Chapter 9: Progress
“Buffy?” Buffy’s eyes snapped open at the sound of her friend’s voice. It was Willow. She glanced at the clock. One thirty A.M. She didn’t even know how she’d gotten to bed, but she figured Spike must have carried her. Yawning and turning on her light, Buffy sat up, squinting at her friend.
“Wil? What’s wrong?”
“It’s…I couldn’t wait until morning. I was gonna talk to you earlier, but I couldn’t you get you alone.”
“What’s up?” Buffy asked, stretching a little. She quickly discovered that some muscles weren’t used to the strenuous activities she’d participated in earlier.
“You…you know how Giles wanted to talk to me earlier.”
“Yeah. I meant to ask you…I just…it slipped my mind.”
“It’s alright.”
“How’d it go?”
“Aside from Giles threatening to send me away for witch rehab?”
“What?!”
“He thinks…he thinks I’m getting too powerful.” Buffy thought for a minute.
“But I thought the whole point of being a good witch was to be powerful.”
“He thinks I’m messing too much with the dark stuff.” There was silence, and Buffy shivered.
“Oh. Like what you used to bring me back.”
“Sort’ve,” Willow murmured. “Buffy, I’m sorry.”
“What?”
“I knew the risks. Something could have gone wrong, and I just…I wasn’t thinking. We all wanted you back so much, and…” Willow’s eyes were brimming with tears, and Buffy reached out to place her hand over her friend’s.
“Wil, we already talked about this.”
“Maybe I am getting out of control, Buffy. I…I mean, Tara’s gotten on me a few times about using spells to do little things. I try not to use them so much, but sometimes…sometimes I just forget, and it’s…it’s easier to do a spell.”
“Wil,” Buffy whispered, “I…I need to tell you something. And I hope you’ll listen. I feel like telling you is…is more important, because you’re the one that brought me back. Yeah, the other’s helped, but I think you knew more of what you were doing.” Willow nodded slowly. Buffy squeezed her hand, prepared to let this out now. Maybe it was the fact that tonight had been one of the best nights she’d had in a long, long time, or maybe it was the fact that she truly was getting over what had happened to her, but the way Willow sounded worried her, and she needed to tell her, even if it didn’t sound so great at first.
“What?” Willow asked. “Is it about the spell?”
“Wil,” Buffy said again, clearing her throat. “When…when I came back, I didn’t want to be here.”
“What?”
“I told you I was grateful you brought me back and…and that’s truer now than it was then. But…Wil, I was happy. I was finished,” she whispered. Willow’s face continued to contort into a dismayed frown.
“Buff…”
“No, I need you to hear it,” she said with a shake of her head. “Where I was…I was at peace. I knew everything was alright, and I didn’t have to worry. And then I was ripped out of that…” Willow flinched. “I came back here, where everything was violent and confusing, and I had to come back to a life full of pain…and…and confusion.” Buffy’s own eyes were welling with tears.
“I’m so sorry, Buffy. I’m sorry we…”
“Wait. I’m not finished.” Buffy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I was out of sorts for a day or two. Understandable, right?” Willow nodded. “But ever since then…I’ve been trying to focus on what’s here now, and I know I still have things I have to do. Like I told you…I’m not done here. And…I like to think that someday, when I’m old and grey, but still have fabulous fashion sense,” she quipped, “that I’ll be able to go back there…wherever I was, and know that it’s the right time.”
“Buffy…”
“It wasn’t my time. I chose to jump, because Glory didn’t give me any other choice. I couldn’t let Dawn die. But, when I died, I left her, and I left all of you to try and pick up the pieces. And you brought me back. It was the right thing to do.”
“You…you forgive me?” Willow wondered. Buffy smiled, and without words, she pulled her friend in a warm hug, and when she let go, she smiled.
“I owe you, Wil. I owe you for bringing me back, even if I wasn’t sure I wanted to be here. I know now…it’s what I needed.” Willow smiled, feeling a little better. “Maybe Giles thinks you’re getting too far in, and I don’t know if you are or not…but whatever it was you did, it brought me back here, and it gave me another chance.” Buffy’s tone grew darker though. “But you’re my best friend, Wil. Maybe…maybe you should cut back a little more, even if it’s for a while. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” Willow looked away and nodded.
