As Buffy exited her office a moment later, she was surprised to see her mother standing beside Anya, the two women talking quietly.
Well, this will make my day complete, Buffy thought, sighing.
“Hello, honey,” Joyce Summers said, walking over to her daughter and hugging her. “How was the trip?”
“Interesting,” Buffy answered. “And possibly life-altering.” At her mother’s confused expression, Buffy dismissively waved her hand. “It’s not something I want to talk about right now. What brings you in today?”
“Can’t a mom visit her daughter who just returned from a European adventure?” Joyce asked, smiling when Buffy crossed her arms and gave her an expectant look. “We have some things to discuss, dear. I believe Anya filled you in on a couple of things I discovered while you were away.”
“Can’t we save this conversation for a later day?” Buffy asked, beginning to walk towards the front door of the gallery. “I have some other issues I want to attend to first before I focus on the gallery.”
“Buffy, this is a serious situation,” Joyce said firmly. “The quicker we come up with a way to save this place, the faster you can deal with other things.”
“I don’t want to do this right now,” Buffy replied sternly.
“Her hot British boy-toy made a surprise appearance this morning,” Anya said, looking at Joyce. “You should probably let her go after him.”
“What?” Joyce asked, caught off-guard. “Who?”
“Long story, Mom,” Buffy said, narrowing her eyes at Anya.
“Well, you can tell me all about this man, then,” Joyce said, walking towards the office and motioning for Buffy to follow her.
Buffy took a deep breath before going to the office, muttering, “This must be my karmic punishment for being such a bitch to Spike.”
* * * * *
An hour later, Buffy stormed out of the office and ignored her mother as she called after her. Anya watched as Buffy left the gallery, raising an eyebrow when she saw her speed off minutes later. Joyce walked out of the office, sighing as she approached Anya.
“What was that all about?” Anya asked, frowning.
“I’m afraid I gave her some news she wasn’t ready to face yet,” Joyce answered. “If there isn’t a drastic improvement in the amount of profits the gallery is taking in, it will need to close earlier than I expected. I thought Internet sales were helping around here, which was an excellent suggestion on your part, by the way, to set up a website so that the gallery can sell to a wider range of customers.”
“Thank you,” Anya replied. “Here to help- I like my job.”
“But it seems that the financial situation is a bit worse than I thought it was.”
“Things got worse over the course of the last week?” Anya asked, surprised.
“Buffy told me she’s been paying off things around here with her own money,” Joyce said sadly. “Money that she inherited from her father when he passed away.”
“I thought she wasn’t supposed to touch that until after she got married and had kids or something,” Anya replied.
“She wasn’t,” Joyce agreed, walking into the office to grab her purse before heading to the front of the gallery. “Try to talk some sense into her, Anya. She knows she’d be better off closing this place, but she’s stubborn. I’m afraid she gets that from me.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Anya said, managing a weak smile as Joyce left.
Meanwhile, Buffy drove to her apartment, dialing a number on her cell phone as she made her way home. When she heard a familiar voice answer, she sighed with relief.
“I need to talk to you,” she said. “Can I see you tonight?”
“Sure, luv.”
* * * * *
A few hours later, Buffy got dressed up and drove to the restaurant she and Spike had met in months before, having arranged to see him there on the phone that afternoon. She wasn’t surprised to see him waiting inside for her and reflected on their first meeting, remembering how wonderful things had been that night.
I hope it can be that amazing again for us, she thought, giving him a small smile when he saw her enter the building.
“Hi,” she said quietly, raising an eyebrow when he hugged her. “What’s that all about?”
“You deserve it after having such a bad talk with your mum,” he answered. “Or should I not have done that?”
“No, it’s… appreciated,” she replied. “Ready to eat?”
“Yes,” he said, going to the host’s stand before they were led to a booth and sat down. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon- I figured you’d want a day or two to think about things.”
“I wasn’t about to sit at home alone tonight and wallow over the demise of the gallery,” she said, opening her menu. At his crestfallen expression, she continued, “And you and I need to talk more.”
“Glad to know you want me around more than just to keep you company,” he murmured, looking at his menu.
After they ordered drinks and entrees, Spike cleared his throat and looked at Buffy.
“So, what did you come up with in regards to our situation?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound as nervous as he felt.
“Actually, I haven’t really… come to a conclusion yet,” she answered, looking down when he frowned, tilting his head. “I mean, I care about you, Spike, and I’m sure you don’t really believe that… which is understandable because I haven’t given you much of a reason to trust what I say, but-”
“You’re starting to babble,” he mumbled.
“Like I told you before, I’m not ready for something serious, and I don’t know when I will be,” she replied. “I don’t expect you to wait for me, either- that would be selfish, and I’ve already been selfish enough.”
Their waitress came to the table and set down their drinks, feeling the tension between the couple before she walked away.
“Yes, you have been selfish,” Spike said, looking at the beer bottle in front of him. “It’s not like I can force you to be with me, Buffy, even though it chokes me to think of not having you in my life. If you don’t want to do the whole long-distance dating thing, then we won’t. I can grow to accept that. It won’t come easily or quickly, but it’ll happen… eventually.”
“Then can we maybe… be friends?” she asked. “Until I’m ready for more? I know I want to be with you, Spike- I just need time to learn how to trust men again… and how to love someone.”
“Do you think maybe you’ll let me teach you?” he asked, his tone hopeful.
“I think I’d like that,” she replied, smiling softly before taking a sip of her drink. “I’m sorry you flew all the way to California to deal with this. I’m sure this isn’t what you expected.”
“I don’t really know what I was hoping for,” Spike said, scratching his forehead.
“Maybe for me to apologize profusely, tell you I messed up, and throw myself at you,” Buffy suggested in a light tone, happy when he smirked. “We can be friends, can’t we? I mean, I know it’s backwards to sleep with someone and then be friends… but it’d be nice if that could happen.”
“If that’s what you want, to be friends, then I guess that’s what will happen,” he replied. “Not like I’m going to turn the offer down.”
“Thank you,” she said sincerely, smiling when he put his hand on top of hers and squeezed it.
“You’re welcome, Goldilocks.”
* * * * *
After they finished eating, Spike escorted Buffy to the parking lot and was surprised when she kissed his cheek before she got into her car. He walked to his rental car and took his cell phone out of his pocket when it began to ring. He smirked when he saw his boss’ name appear on the screen before he answered it.
“Hello, Andrew,” Spike said. “Did you do that favor I requested this afternoon?”
“Yes, I did,” Andrew replied. “You’re lucky I like you so much- it wasn’t easy to do, and it definitely isn’t cheap. You owe me when you get back.”
“Told you I’d pay you in full for it,” Spike said.
“This girl must mean a lot to you,” Andrew said.
“She really does,” Spike replied, getting into the car and starting it.
“When are you going to tell her about this secret plan of yours?” his boss asked.
“Who says I’m going to tell her?” Spike asked. “She’ll find out if and when she needs to.”
A/N What is Spike hiding from her, you ask? I don't think anyone will guess what exactly it is, but you can try;)
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I know I said there's a lot more angst ahead for the blonde duo, but I think I've changed my mind. There will be some drama here and there but (probably) nothing too intense. I hope you enjoy this update! :)