Author's Chapter Notes:
Love it, hate it, whatcha think? The sequel is up, it's called "Love Comes Home"
Last Call
By Wolfram_and_Hart
Summery: Spike makes a phone call before the mission to take out the Black Thorn



Spike had received an ovation like he never had when he read his poetry in life; it was the second most unexpected surprise of his life, the first being when Buffy first kissed him. Tonight was it, his last night. Angel had made it clear that whoever was in on this wasn’t going to survive. He had done one thing he always wanted to do, he read his poetry, but there was something else he had to do before the end.

He had to call her.

She had found somebody else, she’d moved on. He would never be her one and only. He had known in his heart that they weren’t going to have a happily ever after, but he hated that she wasn’t in his life anymore. She was the reason he became a champion, she was his reason for being, he had to talk to her one last time, even if it was just to say goodbye.

He stole her phone number from Angel the day after they got back from Rome. He knew that she was with the Immortal now, but he had to get some closure on what was between them if this was really it. He picked up the pay phone and dialed.

Ring-ring

Ring-ring

Ring-ring

“Come on, pick it up.” Spike muttered.

Ring-ring

Ring-ring

“Hello, you’ve reached the Summers residence. Buffy and Dawn can’t come to the phone right now, leave your name and number after the beep and we’ll get back to you.”

Beep

‘I guess a phone message is better then nothing.’ Spike thought.

“Hello Buffy,” Spike said, his throat dry. “I know you must be wondering ‘what’s Spike doing on my answering machine?’ well I better start from the beginning. The amulet sucked my essence up and someone sent it to King Broody Pants.”

“I was noncorporeal, for a few months before I became all solid again, I was gonna come and find you but I didn’t want to disrupt your life or hold you to words you didn’t mean…”

“DIDN’T MEAN?!” screeched a shrill voice on the other end of the line, that made Spike almost drop the phone. “You tried to get me to admit I loved you for years and you still don’t believe me?!”

“Buffy?” Spike asked, surprised by her answer.

“Yes it’s Buffy! Where the hell are you Spike, and what do you mean you’ve been with Angel for a while?!” She asked angrily.

“When I was released from the amulet I was little more than a ghostie, couldn’t even leave LA.” Spike admitted.

“But you said you weren’t anymore, so why didn’t you come and find me?” Buffy asked, anger and hurt in her voice.

“I… I went out in a bloody blaze of glory saving you, saving the world. It’s hard to top an exit like that, and if I came back it wouldn’t matter.”

“Wouldn’t matter?” Buffy asked, a new wave of anger in her voice. “Of coarse it would matter, did my coming back from the dead mean my sacrifice didn’t matter? Did that make you any less happy to see me?”

“Well no..”

“Then why?”

“Buffy, we both know that you don’t love me, and now you’re with that ponce the Immortal.”

“The Immortal? I don’t love him!”

“What? But Andrew said…”

“ANDREW?! He saw you and he didn’t tell…he went to Wolfram & Hart, he saw you then to didn’t he?!”

“Yes, I told him not to tell you.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Buffy, I know that you’ll never love me the way you love Angel. What you said in the Hellmouth was just you trying to make it easier for me.”

“That’s not true!” Buffy replied, her voice cracking. “I meant it, Spike. I meant it and it killed me that you didn’t believe me. I dreamt about you every night. I told you I loved you and you believed me, then I save you. Every night I save you.” Spike stood, dumbfounded at hearing the same sentiment he said when Buffy came back. “And as for the Immortal, it’s not what you think. I was lonely and I needed to talk to and the Immortal was just there. I told him about you and me; he told me that you weren’t good enough for me, at which point I dumped him and broke his nose.” That got a chuckle from Spike. “I meant it Spike, I love you and I hate that you kept this from me. All this time you and I could’ve been together, all this time I could’ve proved to you I meant it, I could’ve made you believe me.” She said, crying now.

“I believe you.” Spike said, a tear running down his face.

“Then come home.” She said, pleadingly. Home. Spike liked the sound of that. He wanted nothing more than to hijack the Wolfram & Hart jet and fly to Rome. But, as much as he hated it he couldn’t abandon Angel or his crew, not with what was going down tonight.

“I can’t, not yet anyway.”

“Why? I told you I love you and I want you to come home!” Buffy said, desperately.

“There’s another reason I called pet, Angel and me are going up against yet another apocalypse tonight, and odds are I won’t make it.”

“What?! No! I can’t just find out you’re back and loose you all over again!” She practically screamed.

“I know. I don’t know what’s going to happen tonight pet, but if I make it out of this I’m coming home. I’ve had enough of this ‘staying away’ crap, I’m gonna get through this and catching the first flight to Rome.” Spike said, his voice resolute.

“But you just said you won’t make it through this time.” She said between sobs.

“I also said you didn’t love me, and that turned out to be wrong too. It’s gonna take a hell of a lot more than an apocalypse to keep this Big Bad from you, Slayer.”

“You mean it?”

“I’m as serious as I am when I tell you I love you, after this I’m coming home.”

“I’ll be waiting, I love you.”

“I love you too. See you soon.”





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