Three days later, Xander and Anya were back and a “welcome back” party was planned for it. The Scoobies laughed, they talked, they told stories and they played games, staying away from “I Never…” and hard liquor because of Dawn and the traumatic experiences from the last time.
The next day, Anya was ready and behind the counter, serving customers at the Magic Box with a bright, content smile on her face. Xander was also back to work. Willow, Dawn and Tara had decided to go see a movie with school being over and, for lack of anything better to do, Spike joined them though he was distracted with trying to figure out what Stacy Lynn was up to.
Buffy and Katherine meanwhile decided to spend the day shopping and talking, which was weird to everyone else but the two blondes.
“So, finally figured it out?” Katherine asked as they sat down at a table in the food court.
Buffy knew what she meant. About Spike. And how she felt about Spike. “Um, yeah. I guess. Why?”
“You glow.” Katherine answered.
“Is that a good thing?”
“Yeah.” The demi-god smiled. “Question is…what are you going to do about it?”
“You’re not seriously asking this.”
The girlfriend is not supposed to ask the girl that she knew wanted her boyfriend what she was going to do to get the boyfriend. It was just weird and kind of wrong. Scratch that-very wrong.
“Why not?” Katherine raised an eyebrow.
Buffy’s eyes widened. “Because he’s your boyfriend.”
Katherine sighed, rolling her eyes and giving Buffy a look. “And?”
Buffy looked Katherine in the eyes and saw that the other female really wanted an answer. Buffy sighed, truthfully saying, “I don’t know.”
“Las Vegas. You plan on finding yourself in Las Vegas?” Stacy Lynn asked skeptically.
“It’s a pit stop. You got a problem, you can walk.” Gunn replied. It had taken three days to get here, with stops for gas and staying the day at inns for Stacy Lynn.
“No. I’m here to help. You got six months to find yourself, Charles.” Stacy Lynn followed him out the truck and towards the motel.
“Why do you do that?” Gunn turned to look at her.
“Do what?” An innocent smile graced her face.
He almost stopped breathing. Gunn didn’t know why, but something about her got to him. She was beautiful and every time she smiled he felt like sunlight was shining down on him, which was ironic since she couldn’t actually venture out into the sun.
“You call me Charles. My name is Gunn.”
“Maybe to you friends. Maybe to you and the people on the streets. But I prefer Charles. It is your given name. Not your last name.” Stacy Lynn answered. She walked around him. She smiled as she walked backwards to face him, “Besides, I like Charles better. It’s…intimate.”
Gunn’s throat went dry and he cleared it. “Really?”
“Oh, yeah.” She nodded, running her hands up his arms in the middle of the parking lot. “Makes me feel like…” she touched his cheek and smiled when he closed his eyes. “I’ve known you my whole life.” She stepped back and walked towards the front doors.
His eyes snapped open and he growled to himself as he followed her inside. Her words still ran through his mind and he could still feel her hands on his arms, and his face.
“Call me Charles if you want.” He said when they met up at the front desk.
She smiled at him and he felt played. She was going to be the death of him.
“Traveling the states isn’t helping.” Stacy Lynn said.
“What?” Gunn looked up from his game of solitaire after none too secretly pulling the Ace of hearts from the bottom of the deck.
“I have a story.” She took the cards and sat next to Gunn on the bed. “In the beginning of time, there was a girl. With a guy she loved. Warrior champion of the village. It was a primal kind of love, but it was there. And she was expecting. Not that anyone knew. But then, three shamans took her to a cave, chained her up, and implanted a demon in her. And then, there was the first female slayer. She fought the vampires and other uglies of the night until she had to worry about the baby. When he was born, she went back to fighting.
“This kid was special. He was pure good. You can even go as far as to call him the First Good. His mother was eventually killed and he grew up by the ways of the village, fighting the good fight. And eventually he had kids. One girl, one boy. The boy was special. He followed his father, fighting as the village taught him.
“But as time went on, infidelity grew and it became impossible to find who had the spark, according to a demon who really needed a bit of help with the fashion angle but I say he was just a loser who fell asleep on the job, until 1920.”
“That’s when you were turned.” Gunn stated.
“Bingo. And I tracked the line, half the time. Eventually, I came to L.A. after Sunnydale. Had to find the one with the spark. Had to let him realize his destiny and train him.”
“Found him?”
She looked him in the eyes, not blinking as she said, “I should think so.”
“Buffy,” Spike knocked on her bedroom door before entering. He had something to give her. Something he hadn’t done yet. Not that he even knew why he hadn’t done it earlier, or why he was even doing it in the first place.
“Spike.” Buffy smiled warmly at him as she opened the door.
And that was why. The way she’d started looking at him since they came back from their road trip. It made the decision for him.
“Tara said I could come right up.” Spike explained.
