Chapter 9
Angel found Buffy asleep on his couch when he got home, surprised that she didn’t leave after their argument. He gently nudged her awake, trying not to smile at how cute she was.
“Hey, what are you still doing here?”
She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. “I thought we should talk some more. I didn’t like the way we left things.”
He agreed. “We should, but it’s getting late now. Can we finish this tomorrow? I have to get up early for a meeting.”
Buffy nodded and stood up. “Where were you?”
“I went over to Spike’s.”
Her eyes widened. “You two didn’t fight, did you? I can tell you’ve been drinking.”
Angel rolled his eyes. “We’re both adults, Elizabeth, even if he still hasn’t matured much. I only had a couple of beers. He’s not worth hitting, we just talked. He was entertaining company, anyway, so I didn’t care to stick around for very long. Some woman, young, dark hair, I’ve never seen her before, but it’s hard to keep track with him.”
Buffy’s heart dropped, but didn’t let on how much she was hurt by that. “Right, I’ll just be going now. We’ll talk later.” She hurried out of the house and over to her car, when she was far enough away, Buffy finally let the tears fall.
* * * * *
“It’s so nice of you to do this, Spike. I know how important your bachelor pad is.”
He laughed. “I would hardly call it that, but you know you’re always welcome, Tara. You and the bit can stay here for as long as you need.”
She was relieved for that, smiling when her daughter ran into the kitchen. “Hey, munchkin, slow down.” Tara picked the child up, pecking her on the cheek.
Spike smiled as well, seeing them together really made him realize how much he wanted children. “If you’re good, I’ll let you have some ice cream before dinner. If it’s all right with your mum, of course.”
The little girl beamed up at him. “Yay! Can I, Mommy? Please?”
Tara pretended to think about it. “Okay, but just this once. Now, go sit at the table and I’ll bring it out to you. No running,” she stated as the girl took off again. “You’re good with her. This whole thing has been really hard on us. Amanda’s only seven, she doesn’t really understand what’s going on, and I don’t know what to tell her.”
“You should tell her that her dad was sick, and when he gets like that, he doesn’t know how to control his emotions. Just let her know that you’ll always be there for her, no matter what happens.”
She took his hand in hers, giving it a light squeeze. “So, I’ve been in town for a week now and you have yet to tell me about Buffy. I know you were together in high school, but then drifted apart, and now she’s suddenly back in your life. How are you handling that?”
He laughed humorlessly. “Not very well, that bloke who came over the other night is her fiancé, who also happens to be my best friend, but probably not anymore. I’ve really screwed things up. I should have never let myself get close to her again, but I couldn’t help it.”
“You love her.” It wasn’t a question.
“So bloody much, but it’s too late now. Nothing I do can ever make things right. I should just leave her alone; let her be happy with him. No matter how much it kills me.”
“Mommy!” Amanda yelled from the other room.
“I’m coming, baby,” she responded. “I better get her that ice cream before she explodes.”
Spike smiled sadly, but Tara wasn’t finished.
“Why don’t I take you out to dinner tonight? It’s the least I could do. Some place kid friendly, for one night, we can forget all of our troubles and just have some fun.”
He nodded. “That sounds good, pet.”
Amanda started to bang her little fists on the table, getting agitated.
Spike growled and tackled her, causing her to let out a shriek and giggle. “You’re a little trouble maker, aren’t you?”
She shook her head. “I’m a good girl.”
He tickled her, licking his lips when Tara set down a bowl of ice cream in front of them. “Look at that, just enough for me.”
Amanda made a face, snatching her treat away from him. “Mine!”
Tara gave her a stern look. “That’s not nice, Mandy.”
She looked ashamed, but Spike wasn’t bothered.
“It’s no problem, love. You’ll let Uncle Spike have one little bite, won’t you?” he said, giving her the puppy dog eyes.
Amanda nodded, holding the spoon out to him, and laughing when he took it in his mouth.
“Cold, but so very good.” Spike stood, placing a kiss to the top of her head as she devoured the rest of the ice cream.
Tara watched him head to the living room, sighing at his departure. She hoped that William found what he was looking for. He really deserved it.
* * * * *
Buffy didn’t know where she was going. She went for a stroll, and ended up walking all over town, with no real destination in mind. She just knew that being at home would only depress her. Buffy stopped suddenly when she saw Spike in the distance, laughing with a woman, who was holding the hand of a small child. They looked like a little family, and Buffy didn’t know what to think anymore. That was definitely not something she would have expected to see from Spike, and her heart dropped even more. Buffy felt the tears sting her eyes when she saw Spike pick the little girl up and twirl her around, wishing more than anything that she was watching him with their child, but that just wasn’t possible. She didn’t know who the other woman was, but it was obvious that Spike thought highly of her, she was more than just some one night stand. Buffy smiled at the display now, it was nice to see him so happy, even if it wasn’t with her. Maybe this was exactly what he needed, if they got back together, they would probably only make each other miserable. He deserved someone who could really make him smile, and it looked like he finally found her. It was then that Buffy realized she deserved the same thing, and knew what she had to do. With that thought in mind, she turned and walked away.
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