TITLE: Truths Revealed
AUTHOR: Foxhunt2blue
RATING: R
SUMMARY: Moving down the stairs she whistled
softly to herself, truly happy for the first time
since before her death.
ARCHIVE: Please feel free to just let me know! :D
FEEDBACK: One of the necessary food groups!
foxhunter2blue@yahoo.com or
Kitsunegari2001@aol.com
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This one is for Anne Rose. We all
know Joss will do his own thing, but this is
where I would go. Oh...yeah & I'm already
plotting more before you say anything ;) *giggle!
 
 
**************
Truths Revealed
**************
 
 
"Good night Buf..ffeee...,"
 
Smiling at the yawn that ended Dawn's words Buffy
let the door to her room shut. So much had
changed in the last few weeks. Some had been for
the better like her relationship with Dawn, but
others well...
 
Willow was with Giles in England. The coven had
decided that Will wasn't someone who needed to be
roaming about without some type of formal
education. Who would have thought that she was
that powerful? But then she had needed time to
recover from what she had done as well as what
she had lost.
 
Anya and Xander had went away for some
reconciliation time. Even though she was a
vengeance demon again she hoped to heal the
wounds they had both given each other. 
 
Stranger things have happened. After all this was
Sunnydale "Home of the Hellmouth", California.
 
Pausing at the top of the stairs Buffy
contemplated the temptation of a freshly made
bed, but she was still to wound up to sleep. It
had been like this since the farewell at the
airport for Giles and Willow. All the
possibilities that were yet to be explored kept
her up at night. 
 
Moving down the stairs she whistled softly to
herself, truly happy for the first time since
before her death. Through each room she wandered
making sure that each light was off, each window
and door locked. Finally she found herself in the
kitchen, the only light pouring through the
backdoor, the soft moonlight along with the faint
warm breeze.
 
Early summer.
 
She found it hard to believe two years had passed
since her mom's death, it seemed just like
yesterday that... no, she thought, I'm not going
there. Moving across the room she opened the 
fridge and located a bottle of that cheap fruity
wine Xander had introduced her too.
 
Once she was outside she wandered into the
backyard, stretching her stiff back as she
wiggled her toes in the damp grass. Settling 
into one of the lawn chairs she sat the bottle in
the grass, then closed her eyes soaking in the
moonlight.
 
"Nice night luv."
 
Eyes wide Buffy flipped over the chair, long
limbs sprawled comically.
 
"What the hell do you want Spike...you sneaky
bastard?" On her feet she took a fighting stance
eyes searching the deep shadows.
 
"My name is William...," a spark of amber
announced his presence just as surely as the
accent had seconds before.
 
"Since when is it William?" One brow arched in
annoyance. "Since you tried to rape me in my own
bathroom?!" she spit the words out as he stepped
from the shadows.
 
"Since I earned the bloody right in Africa," his
words were soft, angry, "...since Spike died at
the hands of a master demon."
 
"You look pretty good for a dead vampire to me."
 
Despite her angry words she couldn't help the
feeling that rose in the pit of her belly at the
sight of his pale face.
 
Pale face?
 
It was then that she realized he definitely
looked different. Subtly different, but different
without a doubt.
 
His face was a glow not with the feeding of a
satiated vampire, but with sun and wind. 
 
With life.
 
Swallowing hard she met those intense eyes lost
behind a soft lazy swirl of smoke. Her throat
tightened more as she took a step back, the fear
overwhelming. Even as she had laid beneath him
struggling on the cold tile there hadn't been
this kind of fear, this kind of anger.
 
Yes.
 
Anger was what was there lurking beneath the
burning fear. Everything swam the light
threatening to vanish. Underfoot the cold glass
of the wine bottle knocked her off balance
sending her tumbling to the grass again.
 
"...what...what did you do Spike?"
 
He squatted down so their eyes met over the
burning ember of his cigarette, a tiny smile
teasing at the corner of his mouth.
 
"I told you my name is William," a soft sigh as
he exhaled, "...my name is...William." 
 
Leaning forward on her knees Buffy reached out to
touch the side of his face. A flinch rippled
through Spike as her fingers met warm skin.
 
"Your...your human?"
 
Pulling away he stood his eyes flashing with
anger and pain. For the life of her she couldn't
understand what was happening. Was this a dream?
 
"No dream luv...more like a nightmare."
 
Eyes drifting upward she swallowed a gasp when
she saw the glitter of moisture on his face.
Tears, she thought, he was crying.
 
"Spike...I...I...,"
 
"Goddammit! I told you my...name...is...William!"
 
"I'm sorry William," she whispered as she stood.
 
"This wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to make you
hurt. I wanted to give you what you deserved,
instead the bastard gave me back my...soul," the
last word came out a choked whisper.
 
Flipping the butt into the grass he crushed it's
glow beneath his heal, then fumble for the pack
inside his coat. He needed another fag like 
he needed to be here talking to the bloody
Slayer.
 
"Who?" her hand was a gentle weight on his
shoulder. "What did you do? How did this happen?"
 
