Buffy quietly folded her clothes and placed them in her suitcase. She was standing in her old room that hadn’t changed at all, she looked around, the bookcase was filled with her old diaries and high school yearbooks. The mirror was plastered with photos of her with old friends. The wall opposite her bed was covered in black scuff marks from when she was 8 years old and though it was a great idea to do handstands against the wall in her Mary Janes.
This room was everything she used to be; she walked over to her shelf and pulled down her old cheering pom poms. She gave them a shake and they rustled noisily, she set them down again and wandered over to the mirror. Hundreds of photos depicted her high school years, photos of her cheering at football games and dancing at the Bronze.
She was front and centre in every photo, a huge smile on her face and her arms wrapped around her closest friends Willow and Xander.
She didn’t take many photos any more. She wasn’t sure why, there was a time when she didn’t go anywhere without a camera, just in case there was a moment she needed to capture. Now she just let those moments pass by.
Buffy walked over to one of her suitcases, she dug around the bottom of it and pulled something out. There it was her digital camera. She pressed a button and turned on, it still worked. She snapped a test photo of her book shelf. The camera flashed and a tiny picture appeared on the screen.
“Hey Dawn!” She bellowed from her bedroom.
A few seconds later a head popped into the doorway “What?” she asked curiously. Buffy waved her over, Dawn walked over slightly confused.
Buffy reached over to her sister and wrapped her arm around her neck pulling their faces close “Smile!” she said as she held the camera out in front of them and snapped a photo.
Dawn giggled “What was that about?”
She shrugged “I don’t know, all my photos are really old” she toyed with the camera “Want to go take a bunch of photos? We can make Mom a big photo board for Christmas”
Dawn nodded excitedly, it had been forever since she had played around with Buffy this way “Let’s go into the yard and do it”
The girls headed out to the front yard, Buffy started with camera and snapped photos of Dawn as she wandered around the yard. Some were poised and some were candid.
Buffy laughed as Dawn hugged a tree and grinned “That so cheesy Dawny” she clicked away happily as her little sister began expertly climbing the tree, her long limbs wrapping around the branches. Buffy felt a sense of peace wash over her, this is what she had needed all along, something to just keep her mind off things.
Dawn swung upside down on a branch and bared her teeth like a monkey. Buffy laughed so hard she couldn’t take the photo.
Dawn giggled and jumped out the tree; she walked over and took the camera. She snapped a few photos of Buffy laughing; Buffy threw herself down on the grass and laid there for a few moments. She breathed in deep and inhaled the scent of the grass. Dawn laid down on her side next to her “You’re leaving soon aren’t you” it wasn’t really a question
Buffy rolled onto her side and faced her little sister “I think I have to, I can’t hide forever”
Dawn nodded and begin running her fingers through the blades of grass “I’m gunna miss you” she said softly
Buffy sighed heavily and pulled her sister into an awkward one armed hug. Did she really have to leave? It wasn’t like she had anything to go back to for.
The front door opened and they both looked up to see Angel approaching them, Buffy rolled onto her back and patted the grass between her and Dawn. Angel approached and carefully wedged his large body between his two petite sisters, the girls both snuggled into their big brother.
They didn’t say anything for awhile; they all just laid there and enjoyed the moment.
Spike walked up Revello drive, a small slip of paper in his hand had Buffy’s address written on it in his mess scrawl. He wandered by looking at all the houses, they were all so big. They had nice big gardens full of rose bushes and trees, some even had tree houses. All the houses were painted in soft pastel colors and the driveway held a minivan or something else family related.
It was all so foreign to Spike but somehow he felt completely at ease. He could imagine living in one of those big houses, he stopped in front of one, a young man was pushing a little girl on a swing. He smiled slightly, he could do that.
He kept on walking before he stopped again. 1630. There it was Buffy’s house.
He looked up at it, big and beautiful like every other house. He looked at all the windows and he tried to guess which one was Buffy’s bedroom, she had mentioned a sister once, did she have to share a room?
He looked at the garden and it was then he noticed them. 3 bodies all snuggled together on the grass, one big bloke wedged in between two pretty girls. He approached them quietly and it was then he noticed Buffy. He felt a stab of jealousy, what was she doing with that man? Had she moved on already?
Buffy lay there, her head resting on Angel’s chest and her eyes closed. She sighed heavily. She heard someone shuffle slightly on the grass and she cracked one eye open, when she saw who it was she gasped and sat up. It had happened again, she had finally stopped thinking of him and he appeared. She sat there awkwardly staring up at him “What are you doing here?” she whispered
“I’m obviously interrupting something” he said in a pained voice “I’ll go” he started to walk away
“Wait!” she said in a desperate tone that made Angel and Dawn jump, they had both dozed off but Buffy’s sharp cry had jolted them awake. Buffy quickly stood up “Spike don’t go”
Dawn’s eyes widened, she nudged Angel in the side and gestured to the house. Angel seemed to reluctant to leave, they both stood up, Angel placed a comforting hand on Buffy’s shoulder “I’m inside if you need me” he whispered as he glared at Spike
Buffy waited for her brother and sister to go inside before looking at Spike. He looked tired and disheveled, his hair was longer then she had ever seen it, his curls were free from gel and she could see his roots coming through. She itched to run her fingers through it. “What are you doing here?” she asked again
He shrugged and stared down at his feet “Wanted to see you” he mumbled “Can see now it was a bad idea”
Buffy was confused, he came all this way to mumble and not look at her? Where were the declarations of love? The kisses and embraces?
