(Sunnydale)
Buffy looked at her watch. She had ten minutes to get ready before Angel was coming to pick her up for their date. She ran upstairs and quickly got changed and had just done her make up when the doorbell rang. She went down to let Angel in and was greeted with a kiss.
"I’ll be ready in about five minutes, I just have to do my hair."
A look of anger quickly flashed across his face and she knew she’d have to be careful tonight; he was in one of ‘those’ type of moods. She ran up and quickly finished off and went down to see him pacing up and down the hall. He was definitely not in a good mood.
"You ready?" he practically growled.
"And waiting." she responded with fake light-heartedness.
"Then lets go."
She checked to make sure she had her house keys and hopped into his car.
(London)
Spike hadn’t got off his bed since making that call to Buffy. Something was wrong; she was hiding something. He was sure of it. But then again, what right did he have to expect to know everything about her life? He lost that right when he lost contact with her.
And then sent me on my way
I left my love and forgot my dreams
And lost them all along the way
Spike's head turned to listen to the song on the radio surprised at how apt the lyrics were to his own life.
When words mean so much
You never back down
When they all shy away
You always listen to me
God he missed her. He started to wonder where she was right now: Whom she was with, what she was doing or feeling. These thoughts weren’t helping to settle his mind as he started to wonder if she had a boyfriend, and if she did was she with him now . . .
And what do I have to hold when no one's there to hold me tight?
And what do I see, the only thing that gets me through this?
That’s what I feel, and I feel you
His eyes strayed to the photograph on his bedside locker. It was taken the day he told her he was leaving. She had looked so beautiful. He knew he had to get back to her, and the sooner the better
(Sunnydale)
Buffy was sitting, staring into space when her best friend, Willow came up behind her. Willow looked at her friend. She worried about her sometimes. She knew Buffy would never admit it, but some of her friends were convinced that Angel beat her up. How many times could a girl fall down the stairs? Or bump into a door? What happened to the old Buffy, who stood up for what she believed in?
"Heya"
"Hey there Wills, didn’t see you come in."
"Sure you know me: could sneak up on a mouse at fifty yards" She replied with a grin. "What's up? You seem a bit preoccupied; fight with Angel?"
Buffy quickly looked around and seeing Angel at the bar talking to Xander, she lowered her voice and told Willow about Spike's phone call.
"Oh my god! How long has it been since you talked to him? What ever happened to you two? You never did tell me. One day you’re all lovey dovey, the next day you don’t talk"
Buffy wished she could stop the lies, but she was ashamed that she had stopped talking to Spike when Angel found out about it, which was the same day she conveniently had ‘fallen down the stairs’
"We just had a fight, and lost contact over the months. He says he’s coming back."
"When?"
"He wasn’t too sure. He’ll be back for senior year though."
Willow looked at the blonde and realised why she didn’t seem too sure how to take the news.
"So what’s going to happen? You and him going to get back together? Or you going to stick to faithful old Angel?"
‘What a great choice of words to describe Angel,’ Buffy thought. Faithful! He didn’t even believe that such a word existed. She wanted to get back together with Spike, but really didn’t want to tell Angel it was over. She didn’t have the guts to, and besides she didn’t have the hospital bed booked.
"I don’t know what I’m going to do" she sighed.
"What you’re going to do about what?" asked Angel.
Buffy glanced quickly at Willow silently begging her not to mention
what they were talking about. She looked up at Angel and gave him a big smile and said.
"I’m not sure which to buy: the red hipsters, or the purple dress I saw at the sales."
Angel thought for a moment. "That’s an easy choice: the purple dress. It's your colour."
'But the decision isn’t going to be that easy,' thought Buffy ruefully.