“It’s okay. Come in.”
This was the first time he was actually in her room with her invitation. They stared at each other for a moment before Spike entered her room and they stood across from each other.
“I have something for you.” Spike said after a moment.
“Really?” Buffy asked. She’d never admit it aloud, but she’d felt kind of put out. The fact that it was nearly a week since he came back only made her think that he’d been nervous about giving it to her which just brought her conversation with Katherine to mind and now she was babbling in her head.
It was one thing to get the complete content and peaceful feeling from Tara. And then to automatically feel nervous, happy, and uncertain the minute he got into Buffy’s presence. He had a feeling all of this came from the slayer herself and he was channeling it.
“I just didn’t know how to do it in front of everyone else.” He explained.
“I-it’s fine.” Buffy said, “Really. Even though you didn’t have to. We haven’t exactly been-“
“Close. Well we were, but not in the way you mean.” Spike said with a slight smirk and Buffy blushed, feeling hot suddenly.
“Here. It’s from China. A-“ he pulled out the weapon and handed it to her.
“Sword. Cool.” Buffy smiled, taking it from him and swiping it through the air.
“Antique, according to Katherine. Engraving says ‘warrior of the good fight’. I don’t know if it specifically meant you, a slayer. But no evil can touch it.”
Buffy fingered the markings up the blade, liking the feel of the handle. It felt hers. Like it belonged to her. “Beautiful.”
“From France.” Spike handed her a small box.
A jewelry box. “Um, wow. You really didn’t have...” she trailed off, “…to.” She finished, slowly opening the box. It was a cross. Gold with rubies. A ruby at each of the four points as well as one in the center. “Oh my God.”
She’d never seen anything like the piece of jewelry she held in her hands. That she lifted up, just to watch the light glint off the gems embedded in the cross.
She looked up at Spike, tears in her eyes. “You’re the best, do you know that? No one’s ever…I mean this must have cost you…I mean, I know Katherine said you’re rich for life, but…I don’t deserve it.”
Spike smiled and wiped the few tears of joy from her face. “Yes, you do. It was nothing, really.”
Buffy smiled back and they both had this moment where they fell in love all over again.
Don’t know my ass. As soon as I get the courage to stab Katherine in the back…
Buffy was radiant when Dawn came home. The teenager had squealed with her as the slayer showed her what Spike had personally got her.
“I can’t imagine how much this must’ve cost.” Buffy said breathlessly.
“Thousands, maybe?” Dawn guessed, happy to see her sister happy for once.
“Do you think he spent thousands?” Buffy asked.
“Who spent thousands?”
Both girls turned to see Xander entering through the front door.
Buffy took a deep breath. “Xander, we need to talk.”
Dawn took the hint. “I’m going to go…listen to these CDs I bought.” She walked up the stairs as the old friends sat on the couch together.
“So, Buffy. Lay it on me.”
This was it. Once Buffy told Xander, she couldn’t pretend any longer. She took a deep breath, “I love Spike.”
“You think I’m the one you’re supposed to find?” Gunn asked, standing up.
Stacy Lynn stood as well. “No. I know you are the one I’m looking for.”
Gunn stepped away. “No. I’m just-“
“Just what? Some guy with a few skills, trying to do some good?” Stacy Lynn cut him off incredulously. “Save me the bullshit, Charles. You’ve felt it. All your life. There was something you were born to do. Well, this is it. This is your destiny.”
She sighed. “It’s going to get bad. So bad, I won’t even know what the hell the future is. I’m not even sure I do right now. All I see are twists and turns and backtracks and, and…speculations.”
Gunn shut his eyes when she didn’t continue. A destiny. He wasn’t supposed to have one. No matter what she said.
“So, Charles,” Gunn looked at her. “Are you in? Or are you out?”
“What?!” Xander yelled, which was totally expected. Because if it wasn’t and he hadn’t, this wouldn’t be a conversation with Xander.
“Please tell me you didn’t just say you were in love with Spike.”
“Why not?”
“Why not? Because…he’s Spike and-and because he’s Spike and also, ‘cause it’s a feeling other than intense hate, disinterest, disgust, or contempt.” Xander said as if that was all the reason in the world to discredit her feelings.
So far, Buffy’s biggest worry would have been Xander jumping on a “stake Spike” campaign. But, one, that was impossible now, and, two, it was more of a “be a complete jackass” campaign.
“It’s nice that you feel that way, Xander. You’re totally right in feeling that way.”
“Thank you.”
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t love him, just like you love Anya and it doesn’t mean that I’m going to just let it go.” Buffy said, standing. “I’ve got three words for you, Xan, and don’t be offended, but deal with it.”
The slayer then turned and walked out of the living room, leaving Xander in a stunned silence on the couch.
