Seraiza,
Bree : I'll see what i can do on the L.A. scene LOL
Jessica,
Raspl_luv : Kendra should be fun :D Sorry, i can tell you this now... there will be no Faith
Cordykitten,
~*~Tasha~*~ : I'd be more worried about Spike than an AU LOL
Carol, and
Spikeslover : Yeah, when Spike's asleep he's talking to Buffy, she may be asleep too or daydreaming. He has to forget when he wakes up to keep him from going totally insane, or trying to get her back!
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-------Banner by Kris!
Words: 2,144
Chapter 7
Explain Yourself
The three sat in an awkward silence once Buffy had finished explaining the events, most of which were new to Spike as well, until Joyce opened her mouth.
“You know if Mr. Giles hadn’t explained your slayer status to me before I would have you both committed?” She told her daughter.
‘Again.’ Buffy thought annoyed.
“Mom, we’re not crazy. I’m not crazy! I can’t go home, I have to stay here, and I hope you don’t mind. I’m still Buffy-- just a little older. Mom… I…” Buffy looked up at her mother with tears in her eyes, not having been told about her ‘death’ Joyce Summers was taken by complete surprise when she had 100lbs of slayer wrapped around her sobbing her eyes out.
“Buffy, sweetheart, of course you’re staying. I would never kick you out!” Buffy let out a harsh laugh at that, but comforted herself with the knowledge that it wouldn’t turn out that way again. “Spike, where are you staying?”
Spike looked up at Joyce in shock, never expecting her to ask something like that. “Um…” He trailed off not sure whether to tell either of them that he was living in a factory. It dawned on him that Buffy probably knew. “At the old burnt out factory.”
“I know the one.” She cringed in distaste. “Well you’re welcome to stay here.”
“It’s appreciated Joyce but I have someone there I need to take care of.” Joyce frowned at him, and opened her mouth to protest further but Buffy placed a hand on her arm to silence her.
“Well, you’re welcome over anytime.” Spike gave her a grateful smile and nodded his head softly. He stood up and walked towards the door, looking back at Buffy to see if she were ready to go. “Buffy, are you leaving?”
“Yeah, I’m going to go see my friends and Giles. Spike said he’d come with me.”
“And Angel, are you seeing him?” Joyce blurted.
“How do you know…?” Buffy asked suspiciously.
“He was paying for your room. He’s your boyfriend right?”
“Used to be.” Buffy smiled at Spike, unsure how he would take the mentioning of Angel. She had debated on how to answer her mother but was glad she had said that because as she did he seemed to stand up straighter and brighten at the prospect of being termed her boyfriend in the near future. “Anyway… Angel already knows I’m awake, he drove us back here.”
Joyce just nodded, and walked back into the living room. Buffy and Spike left the house, closing the front door softly behind them.
On the walk to Sunnydale High both the slayer and the vampire held hands, a simple gesture that meant more than words to the pair. Buffy smiled up at him as he squeezed her hand tighter the closer they got to the school. Spike, with his hyperactive nature, was soon bored of the silence and thought a little contestation would help calm Buffy’s nerves.
“So pet, you plan to tell them the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?”
“Hey, how’d you know that?”
“Ate a bailiff once.” Buffy blanched at him and Spike would have kicked himself if he could have. “Pet, I’m sorry…”
“It’s ok. I forget sometimes, told you I would.”
“What was your Spike like?”
“An asshole!” She told him with a small laugh. “He was a bastard at first, all with the ‘I’m going to kill you’ posturing,” She rolled her eyes and made a ‘grr’ face. “But he helped me save the world later this year your time. We sent Angelus to Hell and he took Drusilla out of town.” Her eyes glazed over as she talked about her love. “He came back half a year later, Angel came back from Hell, and Spike kidnapped Willow to do a love spell because Dru left him. He never got round to the spell, figured it’d be easier to torture her till she learned to love him again.
“Of course she didn’t, and a year later he was back with Harmony. A dipshit airhead that goes to my high school.” She muttered the last sentence jealously. “He found the Gem of Amara and tired to kill me in daylight.” She smiled fondly at the memory of seeing him in the sun. “I sent the Gem to L.A. when I got it off him. I feel kind of bad about it now. He went to get it and when he came back the military captured him and put this chip in his head.”
“Chip?” Spike asked her, suddenly feeling ill at the thought of another him somewhere being experimented on.
“It was a piece of metal that stopped him hurting humans, gave him electric shocks, strong ones, if he tried. We thought it was demons as well for a while. When he realized it wasn’t he helped me save the world again. Um, half a year later he realized he was in love with me, but didn’t tell me for an extra 6 months. He didn’t go about it in the best of ways either.
“He chained me up opposite Dru who came back to make him ‘bad’ again. He told me he’d stake her for me if I said he had a chance with me. I was cruel to him and he ranted about how she was his salvation and it was this big honor. Then he said that he’d let her eat me if I didn’t say anything. She got free and Harmony showed up angry at being left out. Big fight and then Harmony and Dru left and Spike chased me home trying to apologize and I had him locked out. His face… god I hurt him so much.”
“Did he get his invite back?” Spike asked hopefully.
“Yeah, right before he saved the world again. He told me he’d wait outside for me and when I told him to come in he seemed to glow. He looked so happy. He was meant to protect Dawn, my fake-real sister, and he tried but… we were both too late so I jumped. I saw him while I was asleep he was in so much pain and he wont remember seeing me. For all he knows I’m in Hell right now and he blames himself.” Tears sprung to her eyes again and she tried to fight them back.