“Yeah. Yeah, you’re probably right.”
“So what else did Giles say? Or do I wanna know?”
“Besides the fact the fact that the spell could’ve gone wrong, and you could’ve been a zombie?” Buffy nodded. “He said I could have disrupted the cycle in which Slayers are called.” Buffy froze.
“Why didn’t I think of that?” Buffy muttered.
“What?”
“When the Master killed me,” Buffy murmured, “I was only gone for a few seconds, but it was enough. Kendra was called. When Kendra died, Faith was called.” Buffy watched Willow’s expression change. They’d been so worried about getting their friend back that they hadn’t even stopped to consider that there was more than likely a brand new Slayer running around out there.
“We…we haven’t heard a thing from the Watcher’s Council. Nobody’s contacted Giles.”
“It’s ok, Wil. I should’ve thought about that as soon as I came back.”
“You had a lot on your mind. But…I guess it’s good to know that there’s somebody else out there that can take care of themselves against demons. One less person for you to protect, right?” Buffy nodded, but she didn’t feel so sure.
“Right.” Willow frowned and looked at the clock.
“I’m sorry I woke you up. I just thought you’d want to know.”
“I’m glad you did,” Buffy admitted. “I…I needed to talk to you.”
“Thanks for telling me. I’m glad things are better for you now.” Buffy smiled.
“Me too. G’night, Wil.”
“Night.” Willow disappeared, returning to her and Tara’s room. Buffy sat up for a few minutes, thinking about everything Willow had just said. Mostly, however, she thought about the fact that there was probably another Slayer out there, most likely one without training. At one time, only one Slayer existed at a time, until she went and let herself get killed by the Master. Then poof, two Slayers and no way to turn back the hands of time. Then she went and got herself killed again. Why hadn’t she thought of it at all?
She fought for over an hour with the mattress, trying to find a comfortable position, but she just couldn’t sleep. Finally, she decided to go downstairs and get a glass of water. She tiptoed down the stairs, hoping not to disturb Spike, but when she peeked into the living room and found the couch without anybody on it, she immediately became alarmed. She hurried over to the front door, looking out on the porch to see if he’d gone out for a smoke, but he wasn’t out there. She padded into the kitchen, looked out the back door, and still found no trace of him.
She shrugged her shoulders and groggily moved over to the sink, filled a glass half full of water, drank it down, and headed back out of the kitchen. But, as she was leaving, she could smell the distinct smoke from his brand of cigarette. She looked over toward the basement door to see a sliver of light playing across the floor.
Silently, she moved toward it, and she opened it up.
“Spike?” She closed the door behind her and headed down the steps into the basement, lit only by one of the lights in the far corner, where Spike was spread out on a cot, looking up at the bottoms of the kitchen floorboards, blowing a steady stream of smoke from between his lips.
“Hoped you might come down here,” he admitted, putting out his cigarette and sitting up on the cot. Buffy slowly crossed the room and sat down on the cot next to him. She looked down, noticing that he was barefoot, wearing sleep pants and nothing else.
“Willow woke me up, and I couldn’t get back to sleep.”
“Everything alright?” he asked, leaning against the cool bricks of the basement wall. Buffy scooted back to do the same. Their shoulders touched, and Spike placed his hand on her thigh, testing the waters. She didn’t react, so he kept it there.
“I didn’t even think there might be another Slayer out there.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Remember? Faith’s only a Slayer because Kendra died. Kendra was a Slayer, because I died.”
“Oh,” Spike said slowly, realization hitting home. “You think another one was called when you…”
“Yeah,” Buffy said with a shrug. “I mean, why wouldn’t there be? I died for all of a minute when the Master got me, and that was all it took for Kendra. It’s not like the Powers that Be would have a lull period between Slayers. There always has to be one. Well, I guess three now.”
“You want to look for her?”
“It’d be impossible to find her. I’m not even sure the Council would help us. Oh, I’m sure they could find her, but…”
“No use thinking about things that might not even have happened.”
“What?”
“Just because you died…maybe it doesn’t happen every time now that there’s more than one Slayer. With Faith…”
“Locked up,” Buffy added.
