My Immortal

Chapter 26

One Year Later

Faith made her way through the crowd back to the table. She handed Buffy her drink and then sat on the stool next to her. The Bronze was full and everyone was waiting for the band to start their set. Buffy sipped her drink and nodded along to the tune that was playing.

"C'mon B, lets show these guys how we can Slay this crowd "

"S'okay , you go for it, I'll sit this one out"

"Na uh, your getting your vamp ass on the dance floor or else!"

"Anyone ever tell you that your a pain in the ass"

"All the time"

They made their way to the center of the floor and let loose. Buffy shut out all her thoughts and let the music take her away, she swayed her hips to the beat and found herself lost to the music.

Angel stood in the shadows , watching as the two Slayers danced and laughed. He scanned the bar for vamps and when he was happy there wasn't any,he stepped out of the club and went back to Giles.

Giles was enjoying the peace , no teens , no vamps and no apocalypse to ruin his night. He closed his eyes and let Vivaldi ease his stresses from his body . It didn't take him too long before he was asleep. Angel walked in after knocking and not getting an answer.Giles woke and sat up, looking over the back of the couch at the vampire.

"Is there a problem Angel?"

"No, no problem, just checking in"

"And you couldn't have checked in at say, a decent hour? It's two am Angel, we mere mortals tend to be asleep now"

"Sorry. I'll see you tomorrow then, goodnight Giles"

"Goodnight"

His relationship with the Watcher was strained at best. After returning with Buffy , both Joyce and Giles had welcomed his support when it came to Buffy. Buffy had taken her separation from Spike hard. She'd refused to eat at first. After weeks she finally ate but would only eat if she had been to the butchers herself. Joyce had a hard time adjusting to Buffys new 'life' and had almost dusted her daughter several times. In anger Buffy had emptied the drinks cabinet and refused to go home. Angel had welcomed her into his home and so, Buffy now lived in the Mansion on Crawford Street with the vampire.

Faith moved in with the vamps , the hotel manager was fed up with her not paying the rent and the constant fights in her room that ended with it being trashed. He'd bought over some heavy set men to evict her from her room and been amazed when the small girl had managed to beat them to a pulp. Fearing the police, Faith had ran to Angels and he'd taken her in. Since then, their relationship had deepened. Buffy was happy for them, she was. But she was cynical about love and as hard as she tried, she couldn't believe in the ' happy ever after ' any more. Seeing them happy and all over each other reminded her of what she had had and walked away from, not that she showed them her sadness. Last thing Buffy wanted was her lack of happiness affecting them.

Buffy emptied her glass and yawned.

"One more dance and I'll head home. I'll take Restfield , do a sweep and catch you tomorrow"

"Okay B, I'll be home soon, just let Angel know that I'm hanging with Anya and Xander, don't need him going nuts cos I'm late yeah?"

"Sure, stay safe"

Faith produced a stake and then popped it back in her jeans .

"Always am"

The girls hugged and Buffy left. Buffy felt the tingle at the back of her neck and stopped dead . She morphed and stared into the shadows and down into the alley, upon seeing nothing there, she made her way to the cemetery. Restfield seemed unusually quiet which Buffy groaned at. Although tired, she had some unused energy that she wanted to cut loose before she retired for the night. An owl hooted from the small wooded area and she looked over her shoulder to see it fly silently away. A noise coming from a crypt up ahead caught her attention and she made her way over to it. She stood against the door and took a deep breath. The scent was familiar and an odd feeling bubbled inside her gut.Buffy pushed the door open and walked in.She heard the noise again, it sounded like paper being crushed. Buffy leant over the hole at the back of the now familiar crypt and saw his feet as they walked to and fro. She dropped down the gap in the floor, startling him.

"Jeez and bloody hell pet!"

"Don't pet me, thought I told you to not come back here?"

"Uh yeah about that"

Buffy folded her arms and tapped her foot waiting for the reason, this was Spike, it was bound to be a good one.

"I'm waiting!"

" Heard a gang of Bloxnot talking and saying that the Hellmouth was goin' to be there next home. Nasty bleeders, so I came to stop 'em"

"Faith and me, killed them a week or two ago now, so try again, and what's with you? Your different"

She walked closer to him and sniffed at him.

"Are you wearing aftershave? Why are you wearing aftershave? Did I interrupt something?"

"No, no and hell no! Buffy how can you think that after..."

An awkward silence hung in the air. Buffy walked to the desk that now sat in one of the corners. She went to pick up a sheet of paper that had writing on it and Spike snatched it up before she had a chance to. Buffy frowned and turned her attention back to her original question.

"Why. Are . You . Here?"

Spike sat on the bed and looked down at the floor. Buffy took the time to really look at him. He'd stopped dying his hair and it was longer. His dark roots set with the last of the bleached blond looked good, his hair had a just got out of bed look that was hot. Bad Buffy ... not hot. He wore a tight fitting tee that was the same shade as his eyes, but the tight black jeans and boots were the same.

"I'm here because I couldn't go any longer without you okay. I traveled , tried to get you out of my system , but your in me, in my blood and I couldn't wake another morning without you"

"A year, it's been a year Spike, why now?"

"Like I said, I traveled around. In case you forgot pet, you told me you'd dust me if I came here"

"Hasn't stopped you though"

"I ... want another chance, let me prove m'self to you. I went through a lot of changes and I can be that better man for you"

Buffy sighed and looked over at him. His eyes seemed deeper, almost as if he held a sadness in them, and not because he missed her, but a deep sadness that only came from having a soul.

"Holy shit"

He snapped his eyes up to meet hers. He saw the dawning of realization in her face and stood up, he closed the gap between them as Buffy backed up and shook her head.

"You can't have, it's not possible"

"Pet?"

"You have a soul"

Spike nodded

"Did it for you love, so that I wouldn't hurt you or anyone else again"

Buffy hadn't realized that tears fell from her, staining the crypt floor.Spike looked at her now, shame and guilt etched his face. Buffy walked to him and touched his cheek

"It's true, you really did, how?"

"Told you I traveled , I went to Africa and saw a Shaman, did some trials and earned it. Told him it was for a lady and that I wanted my reward for her, needed to be what she deserved"

"You could have been killed Spike!"

He saw the concern in her eyes .

"Didn't think you'd care and I wasn't exactly bothered pet, without you I was dead anyways"

Buffy dropped her hand from his cheek and took a deep breath.

" I have to let Angel, Faith and Giles know that your back and that you are different.I'll come by tomorrow after patrol. I don't live at my Mums now. I live in the Mansion that Darla and Dru had. Angel and Faith live there too, so don't go all stalker guy on me. They're more likely to stake you than hear you out."

"Buffy?"

She paused on the bottom rung of the ladder

"Hmm"

"How are you?"

"I been better"

"You still my girl?"

"Always"

Buffy made a hurried exit from the crypt and ran back to the Mansion. She breathed a sigh of relief as she entered, seeing that Angel had retired for the night. She went to her room and locked the door. Finally alone, Buffy laid on her bed, clutching her stuffed pig and cried. She couldn't tell if it was happiness that he was back, or sadness that he could effect her and turned her safe world that she had created, upside down. Or was it that she had worked hard to build up walls around her heart and in the few minutes that they were together, he had torn them down and had made her feel again.