Hello Again
Author: enigmaticblue
Rating: PG-15
Disclaimer: We all know the truth. None of these characters are mine, and if I were making money off of them, I could quit my job and go write on a beach somewhere.
Summary: A sequel to my short story, Summer Vacation. After the events of Forgiving, Wesley decides to take action after losing Connor, and finds something he never expected.
A/N: Because there’s quite a bit of time between this story and the last, there’s quite a bit of catching up to do. All will be explained eventually, but you’ll have to hang in there with me for a bit. Also, I’m playing around with time and canon. You’ll see what I mean.
Chapter 10:
Beginnings
“What can I compare you to, a favorite pair of shoes?/Maybe my bright red boots if they had wings/Funny how we animate colorful objects saved/Funny how it's hard to take a love with no sting./But come on take it, come on take it, take it from me/But come on take it, come on take it, take it from me (We’ve got a good life).” ~The Weepies, “Take It From Me”
“That’s the last of it,” Buffy announced, setting down yet another box.
It had been easier than Wesley had expected to move his things. Perhaps it was only because having a Slayer and a vampire to help cut down on the necessary manpower, but Wesley had a feeling that it had more to do with feeling as though he was moving towards something, rather than running away from his past.
“Thank you,” Wesley said. “I don’t know what I would have done without your help.”
“I helped, too.” Dawn’s voice floated out from the kitchen.
Buffy rolled her eyes. “And I’m sure Wesley won’t forget it with you reminding him every five minutes!” She gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry. She seems to think that she actually has a life.”
“I so have a life!” Dawn called out.
Wesley hid a smile; he was beginning to become used to their squabbles. As an only child, he’d never had an opportunity to fight with a sibling. “It was very kind of both of you to help,” he said sincerely.
“What else are friends for?” Buffy asked philosophically. “Besides, I’m getting a Watcher again. Trust me, that’s payment enough.”
“Are you really going to be running that bookstore?” Dawn
asked, emerging from the kitchen with
Wesley shrugged. “I don’t think I’ll do it forever, but it will be a nice change.” He shared a look with Buffy. “Besides, I have a feeling that living on the Hellmouth will prevent me from getting too bored.”
“Leave Wesley alone, Dawnie,”
“I know that,” Dawn said, looking a little put-out. “But he’s been working with Angel. I just thought he’d want to do something more—action-y.”
“That’s not a word,” Buffy pointed out ruthlessly.
“You make up words all the time,” Dawn shot back.
Xander’s voice came from the bedroom. “You know, Spike would be able to find the apartment again just from the sound of bickering.”
Dawn rolled her eyes, and Buffy sighed. “How’s it going, Xan?”
“It’s done,” Xander announced, coming out from the bedroom. “All furniture is set up and ready for use.” He paused. “Whatever you might want to use it for.”
There was a pause, and Wesley could feel himself blush, but he decided to let that statement slide. “Where is Anya?”
“Closing up the shop,” Xander replied. “She should be here soon.”
No one commented on
Wesley knew better than to blame himself for another’s choices, however; he had enough guilt of his own to bear.
There was a brief knock on the door, then Spike walked inside, a box tucked under his arm. “Who’s hungry?”
“Ooh! Me!” Dawn grabbed the box from him. “Thanks, Spike!”
“Not a problem. You all set up, Watcher?”
Wesley shrugged. “Other than the unpacking, but that’s a process I don’t mind leaving until later.”
“Don’t know that we’ll be much help there,” Spike confessed. “I’ve always thought that a man ought to know where things are getting put.”
Wesley had thought the same, which is why he’d largely discouraged the others from unpacking—at least, anything other than his kitchen things. He used his kitchen equipment so rarely that it probably didn’t matter that he didn’t know where anything was.
“The kitchen is unpacked,”
“I tend to use the microwave more than anything else,” he confessed.
She shook her head. “Maybe I’ll have to teach you how to cook.”
“You could try,” Wesley replied. “I don’t know how successful you’ll be.”
“If I can learn how to cook, I know you can,” Buffy said. “I used to burn water.”
Spike snorted. “You still do.”
“Not as often!” she protested.
“You do fine,”
“Most of the time,” Dawn inserted.
Buffy opened her mouth to reply, and Wesley decided that it was the perfect time to change the subject. “You know, I think there are some paper plates in the kitchen. I’ll grab them.”
“Where are the utensils?” Xander asked, following him.
“You would have to ask
The other man began opening drawers at random as Wesley grabbed the plates from the cupboard, as well as the six-pack of beer. “Look, Wes.”
Xander’s low voice alerted him to the fact that what he wanted to say he’d rather keep private. “Yes?”
