Banner by Kris
-----
-----
Words: 2,297
Chapter 6
Pour Your Heart Out
“William?” Spike asked her slowly. “Is he your boyfriend?” Buffy just shook her head. “An ex?” Another shake of her head answered him. “Who is he then, luv?”
“You, in a way. But you’re not my William, or my Spike. But you are Spike none the less. Please leave, I don’t want to have to kill you.”
“You think you can kill me? All weak and defenseless as you are?” He asked her, smirk replacing the curious frown that had previously marred his face.
“No, but I can. And I’m not weak and defenseless.” Came the voice from behind him, spinning around Spike was face to face with Angel. Just a doorway that separated the two vampires, a doorway Angel seemed unable to cross.
“What, can’t get in?” Spike mocked, casting a quick glance at the confused girl in the bed. Spike sneered at Angel once more before walking to Buffy’s bedside. His hand reached out to stroke her hair softly, more for Angel’s benefit but calming none the less. “So, luv, I’m listening. Tell me about your William and Spike.”
“He loves me, and I love him and I want to go home.” She sniffled softly and leaned into Spike’s touch. “He tried, I know he did, he tried so hard to be good enough. He never had to change; I loved him… maybe I should have told him? Before I died.”
“Buffy…?” Angel’s confused voice sounded from the doorway, Buffy’s head snapped round to face him. “You were with someone other than me?” He sounded hurt, and slightly angry.
“You left me…” She trailed off, before turning to look up at Spike once more. “He won’t remember, you know. I will, but he won’t. He’ll have to keep unliving believing he let me die, that he failed. He was my hero… I miss him!” She began to sob. Without thinking Spike turned her and drew her close against him. Comforting her as she bawled into his shirt front.
“It’s ‘k, pet. The poof there will help you find your William.”
“He wants me to stay here. He thinks I could learn to love you instead. That you could make me happy.” Angel growled and leaped towards the barrier again desperately wanting Spike away from his girlfriend. Spike just smiled indulgently even with the look of awe flooding his eyes he couldn’t help but think the girl was crackers.
“Who told you this rot then pet?”
“It’s not ‘rot’, whatever that means. He’s my link… to my old life, before I died. The Powers That Be are letting him be my link. He’s sort of like an angel I guess, except he’s a vampire, and I get these visions they’re dreams and he speaks to me, but he never remembers and he won’t remember I love him but I do.” She began to cry anew as she finished speaking.
The last two words triggered the conversation he had had with Buffy moments before Angel arrived. She really loved another Spike, maybe the girl was sane… as sane as a slayer could be.
“Pet, I’m going out on a limb here… but are you from another dimension?” He asked her warily, as Angel growled louder both terrified of her answer for different reasons. Angel wanted his girlfriend back and Spike wanted to kill the right slayer.
“I don’t know. What year is this?”
“1998. I only got into town a week or so ago.”
“I’m not from here, I know that much. It was 2001 when I died. I saved the world… I died.” Her hand flew to her mouth as she fought back more tears. “I left Spike without telling him I love him.”
The Spike sitting behind her, still in shock from her declaration tried hard not to curse or hit someone or cry. It was typical, he loved someone and they never loved him back. But this time they did and never got the chance to tell him. And now she was here and didn’t love him!
“Bloody peachy.” He grumbled, unsure why he cared whether the slayer loved him.
“Are you Angelus?” She gazed at Angel again, and frowned guiltily as he flinched.
“Buffy… how do you know…?”
“Oh, yeah, that hasn’t happened.” Before either male could reply she continued, “Are you?”
“I have my soul Buffy.” She smiled at him softly a weight seemingly lifting from her shoulders as the barrier he was pressed against dissolved under his touch. He fell forward, the great Angelus, landing face first on the hospital room floor of the slayer.
“Are you ok?” She asked from the bed.
Getting up he nodded. “How come you trust him now, kitten?” Spike asked amused by the other vampire’s finesse.
“Because… he’d not my Angel either and I have to remember that this Angel didn’t hurt me like the other did.” Nodding slowly Spike tried not to growl in jealousy.
He didn’t like that fact that she termed the poof ‘her Angel’, even if she used the same endearment on him.
“Angel, could you call a doctor? I’d like to be discharged now.” Hesitantly, Angel left the room in search of Dr Crowell.
Once he was gone, Spike coughed softly until Buffy focused completely on him.
“Could you learn to love me?” He whispered, cautious of her rejection for a yet to be known reason.
“Maybe. You’re not him Spike, and sometimes I might think you are, because you sound like him, you look like him, you feel and smell and” Her tongue flicked out to trace his lips. “Taste like him.” He stared down at her, fear blossoming. “But you’re not him, and it hurts that you’re here and he’s not. But he chose you… and I have to trust that. But it doesn’t matter whether I can love you or not, because you’re not my Spike, you are Drusilla’s.”
She blinked back yet more tears and wiggled out of his embrace. Flinging back the sheets she stood unsteadily and tried to make her way towards the small wardrobe on the other side of the room. Almost falling once or twice, she made it there faster than she thought she would.
“Go, go slayer healing.” She mused out loud. She pulled the clothes from the bottom of the wardrobe and sniffed them. They smelled fresh; her friends must have banked on her waking up sometime. Or her mom…
“Mommy?” She sniffled again, before turning to look at Spike, still sitting stiffly on the bed. “My mom’s alive, Spike… she’s not dead!” Grinning from ear to ear she ran over to the bed, stumbling a few times and threw herself into Spike’s arms. “She’s alive!”
“Uh, pet… that’s… um, great.” She mumbled unsure of what to say.
