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Home is Where the Heart Is, Part 4



Home is Where the Heart Is, Part 4
By Rachel
For disclaimers, summary, notes, etc. please see the first chapter.
Also...thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story! WOW, I really was not expecti g this great big of a response. Thank you everyone!
 
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Ever si,ce he had climbed out of bed at around 10:00 A.M., Spike had come to realize that today was simply not his day. The electricity had gone out sometime between the time he had gone to bed and had woken up on his own, which re1et his alarm clock to 12:00 A.M and disrupted his alarm. As a esult, he had woken up three hours later than he'd originally planned.

Not even an hour later, his beloved DeSoto broke dow, on the way to work, and when he finally arrived at "The Silver Spoon," Spike remembered that he had left the new design for the menus back at his house.
The time read barely 5:00 P.M., and the day had long gone to hell.

And right when he thought that things couldn't get any worse, he decided to take the new menu plan back to Xander at their of$ice.

Now he stood facing his best friend and ex-wife, an exp0ession of hatred, shock, and co,fusion clear on his features. Bloody hell, she's back, Spike thought to himself, gazing at Buffy. Her hair was blonder than he recalled it being. Although, that may be because I haven't seen her in almost two years, Spike coldly reminded himself.
Buffy took a small step t-wards him, unsure of what to say or do. "Spike-"
"Harris, I've finally got the new menus over here," Spike interrupted, trying his best to not stare at the petite woman standing before him. "I was thinking you could take a look at what I've got planned out."
Xander jumped to his feet, taking the menu out of Spike’s extended hand. "Uh...great!" he said, as his eyes nervously jumped from one blonde to the other. "I'm going to go and take care of this right now." Xander quickly backed away from Spike and hurried out the door, leaving Spike and Buffy to themselves.
"Well..." Buffy began, her voice wavering slightly. She paused, trying to gather her thoughts before speaking again. "Spike, I-"
Spike clenched his jaw and pushed down the sudden anger he felt towards her. How dare she come to this restaurant like she never even left town? he thought. "I see you never continued proper hair maintenance like I tried to teach you," Spike interrupted, sneering at her.
Buffy narrowed her eyes at him. "Says the twenty-six year-old man who *still* bleaches his hair and wears the same leather duster that he wears every other day of the year," she replied before she could stop herself. Great start, Buffy, she told herself. Not even five minutes into the conversation and you've already pissed him off. "Can't we even act civilly toward each other?"
Spike shook his head. "You left *me*, love. I think I'll answer that with a resounding 'no'!"
Buffy tried to ignore what he just said and began again. "I know that you're surprised to see me."
"Surprised is an understatement, love," Spike corrected. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the door before asking, "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Well, I didn't come down here to fight, that's for sure," Buffy assured him.
"Oh really? That's all we've been doing so far," Spike muttered under his breath. "Fine then, I'll bite. Why are you here?"
Buffy reached down in her purse and pulled out a packet of folded papers. She unfolded them and extended her arm, handing them to Spike. "I, uh, was wondering if you could sign these."
Spike snatched the papers and looked down at them, flipping from one page to the next, until he reached the end. Bloody hell, these are for... "These are for a-"
"A divorce. Yes, I know," Buffy finished for him. At his shocked expression, she added, "Don't you think it's about time, Spike?"
Immediately, Spike's eyes traveled down to Buffy's hand. He concealed his shock at the sight of the large diamond engagement ring placed on her left ring finger. But his eyes widened when he saw the simple gold ring resting on her right hand. . . the same ring he had given Buffy when they had gotten married. She never got rid of the thing? Spike asked himself, clearly confused. Resisting the urge to question her about it, Spike simply filed away that piece of information for later.
"Bloody hell, you're marrying *that* poofer?" Spike questioned.
Buffy's face slightly paled when she realized that Spike had seen her rings. "How do you know?"
"That bleedin' ring!" Spike cried out. "And it's not like I never see you anymore. You're all over ET and US." Spike smirked at her before saying, "Must feel pretty proud of yourself, sleeping with the movie star."
Buffy blushed furiously, not willing to admit that she and Angel hadn't actually gotten that far in their relationship yet. "Look, can you just sign these papers? That's all I need, and then, I can get out of your life for good."
That's not what I want, pet. I want you back *in* my life, Spike mused to himself, unable to repeat the words aloud. His eyes went back to her right hand, and he briefly smiled when he stared at the ring. If she's still wearing that ring, then, there must be a part of her that hasn't given up on the two of us, Spike reasoned.
Right then and there, Spike's new goal was to make her realize that she still loved him. Now all he needed was an excuse to buy him some time...
"I need to think about this," he said, shaking the papers in front of him to emphasize what he had said.
Buffy frowned. "What's to think about? We aren't together anymore, and we haven't been for years. You'd rather be married to this damn restaurant than me!"
Spike groaned and rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. She *always* had to mention "The Silver Spoon" whenever they argued. "But that doesn't mean I don't get a chance to think this over, too!"
"I'm telling you that there's nothing to think about!" Buffy repeated, anger welling up inside of her.
"Look, pet, you don't get to come back to this town after almost two years and order me to sign some papers," Spike maintained, closing the space between them and shaking the sheaf in her face. "These papers make everything between us *final*, and I need to think about it!" With that, he spun around on his heels and stormed out the door, the divorce papers still in his clenched hand.
"Spike!" Buffy called out as he slammed the door behind him.
Spike heard Buffy yell out his name as he shut the door, but he kept moving. A smile was on his face as he folded up the divorce papers and stuck them in his back pocket. That'll keep her here a few more days, Spike smugly thought to himself. Now all he needed was a plan...
 
