Chapter 7
A week later, Spike stood on the Summers’ porch, ringing the bell. He had tried to keep his distance from Buffy, knowing she would want some time to herself, and had been mildly successful. Only running into her at the grocery store and exchanging mild pleasantries, he tried to give her some space.
Now, as he stood staring at the door, he was overwhelmed with a slight sense of panic at the idea of seeing her. In a few days, it would be Christmas Eve, and Spike and his father would be attending the party at the O’Shea mansion. Joyce and Dawn would also be there. Not wanting it to be as awkward, Spike decided to stop by and see Joyce and Dawn before that night, hoping to get through the agonizing discomfort at facing them for the first time. And if he got to see Buffy, well, that would just be a bonus.
Raising a hand to knock lightly on the door, he took a step back to wait. When the door opened, he was met with the impassive face of Dawn Summers.
“Hello, Dawn,” he said, offering a soft smile.
“Spike.”
“Look, I know you probably hate me, and I can’t say I blame you, but-”
“I don’t hate you,” she said, shaking her head. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m not crazy about you right now, but Buffy doesn’t hate you, so that doesn’t give the rest of us the right to.”
“Thank you, Nibblet.”
Dawn opened the door wider to allow him in. Shutting it behind him, Spike looked around the unchanged house. Hearing a noise, he turned towards the dining room to see Joyce Summers walking out of the kitchen. She stopped upon seeing him before walking over and giving him a hug.
“It’s good to see you, Spike.”
“You too, Joyce. I thought I’d stop by and get over the formalities of being back in town before we all eat together.”
“Why don’t you come in and sit down?”
Spike sat on the couch with a heavy sigh. Joyce sat in the chair next to the fireplace while Dawn stayed in the entranceway. Spike leaned forward, uncomfortable, with his elbows on his knees. Joyce cut him off before he got a chance to speak.
“We don’t hate you, Spike.”
“Yeah, Nibblet was kind enough to fill me in on that much.”
“Spike, I was married to a man who cheated on me for years. I have an idea of what Buffy is going through and the pain never goes away. However, I do know that you love my daughter, and judging from what your father has told me, you are very remorseful about causing her any pain. Now, I’m not going to help you get her back because, frankly, that’s a matter between you and Buffy. I do want you to know that you are always welcome here.”
“Thank you, Joyce,” Spike said with a sigh of relief. At that moment, the doorbell rang, and he heard the pounding of feet on the stairs. Spike stood up as Buffy’s figure came into his line of vision.
“Bye, mom, I’ll be back in a – Spike!” she yelped when seeing him standing there.
“Hello, Buffy.”
“Wh-what’re you doing here?” she asked, her eyes nervously darting to the door.
“Dropped by to see your mum and little sis. I was actually about to head out.”
“Oh.”
“Buffy, I think you need to answer the door,” Joyce said, standing behind Spike. Buffy nodded anxiously and walked over to open it.
“Hey, Buff! You all set to head out for a night on the town?”
Spike felt his blood run cold at the sound of a male voice. Stepping forward into the entryway to see who it belonged to, he was met with a man over six feet tall with sandy blonde hair.
“Um. yeah, Riley. Can you do me a favor and take this out to the car?”
“Sure thing.”
Spike noticed, for the first time, that Buffy was carrying an overnight bag as she handed it to him. Closing the door, she turned to face Spike and noticed her mother and sister had vacated the room.
“Who is he?”
“Spike, he’s just a guy I know. He wanted me to go to L.A. with him for the night.”
Spike felt his heart drop into his stomach at the idea of her spending the night in a hotel room with that man.
“Are you seeing him?”
Buffy took a deep breath before nodding.
“It’s not serious,” she said. “Not that I owe you an explanation, but I can tell this is hurting you, and I want you to know it’s not serious.”
“Have you slept with him?” he asked coldly.
“Not yet,” she said with an angry edge to her voice.
“Yet?”
“Spike, give it a rest, okay? You’re not my brother, or my father, or my lover, so I don’t need to answer to you.”
Turning and yelling a good-bye into the kitchen, Buffy started for the door and suddenly felt herself pinned against it. Turning around, she felt Spike’s body softly pressing against her own. She fought against the natural pull that she felt when he was standing so close and looked up into his eyes.
“Just remember this, Buffy- nobody can make you feel passion the way that I do. Just like nobody can even come close to what you do to me.”
Smashing his lips down to hers, Spike felt alive for the first time in a year. This was the piece that was missing from his life. He’d known it all along, but he’d tried to suppress it. Letting his hands roam over the curve of her hips to settle against the small of her back, Spike pulled her closer, pushing himself against her.
Buffy found her hands going up to thread through his hair as she felt the evidence of his desire for her. Pushing back against him, she had to suppress a moan of delight at the feel of him. Deepening the kiss, trying to get as close to him as possible, she felt his tongue slip into her mouth to intertwine with hers. She felt Spike wind his free hand through her hair and pull her closer to him, not wanting to let go.
Slowly, their lips separated from each other, panting for air. Spike knew it wouldn’t last much longer and held her body against his for just a few more moments.
Coming back to her senses, Buffy softly pushed against his chest to remove herself from the embrace.
“I have to go,” she whispered.
“Buffy-”
“Spike, I’m not ready. It’s too soon…there’s still too much to work through.”
“I’ll wait, Buffy. Just please don’t-”
Buffy silenced his worries with a soft kiss, before turning and heading out the door.
“You’re still my girl,” he whispered.
She turned around with a soft smile on her face. “Always.”