For Buffy it felt as if the world had stopped as the last of the dust settled into a neat pile on the floor. She stared at the stake in her hand suddenly throwing it away from her as though it burned. Eyes wide with despair she looked at Willow, the witches’ amazement mirrored her own.
Willow moved to open the cellar door, but to Buffy it was all in slow motion. Like a puppet with its strings cut she sank to her knees as Spikes strength left her, Spike had left her... again. This time it looked like it was for good.
Giles stepped into the cellar followed by the trainee slayers. The sight of the senior slayer hunched over a pile of ash was all they needed to know. There was a strange deathly silence that no-one wanted to break.
Buffy had never felt so empty, she had always been alone but not like this. Losing him a second time was somehow far worse, she felt the heartbreak would engulf her completely. She barely noticed the bite on her shoulder or the increasing amount of blood staining her shirt and running down her arm.
Despite the audience she couldn’t hold back the tears. She wanted to howl, she wanted to scream, instead a great sob erupted from her throat. It was followed by another as grief wracked her whole body. Her arms wrapped around her body the slayer rocked backwards and forwards trying to hold everything in. It didn’t work. The sobs were coming in waves now as the tears streamed down her cheeks, she didn’t bother to wipe them away, just sat hunched over as they fell unhindered. She didn’t notice them mixing with the blood from her wound or the way they dropped with a plop into the pile of dust. She didn’t even register as the droplets began to steam. It was only when large amounts of smoke began to pour from the dust that it broke through her pain. She watched it quizzically. With a gasp she scrambled backwards. The smoke was pouring upwards, getting stronger and thicker. It was forming a shape, a familiar shape. As it cleared she could make out a face and a body that only moments before she thought she would never see again. The expression on his face showed an equal amount of astonishment. They stared at each other.
A suppressed giggle from the audience of teenage girls brought them out of their trance.
“Oh bloody hell!” He swore, placing his hands over his privates and ducking behind Buffy. He’d resurrected completely naked.
“How very interesting.” Giles said peering over his glasses. “I had read it was possible to bring back vampires with blood, but I had never seen it done before. I always thought it was an urban myth.”
Buffy tried to face Spike but he turned her back to face the audience and cover his modesty while he scrabbled to grab the blanket from the cot.
“I’m not a bloody zoo exhibit, can’t you get them out of here?”
Giles snapped out of his curiosity. “Yes come along girls, time to leave, I think we’ve seen quite enough.”
“More than enough.” Willow quipped. Giles shook his head and began to usher them out of the door. The last to leave, the watcher stopped.
“I’m…I’m glad you’re back Spike.” He said, before closing the door behind him.
Spike had managed to wrap the blanket around his waist. It was no protection against the angry slayer who whipped round to face him.
“Of all the stupid… ridiculous… idiotic…!” She was cut off mid outburst as Spike grabbed her shoulders and pulled her towards him, his lips pressed hard against hers in a passionate kiss. They broke apart blue eyes searching green. He noticed her wince and immediately released the pressure from her shoulder.
“You ok?” He asked indicating the wound.
She shrugged it off. “All the kissing does not mean I’m not still pissed with you! What the hell were you thinking?” She could feel the hysteria rising in her voice.
“I wasn’t thinking… obviously… It was a reflex… I was protecting you!” He shouted back, before adding. “You ungrateful bitch!”
“I didn’t ask you to protect me!”
“It wasn’t your choice, it’s what I do!”
“I didn’t want you to die doing it! Will you please stop dying on me!”
“When you stop dying on me I’ll think about it!”
Buffy folded her arms across her chest, reviewing him.
“What?” He was still yelling.
“Is that what this is about, you want to have died more times than me?” She asked.
The look on his face was incredulous. “Have you gone completely box of frogs? It’s not a soddin’ competition luv, I didn’t do it for giggles! Now if you’re done yelling at me, you think you could possibly go and get me some bloody clothes?”
Buffy eyed the almost naked vampire appreciatively. “Do I have to?” She said biting her bottom lip.
The vampire raised a scarred eyebrow. “You’re thinking about that… now?”
“No…Yes… Kinda.” She replied, lowering her eyes.
“Give a fella a chance, I’ve only been undead five minutes!”
“Of course, I understand.” Keeping her eyes averted she turned and walked towards the door. Spike waited until her hand was on the door handle. With vampire speed he was across the room his body pressing her against the door from behind. “Although, there is a certain unfinished business we need to deal with.” He whispered into her ear.
“I thought you weren’t interested?” She said, not turning around.
“I didn’t realise it had been so… long.”
She could feel his lips moving against her ear, they were sending tingles directly to her jeans. “What? Oh… well not really that lo....”
“Or that you were so… frustrated?” His voice was almost a growl. Small nibbling kisses were working their way down her neck.
“What makes you think that?” She gasped, barely able to move.
“Oh well if you’re not, that’s ok then.” He said brightly, turning away.
He didn’t get very far before she turned, grabbed the blanket and pulled him back against her. She raised her head, lips tantalising close to his as she whispered. “I was only locking the door.”
************************************************************************
Her blonde hair spread across Spikes chest Buffy snuggled closer to him. He wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and held her tighter.
“Do you think they heard anything?” She said dreamily. “Upstairs?”