“I’m sorry for what I said, about not wanting to help.” Xander looked at the floor. “It wasn’t about you.”
“It was about Angel?” Wesley guessed.
Xander shrugged. “Pretty much.”
“Think nothing of it.” Wesley tried for a smile, although he didn’t know how well it came across. There were still days when he felt as though he were drowning in regret and guilt. Angel might have his son back, but there was still so much he had missed.
And all because of him.
Of course, he had no trouble understanding why Xander might have a problem with Angel; Wesley had met Angelus and lived to tell the tale, and the lessons Angelus taught were hard to forget.
Xander glanced back over his shoulder. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Certainly.” Wesley wasn’t going to promise to answer it, but he rather thought that he might as well get used to his role as Watcher—at least a part-time Watcher.
“Do you think Spike will turn on Buffy if the chip ever stops working?”
He knew the answer to that question without having to stop and think about it, but he gave the question the consideration that Xander obviously thought it deserved. “No,” he finally said simply.
“How do you know?” Xander asked.
Wesley shrugged. “Because he doesn’t have a soul, and he still risked his life to save a child he didn’t know. What he does has nothing to do with the chip.”
Xander looked thoughtful. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Hey!” Dawn said, poking her head into the kitchen. “Dinner is getting cold.”
“I’m coming,” Xander said. “Is Anya here yet?”
As though his words had summoned her, the front door opened, and Anya came in. “Hi!” she called brightly.
Wesley followed Xander into the living room with the plates. “Perfect timing, An,” Xander commented. “We were just about to eat.”
“Good,” Anya said. “I wouldn’t want to miss it.” She held out a bag to Wesley. “I brought a house warming gift. It’s traditional.”
“So it is,” he murmured, amused. The smile faded when he opened the bag emblazoned with the words “The Magic Box.” “Anya—”
“I asked Giles,” she assured him. “He said it was okay, and that you probably wouldn’t make any money, so you could always sell it to pay the rent.” Anya paused. “I think he was joking.”
Wesley stared down at the copy of Henrick’s Guide he held in his hands. “This is quite the gift,” he finally managed. “Thank you very much.”
She shrugged. “I’m glad you like it.”
Wesley put his hand on the leather-bound volume reverently, knowing how costly the book really was. It was something he’d never have been able to purchase for himself, but something that would likely come in handy for his vocation.
Or perhaps it was his avocation now.
~~~~~
“Guess you’ve got another Watcher now,” Spike observed.
Buffy didn’t know what his feelings about Wesley were, although she suspected that he wasn’t jealous anymore. There had been more than one night of fun and games where she’d had ample opportunity to prove that he was the only man in her life. Still, Buffy thought it might be good to have Wesley around, and it would certainly be nice to have some help with the research.
“Are you okay with this?”
“I’ll have to be, won’t I?”
“Spike—”
“’Course I’m alright with it,” he replied. “He seems like a good bloke, an’ anyone His Great Broodiness has kicked off the team is welcome in my book.”
Buffy tried to hide a smile but didn’t quite manage it. “I think we got the better deal.”
“Have you talked to Rupert about it?”
“We haven’t talked at all since he left.” Buffy sighed. “But apparently Anya’s in contact with him.”
“I’m sorry, luv,” Spike said softly, his hand cupping the back of her neck.
She leaned against him, stalling their patrol. “It’s not your fault.”
“An’ the fact that you insisted I be part of the group didn’t harm your relationship at all?” Spike raised an eyebrow. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Giles doesn’t get it,” Buffy said, pulling away. “It’s like he doesn’t even trust me.”
“He wants better for you,” Spike observed. “Nothin’ wrong with that. I imagine you’d feel the same way if Dawn hooked up with a vampire.”
Buffy turned on him, poking him in the chest with her finger. “First of all, there isn’t anything better for me. I tried normal, remember? It didn’t work. Second, I wouldn’t care if Dawn hooked up with a vampire, as long as he was like you, but that’s not going to happen. Third—this isn’t a ‘hook up.’”
Spike took a couple of steps backwards, clearly thrown by her vehemence. “What brought this on?”
“I’m sick of explaining this!” Buffy burst out. “I’ve told everybody now, and the only person who hasn’t questioned it was Wesley, probably because he owes me and he knows better.”
“And Dawn,” Spike reminded her helpfully.
Buffy sighed. “Dawn’s been trying to set us up for months now.”
“You knew?” Spike asked.
Buffy snorted. “Please, Spike. It was obvious.”
“Not to me,” he muttered.
“I’m her sister.” She shrugged. “And a
girl. Girls notice these kinds of things. Dawn’s been on our side—or
your side—from the beginning. I guess
“Then everybody is Xander?” Spike asked.