Buffy bounced her leg up and down as she sat in the Magic Box, watching Spike. She had thought about it and she had to tell him. Just not with Katherine around.
The Scoobies, Spike and Katherine all sat in the Magic Box, unable to decide what to do for the night.
Katherine, on the other hand, was not up to anything. Stacy Lynn’s appearance was a message. And it was bothering her. Mix it with the vision she had that week or two ago and she was feeling that it was up to her to make the decisions.
“Bronze! C’mon. I know we do it every time, but it’s a tradition.” Willow said, looking at everyone else.
The others shrugged and got ready to leave. Katherine instead grabbed Spike’s arms as they left. “Will.”
He turned and looked at her. “Kat.”
Buffy was last, stopping when the other two blondes didn’t follow.
“I…we have t’talk.” She said, thinking, I’m doing the right thing. I’m doing the right thing.
“What about?”
“Your choice.” Katherine said.
“I’m not-“
“I’m not asking you t’make it. B’cause, now, it doesn’t matter either way.”
Spike looked confused as to where she was going and she sighed.
“We’re good friends, right? Great, the best?”
“Yeah…”
Buffy covered her mouth as Dawn came back to see what was going on. “B-“
“Ssh.” Her mind was racing as she thought of the implications of what Katherine was asking. That maybe…she couldn’t even think of it, worried she might jinx her wish.
“And…and sometimes…” Katherine took a deep breath. “And sometimes, it’s better if people stay friends.’
“Katherine, what are you trying to say?”
“I’m trying to say that…that I shouldn’t stand in the way of true love. Well, maybe not true love ‘cause that’s for saps, but a love that could survive black and white or good and evil. Something I don’t really know if I should’ve interfered with from the beginning.” Katherine was wringing her hands and she stopped to look Spike in the eye.
She kissed him on the cheek and stepped back, giving him a watery smile. Yeah. She was letting go. Forever.
“It’s over, Will. ‘Cause I’m obviously not for you. Not according to your heart.” With that last part barely said, she walked past him, not paying Buffy or Dawn any mind.
Dawn spared Buffy a look before following Katherine. Buffy watched her sister go and turned to watch Spike’s back. She could tell he knew she was there even as he didn’t turn to face her.
He sat down at the reading table, still shocked that Katherine had done that. He didn’t want to acknowledge Buffy even as she sat next to him.
“I…” Buffy trailed off, trying to piece together the right set of words. “I have something to tell you.”
Spike looked at her. “Really. And what have you got to say?” He kind of wanted her to drop whatever subject she wanted to talk to him about now. He really wasn’t in a good mood.
“I get that you’re not in the talking mood, but I’ve got a lot to say, and I think you should listen to me this once.” Buffy said gently. When the hardness left his gaze, she plowed on.
“I had a complete attitude and emotional change over the past few weeks. First Riley came back. All nice and perky and daisies with his perfect wife, Sam, who was just as commando-y as he was and just the G.I. Jane to his G.I. Joe.”
Spike looked down, a grin on his face at her comparison. Buffy smiled back. “Is that a smile?”
Spike gave her a look and she stared back before they both laughed and she sat back in her seat. She had this feeling, as she understood what Katherine did. And also why she did it.
“And then, Katherine came to town. And, God, I was jealous. From the moment I saw her. And that bothered me so much. She had no problem being open with what her feelings were on things and I still had this part inside of me that had me keeping it bottled up inside. And it seemed things would be better if I just tried to forget about it.”
She sighed before continuing, “But a talk with Willow and a week without you two around changed that and I was waiting for a moment without Katherine around. There’s…something Willow, Tara, Dawn, Anya, Katherine, and even Xander know that you don’t. And it’s three words I’ve needed to say for more than a week now. I love you.”
Spike looked at her sharply and she was determined to finish. “And I’m not saying it because I can. I’m saying it because that’s how I feel and, God, I hope I’m not too late and that you still feel the same way about me too.”
Spike was a barrel of emotions. He was moderately hurt by Katherine, shocked by Buffy, and there was that small feeling of doubt. Add Buffy’s nervousness and hope and it was just a nervous wreck party.
I think she means it, Will. Give her a kiss. Katherine’s voice floated in his head for a second.
He paused for another second before following the demi-god’s advice.
“You dare come to my cave of trials, human.” The demon glared at Gunn as he entered, followed by Stacy Lynn.
“Oh, shut your pot hole, Lenny. You know why we’re here, so cut the act. Especially since I can totally kick your ass.” Stacy Lynn said, smirking at the demon.
“As you wish,” Lenny turned to Gunn. “Are you ready, human?”
“Whenever you are, Tall, Green and Ugly. Bring it on.”
A/N: I just thought I'd say that even though it looked like Spuffy wasn't coming, I changed it from being Spike's decision to being Katherine's. Like?