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Heaving a deep sigh, he looked at them both before settling his eyes on Buffy’s. “Alright, I s’pose I should start at the beginnin’, yeh?” They both nodded. “What ‘m ‘bout tell you, is goin’ to sound crazy, but I jus’ need you to hear me out before interrupting or askin’ questions.” He paused for a moment to get his thoughts straight.

“I came to Sunnydale, to the Hellmouth, to cure my Sire, Dru, who was sickly, and…to kill my third Slayer.”

He saw Buffy looking shocked and reaching for her stake, and Giles looking not too happy, and about to protest. “Hey now, I said no interruptin’ didn’t I? Right, now let me continue.” Spike said, hoping he made the right choice in telling them the story like this.

“I’d thought it would be easy. I’d kill the Slayer, cure Drusilla and be on my merry way. But then, I actually met her, and my unlife’d never be the same. We fought, on many occasions, but neither ever came out the winner, an’ it frustrated the hell outta me. The dreams you had, Buffy, were real. All that really happened.”

The frown that marred her face deepened. “H-how?”

Spike gave her a small smile. “Gettin’ to that, love,” He said. “I tried to kill ‘er on so many occasions, but never succeeded. Then through a misfortunate series of actions, Angel went and lost his soul.” He sneered momentarily, thinking of the event that led to that. “At first I thought it’d be great. Me, Dru an’ Angelus – Thank God minus that bitch Darla – the scourge of Europe, back together. But of course, things didn’t exactly turn out the way I hoped. The bastard not only stole Dru from me, but also undertook serious plans to destroy the world.” Spike snorted in disgust. “Bloody pillock.”

“E-Erm, f-forgive me, for interrupting,” Giles said, the tiniest hint of sarcasm noticeable, “and here I try to ignore the absolute ludicrousness of what you’re telling us, but what exactly did you mean by ‘Angel lost his soul’?”

Spike sighed, these people were truly uninformed. If they’d known about the curse, Angelus probably wouldn’t have been released. “Well mate, as you well know, Angel’s soul was cursed ‘pon him. However, those lovely gypsies put in a tiny loophole. He gets a moment of pure happiness, presto, no more soul.”

Giles looked stunned, and seemed to be itching to go consulting his books or cleaning his glasses. The latter of which he decided upon moments later. Buffy looked worried. “But…what would’ve caused him to get…pure happiness?” She asked.

Spike raised a suggestive eyebrow at her. “Think very hard, love. What is the only time you’ve ever seen ‘im remotely less broody?” He looked on as realisation dawned on her, knowing they’d want to know more about it, but not feeling exactly keen to discuss this particular topic any longer. “Anyway, we’re gettin’ a bit sidetracked,” He said, quickly continuing before they started asking more questions. “So, Angel lost his soul, an’ went evil. He an’ Dru decided the world wasn’t nice enough for ‘em anymore, and planned to raise the legendary Acathla. Not so legendary after all, as it turned out. I wasn’t really lookin’ forward to livin’ in hell, an’ I mean this literally, so undertook some action to put a stop to it. I aligned m’self with the Slayer, an’ together we went out to stop him.

Well, uh, actually she did most of the work, ‘m ashamed to say. I jus’ hit Angelus over the head a couple o’ times, took out Drusilla and left.”

“Wait, wait a minute…” Buffy suddenly said, looking terribly confused and a little disturbed. “What exactly are you talking about? I mean, what you’re talking about…is it like, stuff that’s gonna happen – or stuff that’s already happened, but then again how could it be with me in it you’d kinda think I’d remember all that happening an-“

“-Buffy!” Both Spike and Giles stopped her, and she looked sheepish, but still determined to get some answers. Giles turned to Spike, expecting him to give her some kind of answer to her…ramble.

Spike sighed. He knew what he was telling wasn’t making any sense to them now, if they’d just bloody well stop interrupting me! He needed to give ‘em the cliff notes version of what happened in the years he spent in Sunnydale, and how he finally got sent back in time, or it would make even less sense than it already did.

“Alright, for the last time. None of your questions ‘re gonna get answers if you keep asking them!” Buffy frowned at that, but wisely stayed quiet. So Spike proceeded to tell of how he’d come back to Sunnydale after a while, completely drunk, trying to find a way to get Dru back. Then coming back, half a year later for the ring of amara. Then returning again, only to get captured and get the chip stuck in his brain. He didn’t give too many details about it, he kept it all very vague because even though he knew it would really make things easier for Buffy to know all that was to come, he decided that it would be better if she did it on her own. He already knew she could do it - and hey, she didn’t become the best Slayer in history by getting easy outs all the time. So he told them not much about the how’s, just that he was unable to harm humans, and that was how he reluctantly started hanging out with the Scoobies.