“And
“I would never—”
“Which is what I told her,” Buffy assured him, interrupting.
“Trust me, Spike. I gave her the run-down on why this was going to work when
none of my other relationships have.
When he didn’t reply, Buffy glanced over. Spike had a strange expression on his face, and she wondered if she’d said something wrong. “What did I say?”
“So, why is this relationship gonna work?” he asked, trying to sound casual.
Buffy rolled her eyes, but she laughed. “Because you know me better than anyone else, good and bad. And because you don’t mind that I’m as strong as you are, but you don’t expect me to be perfect. And because you’re really, really stubborn, and you won’t leave. And you love my bratty little sister.”
Spike pulled her closer. “I think that about covers it,” he agreed, capturing her lips with his.
Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck, moving closer. “I hate to say it, but I’ve got to get home,” she said once she’d broken off the kiss to catch her breath. “Dawn’s by herself.”
“I could stay there tonight,” he suggested.
From his tone of voice, Buffy suspected that he didn’t expect her to take him up on the offer. “Okay.”
“Yeah?” he asked.
“Well, we’ll have to be quiet, but if you think you can manage—”
“I can manage all kinds of things,” he promised.
Buffy grinned. “Then what are we waiting for?”
~~~~~
“How is it?” he asked, sitting down across from her.
She smiled. “It’s perfect.”
“Thank you,” he said. “For everything.”
“You made it much easier to move,” he confessed. “I don’t know that I would have made the leap otherwise.”
She knew she that she was blushing. The stirrings of
attraction she felt towards him were new, and not altogether welcome, but at
the same time rather pleasant. She was still recovering from her break-up with
Sometimes it wasn’t about the destination, but the journey.
“It will be good to have you here,”
“You seem to have a few of them,” he said gently.
He stared down into his cup. “I can understand that.”
“Is that what happened with Angel and the others?”
“To a certain extent, but they loved Connor, too.”
“So did you.”
Wesley shook his head. “Yes. You know.” His eyes met hers, and she could see everything—pain, hope, fear—so many emotions swirling in their depths.
“I know,” she agreed.
“Have you reserved your apartment?” Wesley asked.
Plus, it was relatively inexpensive, which counted for a lot.
“Yeah.” She glanced away, feeling unaccountably shy. “I’ll be just a couple of doors down.”
Wesley smiled. “It will be nice to have a neighbor I know.”
~~~~~
Dawn lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Buffy had promised that they would be quiet, but they hadn’t quite managed it. It was clear that they were trying, but she could still hear them.
She would probably be scarred for life.
On the other hand, this is what she’d wanted, right? Dawn had been trying to get her sister and Spike together for months now, and she’d been actively campaigning for almost as long. So, it wasn’t like she minded the idea of Spike spending the night.
She was going to have to invest in some earplugs, that was all.
The two of them seemed to have settled down for the time being, though. After the last round of mattress squeaking—paired with muffled groans and other noises best ignored—Dawn hoped they were done. Dawn still needed her beauty sleep.
When a few minutes had passed, with no sound from Buffy’s bedroom, she drifted off with a smile on her face. It was just as she’d suspected; with Spike around, they felt like a family again.
~~~~~
Spike ran his hand up and down Buffy’s back, simply enjoying the feeling of her smooth skin under his fingers. She was draped over him, sated and spent, her long, blonde hair spread over his chest.
She murmured sleepily. “Don’t stop.”
“Don’t stop what?”
“Doing that.”
His hand stilled, mostly to see what she would say. “That?”
“You stopped.”
Spike began stroking her skin again, unable to resist her demands. “Better?”
“Uh huh.” He could feel her thumb moving in lazy circles on his side. A few inches lower, and he would have to worry about Buffy finding his ticklish spot, but for now he was safe. “Don’t leave.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, wondering if he was interpreting her request accurately.
She didn’t move. “I—don’t leave. I need you.”
“’Course I won’t leave,” he replied gently. “I’m not the type.”
“I don’t—I—” She was clearly struggling to say something, and Spike took pity on her fumbling attempts to put her thoughts into words.
“It’s alright, pet. Say it when you’re ready.”
“But you know?” she asked, just a little desperately.
Spike closed his eyes, remembering her frantic attempts to find him in the rubble after he’d fallen from the tower to save her sister, her chasing after him in bare feet and pajamas when she’d thought he had the wrong idea about her and Wesley, her request that he follow her into hell.
Besides, she’d told her friends they were dating. If that didn’t say love, he didn’t know what did, at least within Buffy’s world.
“I know,” he assured her. “It’s alright, Buffy. I love you, too.”
And with that, they both drifted off to sleep.