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CHAPTER 16


The doctor finally released Buffy after a week, on the condition that she would rest and be under good care. She had to wear a support bandage for her ribs for another two weeks though, and she would have to come back to have the stitches on her cheek and wrist removed.

The morning of her departure, she was sitting on her bed, fully dressed, waiting for Willow and Xander to arrive.

“You’re happy to go home, baby?” Spike asked, smiling at her impatience.

“God yes! I really can’t stand this hospital room anymore. I mean, they were nice and all, but…”

“I understand.” He hesitated before adding, “I called the police and told them we would go tomorrow.”

“Ok. Will I have to see him?” she asked, referring to Riley.

“I don’t know the procedure. You might have too, yes, at least for the trial.”

“That’s ok. I can do it. You’ll be with me, right?”

He kissed her forehead. “Of course I will, sweetheart.”

“Good. I’ll be glad when it’s over,” she said, placing her head against his shoulder.

Xander and Willow arrived.

“Hey! Did somebody order a chauffeur?”

Buffy got up from the bed, carefully leaning on Spike. “I’ll get you a wheelchair,” he offered.

“No, please. I want to walk. I’ve been stuck in a bed for the last two weeks.”

“Also, I think you should know…there are some journalists waiting at the front door,” Xander said.

Willow grinned. “One of them recognized me!”

Xander glared at her. “And that makes you proud because…?”

She pouted. “What? Can’t I be shallow just once in my life?”

“Ok, first of all, how did they know I was going home today?” asked Buffy, amazed.

Spike sighed. “They always know. There’s always someone who’s willing to spill to get some dosh. But I don’t get what’s so bloody fascinating about me bringing back my girlfriend from the hospital. It’s not like I’m Brad Pitt or something.”

“Check out the Internet and you will understand,” Willow said with a smile. “There are tons of sites, chat groups dedicated to your show, and mostly about you. They even write fan fiction about you. Oh, and even slash fan fiction, where your character has sex with David’s…not that I read it,” she added hastily.

“I think I want to read those,” Buffy said, laughing.

“Girls, could we get back to a less disturbing subject?” Xander asked. “Like how to get out of here without Buffy and Spike being harassed by the paparazzi out there?”

Spike thought for a while before saying, “Actually, that could be a good opportunity to set things right. You feel up to it?” he asked Buffy.

“You mean go and talk to them about us?”

“Exactly. We give our version and we make it public. After that, it’s not our problem anymore. They can write whatever they want, at least we told them the truth. And there’s a good chance they won’t come lurking around the house hoping to get another saucy picture.”

Buffy smiled. “ You realize they will probably ask you about that, right?”

Spike shrugged. “I’m ready to come clean, for the sake of my girl,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose.
“I still have to get used to that ‘romance and flowers’ thing between you two myself, you know,” Xander joked.

“Ok then. Ready everyone?”

On their way out, Spike stopped at the reception desk to get the medication Buffy would need for the next few weeks.

As soon as they were outside, five journalists almost jumped on them.

“Spike, how is your stepsister?”
“Is she your stepsister or your girlfriend?”
“What about Darla?”

Spike raised his hand. “Hey, just one question at a time. I can answer some of your questions if you want, but not long because I want to take Miss Giles home. She needs to rest.”

“Spike, are you and Miss Giles a couple?”

“Yes, we are a couple.”

“Miss Giles, was Darla the one who attacked you?”

“Of course not,” Spike answered, rolling his eyes, and Buffy couldn’t help but smile at the ridiculous question.

“Did Darla and you break up?” another one asked.

“Darla and I are perfectly fine. That’s all you need to know.”

“So, the pictures we saw in the Hello magazine a few weeks ago were real, then? Why did you lie about that?”

“Because it was something private, that happened at a very bad time. I just wanted to protect Darla and Buffy. And for the record, and you can print that, I don’t want anyone holding a mic or a camera near Buffy. The first one I catch will be in big trouble. It’s just a friendly warning,” he said with a smile that proved the contrary.

He answered a few more questions, until he felt Buffy flinch slightly when one of them took a picture. He put a protective arm around her.

“That’s it guys. We’re going home now. Thank you for your understanding,” he said with a charming smile this time, directed to the women of the group. They didn’t protest too much and let them go.

“You really think they will leave us in peace?” Buffy asked him.

He smiled. “Not a chance in Hell, my love. It’s just another one of those things we’ll have to deal with.”

