[A/N: I’m still not sure if I’m going to just continue writing this as one HUGE long story or break things up. Any thoughts? Either way, this has been . . . I just am not sure how to describe this, but its been great. You’ve no idea how much your kind words and acceptance of my little story mean to me. Without you, the readers, this wouldn’t be worth anything except the paper its printed on. The title comes from Genesis, from a B side (meaning it was never on an album) song called Evidence of Autumn. It’s a really sweet song about lost love, and well. Its just nice. Quotes as attributed. Disclaimers are still in full force and effect. I own nothing]
Previously: Willow’s bags are packed and she’s waiting for Xander to arrive. Angel has left Los Angeles and is on his way to Sunnydale; unbeknownst to anyone. And Spike has just shared Angel’s baby theory with Buffy. This picks up mmediately where we left everyone.
49. The girl from all those songs
A love that dies has never lived.
Franz Grillparzer, Notebooks and Diaries
The girl from all those songs
who made everything feel right
she came in like an angel, into your lonely life
and filling your world with light
oh and everybody told you “you’re oh so lucky”
Genesis, Evidence of Autumn
He was speechless. Gobsmacked. Buffy was sitting on the basement steps, her hand fisting in his shirt, smiling up at him. Spike wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly or that he was understanding her completely.
“Buffy?”
Pulling him closer, she looked up at him, mischief in her eyes. “Yeah?”
“You hearin’ me?” Spike wasn’t exactly fighting her off or resisting, he just wanted to make sure she had heard him and understood.
“Loud and clear.” Their faces were inches apart and her warm breath blew across his lips.
His nostrils flared, catching her scent woven with traces of his own, and the need for her rose up in him like a big cat scenting his mate. His knees collapsed onto the riser below where she sat, her legs opening, brushing against his flanks. Spike tilted his head just watching her breath, a knowing smile playing across her lips. Her hand slid up around his neck, playing with the fine hairs at his nape, her touch burning against his skin.
“Buffy?” Her name rolled off his tongue, dark chocolate intertwined with the roughness of whiskey and leather, his fingers reaching out to brush against her cheek.
“Mmmm?” Was all she said, closing the gap between their mouths, her eyes lazily drifting closed. He held himself away, teasing them both, drawing out the moment.
His tongue reached across the distance, unable to resist tasting her, licking across her lips. Opening hers, Buffy smiled, breathing him in. Taking the smile for the invitation it was, his mouth invaded hers, slowly, gently but strongly without fear of rejection. Her breath caught in her throat as his hand drifted down her side, cupping her breast, running his fingers over the shielded surface. Pulling her close, Spike deepened the kiss, lifting her in his arms and staggering to his feet.
“Love you so much.” He whispered against her ear, his cool breath ruffling her hair. “Never leave you.”
Buffy tightened her arms around him, her heartbeat speeding up at his words, her head falling against his shoulder, just listening to the sound of his voice. Smiling against his skin, she breathed out “I know.”
******************************** ***************************************
Xander had finally left, taking off to go bowling and then pick up Willow and her hastily packed belongings. Giles was drinking a cup of strong Earl Grey, watching Anya as she filled out orders.
“Giles we should think about expanding.” Checking their current stock of deadly herbs behind the counter, Anya quickly inventoried their supplies.
Fighting a smile at her efficiency, Giles asked “and why is that?”
“There’s clearly a market niche for our services and if we expand via the internet and mail order business, we’ll have minimal overhead and lots more money.”
“Mail order is very time consuming. One of us would spend an enormous amount of time daily just filling orders.” Giles found himself watching her carefully, noting, not for the first time either, that she was very perceptive. The others wrote her off as being blunt and singleminded in her pursuits, but Giles found her candor refreshing, so long as it wasn’t at his expense. Her willingness to work hard was a definite asset.
“Well,” she said interrupting his musing, “we could hire someone just to do mail orders. This way I wouldn’t lose any valuable consumer interaction time.”
“Obviously you’ve thought this through. There are a few drawbacks though.” Anya turned to face him, her arms crossed in front of her, waiting for his next words. “We’d have to get a website running and we’d have to . . .”
She waved off his objections. “Already done. And before you ask, I didn’t use Willow. I got Jonathon to do it.”
