Rating: PG-ish
Spoilers: Maybe some if you haven’t seen season 7’s finale.
Summary: Reading the title might be enough for you to say ‘Meh, -another- stupid story about Spike coming back‘, but, you might be just a tad surprised when you see what’s in store this time. ;)
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story and the quote at the end. If you want this for your website, please e-mail me (vampyrslaya@hotmail.com) and let me know where it’s going, I’d be glad to link back to your site on my website.
Spike’s Return
Upon reaching Tucson, Arizona, after the vanquishing of The First; Buffy, Dawn, Giles, Willow, Kennedy, Robin Wood, Faith, Andrew and Xander decided to go their separate ways.
Buffy and Dawn found themselves a small apartment, which was enough for the two of them. It was cute and on a street with the name “Freedom” which Buffy smiled at every time she saw it. Giles flew back to England to check up on things with The Watchers Council and The Coven. Willow and Kennedy flew to Boston to find a place there and begin their lives and pursue their relationship further. As for Robin Wood and Faith, the two decided that it’d be best to go their own way, Faith going back to L.A. to assist with Angel Investigations and Robin moved to Las Vegas with hopes of winning a fortune. Andrew went to college in Nebraska and Xander only moved a few cities away from Buffy and Dawn, he didn’t want to put himself at a huge distance from them.
Buffy was getting better at hiding her feelings as each day came and went. On the outside she was being strong, mostly for Dawn’s sake. On the inside, she was a complete wreck, crying herself to sleep nearly every single night. Every night she would remember her last words with Spike and how she wished them different, wished Spike hadn’t gone down with Sunnydale.
After falling asleep she would only suffer from vivid nightmares that haunted her to the maximum. Of things such as actually witnessing Spike leaving her, the earth crushing him, and him screaming with pain, just to name a few.
So tonight, she would change the endless routine of her horrendous emotional pain. In a nearby cemetery, she had had it arranged to have a small patch of land with two headstones upon it. One of which for her mother who’s grave was lost, and one for Spike. For the first time, she would get to see these two headstones and speak to her lost loved ones.
The night was chilly as it often was in a desert-like environment, Buffy wrapped her knee-length leather jacket tightly to her body to salvage any little bit of warmth in her body as she walked along the road to the cemetery, only waiting for her tears to fall.
As she got there, she walked slowly up to the face of the gravestones, reading first her mother’s.
Joyce Summers
A Wonderful Mother to All
Will be greatly missed.
1958-2001
She murmured “I love you” to her mother and how much she missed her. Placing a single white rose in front of the headstone. She then turned her head, looking at Spike’s headstone. A few seconds later she worked up the courage to kneel down in front of it, reading...
William
Sacrificed Himself for the World.
1798-2003
One lonely tear rolled slowly down her face as she saw his face in her mind, saw the last emotion on his face, then she ran away leaving him to become the ashes in the dust. She took this moment to talk to him, to tell him things she wanted to tell him for a very long time.
“Spike...I don’t know if you can hear me from where you are, wherever that may be, but I need for you to know a couple of things. First of all..” She took a deep breath. “..I love you. I truly do with all of my heart, and if I could go back in time and tell you sooner, I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment. To be able to kiss you just once would make me so much happier, erase so much left over pain. I need you to hold me again, like you used to all through the darkness of the night and make me see and feel that there is hope, still. I need you...” With the last three words, her tears began to fall and her tissues were soon soggy.
She leaned over, dropping her upper half to the cold earth. Pounding her fists into the soil with rage, sadness, and hopelessness. Her salty tears sinking through into the dirt. As if anything else could go wrong, the sky rumbled and lightning jumped through the clouds furiously.
Buffy looked up to the wicked sky and the rain began to wash her tears away and the thunder drowned out the sound of her sobs. The very next moment, all she could feel was this overwhelming rush of energy just surging through her, she never felt so alive in her entire life. It was an invigorating experience and it almost made her forget about Spike, but not for long...
When Buffy woke up, the room she was in was a bright white, not a blinding white, but not a yellowed white either; she felt a soft bed beneath her and warm covers surrounding her body. She carefully squinted her eyes at a figure entering the room, her eyes blurred slightly. It couldn’t be, could it? Her tears falling into the earth had to be the cause, there was no other explanation for him being there.
“Buffy, Luv, how are you feeling?” Spike asked as he approached Buffy’s bedside. He reached over and brushed a lock of hair from her face gently.
He looked like the same ole’ Spike, leather duster and peroxide blonde hair and glistening smile with shimmering eyes and pale complexion. “Spike... you’re back..” She said with a bright smile. “..How did it happen? How did you get back? Did you hear me talking to you and feel my tears?”
Spike chuckled at her twenty questions. “I expected these questions, Luv. In fact, several of us have. Let me show you something...” Spike took Buffy’s hand in his and helped her to her feet. He led her out of the door and into a courtyard. A beautiful courtyard, it reminded her of Sunnydale High’s courtyard, it had a fountain and flowers and there were people walking around and speaking amongst each other.
Buffy recognized a few of the people amongst the rather large crowd, still holding Spike’s hand, he took her to the middle of the courtyard where three figures stood awaiting them. Buffy’s eyes widened at the site of them, before her she saw her mom, Tara and Anya. “Spike, they all came back with you! This is amazing!” She stood stunned with a huge grin on her face.
Spike smiled softly at her and placed a sweet and gentle kiss upon her lips. “Luv, I’d like to welcome you to one of the many realms of Heaven.”
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Epilogue
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“I just don’t think I can live without her, Giles. You’re the closest person I have to a parent and you live miles away, what am I gonna do? I always thought Buffy would be more careful to not go out when it’s lightning....” Dawn cried into Giles shoulder.
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~¤In the end we can’t get those we’ve loved and lost returned to us, but we may be delivered to them.¤~ ©-Author