Spike looked up at the house “Your new boy is spying” he said nodding towards the kitchen window
Buffy turned around and sure enough there was Angel, his face set in stone as he watched the two talk. Buffy glared at him and waved him away, he disappeared from sight. Buffy suddenly registered what Spike said “Wait, my new boy?” she asked
Spike nodded and kicked his foot like a petulant child “What is he? High school sweetheart? College romance?” he couldn’t meet her eye; He waited for her to scream at him, tell him that it was none of his business. To his surprise she burst out laughing, he looked up “What’s so funny then?”
Buffy held her stomach as she laughed, tears streamed down her face as she laughed properly for the first time in months; she tried to catch her breath to calm herself down. Finally she stopped and wiped away the tears. She looked at Spike and smirked “That’s my brother Liam”
Spike’s face coloured slightly as that information sunk in, he dug the toe of his shoe into the grass “Well that makes me feel look like a right git dunnit?” he looked up and the smile on her face took his breath away. He looked at her properly for the first time, her hair was longer and lighter shade of gold from the Californian sunshine, her eyes were still that brilliant green but they were slightly guarded.
The laughter died away and the awkwardness set in, They stood there uncomfortably for a few moments, before Spike finally broke “I came all this way to win you back, to try and convince you to be with me and now I’m here I have no idea what to say” he said quietly “It all seems so cliché”
Buffy stayed quiet
“I sat there on the plane thinking of the perfect first line and planning my romantic speech” he continued “None of it seems good enough, so I’m just going to say the thing I should have said long ago” he stared at her, god she was so beautiful “I love you Buffy Summers”
Buffy’s eyes filled with tears, she had wanted to hear those words for so long. She stood there, her tears splashing down onto her cheeks “I don’t know what to do” she whispered “I love you so much Spike but how do I know things will be different?”
“Because I’m different” he murmured before he dropped to the ground on one knee, Buffy’s eyes widened as Spike reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box “I can’t lose you Buffy” he whispered “I was horrible to you I know that and these last few months without you have been hell”
She quivered slightly, the raw emotion in his voice made her heart beat faster
“I can be that man you need, I know I can” his voice was pleading now “I can make you happier than you ever have been, I want to make you happy… all I want in this damn world is to make you smile and laugh every single day”
Another tear ran down her cheek, she moved to wipe it away but he grabbed her hand and bought it to his lips. He kissed her knuckles and her fingers over and over. She smiled softly as more tears spilled over.
He looked up at her, still clutching her hand in his “I’m in love with you Buffy and I can only hope that I haven’t screwed this up to much” he let go of her hand for moment to open the box, he took the ring out and held it up to her “Marry me?” he asked simply
Without even thinking Buffy flung herself into his arms, they toppled onto the grass her encased in his warm embrace. “Thought I’d lost you” he murmured into her hair
He was inhaling deeply and it took Buffy a moment to realize that he was sniffing her. Spike closed his eyes as he breathed in her aroma, she always smelt of vanilla and cinnamon and something that was uniquely her.
Buffy squeezed him tighter, she rubbed her cheek against the soft skin on his neck, the feel of his skin against hers was so familiar.
“Missed you so much love” he whispered as he buried his nose into her hair, He pulled away and ran his fingers through it, he marveled at its softness.
Buffy couldn’t believe the way he was looking at her; it was like he had never seen her before in his life.
Spike had never seen anything as lovely in his life, he felt like a man who had been lost in the desert for months and just saw water for the first time. He was afraid to look away in case he was imagining her. “You haven’t given me an answer yet” he whispered
She laughed softly “Yes” was all she could manage to get out before his lips were on hers in a searing kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and entwined her fingers in his unruly curls.
What a sight they were, both crying and laughing as they shared a passionate embrace on her front lawn. Dawn and Cordelia stood by the kitchen window, both clutching their hearts and smiling; they looked at each other and nodded. Dawn flung open the front door “BUFFY!” she screeched
The couple looked up in time to see the two running over; Spike stood up and helped Buffy stand. Dawn ran over and enveloped Spike in a huge hug “You’re forgiven for hurting my sister”
Buffy laughed “Spike meet my sister Dawn” she said as Spike chuckled and wrapped his arms around the teenager
Cordelia grabbed Buffy’s hand and then looked up in confusion “where’s the ring?”
Buffy’s eyes widened “Oh shit!” she dropped to her hands and knees and began running her fingers through the grass
Spike looked down “You lost it all ready?”
“You never actually put it on my finger you asshole!”
Spike tilted his head back and laughed. God it was good to have her back in his life.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I am so sorry that it has been so long! I got a serious case of the writers block, I knew what I wanted to write but I just couldn't word it properly. I am finally happy with this and I hope you all like it.
Chapter End Notes:
Should be that end or do we want one more chapter? Any ideas?
Please Revew!
Please Revew!