“How?” He shook his head in near disbelief.
“I told him he owes us for saving his life all those times. And that I’d give him a discount on any purchases for one year.”
Raising an eyebrow, he waited for her to continue.
“Its good business. Besides, its only a prototype, a test site. If we like it, he gets the discount. If not, he gets nothing.”
Creative blackmail. Giles was convinced she was a bloody financial genius. So far every single marketing ploy she’d implemented had made them money. He had no reason to doubt her now.
“All right. I’ll take a look at it. How many days do we have to test it before we agree?”
“Thirty.”
She turned away when the overhead bell at the door rang. He watched her greet the incoming customers, an amused half smile on his features.
She really was a remarkable girl.
******************************** ****************************************
Willow and Tara were both upstairs, although in separate rooms. Tara was currently napping in Dawn’s bed while Willow was still packing up her belongings. The remaining three were downstairs in the living room, the television on as background noise and the glass living room doors closed off to block the hallway. They ate in comfortable silence, Dawn sitting on the floor between them, two pizza boxes on the coffee table. She kept stealing Spike’s wings, giggling every time one disappeared into her mouth.
Buffy had watched them, laughing right along with her sister, whenever Spike growled at her.
This was fun.
Fun like it hadn’t been in a very long time. Since long before their mother got sick.
Buffy decided it was over far too soon because suddenly it was time for them to leave.
“Dawnie. We’re taking the cell phone. If anything happens, call and we’ll come right home.”
“You mean other than Xander being a jerk?” Her eyes darted between the two standing in the hallway.
“Yeah, other than that.” Buffy shot a glance at Spike.
“He’s not likely to get too bad ‘s long as I’m not here. Should be fine Platelet.” Spike pulled her hair, then play shoved her when she smacked him.
“He’s gonna say something stupid though.” Dawn made faces at Spike, trying to distract him.
“Well wouldn’t be him if he didn’t.”
They were out the door and long gone before Dawn realized he’d tied her hair in knots.
********************************* *************************************
When he drove into Sunnydale, it was just past eight thirty, the night sky was settling into full darkness. He headed straight for Restfield, parking as close as possible to the nearest entrance. The place was quiet, no one wandering about, no vampires or other creatures of the night out seeking prey. In fact, the only one on the premises was him.
Angel made his way slowly to the spot where they buried her, reluctant to view the evidence of her death once more. He’d spent the last two hours thinking about his conversation with Wesley, realizing reluctantly that perhaps he shouldn’t just knock on the door, announcing his uninvited presence.
The ground had been disturbed. There was evidence that something had happened here. He didn’t know the particulars, hadn’t bothered to get the full story from Wesley, or even find out if the Englishman even knew the whole truth. It didn’t matter. Angel’s temper began to simmer, believing that somehow Spike was at fault for all this. He couldn’t imagine anyone else daring enough to attempt something of this magnitude. Or quite as stupid.
Giles was still in Sunnydale. Still owned the Magic Shop. Angel made his way out of the cemetery, his stride covering the distance back to his car in mere moments. He had no illusions that Spike’s latest sins were going to set the watcher against him.
He just wanted to be there to help take care of Spike.
******************************** ******************************************
They walked into the shop, hand in hand, laughing like they hadn’t a care in the world. It was a sight that Giles hadn’t seen in a very long time. Probably, if he truly thought about it, he’d never seen such a glimmer in her eyes. They might be unconventional, even by hellmouth standards, but as a couple they made a striking pair.
“Hey Giles.”
“Hello Buffy. Spike” Motioning them both to the table, he spoke quietly so the few customers wouldn’t overhear. “Everything all right?”
“We’re doing okay. Everything else? Not so much.” Buffy looked around, noticing that Anya had her hands full, saying “Willow’s all weepy and Tara’s, well, she’s doing okay I think.”
“Glinda’s all right.” Spike nodded his agreement with Buffy. “So long as the whelp keeps his yap shut.”
“Little chance of that happening. He was rather vocal earlier. I take it nothing went well?”
“Well” started Buffy with heavy inflection and drawing out the one word to sound like three, “I hadn’t planned on being outburst girl and . . . She lied to us right there about calling Angel.”
“Oh dear.” Giles took off his glasses, peering at the two of them. “And Tara asked her to leave?”
