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Buffy woke from her morphine induced sleep, sweating and breathing hard, causing sharp pangs to sear in her chest. Nightmares of blood and pain swirling through her head, leaving her frightened and exhausted. She glanced around the darkened room and was startled to see Spike sprawled in a chair
by the window, watching her intently.

Noticing that Buffy was wake, Spike rose from his resting spot and cautiously approached her. “How are you feeling, pet”

“Hmm...That’s a silly question.” she murmured, “I feel like my crazy fiancé beat the living hell out of me.” Buffy attempted to smile, trying to lighten up the feeling in the room, but ended up wincing in pain as the stitches on her top lip were pulled tightly.” Ouch. No Smiley Buffy for a while, huh?”

“You want me to fetch the nurse to give you something for the pain?” He offered, hating seeing the pain in her eyes.

“No thank you. I would rather stay awake for a while, the nightmares are becoming unbearable. Um...have you heard anything about Riley? Have they found him yet?” She tried to ask casually, but was unable to hide the fear in her wavering voice.

Spike wished her could offer her some comfort by saying that Riley was behind bars. He hated knowing that asshole was still out there and possibly able to find Buffy. “No, pet, he hasn’t been located.” He held her small hand in his, “Don’t worry though, I won’t ever let him hurt you again, OK?” Even though she nodded her head ever so slightly in agreement, the expression on her face showed that she was not truly convinced.

Buffy tentatively raised her hand to her face, gently caressing the crisscrossed stitches that snaked across her eyebrow. “You know,” she said, grimacing, “I’m glad that we finally got to meet. I…I just wish it was in a different way; that you didn’t have to see me look like this.” Her lip quivered again and she bowed her head so that Spike could not see the tears in her eyes.

Spike sat on the bed next to her, wishing he could lie down beside her and hold her in his arms for the rest of the night. Instead, he reached out and tipped her head upwards ever so slightly and said, “All I care about right now, luv, is getting you well enough to leave this horrible place. I already know that you are beautiful.”

Once again, Buffy had tried to smile, but gave up because of the stitches. Instead, she eased to the opposite edge of the bed and motioned for Spike to lie down beside her. The smile on his face made her heart melt. See? This is how it’s supposed to feel.She thought.

Spike shrugged out of his leather coat and tossed it over the chair he was sitting in, then carefully eased into the bed with Buffy. He couldn’t believe that she’d motioned for him to join her on the bed, it was as if she’d read his mind. Happiness zinged through him as he bundled her into his arms and lay back onto the bed. When they were both comfortable, Spike decided to fill her in on the living arrangements that he had discussed with Angel and her family. For nearly two hours they talked, covering everything from her career to how he knew Angel. Eventually, she had succumbed to the pain and had allowed him to get the nurse for more medication. Shortly after the injection, Buffy’s eyelids began to droop and even though she tried to fight, in the end sleep had won. Long after she had dozed off, Spike lay next to her and watched her sleep. It was only when the sun began rising that Spike allowed himself to rest.

Later that morning, the entangled couple’s slumber was disturbed when someone entered the room and let out a startled gasp. Grumbling, Spike refused to awaken and buried his head into Buffy’s neck. Buffy’s eyes slowly opened, blinking to adjust to the bright lights in the stark white hospital room. She was pleased to find him still in bed with her, his arms holding her gently. Buffy smiled slightly when Spike nuzzled the side of her neck, before her attention was turned elsewhere. Standing at the edge of her bed was an extremely unpleased Angel and her shocked mother.

“May I ask what in the world is going on here?” Joyce asked, startled to find Spike, whom they barely knew, in bed with her daughter. Buffy tried to answer, but was interrupted by Angel, who growled, “Spike! Outside. Now.”

Now awake, Spike sighed in defeat and started to get off the bed, but was stopped when Buffy tightened her grip on his hand. Although her throat was dry and scratchy, she managed to glare at Angel and inform him that Spike did not have to leave unless he wanted to. Buffy asked Spike for a glass of water so that they could explain things, and then gestured to her mother and Angel to take a seat. Joyce obliged and turned to occupy the seat that Spike had been in last night, but Angel refused to do so, preferring to stand and glower.

“Angel, please sit down.” Buffy pleaded, not wanting him to cause a scene. Even though they had not dated in many years, Angel was still very protective of her and had a tendency to act before thinking.

Angel appeased Buffy and perched on the windowsill by Joyce’s chair, but continued to glower at them. He crossed his arms, pouting, and looked at Spike. “So, what the hell happened? Yesterday when we talked, I thought we had agreed that this would be strictly a professional relationship, Spike. What I saw was no longer on the business side.”

Spike took a deep breath and tried to explain. The only problem was the blonde firecracker next to him. Even in her seriously injured state, she managed to put Angel in his place with just one look. “Angel, I know you are just trying to watch out for my best interests, but please do not ever go over my head and discuss my personal relationships without me. Now, if you don’t mind I think my mother would appreciate some sort of explanation for what’s going on.” She paused briefly, glancing at her brooding ex-boyfriend, before continuing.

When Buffy finished her story of how they had met, sans a couple inappropriate topics, and that they had both searched for one another after that night only to keep missing each other. She noticed that Joyce appeared to have a tear in her eye when Buffy confessed that she probably would not have dated Riley had she been able to see Spike again. After they talked, Joyce seemed to be genuinely happy that they were together, but Angel continued to pout and walked out of the room.

A few moments later, Angel burst back in with Lorne in tow. The expressions on their face showing that they were more than a little upset and by something much larger than Buffy and Spike’s fledgling relationship.

“Gumdrop,” Lorne started, a sour look on his handsome face, “We have a Frank Sinatra
sized problem.” Noticing Buffy’s confused look, he went on to explain that they had a very big problem and handed her a magazine.

Buffy curiously took it from him, her mouth dropping open when she saw what magazine Lorne had given her. It was JUICY, an extremely popular gossip circulation, and her battered face was plastered all over the front cover with headlines claiming to have all the sordid details of the night that Riley assaulted her.






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