Saving Each Other

Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I doubt Whedon would blow off homework to write fanfiction.

Chapter Three

“You stare politely right on through”

            “William,” she repeated, not quite sure if he was real or not. He looked so different: black clothes, slicked back bleached blonde hair, and a long leather coat. His face... his face never changed. His cheek bones were still the most prominent she had ever seen. His eyes were still so blue you could swim in them. He was still beautiful—maybe even more so—and he was here. Why was he here?

            “Buffy,” he replied softly.”Can I come in luv?” she couldn’t help but notice his accent was different too.

            Buffy couldn’t even begin to form words. Silently, she stood there gaping until she heard a second man clear his throat. She had been so shocked to see William that she hadn’t even noticed Rupert Giles standing behind him.

            “Giles!” she exclaimed. She embraced the older man in a warm hug, completely ignoring the man’s nephew.

            “Buffy dear, how are you doing?” Giles asked, finally letting go of the tiny blonde.

            “Some days are harder than others but I’m managing. Come in Giles; it’s been a while since we talked. Fill me in on everything.”

            The older man followed the young blonde woman into the leaving room, leaving Spike completely unacknowledged.

~O.o.O.o.O~

            The next twenty-four hours passed by far too quickly.

            Family members started showing up left right and center as did friends. Buffy certainly had a full house.

            “Have you talked to him yet?” Cordelia asked Buffy. The two had remained friends after high school even though Cordelia had moved to Paris. Cordy had really changed since they were in high school and she was now one of the most caring people Buffy knew. 

            “Not yet,” Buffy admitted. “I don’t even know what I would say.”

            “Tell him you missed him and you want him to give you many orgasms,” Anya pitched in. Buffy groaned. She may like Anya but Anya’s lack of tact was enough to drive them all crazy.

            “Ahn, hon, we’ve talked about you bringing up orgasms in conversation outside of the bedroom,” Xander warned.

            If it wasn’t such a somber situation Buffy would smile at how much it was like old times. Her seven, no six, she had to correct herself since William no longer counted, best friends were all there. She was glad that the two separate groups from high school had ended up merging even without William there to help Buffy bring them together. Oz was travelling somewhere in Asia and Riley hadn’t been a part of the group in years, but other than that everyone was there. Buffy couldn’t help but notice everyone was paired up too. Xander and Anya had been dating for a few years now. Cordy and Liam “Angel” Angelus had been dating ever since high school. Even Willow was paired up. Tara hadn’t gone to high school with them but she was part oof the group nonetheless. The only one who wasn’t paired up was Buffy. And William, she thought as an afterthought. But she didn’t want to think about him.

            “I was just saying what we were all thinking,” Anya defended.

            They all decided to just drop it. Anya hadn’t been entirely wrong though. Everyone may not have been thinking about orgasms, but they all were thinking about how much Buffy missed her former best friend. She had to come to her senses and talk to him eventually.

~O.o.O.o.O~

            Even though she was surrounded by people, Dawn Summers had never felt so alone as she stood by her mother’s coffin. It was hard now but she knew that she would get through it. Today was hard but tomorrow would be harder. Finding the strength to move on.

            Her sister was beside her, staring off into space. On one side of the coffin was a bunch of relatives Dawn barely knew and on the other side was Buffy’s friends and Dawn’s best friends Janice and Kit. Giles was over with their friends but William stood a bit farther back than everyone else.

            Dawn was worried about her sister. She didn’t seem to be grieving in a healthy way, she had just shut down emotionally instead. Dawn was pretty sure her sister hadn’t even cried. She was trying so hard to keep everything from falling apart that she wouldn’t even let herself fall apart even for a moment so she could cry the pain out like Dawn had.

            On top of it all Dawn was worried about how William’s—no, Spike’s, as he now wanted to be called—presence would affect Buffy. When Dawn was little she always thought that Spike and Buffy were going to end u being a couple. She never really liked Riley and was glad when they broke up even though she was sad that it hurt her sister. After that she thought that maybe her sister and the quiet British boy would have a shot.  But then the accident happened. And then when he woke up, Spike left. And then Parker happened...

            Dawn hoped that everything would work out and that Spike would be able to pick up and piece together the broken pieces of her sister.