“Sssh! Somehow he’ll know you’re safe, I wont let anyone hurt you. I’ll keep you safe.” He whispered to her as he pulled her into his arms.
Buffy looked up and smiled sadly, “We’re here, Spike.” She walked forward and then stopped, turning to look at him she laughed softly. “You know it’s really confusing with you both being called Spike.”
Spike just grinned at her and carried on walking. “I might call him William, sometimes.” She murmured as she ran to catch up with Spike.
XXX
The library was dark; the only light was from the office. Giles sat in there a glass of whiskey in his hand as he stared hard at Angel.
“You’re telling me she’s awake, and you let her leave with your murderous childe?” What started off as a calm sentence soon turned to one of anger. Jumping from his chair Giles threw the glass across the room, it shattered against the wall barely missing Angel’s head.
“Calm down.”
“Calm down! Calm down? How can I calm down? My slayer is finally awake… just so she can die? You incompetent idiot!” Giles gave Angel a look that could kill before leaving the office. Picking up the phone he dialed Willow’s number.
“Willow?” He asked when the ringing stopped. “Come over please, I need you to do a location spell for Buffy.” Hanging up on her before he could receive an answer he was about to lay into Angel some more when the door flung open.
XXX
As they entered the school building Buffy was startled to hear what sounded like shattering glass echo through the hallway. Knowing without a doubt, that it came from the library Buffy took off at full speed leaving a confused vampire behind her.
She flung open the doors and ran inside, stopping dead when Angel and Giles turned to stare at her, neither one hurt or fighting for their lives.
“Uh... hi guys.” She waved softly and bit her lip embarrassed.
“Buffy? Is it really you? Are you alright? Your mother?” Giles rambled, spouting off one question after another.
“Chill Giles. I’m fine. Why wouldn’t my mom be fine?”
“Well, Spike was--”
“Spike wouldn’t hurt my mother or me Giles I promise.” She answered calmly, her voice conveying the amount of trust she placed in the vampire. As his name was mentioned Spike walked through the door smugly. Having heard what she said about him he walked with a slight bounce in his step, eyes sparkling in happiness.
“What’d I miss, pet?” He asked cockily grinning at Angel.
“Spike, what are you doing here?” Angel growled at him.
“Promised the slayer I’d see her friends with her.” He resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at the older vampire as he spoke again. “We’re gonna give it a try, we’ve sort of cleared it with the slayer’s mum.” Buffy slapped him softly on the arm as Angel growled and Giles reached for the bottle of whiskey again.
“You and my slayer are…?” Giles asked slowly, not sure how drunk he was at that point. He figured he must be pretty out of it, because Buffy had only just woken up, she couldn’t be meaning what the vampire had said.
“It’s a long story Giles, sit down. Are the others coming?” Giles nodded. Then got up and rang Xander, telling him to come over as well. “I’ll let you in on the details when the others get here, ok?”
At that time, the best Giles could do was nod his head slowly, unable to come to grips with what Buffy was telling him. Spike sat down in on of the chairs at the large wooden desk, grabbing his girl around the waist he dragged her onto his lap and wrapped his arms tight around her stomach. Angel growled low in his throat and Buffy shot him an evil look, causing Giles to drink more and Spike to smirk.
After what seemed to be an hour passed by but was actually minutes, Willow and Xander dashed into the library.
“Come on Giles, we need to find Buffy!” Willow shouted, painfully high.
“Buffy’s MISSING?” Xander screamed, no one having filled him in on the location spell factor.
While fighting the giggles that desperately wanted to erupt from her throat, Buffy stood from Spikes lap with some effort, him not wanting to let go just help her tighter, and went to Xander. She threw her arms around him and laughed then.
“I’m here, Xander, I’m fine.” Upon seeing her, Xander blinked, trying to clear the vision from his fear addled brain. When the said vision wrapped herself around him he grinned and held her back tight. She was real, and awake, and so not missing.
When Xander’s arms closed around her, Spike sprung from the chair with a warning growl and practically dragged Buffy out of the boy’s arms. Spike snarled at Xander once more and sat himself back down in the chair, Buffy on his lap. She looked at him with an irritated look on her face and smiled apologetically at Willow.
“It’s ok Buffy, I’ll hug you later.” Willow tried not to sound disappointed. Buffy smiled at her redhead best friend and nodded. Noting the differences made by time in the young girl. Before she could further dwell on the changes in her friends, Willow spoke up again. “I want to know why you called me here saying Buffy was missing.”
“I was, at the time. I went to see my mom and Giles thought I was in trouble.” Spike started to nuzzle her neck, stiffening at the marks left by his great, great-grand sire. Buffy reassuringly squeezed his arm, much to Angel’s annoyance.
“Who’s the Billy-wanna-be?” Xander asked with a sneer, already not liking the guy. Could he wait any longer to shoe in on Buffy?
“Teh reazone I fee-ar-d Buffy mai be in… strowble.” Giles commented casually, his words slurred by the increasing alcohol he was ingesting.
At the older Brits words, Xander stiffened and readied himself for a fight. No one was hurting Buffy again. Willow’s face paled as she took a step away from the blond man and her best friend.
“Why would she be in trouble with him Giles?” Willow asked shakily, always ask first, and shoot later.
Angel looked at Giles and nodded. “Go ahead.” He muttered.
“Ca- cauzeee, hees a vamp-pyrez.” Buffy frowned at Giles, and Xander, grabbing a cross and a stake, leapt for the bleached man.
XXX
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