“Well, yeah, but she’s still Chosen. Maybe this time, instead of calling another Slayer when you died, maybe…”
“Maybe it reverted back to the way it’s supposed to be,” Buffy finished. Spike nodded. “And then I came back and screwed it all up again.” She shrugged. “Maybe.”
“No use worrying your head about it now. If it did happen, maybe you’ll get to meet her someday. I don’t see why you’re so fixated on this.” Buffy sighed. He was right. Why worry about something that she had no control over, if it even happened anyway? She had better things to think about, such as finally feeling happy. If a year ago, somebody had bet her a thousand dollars that she’d be starting up a relationship with her mortal enemy, she’d have taken them up on it, because it would have sounded absolutely ridiculous.
But nothing felt ridiculous about the way he gently kneaded her thigh, or the way she placed her hand over his.
“Why’d you come down here, anyway?” she wondered, eyeing him. He smiled at her, shrugging his shoulder.
“Wishful thinking.” Buffy giggled, and she shook her head.
“Yeah, wishful thinking, that’s for sure.”
“Hey,” he pouted, feigning hurt, “why’d you come down here?”
“I smelled smoke, and I saw light. I wanted to make sure you weren’t trying to burn the house down.”
“Oh, you know me so well, luv,” he breathed, as she leaned in to kiss him, teasing his lips with her brief kisses before she pulled back.
“I’m wide awake now,” she muttered.
“C’mere,” he offered, laying down and moving over to give her some room. “Sometimes it’s better if you don’t sleep alone.” Buffy eyed him, considering her options, before she lay down next to him, turning so her back was to him. He turned to spoon against her, and he wrapped his arm around her waist, his hand splaying out across her tummy. She smiled, as his nose buried into the back of her hair.
“You smell so good,” he murmured. She placed a hand over his, and she closed her eyes, smiling into the darkness.
“Good night, Spike.”
***
“The Bronze? Tonight?” Buffy asked, as she and Dawn stood on the front porch. Xander would be by any minute to pick her up for school.
“Sure! Why not? It might be fun. You and Spike can dance, and…”
“What makes you think we’d want to dance together?”
“Oh, whatever,” Dawn replied with a roll of her eyes. “You two think you’re so smooth. Maybe the others don’t see it, but come on. You look at him like he looks at you.”
“And…how might that be?” Buffy asked, a defensive tone thick in her voice.
“Like he’s sex on a stick.”
“Dawn!” Buffy exclaimed, only to be answered with an amused smile from her little sister. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure. Sure. Maybe you don’t even see it yet, but you two are totally meant to be together. You’ll see.”
“Oh look. Xander’s here! Have a good day at school.”
“Uh-huh, change the subject.”
“Oh, go to school, Dawn.” Dawn gave her sister a quick hug before sprinting off to hitch a ride with Xander. Buffy waved to her friend, who gave her a wide smile and a wave back. When Buffy turned back around to go inside, she smacked right into Tara, who seemed a little agitated. “Oh! Sorry, Tara.”
“It’s ok.”
“Is everything alright? Did something happen?”
“N…no,” she hesitated. “Everything’s fine. I’m just running late. I promised Anya I’d help her do inventory at the Magic Box.”
“Oh. Ok. Well, see ya later?”
“Sure, at the Bronze?”
“Oh, Dawn got to you too?”
“Oh yeah,” Tara said with a smile, happy to be distracted from whatever was on her mind. “It’ll be fun, I guess.”
“Sure! That is if music hasn’t changed into something completely awful. I miss the music they played when we were kids. Whatever happened to that?”
“Ah yes. Good times,” Tara agreed. “See you later, Buffy.” Buffy gave her friend a quick wave and sighed, heading back inside. As she was coming through the door, Willow was squeezing past her, muttering something about being late and waving at her friend. Buffy finally managed up inside the quiet house, leaning against the front door.
She closed her eyes, thinking about everything she had to do for tonight. Pick out an outfit, do her hair, makeup, maybe do her nails. As she was thinking about it, a pair of lips crashed down on hers, and two strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her against him and away from the door.
When they finally broke away, she stared at him in shock for a moment before relaxing in his arms.
