Chapter 4 – Friendship
Spike sat on the porch, cup of tea by his side, cigarette dangling from his lips. He’d woken up at 5am, after having a nightmare. He’d had the dream again, the same one he’d been having since Buffy had arrived three nights ago. It was of Angel and the girl he’d seen him with at the Bronze three years ago, every night the same sequence of events. It started out with Spike seeing the two of them walking towards the toilets, then went on to Angel telling him it was nothing and that he wouldn’t do it again. Then it moved forward to Buffy, sobbing in Spike’s arms, and his confession of knowing Angel had cheated on her before. However, in the dream, instead of forgiving him, Buffy leant back and slapped him, shouting ‘I hate you Spike’ before getting up and running out of the house. That was where he always woke, with a start, and in a cold sweat.
As he had the other two mornings, he quietly slipped past his spare room, to check it was only a dream, and that his love was there with him, before heading downstairs for a cuppa. After their heartfelt reconciliation days before, Buffy had been reluctant to impose and stay with him, saying she could go to a hotel, but Spike had insisted. They’d had a few hours sleep before Buffy phoned her apartment to check Angel wasn’t there, as he had a key and might have gone to wait for her, and then they’d gone round to collect her some much needed stuff, like clothes, and other necessities, including her car from the garage, her laptop, and cellphone charger. They’d arrived and found a note from Dawn, saying that she was heading back to college, and that she hoped to hear from Buffy soon to arrange her next visit.
They’d settled into a nice routine, which Spike was about to continue. He took a last drag from his cigarette, before stubbing it out next to him on the step, and throwing it into a plant pot to the side. He picked up his tea and finished it, before getting up and heading back into the kitchen, looking at the clock as he walked in. It was now 7o’clock, meaning it was ok to start preparing breakfast, as she had to be up for work soon. He placed his cup in the sink, and went to the fridge, pulling out eggs and milk, and then flour from the cupboard to make pancakes. He’d made breakfast for Buffy every morning so far, hoping he’d get her so used to it she’d never want to leave his house. He hummed as he worked, fixing the pancakes into funny little shapes, couldn’t seem to get them to stay rounded. He finished up, putting a stack on a plate, and some vanilla syrup in a jug, and making a cup of tea for both him and Buffy. He loved the vanilla syrup, had only bought it because the sweet scent reminded him of her. It was almost an exact copy of the perfume she wore, and he couldn’t resist buying it, even when they’d been apart. On an impulse, he went back into the garden and cut a pink stemmed rose from the bush at the bottom of the garden, bringing it back in and placing it on the tray with a smile. Then he picked the tray up, and headed for the stairs.
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Buffy heard the knock at the slightly open door, and called “Come in Spike!” before yawning and stretching, smiling as he entered the room, and then blushing at the way she must’ve looked when he walked in. She didn’t realize the look on his face was because he’d never seen anything so adorable as her first thing in the morning. It was like every day she got more beautiful. She looked at him, before saying “Is that for me?” gesturing to the tray he held. That seemed to snap him out of the daze he was in, as he suddenly looked nervous. “Come over here, silly! I can’t see what I got if you’re that far away, and I’m hungry!”
Spike walked forward, placing the tray on her lap and sitting at the end of the bed. “I remembered you liked pancakes love, hope you don’t mind sharing though!” he said with a smirk, before picking up one of the two forks at the side of the plate. Buffy smiled, before picking up the rose, and looking at him inquisitively. He just moved to take it off of her, but she moved it out of his reach, placing it on the pillow beside her. He blushed, and shrugged his shoulders, unsure of how she felt about it, before saying “I just looked out the window and saw it, thought you might think it was pretty love.”
She nodded, and said “I love it, thank you Spike. Now, pancake time!” She picked up the jug containing the syrup, and looked down at the plate, before giggling and saying “They’re Dawn style-ee! She always makes funny shapes!” Then she poured the syrup over them, and picked up the other fork, and they both tucked in.