“You can still hope for Ben and Jen to finally get married. That should distract them for a while,” Xander said, starting the engine.

§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

Spike put the popcorn in the microwave, whistling softly. Buffy and him were alone tonight, while Giles and Jenny were spending the evening at a restaurant. Buffy had been back for two days, and tonight they were planning to watch DVD’s in bed. It was not like they could do much else for the moment, considering that Buffy was still recovering and that any physical activity was strictly forbidden.

Finn, I really hope you’ll rot in Hell and suffer eternal torment, along with some painful, nasty diseases on your private parts.

Spike calmed down, thinking that Buffy was safe and in his bed, waiting for him. The phone rang, distracting him from his thoughts.

“Hello?”

“Hey Spike, it’s Willow. How’s our girl?”

“Bossing me around a little bit. I guess that means she’s getting better, so it’s all good.”

“Well, don’t let her go around any newspaper’ stands. I’m afraid your ‘coming out’ the other day wasn’t really useful.”

Spike sighed. “Colour me shocked. What do they say?”

“Well, most of them wonder how you could leave Darla for Buffy. Of course, the pictures shown are the ones taken at the hospital, so Buffy is not in her best shape, what with the scars and swelling. It says they hope she has some hidden talents to compensate for her not being, huh…pretty.”

“That is so bloody ridiculous! She had just spent a week in a hospital! She wasn’t supposed to look like a soddin’ Barbie doll.”

“ There are some testimonies from ‘close friends’ stating that they were really ‘astonished’ when you broke up with ‘gorgeous Darla’ to be with ‘plain Buffy.’ I’m just reading what’s written. But that’s just the trash papers. Some more serious ones are preferring to stick to the truth and describe your story as very romantic. But one says that Darla is the one who broke up with you because she had an affair with David.”

Spike laughed. “Well, they might not know this, but that’s probably the truest thing mentioned. Thanks for warning me, Willow. I’ll try to keep Buffy away from them. I don’t want to upset her now, especially with the Riley case.”

“Right. Let’s just hope nobody will hear about her loony ex-boyfriend that tried to kill her. Or is that wishful thinking?”

“I’m afraid so. She’ll have to learn to not let herself be too bothered by what she reads. I know she’s smart enough to do it. But it’s not always easy, because they can be pretty nasty sometimes.”

“That’s the burden of dating a hot Hollywood TV star,” Willow joked. “I’m sure she has other compensations though.”

“None that I’ll discuss with you on the phone, or elsewhere for that matter. Besides, I’m sure that husband of yours is waiting eagerly for you in the marriage bed.”

“Tell Buffy I’ll call her tomorrow, ok?”

“All right. Bye Red, and thanks.”

He hung up, shaking his head. He should have known the magazines wouldn’t respect anything. He really didn’t care if it concerned himself, but when it came to Buffy it was another story. Going out with her would inevitably put her under the spotlights. As a popular actor, it wasn’t easy to keep his private life, well, private. He had accepted it when he had gotten engaged to Darla. But Buffy…he really wasn’t willing to share what he had with Buffy. It was something so precious and unique, so intimate that he was more than reluctant to see it discussed in magazines. Then again, it was the downside of his job, and he would have to let go a little bit at least. He would do his best to protect Buffy from it, though.

Taking the now ready popcorn and two sodas, he went back to his room. He found Buffy standing near the window.

“What are you doing, sweetheart?”

She moved, revealing a pale pink candle. “I’m lightning a candle for Tara. I talked to her mom on the phone this morning. They stopped her respiratory machine yesterday. She’s been declared clinically dead.”

“I’m sorry, honey,” he said softly, taking her in his arms and rocking her gently.

“You’re shivering,” she told him.

“I’m just thinking that I was very close to losing you, and the thought is so dreadful that I don’t even want to go there.”

She put her head in the crook of his neck. “Well, you can relax. I’m here now, safe in your arms.”

“And that’s where I intend to keep you,” he answered, kissing the top of her hair.

“It’s strange, cause I never met Tara, but I feel very sad, like I lost a long-distance friend. I wish she had had a caring stepbrother to watch over her.”

He pulled her away slightly. “How about we banish the words stepbrother/sister from our vocabulary?”

“What do you suggest?”

“We could go with girlfriend/boyfriend for a start…and see where it goes from there,” he said, and Buffy felt butterflies in her stomach at all the promises she read in his eyes.





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