Chapter 52
Spike was glad when Riley left without a word after Buffy’s little proclamation. Buffy’s proclamation that had left him speechless, too—though in a different way entirely.
He made Buffy happy.
He, Spike, formerly very evil vampire, made Buffy the Vampire Slayer happy. Well if that wasn’t just neat.
“Did you really have to hit him?”
“What’d you think?”
“What do I think? I think you goaded him into hitting you first—when you still had the chip in—so you could hit him back when it was out.”
“Knew you were clever. Can you really blame me though? He was asking for it,” Spike insisted again.
“Did you hit him? Please tell me you hit him?” Buffy was surprised Dawn had taken that long to come into the room.
“Niblet…I think I need to talk to your sister for a bit—“
“But you hit him right? Pleas tell me you hit him!”
“Dawn—“
“You’re no fun,” Dawn pouted at him, but still left the room.
“Well we know how Dawn feels about it,” Buffy joked.
“But not how you do,” Spike sounded worried and serious.
“You really think I’m going to stake you now?”
“Not really sure to tell the truth.”
“After everything you’ve done for me these…well past few months really, you honestly think I’m going to stake you just for hitting Riley once?”
“Could think like he does, that this just proves what I’m going to do in the future.”
“Does it?”
“Does it what? Prove I’m a violent, homicidal monster?”
“Wouldn’t necessarily phrase it like that, but yeah.”
“No, it doesn’t. Can’t promise I won’t hit Soldier Boy again—maybe the Whelp and Watcher Boy a time to two, too….but that’s it. Going to leave everybody else alone.”
“Then we’re fine.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
“You trust me that easily?”
”You’ve earned it, Spike,” she told him truthfully.
What was it with the girl tonight? For what had to be the thirtieth time that day, Spike had no idea what to say. And he always had something to say.
“Now can I come in?” Dawn stuck her head through the doorway just seconds later, saving Spike from having to face the awkwardness of having nothing adequate to say to Buffy.
“Good a time as any,” Spike told her.
“You hit him, right?” was her first question. “Please tell me you hit him.”
“Since when do you hate Riley so much?” Buffy wondered.
“Come on, Buffy; I never liked him.”
“Maybe—but you weren’t so gung ho with the hating either.”
“Fine. Maybe I just happen to like Spike more now.”
“Flip side of ‘my enemies’ enemies are my friends’, huh?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but uhm…I think so. You did though, right?”
“He hit me first,” Spike said defensively.
“But you did, right?”
“Yeah,” he admitted, “I did.”
“Cool. So,” she effortlessly moved on to a new subject, “you’re going to start feeling better now?”
“That’s the plan.”
And a good plan it was; five short days later, the doctors agreed to release Buffy. None of them, much as they tried, could explain her sudden and remarkable recovery. She had gained a good amount of weight—something Buffy never thought she would have been so happy about—and was getting stronger again. She had a long way to go, but she’d finally started the trip. All in all it was pretty amazing.
“You’re really coming home,” Dawn said for what had to be the twentieth time in the last fifteen minutes.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were actually happy about it,” Buffy joked.
“Right,” Dawn rolled her eyes, “I’m so happy that you’re coming home so I can listen to you and Spike have loud, obnoxious sex all the time. Right.”
Buffy blushed and started to chastise her sister when Spike came into the room, causing her blush to deepen.
“See,” Dawn said.
“Shut up,” Buffy hissed.
“What are you two on about?”
“Buffy doesn’t want me talking about you tw—“
”Nothing,” Buffy said, clamping her hand over her sister’s mouth, thankful that Dawn was sitting on the bed. “So, how long till I can go?”
“Doc’s just signing the papers now.”
“How exactly are we doing the going home thing? You can’t exactly walk out in the sun and I’m not sure they’ll let you take me out through the sewers…”
“Anyanka’s going to do the driving; I’ll meet you back at the house to get my car.”
“Dawnie? Can I talk to Spike for just a minute?”
“Sure—but no mon—“ Dawn stopped when Buffy glared at her. “Fine, fine,” she defended herself, “but you know I’m right.”
“What’s the Bit talking about?” Spike asked when it was just he and Buffy in the room.
“Nothing; she’s just trying to remind me how annoying she can be.”
“She’s just excited,” Spike started to reason.
“Are you leaving?” Buffy blurted out.
“What?” Buffy could tell the question had truly surprised him.
“You said you’d meet us at the house to get your car. Are you leaving?”
“Figured with you feeling better again, you’d like the time to yourself.”
“Yeah,” Buffy replied, “okay.’
“I’ll go check on the papers?”
“Thank you.”
Spike was half way down the hallway before he stopped and turned on his heel, marching back to Buffy’s room.
“I don’t care if I’m bloody crowding you,” he said without preamble. “I’m not leaving you. Might not exactly be right next to you twenty-four seven, but I am going to be there. And there’s nothing you can say or do to change my mind.”
He left the room again then, not giving her the opportunity to reply.
“Okay,” Buffy drawled, not caring that she was talking to herself.
Well at least Spike wasn’t going to up and leave her now.
Buffy didn’t see Spike again until she was back in her house; he was sitting on the sofa waiting for them when she, Dawn, and Anya came inside.
“Good to be home?” he questioned.
“I think so. Kind of weird, but good, yeah.”
“That’s good,” Spike said and Buffy wondered when their conversations had become this—stilted and awkward.
“We’ll go make sure your room is ready,” Anya offered and grabbed Dawn, dragging her up the stairs by the arm before she could protest.
“There’s a cot down in the basement,” Spike told her. “Figured it’d be as good of a place as any for me.”
“To sleep you mean?”
“Yeah. Brought my stuff down there just before you got back. Nice and dark, I like it.”
“So you’re staying in the basement now?”
“Thought the Bit might still need someone else around for a bit; till your mum’s all healed up and all. Won’t be in your way or anything, though. Just here to help.”
“So I guess…I’ll see you later?” Buffy didn’t know how to respond in the face of Spike’s dismissal.
“Just be downstairs; you going to do dinner or you sill want me to?”
“I’ll uh…could you? I tend to not be so good with the food making; and I’m kind of tired.”
“I’ll get on it in a bit. Go get my stuff set now then be up to make it.”
Buffy watched Spike go downstairs, still wondering what she’d done to make things so oddly uncomfortable between the two of them.
TBC…..
we're almost at the end so thanks for sticking with me :)
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Author's Chapter Notes:
insomnia and migraines are oh so fun...especially when they make me nto fall asleep till 7 am and wake up at 1:30 and forget until just now that I was supposed to have updated at 1.....sorry :(