He could often see on their faces that they wanted to interrupt with a question, but he just gave them a look and continued. When after what seemed like hours of narrating, he came to the part where he sacrificed himself to save the world. “Then, one second I was burnin’ up from the inside, going through agonizing pain, then suddenly, I’m gone. I see nothin’, when a scene appears before me. A scene from the past. Buffy, or actually, not Buffy, but someone of those Powers that Be dressed up as Buffy, she appeared beside me. Proceeded to tell me that the past two years or so were a fluke. Said they wanted to see ‘if it could be better’.” He snorted. “So next thin’ I know, I’m bein’ sent nearly six soddin’ years into the past, to where Buffy ‘n I first met.” He sighed and shook his head. Then he jumped off the counter, and clapped his hands once. “Well, there ya have it. The whole story. I know it’s probably a bit hard to believe, but ‘s the truth.”

A long silence followed in which Buffy and Giles, who had long since donned his glasses, tried to process what exactly they just been told.

“So, erm, if I understand you correctly, the Powers that Be sent you into the past, to…change history?” Giles spoke slowly, baffled by the information he received and still trying to decide whether or not he should believe it.

“That’s right.”

“Well isn’t that profoundly dangerous? A-Altering timelines – The very shape of the future lies in your hands! I-If what you’re saying is true, then – then –“

“-I know what you’re thinking, mate,” Spike said, the hint of a threat underlying in his voice. “But I think I made it quite clear I’m on your side here. ‘m not about to lead any of you in any danger. At least not any you couldn’t handle.”

Giles’ eyes narrowed. “What exactly do you mean by that, Spike?”

“I could help you,” Spike started. “I could line out exactly what Big Bad’s you’re goin’ to be facing and have you all knowin’ exactly what’s to come. But, I’m not goin’ to.” Giles looked as if he wanted to protest. “Buffy didn’t become the Slayer she was by havin’ it easy, an’ you know it! She’s been handling for years without knowing what lies ahead, so she will now, too!”

“He’s right, Giles.” Buffy stopped whatever protest lay on Giles’ lips. “I may not like it, but he’s right. If I want to become a better Slayer, then I’m going to have to fight my own fights.”

Giles of course knew they were right, he should probably even have been the one to have suggested such a thing, but he couldn’t help but want Buffy to at least still have something of a Slayer-free life. But, so be it, and he couldn’t help but feel proud at the knowledge that Buffy was going to be the best Slayer in history. If, of course, Spike was telling the truth. Even though the story had seemed very convincing, he couldn’t be sure. Despite everything he’d seen, time travelling still seemed a bit too farfetched.

“Alright, say we take what you’re saying at face value, what’s to say history’ll be changed for the better?” Buffy asked, even though she was starting to believe what Spike was telling them. It was just way, way wiggy to take in exactly what it meant. I’m the one he got is soul for! The thought couldn’t be stopped from repeating itself over and over in her head, and would definitely be dealt with later.

“Well that’s where the Powers come in with their bent up logics. They said that if the outcome turns out be the same, or even worse, they’ll just do their mojo an’ turn it back, ‘s if none of this ever happened.” Spike said with a shrug, finding that part a bit weird too. He didn’t really get the point of it all, though he did feel as if when done right the future could be a hell of a lot better.

“Okay,” Buffy scrunched up her nose in confusion, “then why would they even bother?”

Spike raised an eyebrow, “What, you don’ trust my future-changing abilities, pet?”

She shrugged. “Remains to be seen,” she said only half serious. She knew this was big. way big. Guy from the future here! He knows stuff, stuff about me, about what’s gonna happen! But somehow she didn’t feel as if he was lying. She felt like she could really trust him, and now she also knew where that strangely familiar feeling she got from him came from. Obviously it was something left over from when they turned back time. Even though she knew she should be wanting to have more proof for his story, the absolute unlikely-ness of it just about forced her to believe it against her better judgement.

Giles was having a similar problem. Despite the fact that he did not trust Spike, entirely, there was something inside him telling him that this was true. And despite what he tried to tell himself – that it was absolutely insane to believe him – he had believed the story from the moment it was finished. He sighed, and resigned himself to his own foolishness. “Spike, erm, despite the fact that I am forced to believe your story, I’ll still be wanting to know more about this time-lapse.”

“You ‘n me both, mate,” Spike mumbled.

“But perhaps, this could be reserved for another night? I, for one, need a good night’s rest to take all this in.”

Both Buffy and Spike agreed, and they each said their goodnights before heading home where they would try to process, and wonder about what would happen next.

oooo

Later that night Buffy was lying in bad, unable to sleep. She kept thinking of everything Spike had told her, especially the part where he fell in love with her and got a soul for her. She just couldn’t fathom the fact that Spike was from the future, and had already known her for six years. Part of her was way wigged about that fact, like he knew just about everything about her, and she knew nothing of him. Hell, she’d only met him two weeks ago. And from what she could tell Spike had had some sort of relationship with her, and probably knew all the er…intimate parts of her.