A laugh left Spikes throat. “With all the screaming? Yes luv, I think they probably heard you in Norway.”
“Oh.” She buried her head in his chest as he stroked her hair.
Suddenly she looked up into his face. “How did you get back anyway? I don’t suddenly want vamps becoming all undusty on me. Killing them once is enough.”
“You cry over many of em?”
“Not that many no.” She smiled.”
“I don’t know sweetheart, that’s the honest truth. When something me shaped appeared, I just followed the blood.”
“You vampires… its blood this and blood that.”
“It’s potent stuff slayer. Why else do you think we drink it?”
Buffy made a face. “Don’t you ever think about anything else?”
Spike raised both eyebrows.
“Oh yes, um, right, the screaming…” Blushing she nuzzled back into his neck.
**********************************************************
Spike closed the door of his apartment, the Ramones CD in one hand car keys in the other. It was a while since he’d taken a road trip and he definitely needed loud music to take his mind off things.
The BMW with the blacked out windows was parked at the side of the building. He rounded the corner and stopped. Buffy was sitting cross-legged on the bonnet. She did not look pleased.
Taking an unnecessary breath he walked slowly towards the car.
Seeing him she jumped down and strode to meet him, the heels of her boots clicking on the pavement. She pulled something from her pocket, immediately Spike flinched but it was nothing more than a well worn sheet of paper.
“A note Spike? A freaking note!”
“To be fair luv it was more of a letter.” He said shrugging.
“I thought we had finally got past all of this mixed signals crap?”
Pushing past her Spike unlocked the car and threw the CD inside. He couldn’t meet her eye, it would make leaving so much more… impossible.
She’d been crying, he could hear it in her voice. He tried to block it out.
“Look.” He said finally looking at her. “It’s for the best, for your …”
“If the words ‘own good’ are marching towards that sentence I would suggest you stop right there.” Buffy interrupted. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kick your arse right now?” She stood directly in front of him, hands on hips demanding an answer.
“Because you know I’m right.” There was such an earnest expression on his face. Buffy felt a lump in her throat. “While I’m around you won’t move on. You won’t have a family or normality or an awful lot of sunlight.” He reached out and brushed a finger through her hair. “You deserve to be in the sun Goldilocks, you deserve normal.”
“Have you seen my life?” She asked. “If I date a normal guy they either get freaked out by the super human strength or I have to hold everything back because there’s a good chance I might break them. I fight vampires and demons, not known for their normality or love of sun bathing and who said I want kids anyway, I spend my entire life surrounded by mini slayers, that’s enough to put anyone off!”
Despite himself Spike smiled.
“I know what this is about.” She continued. “Part two of your little essay here. It’s because you think the others won’t accept you, they won’t accept us?”
Spike shrugged.
“Spike?” She asked again.
“I would be right back to being you’re pet vampire. You think I want that? I was the Big Bad you know?” He snapped. “Then there is the watching my back. There is not a one of them in there that wouldn’t try and introduce me to the wrong end of a wooden pointy thing at the first opportunity.”
“You’re wrong.” She said softly. “Giles was glad you were back?”
“Today. But what happens tomorrow when there is something he can blame on me?”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “Will you listen to yourself? This is about you and me, not anyone else. If you wanted to be with me…”
Spikes’ face softened. “If there was a way I would take it like a shot. But…”
“But what? You want me to be alone and miserable?”
“You wouldn’t be alone for long.”
Buffy placed a hand on the side of his face in a gentle caress. “When are you going to realise that if you’re not there then nothing matters?”
Spike leaned into her touch. He could feel his demon purring.
“You love me don’t you?” She asked.
“More than anything.”
“And I love you. That’s all that matters now. So when are we leaving?”
“But…” He began.
“No buts. I’m coming with you.”
Spikes eyes widened in shock. “You… but… what?”
“You heard me. You’re going to be all boneheaded and shirty about this and you want to see if it will work just you and me, so do I. I need to get out there, visit some other training facilities and to be honest I think I deserve a break in between apocalypses don’t you?”
“Right?” Spike was still non plussed. “And how do they feel about that?”
“They understand. They don’t like it but they understand.” Suddenly Spike felt a sharp kick to his shin.
“ OW!”
“That’s from Dawn. She said, and I quote, ‘tell the big dumbo that I will be doing that in person when you finally persuade him that he’s being a jerk.”
“Right.” Spike opened the car door. “Nothing I say is going to make a difference to this is it?”
“Nope.” She replied “Can I drive?”
“NO! Luggage?”
“Already in the boot. You really should remember to lock up.” She settled into the seat her knees tucked under her chin as he shook his head and started the car.
They just reached the suburbs when Spike turned down the stereo and asked. “You’re sure about this? It’s not too late to turn back?”
“I am.” She said firmly.
“Ok then.”
“Spike?” She said after a few minutes. “How long were you going to wait?”
“What’s that pet?”
“It was hours after nightfall. You must have been out to that car at least seven times before I finally calmed down enough to speak to you. How long were you going to wait?”
Spike held her gaze for a moment. “As long as it took.”
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Chapter End Notes:
*When I get the time and inspiration I am going to continue in this vein with some of Buffy and Spikes adventures while they work out their relationship. If this is something of interest to anyone please let me know, it may help to get my butt into gear! Thank you for reading and please review if you have time, it helps. Love Elf.