Back inside Xander and Spike's office, Buffy cursed to herself softly. "Damn him. Damn him and his stupid stubbornness."
Their first meeting hadn't gone at all the way she had hoped it would. In her fantasies of how the moment would play out, Spike was as thrilled to sign the papers as she was to receive them. Instead, she was reminded of everything that she hated about him,...and ultimately, she was also forced to remember every quality that made her fall in love with him. . . the fire that burned in his blue eyes when he was angry, the endearing nicknames he constantly used with her...god, she felt as if they were back in high school.
Buffy approached Spike and Xander's desk and smiled when she saw the framed photos on their desks. Xander had some photos of Willow, him, and herself when they were back in high school. They had all been such tight friends back then. If you looked at us then, you would have never guessed that six years later we'd all be completely seperated, Buffy thought regretfully to herself. There were also some more recent photos of him and...Cordelia?! Buffy wildly asked herself. When did that happen?
When she ventured to Spike's desk, all she saw were photos of him and herself. There was one of them at the senior prom together and one of the two of them at the beach, and there were several candid photos of the two when they were gazing at each other, the love evident on their features. That's when she realized something...
God, he's still in love with me, Buffy thought. After two years, Buffy believed that Spike had moved on also...after all, he hadn't seemed too broken up by her departure.
But instead, he had hung onto every moment they had together...both the happy and the sad ones. No wonder he was so angry...he probably hoped I had come back to start over...make things work, and instead I simply shove divorce papes in his face.
Buffy picked up an image of herself and Spike at the beach that was taken almost six years ago during the summer before Buffy entered college. That's when we were still just *friends*, Buffy remembered. The two were standing in the surf, Spike holding Buffy by her waist, picking her up off the sand.
And as Buffy stared at the photo, she wondered where everything had gone so wrong.
 
~~~
 
"So how was your first day, honey?" Joyce Summers asked her daughter as she placed dinner in front of them.
Buffy shrugged her shoulders and frowLed. "It was okay, I guess."
"ALd Willow and Xander? How are they?" Mrs. Summers added.
"They had an okay day too, I suppose. Buffy replied. "Xander made a ew friend," she reported with a hint of sarcasm now in her tone
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, his name is..." she paused for a second, momentarily forgetting his name "His name is William, but he likes to be called Spike," Buffy explained. She rolled his eyes. He's *so* annoying. He called me a 'chit' today in English class...what's a 'chit'?"
Mrs. Summers chucked to herself. "I met his father today at the gallery."
"Oh really? Willow met him," Buffy said incredulously. "She said he was nice, but after meeting just his son, I find that very hard to believe."
"Well, maybe you should give him a chance," Joyce suggested. "Mr. Giles and I talked about William, and he sounds like a delightful boy. Besides, if Xander likes him, he can't be all that bad, right?"
"Right, Mom, right," Buffy agreed, hoping they would drop the topic now. "Oh! Speaking of Xander, we were all planning to meet up at the Bronze tonight...is that okay?"
"Buffy..." her mother warned.
"I know it's a school night, but...please?" Buffy begged. She stuck out her lower lip and worked her pout to the best of her ability. "C'mon Mom, I'll be home by eleven. I promise."
"Eleven sharp?" Joyce asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Scouts honor...well, if I was a scout," Buffy said, teasingly placing her first two fingers on her forehead and saluting her mother.
"I suppose that's okay, but-"
"Oh Mom! You're the best!" Buffy dropped her fork and quickly rose to her feet. She wiped her mouth with her napkin and hugged her mother. "I'll be back at eleven. I promise."
"What about your dinner?" Joyce asked to Buffy's retreating form.
"I'll pick up something at the Bronze!" Buffy yelled back, sliding on her coat and opening the front door.
"Teens these days," Joyce muttered to herself when she heard Buffy carelessly close the door behind her.
~~~
 