But then another part of her felt strangely excited at the idea of a total hottie as Spike having such a deep devotion for her, ordinary Buffy. It was beyond flattering. She felt as if she needed to do something in return, something to show him that, even though she didn’t really know him, she was grateful for his love.

She frowned. But what if he didn’t love her, but only the older, more mature Buffy? What if he thought of her as just some sniffling little kid who had no experience with men apart from a few kisses here and there? Well she had some experience. The few months she’d been with Pike (and hey, what a coincidence, Pike and Spike, and both total hot bad-boy types) they’d done some er, exploring of each other. Just not the actual deed.

Then again, did she even want Spike to love her? Wasn’t she supposed to have Angel for that? If she was so totally in love with Angel, then how could she be gushing over the fact that someone else possibly loved her? How could she even consider being with someone else? And hey, what was the coincidence of – as far as she knew - the only two souled-vampires in the whole world, both loving her? Or maybe Angel didn’t love her?

“Aaargh!” She let out a frustrated grunt and turned over in her bed for the millionth time in the last hour. Stupid questions! Get out of my head I wanna sleep! Ugh…

“Trouble sleepin’, love?”

Buffy jumped about a mile high at the voice that suddenly invaded the quiet room. She sat up and looked over to the window where she could see Spike perched outside, sitting there on the rooftop and casually smoking a cigarette like he didn’t have a care in the world. Had she left the window open?

“What…uh, what are you doing here?” She asked bemusedly while discreetly checking if her blanket and pyjamas were properly covering her more womanly parts.

“Just wanted to see if you were alright. What I told you tonight was probably a lot to take in…” He then looked at her insecurely, “You do believe me, don’t you?”

“I…I think I do. It’s weird but, for some reason I feel like…like what you’re saying is true. Like there’s something familiar about it,” Buffy said hesitantly, as if trying to find the right words for what she was feeling.

They looked at each other for a while, both wondering what would happen next now that the truth about Spike was out. Slowly Buffy got out of bed and walked closer to the window. “Spike? In the, uh, future…were we, you know, together?”

He smirked, “Why do you ask, love?”

She blushed slightly, “Well you know, you said that you got your soul for me and everything, so I was just wondering.”

“We weren’t together. At least not really,” Spike said, and somehow Buffy felt disappointed. “The time we did have some sort of a thing, it was mostly just about her usin’ me for shagging.”

Buffy scrunched her nose up confusion, “Whatting?”

“Sex.”

Buffy’s eyes went wide and she blushed furiously. “Oh.” She squeaked.

At Buffy’s new brightly red colour, Spike was once again reminded of how much younger this Buffy was. Bloody hell, she’s only sixteen! That’s as old as Nibblet! He cleared his throat, “Right so uhm, s’pose I’d better get going,” he said, suddenly feeling a bit awkward.

Feeling disappointed that he wanted to leave already, Buffy nodded, “Right…” she flashed him a shy smile, “goodnight.”

“Night,” He said and in a blink he’d disappeared from behind her window and into the night.

Buffy sighed. “Yeah…” She climbed back into her bed and closed her eyes. And yet once again, she was unable to fall asleep, but this time for a different reason, as fantasy (or maybe not?) images of her and Spike in passionate embraces invaded her mind.

oooo

London - 2003…

Buffy yawned for what seemed like the millionth time in the last twenty minutes as she flipped the page of her book. Her boring book. The book she’d only chosen because anything vaguely mentioning romance or sadness had her bursting into tears all over again, and she’d just told herself that she would not be crying in front of any of her friends again. Willow and Xander understood, on some level. They’d both lost loved ones as well. But they didn’t understand just how much she’d loved Spike; they kept trying to comfort her by saying that it was for the best, and that at least he died to save the world. And then there was Giles, she just knew he thought she should just get over it, that Spike wasn’t worth all this grief.

Dawn and Andrew were the only ones who really cared. They were both mourning the loss of the vampire as well, Dawn a little more than Andrew.

So here she sat, reading a book about demonology that she’d picked out of the collection of Giles’ miniature library. Why? She didn’t know. But at least it kept her mind off certain things…

She was just going through the section about feeding patterns of the Pox demon - which was by her opinion the lamest name of demon species she’d ever heard – when all of the sudden a flash of memories went through her. New memories, that seemed like they were trying to overwrite other memories.

She bolted upright with wide eyes and rushed to the living room where she found Willow and Xander, who had been playing a card game but were now wearing confused expressions. They looked up at her, and she knew they’d also seen something like she had.

Moment later Giles rushed into the living room, his glasses in his hand, and a bewildered expression on his face. He came to a halt when he saw the three of them.

“You guys…I think Spike is in the past,” Buffy said.

oooo

Muhahahahahahahahahhahahaha-cough cough...…okay, remind me not to do that evil laugh again with a mouthful of cookies…
Anyway, what’d ya think???





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