“You know, the fact that you’re jobless, and I have nothing better to do while I wait for the sun to go down bodes well for the both of us.”
“Oh yeah?” she asked, her lips curling into a devilish grin.
“Mmm,” he murmured, as he went in for another kiss. She kissed him back, her tongue teasing his lips as she begged for entrance into his mouth. He backed her up against the door again, turning the lock and putting up the chain. No interruptions. Scooping her up into his arms, he carried her up the stairs and into her bedroom.
***
“What do you think? For the Bronze tonight?” Buffy asked, standing in front of the bed, holding a white blouse up to her chest and a black skirt to her lower half. Spike made a face.
“Hideous. Toss it,” he teased. Buffy’s jaw nearly dropped.
“Well, who asked you, Mr. Fashion Tasteless?” she asked, tossing the clothes aside, revealing her naked form.
“Ah, much better,” he commented, folding his arms behind his head and leaning back, admiring her. Buffy rolled her eyes but crawled back onto the bed. Spike sat up, leaning his back against her headboard, and she straddled his lap, pulling her arms around his neck.
“Well, I can’t go naked.”
“So don’t go at all,” he suggested with a shrug.
“I have to go,” Buffy reminded him, nibbling on his lower lip for a moment, before pulling back to look into his eyes. “They want me to go, and I think it might be fun.”
“More fun than…” He raised an eyebrow.
“Well, I can cut out late, and…” Her words fell only against his lips, and she moaned as she felt a stirring against the back of her leg. She smiled, situating herself in his lap, grinding her hot center against his growing erection. She moaned softly, holding on around his neck, as his fingers gripped her hips. She let go with one arm and reached down to stroke him until he was completely hard. Then, while never taking her eyes off of him, she raised her hips and guided him inside.
She was slick and hot, and though they’d just shagged less than twenty minutes ago, she was still so tight that it took him a couple of strokes to fill her. Her eyes closed, and she rolled her head back, a low moan escaping her lips. His hands gripped her hips harder, as she began to ride him slowly. His head flew back, hitting the headboard.
“Bugger,” he growled, pulling her against him, kissing her breathless. A soft, mewing moan followed a string of hot kisses that made her melt.
He took the opportunity to flip her onto her back, pulling her legs around his waist, as he drove into her, making her gasp in pleasure. She bit her lip, trying to control the cries from slipping through.
“S’alright, kitten,” he whispered between kisses. “We’re home alone.” At his reminder, she let out a cry that made him shutter in pleasure. It was raw…primal.”
“Fuck!” she cried out, her nails raking down his back, as he angled her hips to give her more sensation, and he circled his thumb around her clit, feeling her inner muscles beginning to contract. He squeezed his eyes shut tight, and he continued pumping into her, and after a few more strokes, he felt her entire body shutter, and her neck arched back against the mattress. “Spike…” It was only a matter of moments before he spilled himself inside of her, continuing to pump inside of her until he began to go soft. He lay atop her for a moment, and she smiled up at him, her skin covered in a fine sheen of sweat. He bent down, tasting the salt against her lips.
When he pulled back to look into her bright, green eyes, he wanted to say so many things to her. He wanted to tell her he loved her. He wanted to tell her that she was everything to him. But those words only led to painful conversations about their relationship and about the status of his non-existent soul. So, he said nothing. He only kissed her once more, and he slid out of her. He rolled onto his side to watch her, as she took in big gulps of air. He smiled lazily at her, placing his hand against the warmth of her stomach. She turned to look at him, and she smiled back, perfectly content for now.
“Buffy?”
“Hmm?”
“Save a dance for me tonight?” he asked, half-kidding. What was the harm, really? People could dance and be friends? She just wasn’t sure how her friends, namely Xander, would react. After she pondered it for a moment, a smile broke out on her face once more.
“Okay.” And she pulled him into another smoldering kiss.
[Reviews - 587]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | 
Chapter or Story
Has been viewed 4726 times
- Text Size +
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | Chapter or Story - Text Size +
Chapter End Notes:
I'm so grateful for all of the feedback! Your reviews are very fun to read, and I hope you'll continue to leave them for me, because I like having something to read when I wake up in the morning! :)