Spike and Buffy met Giles an hour later at a restaurant called St. Patrick’s. Very fitting for Boston, Buffy had noted to Spike as they entered. Her eyes rested on Giles as soon as they entered and immediately she welled up in tears.
“Giles!” she exclaimed, and ran to him just as he stood from a long booth of others waiting for a table. He opened his arms to her and Buffy threw herself in them, hugging him tight.
Spike was chuckling behind her. “I think she missed you, Giles.”
“Oh, my dear girl, I missed you as well.”
“You did?” Buffy nearly whimpered, sounding like a little girl.
“I did. How are you?”
Pulling out of Giles’ arms, she looked up at him. “I’m okay.”
“Really all right or just saying you’re all right?”
“I think I’m really all right. Just a little sad, but not as much as I thought I’d be.”
“Do you think that’s good or bad?”
“Are we actually going to have a session right here in the middle of the restaurant?” Buffy asked, putting her hands on her hips. “Do you have your notebook? Want me to use a booth as a chaise lounge?”
Giles laughed just as the hostess announced their table was ready.
Settling in at their table, tucked in a corner away from others, the three played catch up of the past few months as they drank, ordered and ate.
“You two seem to be doing quite well,” Giles remarked as he sipped his Pinot Grigio and studied Spike and Buffy, looking as though as he were appraising them.
Buffy blushed and Spike smiled, squeezing her hand under the table. “Well, Rupes, it was a little dicey there for a while, but we’re working hard.”
“Just as long as you keep in mind and in sight the goal which is love one another.”
Buffy nodded, smiling shyly. “Giles, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, Buffy, you know you can ask me anything.”
“Do you think he heard me? Do you think he knows? My dad I mean.”
Giles expression turned solemn as he nodded, “Yes, Buffy, I think he knows. And I’m sure wherever he is, he is in fact sorry, even if he couldn’t say it while he was alive.”
Buffy nodded slowly, “Thank you,” she said softly.
The mood lightened once more and soon the three were carrying on as old friends do.
“That was nice, wasn’t it?” Buffy asked Spike later as she slid in bed and watched him fold up his clothes and place them neatly in his suitcase. Her eyes drifted to her own clothes that she’d just tossed at least in the general direction of her suitcase, but had never managed to put in.
“You mean seeing Giles?”
“No, I mean, burying my father,” she retorted dryly, flipping channels on the TV. “Yes, seeing Giles.”
“No need to get cheeky, luv.”
“But that’s what you love about me,” she said and smiled sweetly.
Spike shook his head and chuckled, making his way over to the bed and discarding his sweats. Blushing, Buffy turned back to the TV.
“One of many reasons, sweetheart. You blushing?”
She giggled, “Yes. You’re naked!”
“So mature, luv.”
That made her laugh harder, “Very mature.”
Grabbing her into a kiss and pulling her under him, Spike succeeded in making all laughter leave her. Well, sort of.
Smiling sweetly up at him, she wrapped her legs around his waist and played with the hair at the nape of his neck, watching his eyes glitter as he looked down at her.
“Spike?”
Buffy?”
“Would it be terribly cliché of me if I asked you to make love to me tonight?”
“Why would that be cliché?”
“Because you know…the night after a funeral and all that rot.”
“So you just want to use my body to make you feel alive?” Spike teased, pinching her gently.
She giggled, “Sort of. Just to confirm I’m alive. That you’re here, that I’m here and that this time being here isn’t entirelybad. I feel like some …for lack of a better word, demons have been put to rest by our being here together. Do you know what I mean?”
“I do, kitten, I do,” he murmured and descended to kiss her.
Moaning into the kiss, Buffy was delightfully aware that he was hard, and for that, she was wet. She hoped he wouldn’t mind foregoing the foreplay.
Moving her legs down, she pushed at him, “Off, I need my shorts off,” she muttered and he helped her discard them and her panties.”
Dipping his fingers into her core, Spike groaned. “Oh, pet, already so wet for me.”