"Does it bloody well matter?" Lighting the fag he
inhaled deeply his eyes drifting to where the
moon hung, a sliver of blue tinted silver. "Does
anything ever really matter girl?"
 
"You're like Angel now?"
 
He turned on her, blood flushing his face. He
should have known she wouldn't understand.
 
"Not like that bloody bastard! Never like him!"
 
Instead of backing down Buffy drew closer, one
hand reaching out to caress his cheek. Leaning
into her touch he let the scent of her skin fill
his senses.
 
"Then what?" she questioned.
 
"Neither...," he whispered. "Not a vampire, but
not human either."
 
"How do you know?" her voice had grown husky.
 
"No hunger luv...the blood hunger is gone, but
I'm stronger than I was as a human. I can feel
this thing inside me...this power, but I don't 
understand it. I still have this need to...,"
 
"...hunt?" she finished his thought as she drew
him down into the dewy grass.
 
"How the bloody hell could you...," his words
trailed off as he met her eyes. Huge hazel eyes
flickering with a hunger he had never really
noticed before.
 
"I've never been human either William. I'm the
Slayer...it's not a job, it's who...it's what I
am. Angel never understood that, neither have 
any of my friends. Giles did though. He was the
only one who even came close. Even the demons
don't get it completely."
 
Pulling him down her mouth met his in a soft
whisper of a kiss. Slowly it grew with an
intensity that took his breath away.
 
"I..Buff...I," his mind was spinning. What was
she doing? He had pursued her relentlessly for
almost three years, he had tried to rape her, but
here she was, mouth strong and warm. "Why...why?"
 
Pulling away she flipped him onto his back, her
hair a swirl of honeyed silk around them as she
leaned forward. 
 
"I can smell it...," she whispered, "...the
power...the need. I can taste it." Her tongue
slid along his jaw sending a shiver through his
body.
 
"What?" his voice came out a ragged gasp.
 
"You're like me now...you're like me."
 
William sat up sending Buffy tumbling backwards
into the bushes. 
 
"You? I'm like you?"
 
"Of course you...," she stopped mid-sentence as
her fingers brushed back her hair. "You didn't
know? It didn't explain...the demon?"
 
Standing she drew him to his feet as he began
shivering. Was she saying what he thought she was
saying?
 
"Giles?" he whispered.
 
"He's in England with Willow...long story. Why?"
 
"He'll be able to tell me."
 
"Tell you what?" her brow furrowed in confusion.
 
"He'll know what I am. What that bastard demon
did to me. Bloody demons and their shagging sense
of humor!"
 
Pulling from her grip he moved across the yard,
his coat a dark swirl of shadow behind him.
 
"Spike!"
 
This time he didn't bother correcting her because
he felt like Spike. He wanted nothing more than
to stay there in her arms. She wanted him this
time, but there were things he needed to
understand and Giles would know the bloody
answers.
 
"Look slayer girl I can't do this. I can't just
forget everything and stay with you. Even if it's
bloody well what I wan...,"
 
Her mouth silenced him.
 
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry I hurt you
and I'm sorry I lied."
 
His eyes widened as she kissed him again. The
touch of her lips was filled with longing and
sorrow.
 
"Lied?" he whispered into her kiss.
 
Their foreheads touched, their arms linking
around each others necks. A faint whisper of air
trapped between them in a space where only
secrets could be told.
 
"I love you," she whispered, "...I have for a
long time."
 
His mouth widened into a gentle smile.
 
"Me to luv...me to."
 
Slowly they drew apart and he turned away. 
 
Through the gate into the street he moved his
eyes looking straight ahead. Running his hand
along the smooth ebony and silver Harley, he
smiled, a single tear escaping to trail down his
jaw. For a moment he wanted to turn back to take
her in his arms and make love to her. Swallowing
back that hunger he swung his leg over the bike,
then flipped back the kickstand. With an angry
kick he had the engine roaring, then she faded
down to a purr.
 
That was what he was going to do, he promised
himself. He was going to find out what he needed
to, then he was going to come back and make his 
Slayer purr.
 
Buffy stood in the fading night watching as he
rode away, his coat swirling out behind him.
Every word spoken...every action taken they were
true, but she still didn't understand what was
happening.
 
All she knew was that he had returned. He had
returned and now possessed the one thing she had
cursed him for not having.
 
A soul.
 
As he vanished into the distance she shivered,
arms tightening around her body. So much to
accept...another night passed without sleep.
 
"Come back to me William," she softly called into
the dawn.
 
Behind her Dawn appeared in the door, rubbing her
eyes sleepily.
 
"Buffy? What ya doin'?"
 
She smiled as she turned towards her sister.
There was so very much she still had to do...to
learn. She had sworn she would share everything
with Dawn as soon as they escaped that dark hole
and that was one promise she meant to keep.
 
"Watching the sunrise Dawnie...watching it rise."
 
As they made their way into the house she leaned
over asking Dawn a question that caused her eyes
to widen.
 
"Did I ever tell you Spike's real name?"
 
THE END??