She still didn't understand why didn't regularly drive the newer and flashier ones he'd bought when he became all rich and famous and stuff, but apparently he had some inexplicable attachment to that thing.
She made her way inside and walked past Buffy's bedroom, finding the two of them cuddled in the bed. They were both still clothed, so Dawn had a feeling there hadn't been a lot of kinky business going on, but at least they looked like they were on the right track.
Dawn couldn't stop the wide grin that split her face at the sight of them. It was so obvious they were meant to be, and she really hoped whatever had happened between them that night had done some work in convincing them of it, too.
Still smiling, she quietly shut the door and went down the hall to her own bedroom.
Buffy woke up with a sense of peace she hadn't felt in years. She stretched languidly, moving closer to the body cuddled against hers.
Wait…body?
Her eyes popped open and she sat straight up in bed before turning and seeing Spike sleeping beside her. How the hell had that happened?
Determined to find out, she poked him hard in the arm until his eyes snapped open as well. "Buffy?" he asked sleepily.
"Yeah, What the hell are you doing in my bed?"
Spike frowned. "I must've fallen asleep."
"I gathered that part. Why were you in here in the first place?"
"Making a mistake obviously," Spike snapped as he got up, trying to mask the hurt her felt at her rejection. He'd known she'd be this way in the morning, and he was angry with himself for getting into this situation in the first place.
Buffy moved quickly to reach over the side of the bed and grab his arm. "Hey. Don't get like that. It just really surprised me waking up with you here, but I'm not upset about it."
Spike paused, his head tilted slightly as he looked at her. "You're not?"
"No," Buffy replied, shaking her head. "But I haven't woken up next to someone in three years, so it was a little wiggy. And I do want to know how you ended up sleeping here."
Spike reached up and scratched the back of his head. "I didn't really mean to. I carried you in here after the movie, and I was just going to stick around until Dawn came home, but I guess I fell asleep, too."
"In the bed with me?"
"Can we not analyze that?"
Buffy crossed her arms over her chest and arched her eyebrow. "Spike, I have a degree in psychology. I analyze everything."
"Except all that stuff you go into denial about."
"Shut up."
Spike sat down on the edge of the bed with a sigh. "I don't know what's going on here, Buffy. I really want to be angry with you. You hurt me, and I'm not exactly what I'd call over that. But then I'm around you, or even just talking to you, and it doesn't seem to matter as much. The one thing I know is that all it takes is hearing your voice to make me the happiest I've been in three years."
Buffy looked down at her hands as they twisted the fabric of her sheet. Three years ago, she'd made a choice based on what she'd thought was for the best, yet now, looking back, she'd realized it hadn't been. Maybe she'd saved Spike's career by ending things when she did. Maybe she hadn't. She never know for certain, but in all honesty, she wasn't sure it had mattered.
She hadn't treated their relationship as if it were something worth fighting for, and that in itself had been her biggest mistake. Because it had been something worth fighting for.
No. Not had been.
It was something worth fighting for.
She looked up, determination set on her face. "I want you back, Spike. I know I screwed up big time, but I still love you. I don't want to be friends, and I don't want to dance around the issue anymore. I want you."
Spike said nothing for a moment, his eyes wide as he stared at Buffy. He'd dreamt about those words so many times, but now…
"I…I can't," he said as he backed up towards the door.
Buffy sat, stunned, as Spike walked out of the bedroom. After last night, she'd been sure things were moving back towards where she knew she still wanted them to be. How could Spike be walking out on her like this? She knew he still loved her…
Tears filled her eyes, and for a second, Buffy was all set to sit on her bed and cry.
Then, she heard the door slam shut.
Spike was walking out of her life. Again.
It was time to do what she should've done three years ago.
Dawn was sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal when Spike rushed out of the bedroom. She started to say something to him, but before she could, he left the apartment.
Seconds later, Buffy came running down the hall, moving faster than Dawn thought she'd ever seen her go before, and followed Spike out.
With a shake of her head, Dawn turned back to her breakfast.
She was stuck in a family of crazy people.
"Spike, wait!"
Spike froze, surprised to hear Buffy actually coming after him. Since when did she do that? He turned around, doing his best to look impassive as he faced her. "What?"
"Don't just walk out on me, okay? Can't we talk about this?" she pleaded with him, not caring that they were now standing out on the sidewalk.
"There's nothing to talk about, Buffy. I can't just jump back into a relationship with you, all right? I can't trust you enough anymore for that."
"Then…then no jumping. We can wade into a relationship. Or…or we don't even have to do that! We can stick our toes in a relationship. Can you do that?"
Spike sighed. This would be so much easier if she wasn't looking up at him with those big, green eyes… "Buffy, I really don't know. You hurt me so much…"
"I know. And you hurt me, too. But I think we can move past all of that if we give it a chance. We've got something strong here, Spike. Three years apart couldn't kill it, and honestly, I don't think anything can."
"Buffy, I… I can't, luv. I'm so bloody tired of getting hurt all the time. I can't put myself through it again."
"Look, just give me a chance to prove to you this isn't going to be like last time, okay? Let's…let's date. We've never really done that before. At least not in the whole living in two different places but meeting up in another place to spend time together sort of way. Can we try that? Just take it slow, give us both time to make it all work?"