She nodded, “Yes,” she gasped. “Please, just… just need you inside.”
“Lay back, kitten,” he ordered hoarsely.
Spreading her legs for him, Buffy opened her arms, welcoming him into her embrace. He sank his body down to hers and sank himself inside her.
They moved together, slow and sensually, murmuring to one another, staring soulfully into one another’s eyes and touching each other with soft, loving caresses. Buffy’s orgasm took her by surprise and she arched her back, gasping Spike’s name. Hers triggered his and he buried his face in her neck, biting down softly on the flesh there as he came inside her.
“I love you,” Buffy purred, winding her arms about him.
“I love you too, Buffy,” Spike murmured, dotting her face with kisses.
“Spike?”
“Yes, my love?”
“You know I’ll move in with you one day, right?”
“I know.”
“And you know that I love you, right?”
“I know,” he said, nodding.
“I think I want to see Judith tomorrow after all. Can we?”
“Anything you want, luv.”
“You’re so good to me,” she cooed, stroking his back.
“Just give as good as I get.”
“Awww…you’re so full of crap, but I love it anyway.”
Buffy’s shriek of laughter reverberated off the walls as Spike set about tickling her.
“Buffy, you came!” Judith greeted her stepdaughter, surprised.
Buffy nodded, smiling gently and holding Spike’s hand. “I came.”
“How are you dear?”
“I’m all right,” she said, shrugging. “You?”
“I’m…” Judith sighed, looking sad, “I’m muddling through.”
“Do you need anything Judith; is there anything I can do to help?”
“Come in for one,” Judith replied waving them in.
Once inside, Buffy noted that the apartment hadn’t changed much except for the appearance of boxes and trash bags stacked in a far, out of the way corner. She knew all too well what that meant.
Her eyes flickered to Judith who was looking up at Spike expectantly.
Shaking her head, Buffy gestured to him, “Judith, this is my boyfriend, Spike.”
Spike held out his hand, shaking her stepmother’s hand. “You can call me William. Spike is just a nickname.”
“Sorry, honey,” Buffy apologized.
“Um, well, Spike, do you mind if I snatch Buffy for a minute?” Judith asked, “I have something to give her that she might want and want to do it alone. Do you mind? I’ll put on the TV for you.”
Spike nodded, looking down at Buffy for clearance. Buffy nodded at him and gave him a peck on the cheek before following Judith down the hall to what she remembered was her father and Judith’s bedroom.
Holding her breath she stepped inside, the scent of his cologne wafting up to greet her. Biting her bottom lip, she stood in the doorway, feeling still that she was not allowed where he was.
“Come in, Buffy,” Judith ordered gently, gesturing to the bed. “Sit. Please.”
Nodding, Buffy made her way over and sat on the corner of their beige comforter and watched Judith extract a photo album from the top shelf of their shared Armoire.
Sitting down next to Buffy, Judith placed the light blue album on her lap and opened it. On the front, covering the first set of pictures was a not scrawled in her father’s handwriting that simply said I’m sorry, Buffy.
Immediately, Buffy burst into tears.
Wrapping her arms about her, Judith hugged her as best she could and let her cry. “I found it one night, on a particularly bad night. He asked me to give it to you only if I thought you could handle it. He was sorry, Buffy, he was. He knew what he did was wrong, but he was too proud to admit it.”
“All this time, I thought he hated me,” Buffy sobbed.
“No, Buffy. I knew he loved you all along, but your father was too stubborn and too proud to admit he could be wrong. I think he wanted you to hate him so he could punish himself for his shortcomings.”
“That makes no sense!”
“That was your father in a nutshell.”
“I told him yesterday that I forgave him, I told him I loved him.”
Judith squeezed her tighter. “And I’m sure he is at peace now.”
Buffy looked up at her. “Do you think so? Do you think I helped that?”
Judith nodded, smiling softly. “I am most certain that you are what he needed to pass on peacefully.”
Sobbing harder, with genuine relief, Buffy clutched her photo album to her chest and let go of it all, this time for good.