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Chapter 23 – Coming Clean


To Spike’s surprise, Buffy didn’t let go of his hand as they walked into the Magic Box, earning a scathing glare from Xander.

“Are you two engaged?” Anya asked, looking back and forth between them.

“What?” Buffy asked, looking at Spike, who was chuckling.

“Well, the last time I saw the two of you holding hands, you were engaged. Are you engaged again?”

“No,” Buffy replied, shaking her head.

“It’s a spell,” Xander cried, throwing his hands up in the air as if he’d just discovered the cure to the common cold.

“It’s not a soddin’ spell,” Spike growled, already growing impatient with the whelp.

“B-but it has to be,” he insisted.

Buffy didn’t have to look at Spike to know that he was getting frustrated. She could see Willow and Tara exchanging confused looks and Giles cleaning his glasses behind the counter.

“Are you…together?” the older man finally asked when Buffy’s gaze fell on him.

Spike glanced at Buffy, not wanting to answer the question and risk getting her mad at him. She looked up at him with a soft smile before nodding, never taking her eyes away from Spike’s gaze. “Yes.”

Judging by Spike’s flinch, she knew that pandemonium must have erupted through the store and reluctantly tore her eyes away from him. She could see Xander gesturing wildly as Willow, Tara, and Anya appeared to be alternating between asking questions and trying to calm him down. Shooting
a quick glance at Giles, she saw him with a slightly perplexed look, but he remained silent.

Looking back at Xander, Buffy’s gaze hardened when she realized he was demanding how she could do something like this to Riley. Reminding herself that Xander was one of her oldest friends, Buffy took a deep breath. Putting a hand on Spike’s chest when she realized that he was practically coiled and waiting to strike, Buffy slowly turned toward Xander.

“Shut up,” she said in such a low voice it seemed to startle everyone in the room. Just as she opened her mouth to defend her newfound relationship, she heard Spike growl low in his throat. Turning to look at him, she suddenly realized that Riley had walked through the door of the Magic Box.

Catching Spike’s arm a split second before he ran at the other man, Buffy planted herself in front of the temperamental vampire, using all of her strength to hold him in place. She could hear Spike yelling and judging from his side of the conversation, and she knew that Riley must be causing just as much noise, but all of her energy was focused on keeping him where he was.

“Spike!” she finally yelled in exasperation.

Gritting his teeth together, cold blue eyes met Buffy’s and immediately softened when he saw her worried expression. Tenderly running a hand along her cheek, he tried to give her a gentle, albeit tight, smile.

“You can’t,” she whispered softly. “The chip.”

“It would be worth it,” he said with a growl, and Buffy knew that it was for Riley’s benefit and not hers as he glanced over her shoulder at the other man.

“I’m not risking you hurting yourself,” she said softly, planting both hands on his chest as she backed away, making sure he stayed in place.

When Buffy was satisfied that Spike was going to stay in place, she slowly turned to face her ex-boyfriend. Riley immediately began yelling and gesturing toward the two of them, and Buffy knew that she wouldn’t be able to hold Spike back a second time. Crossing the room in three quick strides, she let her fist fly directly into Riley’s nose, feeling moderately better when she saw the blood that began to pour from it.

She could sense the shock in the room without even needing to turn around. Adding a strong kick to his midsection and watching him double over in pain, Buffy glared at the man she thought she knew. “I can’t believe you’d show your face here,” she said through clenched teeth, keeping her eyes on the bleeding man.

“I can’t believe you’d bring that thing here,” Riley retaliated, causing Buffy to take another menacing step forward.

Feeling a hand on her arm, Buffy swung around and tried to settle her nerves when she saw it was Willow. “Buffy, what’s going on?” she asked, her expressive eyes showing how worried she was about her best friend.

“Everyone’s curious?” Buffy asked, walking toward Spike and planting herself in front of him, relaxing when she felt his hands rest lightly on her hips. “Spike and I are together,” she said, holding up her hand when she saw that Xander was about to yell again. “Before anyone says one single word, you have no idea what I’ve been going through. Riley and I have broken up,” she continued, shooting a glare in her ex’s direction. “He didn’t trust me, he didn’t try and see what I was going through, and he tried to separate me from the one person who does understand…in more ways than one.” Buffy continued, even when she saw that Riley was trying to interrupt. “And I can handle the idle threats or whatever you want to call them, but I am not going to sit back and condone beating up the one person who has been helping me and leaving him for dead!” she yelled.

She could practically feel the stunned silence that permeated the room before looking at Giles.

“When was this?” he asked, looking at her in concern.

“When did he leave Spike to meet the sunrise? Last night.”

Everyone in the room exchanged looks before turning toward Spike.

“He doesn’t look that bad,” Anya spoke up, tilting her head in Spike’s direction.

“No,” Riley agreed, looking Spike up and down and narrowing his eyes as Buffy watched him. “He doesn’t look that bad at all.”

Looking over her shoulder at Spike, Buffy gave him a soft smile, leaning more securely into his embrace. “That’s what Slayer’s blood does,” she replied, keeping eye contact with him for another moment before turning to face the stunned group.

“He fed off you?” Riley cried, advancing on the couple, only to be met with another fist as it slammed into his eye.

“Don’t you come near him,” Buffy said in a menacing tone. “Or me, for that matter. Yes,” she continued, addressing the rest of the room. “I willingly fed him and I would do it again. If anyone has a problem with that- I really don’t want to know.”

Her nerves were setting her on edge when she saw everyone begin talking again.

“You know what?” she finally said with a resigned sigh. “You all are my friends and I really want you to accept this, but if you can’t…well, you haven’t missed me lately, so I don’t really expect you to notice if I only come around for official Slayer business.”

Taking Spike’s hand in hers, she walked past Riley and through the door of the shop without looking back. Spike stayed quiet as they walked down the street before lightly tugging on her hand, signaling her to stop.

Buffy turned around and saw Willow and Tara running toward them.

“I’m so sorry, Buffy,” Willow cried, throwing herself into her best friend’s arms. Buffy hugged her for a long moment before the redhead pulled back to look at her. “I know I haven’t been there as much lately and I…we just wanted you to know that we’re going to support whatever you decide,” she finished with a small smile, directed toward Spike.

“I’m sure Giles and Anya agree,” Tara said timidly. “But they were trying to calm down Xander and Riley.”

“I should have known Xander would hit the roof,” Buffy said, shaking her head.

“Don’t worry about the whelp, pet,” Spike said, wrapping an arm around her waist. “If he’s really your friend, he won’t want to let you go.”

“Are you happy?” Willow asked, tilting her head to look at her friend, smiling when Buffy leaned her head against Spike’s chest as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“I am,” she said with a soft smile.

“Then I’m happy for you.”

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief as they said good-bye to the two girls before turning to Spike.

“Want me to walk you home?” he asked with a soft smile.

“No,” Buffy said softly, shaking her head while a slow, seductive smile appeared on her lips. “I want to go back to your place.”




Thanks so much to: Isabel, Juanita, Rachel, Pari, Seraiza, Pipergirl, blondiebear, Laine, Franchesca, Crystal Pegasus, Steph, gypsy_jin, lilpuff, Cordykitten, Alicia, Rana, Renee, samica, Bernardette, songgal1 & shannaya for reviewing!





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