Although Xander, Willow, and perhaps Spike were supposed to be at the Bronze by the time Buffy arrived, Buffy's main reason for urgently arriving at the Bronze that night was Scott Hope, her present boyfriend. He had said that he was going to show up, and Buffy hoped to see him for some boyfriend/girlfriend time for just the two of them and without any interruptions.
The moment she walked in the door, she spotted Willow and Oz on the dance floor together. The pair were easy to spot since one was a shiny red-head and the other was currently sporting a bright purple and blue-do. Guess that's just the current Dingo color, Buffy thought to herself.
Buffy called out her name and Willow raised her head, smiling when she saw her friend. Willow quickly waved and Oz briefly smiled at Buffy before going back to their dance.
She headed further into the Bronze, searching for any familiar faces. Buffy eventually found Xander sitting at a table and started toward him, a frown appearing on her face when she realized with whom he was sitting.
"Xander," she greeted, smiling at him. "Spike..." she added, her smile turning into a frown.
Xander welcomed her with a loud, "Hey Buff!"
"Hello love," Spike said, smiling when he saw her frown. Guess I really touched a nerve with all the teasing today, he thought, both proud and upset with himself at the same time.
Buffy rolled her eyes before turning her head and scanning the crowd. "Xander, have you seen Scott around yet?"
Xander said he hadn't seen her boyfriend before turning his head and finishing what he was explaining to Spike. "So...basically, you should stay away from them. The Cordettes are a powerful force to reckon with, my man, and I suggest you don't even try."
"The Cordettes?" Buffy asked.
"You know...Cordy and her gang," Xander told her. "I'm filling Spike in on how Sunnyhell really works around here."
Buffy nodded, now placing her attention back towards the darkened dance floor, trying to spot Scott. Maybe he couldn't show up tonight, she thought. Suddenly, a large pair of hands wrapped around her hips and a trail of lips ran down her neck. She jumped from the surprise before smiling. "Scott!" Buffy quickly whirled around and hugged him tightly.
"Hey, Buffy," Scott replied, kissing the nape of her neck again. "I just got here. Sorry I'm late."
"That's okay. I just got here myself," Buffy reassured him. "I have to get home by eleven, but that leaves us with plenty of time to squeeze in a few dances."
"Great." Scott leaned down and kissed her again, lightly squeezing her hand. "C'mon."
As Scott led Buffy onto the dance floor, Spike was eyeing her every move. "Who is that guy?" he asked Xander.
"Oh. that's Scott Hope, Buffy's beau," Xander explained.
"I don't like him," Spike immediately said, watching as Scott dragged his hands down Buffy's waist before resting them on her hips. Every movement Scott made screamed "I want to sleep with this girl!", and for some reason that he couldn't explain, Spike didn't like it.
"Yeah, join the club," Xander muttered. "I don't know...there's something fishy about the guy."
"How long have they been together?" asked Spike.
"Oh, for about six months or so. I really can't stand the guy," Xander admitted. "Buffy doesn't exactly have the best track record when it comes to dating, so I just hope she doesn't get burned if he cheats on her or anything."