She ate like she was ravenous, as she always did, and he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. He never did understand how she could eat as much as she did and not put on a pound. She finished her last bite, before picking up her tea and swallowing half down before smiling at him and saying “Thank you, that was delicious!” and then finishing off the rest of the tea. She looked over at the clock, seeing that it was almost 8, and her face suddenly didn’t look so happy anymore. Spike followed where she was looking, realising that she needed to get ready to leave for work, so he took the tray off of her lap so she could get up.
He went to get up, but thought of something, so he turned back to her. “Buffy, love, say no if you want, but I thought we could maybe invite Red over tonight, after work, have some dinner and drinks? It’d do you good to see someone other than me, and I know she’s been leaving you messages to check up on you.” He looked at her face, hoping she wouldn’t hate him for asking, but he knew he was being right, she’d only seen him and Darla, her boss whom she worked for since the other night, and she should be talking to her other friends too. She looked anxious, so he took her hand, and said “I’ll be here, it’ll be a casual thing if you like, or I can go out, whatever you want to do sweetheart, but she’s worried about you, yeah?”
Buffy nodded in agreement, and said “I’ll phone her at work, I’m sure she’ll be free. She’ll hate me for not phoning her sooner, I hope she understands that I couldn’t talk to her before”. She knew it would be hard, but that it would have to happen eventually, better to get it done with moral support from Spike, her new guardian angel. “Thanks Spike. You’re right, I should get it done.”
He smiled, hoping he was doing the right thing, and she wouldn’t go back to stay with Willow or something, but he was almost certain that she was happy staying with him now that they were friends again. He’d always liked the eccentric redhead, they got on well. He also hoped she wouldn’t be too hard on Buffy, but knew his girl could handle it. “Right love, I’ll let you get on, don’t want you late to answer Darla’s important calls!” He got up off the bed, Buffy following behind, but not before rolling her eyes at his comment. Her boss was a real annoying bitch about her phones, they had to be answered within 3 rings, and sometimes she phoned the reception desk herself just to check.
Spike headed downstairs to wash up and Buffy headed towards the bathroom to get ready, praying that she would actually make it to work on time. Once she was showered, she headed back to her room to get dressed, and saw the rose still on her pillow. She picked it up, and brought it to her nose, inhaling the scent and smiling. Angel never gave her flowers, or made her breakfast in bed. She was almost becoming glad she wasn’t going to be spending the rest of her life with him. She’d never get treated with as much love as Spike had shown her the last few days, not even in their first year of marriage. She wished he’d been more like Spike, more thoughtful. If they weren’t best friends, they’d almost be perfect for each other. They way he treated her…wait a minute, he couldn’t like her like that, could he? *NO! Don’t be silly Buffy, he’s your friend. You’re BEST friend! He just cares about you, wants to cheer you up* Yeah, that was it. Better finish getting ready, she thought, looking at the clock, rushing to the wardrobe and pulling out some trousers and a shirt.
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It was 7 o’clock when there was a knock at the door, Buffy rushing to open it. “Hmphhh! Willow! I’m not dead!” she managed to get out, as her friend squeezed her in the biggest hug ever. She let her go as she spotted Spike appear over Buffy’s shoulder, smirking at her display! She blushed, looking shyly at Buffy, and smiled gently. That was just before she put her ‘resolve face’ on, and her hands on her hips.
“Buffy Summers, why the hell did you not call me back! I was worried sick!” she said, almost fuming. When she’d switched her cell on at lunchtime and heard Buffy’s voice, telling her she was ok, and at Spike’s, and inviting her to dinner, she’d been relieved, but then annoyed at the fact she hadn’t called sooner. However, seeing how ashamed Buffy now looked, and the way Spike was looking at her with such strong devotion, she decided to drop it. “Never mind, you’re ok, clearly! You are ok, right?” She looked at her friend imploringly, who nodded.
“Yeah Wills, I’m fine. Spike’s taken good care of me, promise! Makes me breakfast in bed and everything!” She looked over Willow’s shoulder at him, standing in the kitchen doorway with an apron on. He looked embarrassed, and she smirked, trying to copy his usual trademark facial feature, but didn’t quite manage it. “I think that’s your queue to vamoosh!” she watched as he turned on his heel, going into the kitchen.
