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Setting: Season Eight, prior to my piece Questions and Answers.
Rating:G
Author's Note: Special thanks to Wolfie Gilmore whose piece Coward definitely inspired me to more fully envision my own version of the Spuffy reunion.
"Angel" Buffy looked up surprised. Her eyes widened when as she looked past his left shoulder. "Spike?"
She said his name cautiously, as though she was so unsure of what she was seeing she couldn't risk saying it out loud. She walked toward him and placed her hand on his chest to make certain he was really there. He was.
"You're ?you're alive." Her hand moved to his cheek, cupping it gently as she had once before. She shook her head in disbelief. "You're really here." Buffy lifted her heels off the ground and stood on the tips of her toes, bringing her lips to his for a brief moment before shoving him away, hard. "How long?"
"Ummm?" Spike shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
"How long have you been not dead Spike?" She crossed her arms and glared at him.
"Well technically pet?"
"Spike"
"Pretty much since about three weeks after, but at first I was like bloody ghost or something. I?"
"And you didn't tell me. How could you just let me think?do you have any idea?I felt like?"
Angel chuckled, the kiss had worried him for a moment but now he was sure Buffy wouldn't want Spike around.
She turned to look at Angel. "And you knew?"
"Well, I ?"
"And you didn't tell me either." Now she looked mad.
She turned back to Spike. "Why?"
He turned his head away. "I just couldn't."
Buffy brought her hand back to his cheek, forcing him to meet her eyes. "Why not?"
Spike sighed and took a deep breath even though he didn't need it. The hurt in her eyes made it all worse. He had realized a while back that he had not made the right choice. He should have let her know right away, but then so much time had passed and he was sure she would hate him. "You?you said you loved me, I know you were just sayin' it. You know ?cause I was going to die, I mean I know you didn't really?but?well it was still?" He shrugged. "I knew if I was alive you'd have to take it back right."
Looking at him standing there clearly miserable, Buffy felt her anger drain. "You're an idiot."
"It's been said." He nodded.
"I wouldn't take it back."
"No?" He tilted his head and gave her a searching look.
"You wouldn't?" Angel asked as he took a step closer, but Buffy continued to look at Spike.
"No"
Their eyes met for a second longer before Buffy pulled her hand back and took a few steps back. She turned to Angel, but didn't speak.
The questions were clear in his eyes. You love him?
Spike watched the two of them for a few seconds. It was obviously time for him to leave them alone. Buffy had seemed glad to see him, but he was sure she was saving a special welcome for Angel. "I'll just go?umm check in on the niblet then."
Buffy turned startled and then grinned at his words. "Yeah, you should do that. She's in the basement."
"Right then." Spike turned and heading toward the castle.
"Oh Spike."
He glanced back at her over his shoulder. "Yeah."
"Be careful."
Great, he thought, the little bit is probably going to be even more pissed than her sister.
Buffy turned back to Angel, her eyes twinkling with the untold joke; Spike was in for a giant surprise.
Angel spoke before she could share the story. "What was that?"
"I thought he was dead."
"So you were just checking with your lips?"
Buffy sighed. Hadn't she had this conversation before? "He saved my life."
Angel looked away. "So what you're going to be with him now?"
"I didn't say that, I?"
"It sure looked like that what with the touching and the kissing and the long soulful glances."
"I'm?happy to see him, and yes, if he wants to stay here he's welcome."
"But I'm not."
"Don't. Don't act like your leaving was my choice."
"I was trying to do what was best for you."
"Well maybe it will be best for me if you just left again." She hurt her own heart saying those words.
Angel nodded and spoke quietly. "Then I'll go, if that's what you want."
She wanted to tell him not to; there would always be a part of her that loved him. But the truth was the Angel-shaped hole in her heart hurt more when he was around. So she said nothing and watched him walk away once more.
She watched until he was only barely visible in the distance before turning and towards home. Buffy still had some questions for Spike.