“Will you come and meet her? She always liked you.” Spike frowned at her and Buffy ssssh’ed him before he could protest. “She knows you’re a vampire and that you haven’t got a soul, but she likes you more than Angel anyway.”
“She does?” He asked in wonder. She nodded and he grinned as well. “In that case, she sounds like a right decent lady, I’m in, sweetness.”
“Great! We can go straight there then I can go find my friends and explain things and then you can go…” She looked away quickly. “…to Dru. Sorry told you I was likely to forget.”
“It’s ‘k. Why exactly are you not, you know, shoving me away in disgust?” He wrapped his arms around her waist as proof to his statement, but mostly reveling in the feel of her against him.
“Because my Spike chose you, so I’m giving you a chance. You’re still with Dru, so we’ll just have to be friends.” She finished on a sad note, wanting nothing more than for him to hold and whisper sweet nothings in her ear, but instead she pulled out of his embrace and changed out of the hospital nightgown.
Feeling bereft as the coldness seeped in where she had just been Spike warped his arms around himself and rocked back on his heels. He admired her naked form as she changed; Buffy of course knowing he was watching her did nothing to stop him. The youth of her body was obvious but still alluring, the way her back dipped and curved into her ass, the way she still had touches of puppy fat on her arms and legs yet he could see the powerful muscles as she moved the limbs. She was perfection, which even his dark princess paled to in comparison.
“We can’t be friends Buffy… I don’t love you, you know… but I could. So very easily, if you let me.”
Before she could say anything in return Angel returned with the demon doctor in tow.
“Miss Summers, glad to see you out of that bed. Terrible thing to happen to a young girl, comas.” He shook his head sadly and handed some papers at her the majority of which had already been filled in. “Just sign here, here and here and you can go.” He pointed at dotted lines on a few of the different sheets and she did what he said. Handing them back to the doctor she smiled and thanked him for taking care of her while she was asleep.
“Angel could you drop me and Spike home please? My home, not his.”
“Spike and I, kitten.” He corrected snottily, and she stuck her tongue out at him.
“Angel, don’t. I just want to see my mom, and then I’ll go to the library and see the others, tell them to meet there ok?”
“Why is Spike going?”
Buffy walked out of the door, her words filtering back to the brooding vampire as the blond ran after the girl. “I think she’d want to thank the reason I’m awake.”
XXX
They arrived at the house on Revello a little over 20 minutes later, knocking softly on the door as Angel drove away from them slowly, Buffy and Spike stood. Her hand clasped in his as he nervously swung his arm back and forth, rocking on the balls of his feet. The door flung open and a shocked Joyce Summers stood behind it, tears sprang to her eyes as she slowly reached out a hand to trace Buffy’s face.
“You’re real? I’m not seeing things, am I?”
“I’m real… ohh mommy!” Buffy cried as she threw herself into her mother’s arms, still managing to keep hold of Spikes hand though. Spike watched them display with a strangely envious look on his face, he was also feeling slightly jealous as Buffy’s attention was directed towards someone other than him. Pulling back from her mother Buffy grinned, and looked back at Spike. “Mom, this is Spike. He’s the reason I woke up.”
Joyce glanced at her daughter then at the bleached blond (older) man beside her and bit her lower lip for a moment. Finally reaching a decision Joyce smiled warmly at the man and moved aside. “Come on in Mr. Spike.”
“Just Spike, Ms. Summers.” He corrected politely whilst entering the slayers home. Taking a look around him as he walked into the living room Spike smiled, the place was what you could describe as ‘homey’, full of warmth and light and love, and no place for a monster like him.
Buffy felt the sudden change in him and looked over frowning. “Spike?” He just shook his head and sat down in the over stuffed armchair.
“How about I make us all a nice mug of coca and then you can explain how you became my hero?” Joyce suggested smiling at Spike again, then sending a loving look towards her daughter.
“With little marshmallows?” Spike asked his tone hopeful as his eyes lit up.
“What ever my hero desires.” She answered him playfully, as Buffy swatted him softly on the arms, causing him to stick his tongue out at her.
As soon as Joyce was out of the room, Spike got up and moved to the couch where Buffy was sitting in and placed himself next to her. Reaching out one arm to encircle her waist he dragged her closer to him, reveling in her warmth, and leaned towards her ear.
“Will you let me Buffy?” He asked huskily.
“Will you let yourself?” She countered, not trusting herself to look at him right then she stared at his hand resting on her hip.
“I wouldn’t ask otherwise.”
“And Dru--” His hand cupped her chin, lifting her face so he could see it. He pressed his lips to hers cutting her off.
“Is my Sire and I love her for it. But I think I’m meant to be with you.” He told her softly, eyes full of hope and trepidation, his heart couldn’t take any more breaks.
“I’ll let you.” She whispered back, eyes meeting his full of love. “But I want to take it slow.” As he was about to protest she placed her fingers to his lips and smiled. “My spike wanted me to be with you, and I’m not going to ruin that by rushing into things.”
He grinned at her, happier than he could ever remember being and placed a quick kiss to her soft lips. “Thank you.”
Walking back into the room Joyce heard Spikes last mumbled words and saw a quick kiss between the pair. Somehow managing not to drop al three mugs in her shock Joyce continued into the living room and placed the mugs down on the coffee table.
“Thank you for what?” She asked suspiciously.
Jumping apart at her presence was made known, Spike sat on one end of the couch and Buffy on the other, while Joyce seated herself in the armchair Spike had previously occupied.
“I’ll start from the beginning.”
XXX
Please review me... Added Family Ties 3 as well :D