It was Spike who answered. “No, Niblet did it. Th’ other two were . . . Glinda told her after, yeah, but ‘t was Niblet who said it first.”
“Dawnie said Willow’s going back to her parents for a bit.” Buffy shrugged. “I don’t know what’s happening, everything. . . When did stuff get so weird?”
She sat down in one of the chairs, looking up at the two men. “I don’t understand her anymore.”
Unfortunately, neither one of them had a good answer for her. “So not wanting to deal with this.”
“I think you should, well, perhaps its for the best that she go to her parents for a while.” Giles wasn’t really sure how he felt about this turn of events. It would probably be safer all around for someone to keep a close eye on Willow and the easiest way to do that was to have her stay in Buffy’s house. On the other hand, given Willow’s actions of the past few weeks, and the message from the Huntsman, some distance might be better all around.
Changing the subject, Giles drew their attention to one of the books that was opened on the table. “I’ve found something of importance, regarding the Wild Hunt.”
“The who-hah?”
He could tell by the look on her face she was teasing him but Giles fell for her ploy. “Really Buffy, must you?”
His only answer was a soft giggle.
He was just about to show them something else, when the bell over the door rang. Glancing up automatically, Giles stiffened, moving to block their view of the entrant.
“Hello Giles.”
Buffy froze then looked at Spike, who was sitting across from her, his movement stilled. Oh god, oh god, not this not now. Please, I’m dreaming this, this isn’t real. Buffy’s eyes closed, her hand automatically seeking Spike’s. She didn’t know how he did it, but he was round the table and at her side before her breathing returned to normal.
His voice was pitched low, so that only she could hear the words, though Giles was intensely aware of the shift behind him, and Spike leaned in close to her. “Kitten? It’s goin’ to be all right. I’m here.”
She clutched at him, her fingers constricting around his, holding on tight. “Spike?”
“Right here love.”
Buffy collapsed against him, her head dropping down to rest on his shoulder, her arms pulling them together.
“Angel.” Giles moved to shield them, blocking Angel’s view of the table.
Spike silently moved them into the corner, so they were further blocked by the display shelves. She was shaking in his arms panting breaths heaving against his skin. “Hey, kitten, slow down . . . shhhh . . . I’m here.”
His voice was softer than a whisper, felt rather than heard. Buffy raised her head from his shoulder, her warm fingers sliding around his face, resting against his cheeks. Her forehead rested for an instant against his then she moved back fractionally. “Spike? Promise me . . . . “
“Always Buffy. Goin’ to stay always.”
Tears fell from her eyes only to be caught by his cool fingers. Her lip quivered as she drew in a steadying breath. His thumb brushed over her face, ending at her lips and she kissed it as he smoothed it over them.
“I love you” he whispered, “always.”
They held still, lost in each other, while Giles spoke above them.
“Why are you in Sunnydale Angel?”
Anya had drifted closer standing next to him while he faced the vampire.
“Willow called me. Told me Buffy was back.”
The girl at his side flinched but Giles had suspected this would happen sooner or later.
“I see.”
Angel had come no further into the shop than the steps using the added height to intimidate. “How did he do it? Used black magic?”
“By he I assume you mean Spike?” Giles was going to enjoy blasting holes through Angel’s misconceptions. Sharing a glance with Anya, Giles smirked a bit. “It wasn’t Spike. Willow brought her back.”
“Willow?” That set him back momentarily, but Angel leapt right back into his assumptions. “So he got Willow to do his dirty work? Typical. I told you he couldn’t be trusted.”
Angel looked smug. At least until Anya spoke up.
“Hardly. Willow did this all on her own. Used Lethe’s Bramble on Tara and Dawn and, well, I think the power’s going to her head.” Anya chirped that last bit conspiratorially, causing Giles’ smile to widen.
“What? Willow did all that?” Angel shook his head. “Are you sure Spike wasn’t involved in some way?”
Not once taking her eyes from Spike’s, Buffy spoke up “positive.”
“Buffy?” Angel’s voice held a thousand differing emotions and he fairly flew down the steps to circle around Giles and Anya. What he witnessed stopped him in his tracks.
She was there. Whole. Safe.
Kissing Spike.
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