He held her hand through the quiet streets of Sunnydale; his cool fingers squeezing every so often to make sure she was real, that she was there. He didn’t speak, and she followed in suit. They reached the edge of tranquility, and stopped staring into the gateway back to reality.
She didn’t want to go in, because for a few brief moments on the walk home all her worries had evaporated. Opening the door, and going into the house would unleash the responsibilities, and she liked it better outside, with Spike.
“Come on Pet,” he nudged her forward and let go of her hand. Her hand began to itch and tingle; and she stared down at it. It was so ironic that now she craved his touch, even the simplest of caresses when not too long ago she would have rather stepped on a nail then have anything to do with him.
She stepped through the doorway, and the chaos erupted around them. Girls screaming and laughing, multiple tracks of footsteps echoed through the house, and inanimate objects shook with the force of all the energy bursting forth.
She hid in the darkness behind her eyelids for a moment, and the deep breath she inhaled did nothing to calm the rising anger and frustration. No one stopped, none of the potentials acknowledged her arrival with anything more than the briefest of glances.
The low rumblings of masculine voiced filtered down the stairs, and she turned to look at Spike. “Can you…”
“I’ll be in the dungeon like a good ‘lil vamp,” he replied with a sardonic expression. He left her standing at the foot of the stairs without another word.
She took the stairs slowly, planning her verbal attack with each step. She’d had enough, of everything and everyone. Giles’ manipulation of her trust had been the last straw. Right now, at this very moment Giles was upstairs under the impression that Robin had “taken care” of Spike. She was sure he was basking in the glory of his ingenious plan to rid them of the vampire, and it just pissed her off.
Giles had never liked Spike, but she never imagined he would stoop to something like this. All these years with him fighting at their side, and now, all of a sudden Spike was too much of a threat to be allowed to exist.
Xander and Giles were standing in the hallway talking in low voices; just the site of Giles made her blood boil. Years of repression, and judgment were now surfacing; no matter how much she loved him, she would not allow him to rule them all like a fascist dictator. His term of the wise Watcher was over; it was her turn now.
She hoped she looked a mess; getting to tell Giles he had failed was going to give her retribution, and add some fuel to the fight.
“Buff…” Xander noticed her first, and at her face coughed and made an excuse. “Wow, look at the time…should probably go…do…something.” He pushed past her and down the stairs.
She approached Giles warily; eyeing him. Although his face was stern, his eyes were gleaming, and she knew what it was that caused that twinkle in his eye.
Satisfaction.
“Buffy...I—I understand your anger. Please believe me; we did what we did it for your own good; for all our sakes.”
“Uhuh.” Her voice was emotionless, and the adrenaline pumping through her body made her want to kill something.
“He was dangerous even with the soul Buffy, you’ve got to understand. You can’t just think about what you want, you need to lead, and do what’s best for everyone.”
“For everyone, or for you Giles?”
He was startled by the animosity her words, and the fire building behind her eyes.
She didn’t let him respond. “You’ve been behind me all these years, whether you agree or not. I’ve come to you for guidance, and support through all kinds of shit. And now, when it is time for me to put my skills to the test, you pull away. You took the trust out of our relationship by not allowing me to do what is right for us all.”
“I’m sorry…but, it needed to be done.”
“No Giles, you needed it done. My relationship with Spike is none of your business, if anyone is ever going to stake him, it’ll be me. But never, at your command. As a matter a fact, consider yourself voted off the island.”
“Voted off the…what in the blazes are you talking about?”
“You’ve lost the right to have an opinion in this house, and concerning anything to do with the potentials or me.”
“I think you are just over reacting…wait a moment. Did you just…?”
“He’s alive. Spike’s alive; Wood failed.”
“Well, that doesn't change anything. What I told you is still true. You need to learn—“
“No, I think you've taught me everything I need to know.” With that Buffy turned on her heal and down the stairs.
Giles didn’t see the tears building in Buffy’s eyes, or the collapse of the wall of anger she had built up. She had just lost another important person in her life, and not because of death, this time; he had chosen to leave her behind.
***
She was absolutely silent as she made her way down the stairs to the basement, but he knew she was there. He could sense her anger, and her disappointment, and smell her tears. He rose, and watched her pause at the bottom of the stairs.
She looked tired, and too thin. Sometime during this charade Buffy had grown into a woman, and also stopped taking care of herself. Not that he was surprised, things had stopped being “all about Buffy” a long time ago, and had started being all about everyone else.
“So I take it he didn’t apologize then?” He tried humor, and it fell onto deaf ears. She didn’t smile; she just looked tiredly at him.
“If they try it again, so help me…”she sighed, but didn’t finish the statement.
The urge to take her in his arms overwhelmed him, but he didn’t move a muscle. She had to come to him, and as much as he believed their relationship had changed, he didn’t want to take any chances.
On her own, Buffy made the decision. She walked the ten steps forward, and into Spike’s awaiting arms. She could feel his cold skin through the thin fabric of his shirt, as she laid her head on his chest. She didn’t tense as he ran his fingers through her hair, murmuring unintelligible words of comfort against the silken strands.
“Everything just goes from bad to worse.”
He chuckled. “Just figurin’ that out now?”
She didn’t take the bait. “I’m glad you are still here, but I would understand if you left.”
He stiffened. “Leave? Bloody hell woman, would you get it through that skull of yours that ‘M not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me.”
“Ok good.”
He took a half step back, and tilted her face up to his. “Good?”
She nodded slightly. “I don’t want you to go, I was just being polite. You know, saying the ‘right’ thing.”
“Oh, right then. Glad we got that all sorted. Just one thing-“
Buffy surged upwards and planted her lips on his. His eyes went wide, and they stood unmoving for a few seconds staring into each others eyes.
Spike broke the hypnotizing state by wrapping his arms around Buffy and pulling her off the ground and up against him. She didn’t struggle, only snuggled closer still nibbling at his lips.
“Can I stay with you tonight?” her voice sounded so young and hopeful.
He let out a growl, and crushed her closer to him.
Did she even really need to ask?
A/N:Dialogue taken from S7 "Lies My Parents Told"