off with a couple o' vamps, and a century later, you're overrun with the buggers. Merry bushels of fangs."
"So, you're telling me you're overrun with money? Cos, I think you still owe Giles five bucks from, like, a year ago," she pointed out.
"Pfft!" Spike dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Can't be bothered t' go to the bank for trifles, can I? Anyway, just like taking the piss outta Rupert. But for you … for Dawn … for … closer to heaven? Can make the trip."
Buffy chewed her lip, studying him. "Where did the original vampires come from? Did you … steal them?"
Spike snorted. "Came from my … estate, I reckon you'd call it. Didn't have a wife or bits, did I? So, I just transferred the money over t' a different bank. Same one Angelus and Darla used. One with … evening hours. Just because it's mine doesn't make it evil, pet."
Buffy nodded solemnly. "How much overrunning are we talking here? I mean … wow … rude, much? But …"
Spike gave her an earnest smile. "Enough to keep you and Dawn in frilly dresses and crossbows for life. If you'd let me."
"I'm not good at staying dead," she reminded him. "Life could be a while."
Life could be a while? Did that mean …? What did that mean? "Reckon I could manage it. Whatever you need, Buffy, if you let me, I can help."
Buffy looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "It's your money … I … couldn't just take it."
"Not taking it, luv. I'm offering it." Offering. Isn't that what Hope said? Offer. Offer again. Offer a hundred times.
She looked back up and gave him a tentative smile. "We'll see … I … I do have some leads on some jobs," she demurred. "But … I mean, I couldn't stop Santa from slipping down the chimney and … I don't know, dropping off a snowsuit or something."
Spike smiled at her, nodding. "Hard t' keep the jolly bugger out, I reckon." He'd offer again later. Offer a hundred times if he had to. Never give up.
"Right? Especially since he's been invited in already," Buffy agreed.
Spike nodded again then downed the rest of his blood, feeling much better than he had when he'd first stumbled down the stairs. She was taking what he was offering. Not all of it, but some. Crumbs. Crumbs could turn into pie with time. Carpe Pie.
"So, what's this other map ya got?" he asked, reaching for the 'Rand McNally Road Atlas of the United States' that she had open in front of her.
Buffy slapped her hand down on it. "Oh, ummm … that was just … uh …"
Spike arched a brow at her and pulled the book out from under her hand. "Colorado," he read at the top of the open page. "Got some right high roads there, I reckon," he observed casually, looking to see if she'd marked anything on the page, but didn't see anything circled. Yet?
He looked back up at her, expectantly.
Buffy sighed and started wringing her hands in her lap again. When she started talking the words just continued to come, like one of those talking dolls whose 'off' button was broken. "I was just … well, I gave you a year … or me year to, you know… and so a year would include a summer, since summers usually do come within the twelve months that make up a typical year, and Dawn had said something about wanting to go see Aunt Darlene during summer break since she's never actually met her other than in the fake memories. I know it wouldn't be the same as just you and me on the motorcycle, but, you know, Colorado is kind of between Illinois and California and I thought maybe you wouldn't mind driving, cos I'm not that great with the whole driving part of road trips, and there are some really high roads in there, really close to heaven, and there might even be pie in Colorado, which, again, is between here and…"
"If you don't take a breath, I reckon I'll have t' learn CPR right quick-like," Spike interrupted her.
Buffy stopped talking and did take a breath, biting her bottom lip and looking up at him hopefully.
Spike's brows drew together sternly. "So, let me see if I got this right. You expect me to take time outta my busy schedule t' drive you and the bit all the way across the soddin' country t' see your aunt—"
"And cousins," Buffy interjected.
"And cousins," Spike added, keeping his face a mask of semi-annoyance. "And dither about there while you and the bit visit with all yer bloody relatives, who didn't even bother to come t' yer mum's funeral, I might add. Then drive ya back, with lengthy detours and stops in Colorado on these mile-high roads so you can get closer t' heaven and possibly find pie. That about the gist of it?"
"Yeah, that would be as full of gist as it gets," Buffy agreed, her shoulders slumping, looking chagrined. Of course he didn't want to drive across the country with her and Dawn. How much of a crimp in his style would having a teenager along as chaperone be?
Spike looked down at the map of Colorado a moment, then back up at her and shrugged. "Sounds bloody brilliant t' me, pet. Do we have to wait for summer?"
A slow smile curved Buffy's lips. "You're evil, you know that, right?"
"Been telling you lot that for soddin' years," Spike replied, a smirk quirking his mouth.
"What am I gonna do with you?" she wondered, standing up and grabbing his empty mug, heading to the sink to rinse it out.
"Well, could keep doing what you've been doin' all day," he suggested cheekily. "Draining me dry."
Buffy turned around to face him, checking the clock. Still had some time before they'd have to go get Dawn. "Are you sure you're up for that? I wouldn't want to damage you beyond repair," she teased.
"I'm up for anything you got, Slayer. Always up for you," he assured her, standing and coming around the counter to where she was.