Buffy left Willow to go into the living room, and told her she’d go check the dinner was coming along ok with Spike looking after it, and she’d be right back. After Buffy’d been gone for 5 minutes, Willow decided she’d go and see if there was anything she could do to help. The scene she walked in on in the kitchen though was soo sweet, she stood watching for a moment before backing quietly out of the room, leaving them in peace.
Spike had gone into the kitchen, and soon after Buffy had followed him in, so she could tell him to go along with her story later that Buffy had made the sauce for the pasta, and hadn’t completely left the whole thing for Spike to do. He’d immediately pushed her to the stove, taking her hand in his, and picking up the spoon on the side, placing it in her hand, and using his to guide hers with the spoon around the saucepan, stirring the tomato puree, and then telling her to add the garlic and onions from on the side, so she could be honest when telling Willow the story she’d come up with. She did as she was told, and he carried on guiding her hand with the spoon in. He was close behind her, pressing up against her back, breathing in her scent, trying to tell himself he was just doing it so she didn’t have to lie to her friend, but he was being selfish and doing it for himself just as much. However, Buffy didn’t seem to have any complaints whatsoever, as she leant back into him, getting carried away with the moment, neither of them noticing as their eyes closed, and Willow stood in the doorway watching them. They snapped out of the daze they were in when Willow called out from the living room asking if she could do anything to help, and she dropped the spoon, looking guiltily at spike, before running out into the living room.
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Dinner had gone well after that, although Buffy barely made eye contact with Spike throughout the meal. He’d gone to wash the dishes whilst the girls had a ‘natter’ in the living room over a glass of wine, curled up on the couch. They’d been talking about Buffy and Angel, and Spike had finished the dishes and gone up to take a shower. Willow had been trying to pluck up the courage to tell Buffy something all evening, and since Spike was now out of the room, she thought now was the time to do it.
“Buffy, I need to tell you something. I came here to check you were ok, but also because I need to tell you something, and I need for you to not freak on me, cos I don’t understand it myself yet, and I need your support, and…” she babbled, as she did when she got nervous. Buffy reassured her by moving round and sitting closer to her. She took a deep breath, and said “I’ve met someone”, waiting for Buffy to start talking before putting her wine glass to her lips and drinking the glass down fast.
Her blond friend looked surprised, but pleased, and started with the questions, wondering why Willow had been so worried to tell her this. “Oh my god Will’s, when! What’s his name? How old is he, is he cute? When did you meet?” She stopped when Willow drunk the full glass of wine she’d had in her hands. “Will, what is it, what’s wrong?” She was worried about her friend, it wasn’t like her to do that at all.
Willow looked at her, and said “HER name’s Tara, she’s blond, and she’s great Buffy. I don’t know how it happened, we just started talking and there was all this chemistry from nowhere. And we went back to her place, and I’ve been with her the last few days. We met at the Bronze, before you ran outta there, if I’d known you’d left I would have come after you, I swear…Buffy, say something, please?”
“Oh Willow, I’m sorry, it’s just a shock! I mean, you usually like guys, it’s just new to me! It’s ok though, I am totally support-o girl, I promise! I want to meet her! Have you told Xander and Anya yet?” Willow looked relieved at the way her friend was dealing with this new news, and smiled. She’d been so worried that Buffy would hate her for it, or think it was too weird, that hearing her words of reassurance was a fantastic relief. She threw herself into Buffy’s arms, whispering ‘thank you’ over and over again, just before the doorbell went.
Buffy disentangled herself from Willow, going to the hall to answer it. When Willow didn’t hear anything, she got up and went to the hall, to see what was wrong. Noticing Buffy’s lack of movement to invite the person in or shut the door, she looked out onto the porch to see Drusilla standing there. She was smiling softly, and said “Hullo Buffy” with one hand stroking her extended stomach…