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And With This Power

Chapter Two: Life After Death


Buffy tried as hard as she could to let her body move forward, but she was still in shock.

Here Spike was, thinking he was just getting her back; when in truth, it was the other way around.

“I’m…what did you do?” Spike asked Dawn.

Dawn was about to answer, but Buffy stepped down a single step. It was enough for both of them to shut up. “I’m fine…” Wow…voice is getting back to normal. “Or I will be,” she said looking at her hands. “I had to, um…”

“Dig outta your grave?” Spike asked softly.

She just nodded, though it really didn’t pain her to think about it anymore. She had long gotten over her death and resurrection.

Buffy looked down and quickly buttoned her shirt. She then put her hands behind her back so that they’d stop staring at them. “Guys…it was only six feet to crawl up,” she joked and immediately regretted it. She was over the death…but back in this time, they definitely were not.

They both looked horrified that she could even joke about this. “Buffy…”

“Sorry, Dawn.” She let her gaze fall to Spike. “Sorry.”

Wait…had the slayer just apologized to him? She did. This brought a smile, not a smirk, to his face. Buffy walked down the rest of the steps, still a little uneasy with her footing.

Without thinking, Spike brought his arm up and caught her.

“Dawn, get some stuff, uh, mercurochrome, bandages,” he commanded softly, and Dawn exited to get the needed supplies.

Buffy sat down on the couch, Spike sitting across from her at the coffee table. Their reunion must have taken a bit longer this time, because the other Scooby members came rushing though the door before she could ask how long she was gone.

They began to question her, shooting out things about pizza and various other things. Only this time, she didn’t interrupt with answers. Spike was about to stand up and walk out, but she silently grabbed his hand, not allowing him to get up.

No one saw the gesture but her and Spike. He looked confused, but didn’t object and stayed seated.

Buffy continued to watch the scene before her. Before she knew it, they were all looking at her, waiting for answers to their thousand questions.

Instead of answering, she started to laugh. The gang looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. She began to laugh even harder, but finally stopped herself. The first time, the attack of questions had been overwhelming. Now it was quite amusing.

“Sorry…” She said, wiping her eyes from the moisture from laughing so hard. “It’s just…I’m okay. Really.” They all exchange glances of worry and confusion.

“Actually, I’m just tired, and-”

Xander cut her off when he saw her hand in Spike’s. “Um…Buffy?” She looked down at their hands and let go.

Not because of what they would think. But the past Scoobies weren’t ready for the Spike and Buffy relationship. Hell, even the future Scoobies weren’t ready.

Spike sighed and stood up, walking past the gang and heading outside. The gang thought nothing of it. After all, it was just Spike.

What surprised them, was Buffy hurriedly getting up to follow him out. She stopped him before he could leave the porch.

He turned around with a look of blissful confusion on his face. Why was she being like this? She hated him with all of her being, didn’t she?

“Y-you don’t have to leave,” Buffy said shakily.

“Right. I’m sure your precious Scoobies would be fond of me staying.” He rolled his eyes, a habit picked up from Dawn.

“W-well…it’s still my house. And y-you, um…” She looked for an excuse to get him to stay. “Didn’t finish de-graving my hands,” she said with a small smile. Spike looked a little pained at hearing about how she’d clawed out of the Earth. “Sorry. No more dead jokes.”

“You weren’t here. You were gone…that’s not a joke,” he said a bit harshly. Buffy just looked down.

“I know…”

Spike sighed and shook the anger from his voice. “I don’t understand how you can be so…”

“Casual about it?” She finished for him.

“Yeah…I mean. It doesn’t even seem to bother you. And you were the one that was…”

“Dead?” Man, Buffy was being blunt.

“Yeah…”

“Well…I don’t know. I guess…it’s easier for me because I wasn’t down here experiencing the pain of losing me,” she offered with a shrug.

They both sat down on the lower step of her front porch, neither taking their eyes from the distance, afraid to look at each other.

Buffy did the unexpected again and took his hand.

That’s when he let it out. Letting his head fall to her shoulder, he cried just as much as he had the day he lost her.

By the time he was done crying, Buffy was holding him closer, a pained look on her face. That look never would’ve been there if she hadn’t gotten to see the future while in Heaven.

Spike looked up to her finally, apologizing with his actions and awkward glares. “I love you,” he says softly. And he knew her reply. A kick in the chest. Or a punch in the nose. But she would never reply with words of kindness or repeat his words.

Buffy didn’t know what to say. She loved him. That she knew now. But she couldn’t just say that. This time things would be right in every aspect of her life. She gently brushed some hair from his forehead and smiled. “I know,” she replied.

And that was enough for him. Because now she believed him.

His look of astonishment and bliss alone was enough to make her heart melt all over again. “Why don’t we both go inside?” She asked with some concern.

He stood up, regaining his pride and shaking off remaining tears. “Uh, no. I’ve got to, um…get back to the crypt.” He turned to walk away, and Buffy didn’t stop him. She knew how hard this had been for him. He turned slightly and looked at her hands. “You get Willow to de-grave those for you,” he said with a smile and a nod.

Buffy started walking into the house, a slight smile on her face. The whole Scooby gang was deadly quiet and all stood when she walked back in.

“Buffy,” Most of them said in unison.

“W-we were gonna get you…but, um…you were b-busy…” Tara said uneasily.

“Yeah…comforting Spike,” Xander added with a bit of concern in his voice. “Buffy what was that? I mean…it’s Spike.”

“I know who it is, guys…it’s Spike. But in case you forgot, he’s been fighting, protecting, and trying to help since I’ve been gone.”

They all looked really confused.

“How would you know?” Anya asked the question everyone else was wondering. “You were dead.”

“Anya…” Xander warned.

“What? She’s not dead anymore. This should be happy news. Just like how Xander and I plan to-” Xander shoved her a little to keep her from announcing the engagement.

‘Mental note,’ Buffy thought. ‘Make sure to kill old man at Xander’s wedding so he marries Anya.’

“Are you okay, Buffy?” Willow asked.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Just really tired.”

Buffy went to walk away and Willow stopped her. “Buffy. Be glad. We got you out.”

Buffy gave the same weak smile as before. Even though she was over the Heaven thing…her friends still had to know.

Suddenly Buffy remembered something. The demon that was made by Willow’s spell. Well, it wasn’t doing any damage tonight. Just show-y stuff. She could casually mention to Willow tomorrow to stop the ghost thing by making it corporeal.

Buffy walked up the stairs and Willow turned to her friends. “Well, she, she’s fine! Normal! She used to go to bed all the time!”





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