With raised eyebrows, Spike looked across the table at Xander. "You sure you're just her friend?"
"I like to think of it as her over-protective brother," Xander answered. He jumped off his stool and finished his drink before asking, "You up for a game of pool?"
"You mean, are you ready to get your arse kicked?" Spike joked.
"C'mon," Xander ordered, striding towards the pool table.
 
~~~
 
Cordelia had just entered the Bronze with Anya and Harmony trailing behind her. The moment that she set foot into the room, her eyes began searching out for a specific bleached blonde head. Ahh, there he is, Cordelia thought, smiling to herself.
"Okay, ladies, you know the plan," Cordelia ordered. The girls nodded before walking off to the pool tables.
Cordelia hung behind the rest of them, watching as Harmony and Anya quickly drew Xander away from Spike, leaving the blond alone. When Cordelia saw that Spike was alone at the pool tables, saw her chance and honed in on her unsuspecting target.
"Hey," Cordelia announced when she reached him. Spike looked up at her but quickly rolled his eyes and turned away. "Hello?! Did I not *just* greet you?"
"Yeah, I guess you did," Spike admitted.
"Well, it's polite to answer back," Cordelia said, narrowing her eyes as she looked up into his.
Xander wasn't lying when he said to stay away from this chit, Spike thought to himself. "Fine...hello...and g'bye, love," he spoke before turning his back to her again.
"Oh c'mon," Cordelia protested, reaching out and grabbing his arm. "Let's dance!"
And suddenly, Spike found himself being dragged out onto the dance floor against his will. "Look, love...I'm really not a bloody dancer, okay?"
"Just one dance, that's all I'm asking for," Cordelia insisted, turning towards him and wrapping her arms around his waist. She took a step closer towards Spike, pressing her body tightly against his. Fine, Spike thought to himself. I can put up with one soddin' dance with this cheerleader.
But that was until she suddenly threw herself against him and pressed her demanding lips against his in a tight and searing kiss.
Bloody hell!
 
~~~
 
Brown-eyed Scott Hope stared down at Buffy and kissed her forehead lightly. "I'm glad you showed up tonight," Buffy admitted.
"Me too," Scott replied, kissing her again. "Who was that blonde guy that Xander was hanging out with?"
"Oh, him? An absolute nobody," Buffy answered him.
"I'm guessing you aren't too fond of him?"
"His name is Spike," Buffy spoke, "and he's such a pain."
"Well, he seems to be getting along with Cordelia just fine," Scott said, nodding his head towards the dance floor.
Buffy glanced toward Cordelia and Spike who were dancing several yards away from them. The two were tightly pressed together, arms wrapped around each other's waist. They were gazing into each other’s eyes. When Cordelia raised her neck and unexpectedly kissed Spike, Buffy forced herself to hide her surprise from Scott. "Good," Buffy muttered. "They're perfect for each other."
She turned her back to Cordelia and Spike, concentrating on the man with whom she was currently dancing, not wanting to think about how much seeing Cordelia and Spike kiss had bothered her.
 
~~~
 
TBC...
 
 





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