Buffy squeaked as he suddenly bent down and pressed his shoulder into her stomach and wrapped one arm around her legs, lifting her into a fireman's carry. "Unhand me you fiend!" she joked, laughing as she batted playfully at his lower back and ass with her fists.
Spike's knees went weak with the sound of her laughter. Buffy truly laughing. Was there anything more melodious? Well, one thing was: Buffy sighing or screaming his name as she came. Bloody hell, how many miracles had there been now? How many did he owe? It didn't bloody matter. He'd pay for them with all the blood in his veins, with gallons of tears, with pounds of flesh, with the marrow from his bones.
He began to laugh with her as he headed back toward the stairs, Buffy wriggling and giggling in his grasp.
Closer to heaven.
** X-X-X-X-X **
"I can see where d'girl gets it from," Doyle chastised warmly in his lilting Irish accent as he suddenly appeared on the street. "Stubborn, determined women, the Summers clan."
The waitress turned to him, not surprised in the least by his abrupt appearance. "Just a few more minutes," she requested as they watched Buffy, Spike and Dawn walking up Revello on their way back to the house. Dawn's bookbag was slung across her body and the three were chatting amiably about how Janice's mom made French fries – from scratch! From actual potatoes! Like… that you had to wash and peel and cut and everything!
"By my watch, you've already had hours 'more minutes' that weren't parta the deal," Doyle pointed out.
"Then a few more won't matter," the waitress insisted.
"See what I mean? Stubborn, determined women." Doyle shook his head ruefully, a small smile quirking one side of his mouth.
The trio walked right past the two people on the street, not seeing them. Hope stepped forward longingly, reaching out as if to touch them one last time, but… it was no use. She was a ghost to them. She was a ghost to everyone again.
"Can't help but wonder, though, jus' how did y'get the vampire to take her up d' mountain?" Doyle asked curiously, watching the trio walk by.
Joyce sighed as she felt her borrowed visage of 'Hope' melt and shift into her own form, the one she couldn't show them. There was no sense keeping it in placed now; they couldn't see her any longer. The disguise, borrowed from a great aunt on her mother's side, had been part of the deal… Buffy and Spike couldn't know who she really was.
'Small nudges' was all she'd been allowed by the Powers when they'd made the agreement to let her come back for this very limited engagement. She'd hoped it would be enough, had been certain she could handle it. But now… watching them all, being so near and yet so far away, she wondered how she could ever bear to leave them again. She'd already pushed the boundaries of the deal well beyond breaking point, but she didn't care. Just a few more minutes… What were the Powers going to do? Kill her?
"I just whispered in a dead man's ear," she answered, not taking her eyes off her girls and Spike. "Just gave him the ghost of an idea. He figured the rest out from there."
"Puns. Another Summers' trait, I see," Doyle drawled in amusement.
Her daughters and the one person in all the world who loved them as much as Joyce herself disappeared into the house. Was it normal for a ghost to feel hot tears welling in their eyes?
Doyle sighed. "Time t' go, darlin'," he said again softly, placing an encouraging hand on her shoulder.
"One more minute," Joyce pleaded, pulling away and hurrying around to the back of the house. She watched lights flick on as she waited outside the kitchen window. Waiting for another glimpse …
And there it was. They were talking excitedly now. Questioning. Looking around. Joyce felt the tears slip down her cheeks as her eldest looked out the window right at her … right through her. "Buffy … oh, Buffy, honey," she murmured, taking another step closer to the house.
Spike came out the back door and into the yard, nearly walking into her. "Spike…" she sighed, reaching for him, but unable to feel more than a tug of wind against her incorporeal form. He stopped, as if he'd felt her, looked around again, then went back inside.
"Dere's nothin' else you can do, Joyce. We really gotta go now… the bigwigs get dere knickers all twisted when deals aren't kept t' code. They could take it all back, undo all you've done," Doyle warned, not unkindly.
Joyce turned and looked at him with angry eyes. "They wouldn't dare!"
Doyle shrugged. "Been known t' happen."
Joyce shook her head mournfully, looking back through the window at the three inside. "Did I do enough?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.
Doyle nodded. "She heard ya. She's trustin' him. He'll take care o' dem for ya. You've done whatcha came t' do."
"I love you all," Joyce whispered to the group in the house. "Be happy. Carpe pie."
Then, in a flash of white light, the two apparitions were gone, returned to the realm of souls.
** X-X-X-X-X **
"I mean, I thought French fries came in bags in the freezer section," Dawn said as they walked into the house. "Like … who knew they didn't actually GROW like that? I thought there were crinkly fries and steak fries and shoestring fries, you know, like different kinds of apples."
Spike shook his head. "What the bloody hell do they teach you in that school?" he wondered.
"Mostly how to make out with boys," Dawn teased, dropping her bookbag on the floor by the door. She sniffed the air. "What's that smell?"
Buffy and Spike smelled it too and hurried in front of her, Buffy flipping on lights as she went toward the kitchen, following her nose. She stopped in her tracks just as her feet hit the tile, Spike bowling into her back and propelling them both further into the room.