Spike swallowed hard. She made a very compelling argument. And what he wouldn't give to have her back in his arms… "Fine. We date."
Buffy's dazzling smile almost made Spike forget how much she'd hurt him. She was so beautiful when she smiled…
"Great! Got any plans for tonight?"
Spike shook his head. "No."
"Then you'll pick me up at eight."
"Um, okay."
Somehow, her smile managed to grow. "I'll see you tonight." She stood up on her toes and kissed his cheek before turning around and walking back towards her apartment.
Spike blinked. What exactly had just happened? He had a date with Buffy?
He had a date with Buffy.
A grin spread across his face as he walked to his car.
Dawn couldn't help but notice the change in Buffy when she walked back into the apartment. Her older sister had a dreamy expression on her face—a far cry from the panic that had been there when she'd fled only a few minutes before.
She abandoned her cereal and pushed away from the table to get to her feet. "Okay, Buffy, tell me what's going on here."
Buffy's dreamy smile was firmly in place as she announced, "I have a date with Spike."
"Oh my god!" Dawn screeched, unable to keep from bouncing. "Are you serious?"
"Yup," Buffy replied. "Tonight."
Dawn rushed over to Buffy, took her by the hands, and pulled her over to the couch. "Spill. Everything. Now."
Buffy didn't have to be asked twice. She was happy, and she wanted to gush about it to her sister. "Okay, so Spike came over here last night because he said he felt like he wanted a drink and needed to be around someone who would make sure he didn't. We talked for a bit, then we watched a movie, and somehow I ended up waking up next to him," she began.
"I saw you two being all snuggly when I got home from work last night," Dawn admitted. "I wondered what happened to bring that on."
"Honestly, I'm not even completely sure. I fell asleep on the couch. But when we woke up, I decided I was sick of trying to just move on. I don't want to move on. I want Spike. It's been three years, and I miss him."
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Duh. It's about freaking time you caught up to that, Buffy, since it's been totally obvious to like, anyone with eyes."
"Yeah, well, there were…factors," Buffy said, her words sounding lame to even her own ears.
"And now what's happened to those 'factors?'" Dawn asked, complete with air quotes.
"I've decided they don't matter so much anymore." Buffy cleared her throat. "Dawnie, I never really told you why I broke up with Spike."
"You said it was because of his drinking."
"Well, that was sort of…not the whole truth," Buffy admitted.
"What? Buffy, what happened?" Dawn asked, her eyes wide.
Buffy sighed. She didn't really want to, but it was time for her to fess up. "Spike's producer at the time came over and convinced me that our relationship was going to kill Spike's career."
"That Quentin jerk the band was smart enough to finally fire?" Dawn asked. "And how did he do that?"
"Yeah, him," Buffy replied. "He said the tabloids would turn the fact that I'm technically Spike's step-sister into a media circus."
"That asshole!" Dawn exclaimed. "You're not worried about that anymore, are you, Buffy?"
"I am a little," Buffy said. "I know if I'm going to be dating Spike, then I'm probably going to have to deal with the media. But I can't take being away from Spike anymore. I've felt like there was a part of me missing for the past three years, and as soon as he was in my life again, I knew I couldn't go back to living while I was so…empty."
"So absence made your heart grow fonder?" Dawn asked.
"Something like that. All I know is I'm sick of trying to live without him. I still love him."
"And he still loves you, too," Dawn replied. "He kept trying to pretend he wasn't, but it was friggin' obvious."
"I know," Buffy said. "He's nervous about starting over again, but I think we can make it work. I just have to convince him I won't make the same mistake twice."
"That won't take long," Dawn said with an eye roll. "He won't be able to keep his hands off you."
Buffy looked down, picking at a loose thread on her clothes. "I don't know, Dawnie. I messed up pretty bad."
"Does he know about what happened with Quentin?"
"Yeah, I told him that," Buffy replied, glancing back up. "But I still hurt him. It's probably going to take some time before he trusts me enough to give me his heart again."
"Buffy, you already have his heart—and he knows it."
"I don't know if…"
Dawn cut her sister off with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Pfft. If he's agreeing to go out with you, you've already got him back."
"You really think so?" Buffy asked, a hopeful gleam in her eye.
"I know so. He's just a fish still gasping for breath even though he's already on the hook." Dawn said. She leaned over and nudged Buffy's shoulder. "I betcha good money you won't be sleeping here tonight."
Buffy couldn't help but blush. "Dawnie!"
"Come on, Buffy, you know that's what you want." Dawn jumped up from the couch. "Ooh! We need to go shopping!"
"Shopping?" Buffy asked, her brow crinkling.
"Yep. We need to find something for you to wear tonight that'll make Spike totally lose it."
"I don't know. Tonight is supposed to be about rebuilding trust. I'm not sure he's going to be wanting sex yet."
Dawn put her hands on her hips. "Uh, Buffy… We're talking about Spike."
"Oh. Right." Buffy stood up. "I'll go get ready."
Dawn just shook her head as she watched Buffy go down the hall to her room.
Starting next week, this story will no longer be posted on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I've gotten a good bit done on it and want to move it along, so it will now be posted on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Please review! I want to know what you think of this latest development.