Rating:G
Author's Note: Special thanks to Wolfie Gilmore whose piece Coward definitely inspired me to more fully envision my own version of the Spuffy reunion.
Reunion
"Angel" Buffy looked up surprised. Her eyes widened when as she looked past his left shoulder. "Spike?"
She said his name cautiously, as though she was so unsure of what she was seeing she couldn't risk saying it out loud. She walked toward him and placed her hand on his chest to make certain he was really there. He was.
"You're ?you're alive." Her hand moved to his cheek, cupping it gently as she had once before. She shook her head in disbelief. "You're really here." Buffy lifted her heels off the ground and stood on the tips of her toes, bringing her lips to his for a brief moment before shoving him away, hard. "How long?"
"Ummm?" Spike shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
"How long have you been not dead Spike?" She crossed her arms and glared at him.
"Well technically pet?"
"Spike"
"Pretty much since about three weeks after, but at first I was like bloody ghost or something. I?"
"And you didn't tell me. How could you just let me think?do you have any idea?I felt like?"
Angel chuckled, the kiss had worried him for a moment but now he was sure Buffy wouldn't want Spike around.
She turned to look at Angel. "And you knew?"
"Well, I ?"
"And you didn't tell me either." Now she looked mad.
She turned back to Spike. "Why?"
He turned his head away. "I just couldn't."
Buffy brought her hand back to his cheek, forcing him to meet her eyes. "Why not?"
Spike sighed and took a deep breath even though he didn't need it. The hurt in her eyes made it all worse. He had realized a while back that he had not made the right choice. He should have let her know right away, but then so much time had passed and he was sure she would hate him. "You?you said you loved me, I know you were just sayin' it. You know ?cause I was going to die, I mean I know you didn't really?but?well it was still?" He shrugged. "I knew if I was alive you'd have to take it back right."
Looking at him standing there clearly miserable, Buffy felt her anger drain. "You're an idiot."
"It's been said." He nodded.
"I wouldn't take it back."
"No?" He tilted his head and gave her a searching look.
"You wouldn't?" Angel asked as he took a step closer, but Buffy continued to look at Spike.
"No"
Their eyes met for a second longer before Buffy pulled her hand back and took a few steps back. She turned to Angel, but didn't speak.
The questions were clear in his eyes. You love him?
Spike watched the two of them for a few seconds. It was obviously time for him to leave them alone. Buffy had seemed glad to see him, but he was sure she was saving a special welcome for Angel. "I'll just go?umm check in on the niblet then."
Buffy turned startled and then grinned at his words. "Yeah, you should do that. She's in the basement."
"Right then." Spike turned and heading toward the castle.
"Oh Spike."
He glanced back at her over his shoulder. "Yeah."
"Be careful."
Great, he thought, the little bit is probably going to be even more pissed than her sister.
Buffy turned back to Angel, her eyes twinkling with the untold joke; Spike was in for a giant surprise.
Angel spoke before she could share the story. "What was that?"
"I thought he was dead."
"So you were just checking with your lips?"
Buffy sighed. Hadn't she had this conversation before? "He saved my life."
Angel looked away. "So what you're going to be with him now?"
"I didn't say that, I?"
"It sure looked like that what with the touching and the kissing and the long soulful glances."
"I'm?happy to see him, and yes, if he wants to stay here he's welcome."
"But I'm not."
"Don't. Don't act like your leaving was my choice."
"I was trying to do what was best for you."
"Well maybe it will be best for me if you just left again." She hurt her own heart saying those words.
Angel nodded and spoke quietly. "Then I'll go, if that's what you want."
She wanted to tell him not to; there would always be a part of her that loved him. But the truth was the Angel-shaped hole in her heart hurt more when he was around. So she said nothing and watched him walk away once more.
She watched until he was only barely visible in the distance before turning and towards home. Buffy still had some questions for Spike.