"What the hell?" the Slayer exclaimed, but she wasn't yelling at Spike. She began looking around the room suspiciously, checking the back door, which was locked, then scanning the yard outside through the window.
"Pie!" Dawn cried, coming in behind the two supernatural beings. "Cherry pie! Ala mode!" she continued, walking up to the breakfast bar and eyeing the three pieces of perfect pie waiting there. "Where did we get pie?"
"We didn't," Buffy warned. "Don't touch it!" she ordered, scanning the backyard through the window. A chill ran down her spine and she jerked her gaze back, her heart skipping and skittering in her chest as she stared into the empty yard, sure that someone was watching her.
"Do you see anything?" she rasped to Spike, who shook his head, but started for the back door anyway. He stepped out onto the small stoop, then leapt down into the yard in a swirl of black, forgoing the steps, but there was nothing there. Or nothing he could see. He felt a cold breeze tug at his duster sleeve, almost like a hand reaching for him, but then it was gone. He turned in a slow circle, trying to feel it again, but nothing more happened.
"Nothing, pet," he said as he came back in, closing and locking the door behind himself.
Buffy's brows drew together, and she shook her head, turning from the window to look at the three beautiful slices of cherry pie with vanilla ice cream melting artfully atop them. The ice cream had little specs of dark vanilla bean scattered over the creamy surface, the cherries were glistening red in the tart center, steam still rising from them as if just from the oven, the crust was golden and flaky, done just right.
"That looks familiar," she observed, taking a wary step up to the counter.
"It does?" Dawn asked.
Buffy's eyes flicked to her, then back down. "Long story," she dismissed, chewing her bottom lip.
"Can we eat it?" Dawn asked. "Cos it looks delicious and I didn't have dessert."
Buffy looked up at Spike. "What do you think?"
He shrugged, hands on hips, and looked around again, but nothing jumped out at them, no waitresses with too-specific advice popped up from thin air. He went over to the silverware drawer and retrieved some utensils then dug into one of the pieces of pie, making sure to get a good helping of ice cream with it. He chewed thoughtfully, checking as best he could for anything that seemed off about it, but it just seemed to be cherry pie and vanilla ice cream.
"Bloody delicious," he pronounced, going in for another bite.
Buffy's furrowed brows softened, and she shrugged. "Carpe pie," she whispered just as a bright flash of lightning illuminated the backyard.
They all turned to look, but again saw nothing.
"Is it supposed to rain?" Dawn asked as she dug into one of the slices, moaning in pleasure around the fork as the combination of flavors hit her tongue.
Buffy turned and took a step back over to the sink, looking out at the darkness beyond the window. "No …" she answered her sister. "I think that was a flash of Hope."
Spike walked up to her, handing her the last slice of pie. Buffy took it, their eyes meeting and holding meaningfully for several moments. She smiled then and picked up the fork, turning her attention to the pie. The silver tines sliced through the layers: creamy, crisp, and fruit-filled. The final layer of crust was gooey with melted ice cream and the juice of the cherries, and she stabbed into it, using it to hold all the other layers on her fork as she lifted it away from the plate.
Drops of melted ice cream dripped and mingled with the juice of the cherries as Buffy leaned forward and slipped the bite between her lips, letting it settle on her tongue. Warm and cold. Soft and crunchy. Tart and sweet. Utter perfection. She closed her eyes and moaned as she began to chew, enjoying the feel, the flavors, the slickness of the cherries, the creaminess of the ice cream and the crispness of the flaky crust.
"Oh. My. God," she breathed after finally swallowing that first bite. "That might be the best thing I've ever had in my mouth," she declared.
Spike arched a brow at her and a bright flush rushed up her neck, flaming across her cheeks like a wildfire. She coughed out, "Not a word," and turned, going back over to eat at the counter with Dawn.
Spike followed her, chuckling under his breath.
"It's amazing!" Dawn agreed. "Where did it come from?" she asked, looking between the two blondes.
Buffy and Spike looked at each other, both shaking their heads slowly, a shrug tugging on their shoulders.
"Hope … I think it came from Hope," Buffy said, looking back at Dawn.
"What does that mean?" the girl wondered.
A slow smile curved Buffy's lips as she looked from Dawn to Spike and back again, her eyes glowing with that inner light that had been missing for too long. Buffy leaned into Spike's side and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close, as she picked up her pie.
Buffy stabbed the fork through all the layers of heavenly perfection. "That everything's gonna be alright," she answered, lifting the bite of tart-sweet goodness to her lips. "Carpe all the pie."
The End.
**END NOTES**
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this short, sweet (and tart and crunchy) story! Please stop in and let me know, I'd seriously love to hear from you!
I hope you take time to carpe all the pie!
Thanks to Holi117 for sharing her time and talent with me by betaing this story. Any mistakes here are mine because I just can't stop fiddling!
Thanks to pfeifferpack for the lovely, inspiring banner!