Chapter 1: Hello You
Buffy Summers stepped outside the cab once it came to a stop, and took a look at the house that had been her home every summer till she was eighteen. A smile crossed her face when she saw her grandparents on the porch waving at her.
The cab driver had already taken everything out of the trunk for her, so she paid him, grabbed her belongings and made her way up the long driveway to the porch.
“Hi Nana.” Buffy greeted hugging her grandmother close. “Hi Gramps.” He moved to her grandfather and hugged him as well.
“Hello, dear. I’m so glad you’re here. I haven’t seen you in years…you look so different.”
Nana stated, holding her at arms length to take a look at her. “Dear, why don’t you bring Buffy’s things up to her room so she can get settled, hm?” Nana asked politely towards her husband. “And, you…let’s get you something to eat, you must be famished, pet.” Nana led her into the large kitchen, and started fixing her granddaughter a sandwich.
“So how are things with you in the States…doing well I hope?” she asked.
Buffy sat down at the island in the middle of the kitchen, and waited patiently for her sandwich to be done. “Oh yeah…just graduated from Juilliard, and I was looking into starting my own dance studio. So how are things on the Eastern Front…everyone doing okay?” she asked, as the plate was set in front of her.
“Everyone is great! Cecily had her second baby about ten months ago; she and Gregory are enjoying the novelty of having a new baby around the house.” Nana chuckled.
It went silent for a second, and Buffy looked down at her hands before speaking hesitantly. “Um…how is he? Is he doing good too?” the blonde’s voice was quiet.
“Who, William? He’s doing fine I guess you can say, love.” Nana leaned in a little closer and like the gossip queen that she was, and informed Buffy of the news of her old friend and lover. “He was in a relationship with this fickle young woman. He fell in love with her charm, he said. I personally thought she was insane. Speaking of stars and sunshine…anyways in the end she broke his heart and left him to pick up the pieces.”
Buffy frowned in confusion and pain. He fell in love with someone? Of course he was going to move on with his life…what was he suppose to do, pine over you for the rest of his existence?
“He’s here actually, staying at the house. About a month ago his flat got incinerated, not sure what happened yet, the police think it might be arson.” Nana continued to ramble on but Buffy pretty much tuned her out after she heard that he was here. He’s here…I’ll be seeing him. I haven’t seen him for ten years, and now I’m going to be staying in the same house as him.
Buffy cut off her grandmother by standing up. “I’m going to eat my lunch outside okay. Take a look around the garden. Thanks Nana.” Buffy said before grabbing her plate and walking out the back door.
In the backyard there was an open space and a garden of herbs, fruits and vegetables growing on the left. On the far side of the yard, there stood a willow tree with its branches hanging down and blowing subtly in the wind. It was one of her favorite spots to sit and think or read, with the wooden bench her grandpa build with his bare hands, set under the tree.
Buffy tucked her feet under herself and ate her sandwich reminiscing of all the times she used to spend out here. Once she was finished, she took her plate inside and then headed back outside to explore the grounds a bit more to see what had changed. There was another place the Summer’s girl used to go; a more quiet and serine place that she and William, or Spike as she used to call him would spend their time together.
On the far right side of the yard, there was a little trail that opened to a strip of grass on a hill that led down to a creek. She loved to sit there and dip her feet in the water. Buffy headed to the trail and when it opened up she saw a body already sitting there. A bleach blonde head and a body clad head to toe in black. A smile grazed her face. Spike.
Without a word she walked up and sat down next to him looking at the creek in front of her. After a second she turned towards Spike to find him looking at her oddly. “Hello you.” She greeted with a bright smile.
“Do I know you?” he asked curiously.
Buffy laughed. She knew she looked different. When she was younger her natural hair color was a chocolate brown, but once she left for Juilliard she decided she wanted a change and dyed her hair a golden blonde. She was a bit leaner than she was in high school from dance and she held herself with more confidence. Spike hadn’t changed a bit. He still had the bleach blonde hair, those beautiful piercing blue eyes and the lean muscular body he had from soccer, or football and he so adamantly argued. Still as sexy as I remember him.
“Well I like to think so…I mean I know it’s been a while, but you’d think you’d recognize your best friend when you see her.” Buffy teased with a sly smile. She watched as Spike took a harder look at her.
“Buffy?”
She held her arms to her side. “The one and only.” Spike pulled her closer and into a tight hug. Buffy hugged him back enjoying being in his arms again.
Spike pulled away to take another look at her. “You’re blonde.” He stated touching her golden locks. “You look great, pet. Definitely not the girl I used to know.” He commented with a smile.
Buffy chuckled goodheartedly. “Yeah I lost all my baby fat. But you look the same…still got that whole bad boy thing going for you.”
Spike chuckled in a bitter way. “I’m a far cry from the bad boy I used to be. I got over that a long time ago. What brings you here, kitten? Last time I saw you was years ago.”
“Just came to visit. Nana has been begging me to come out and see her and Gramps, so I decided take a break from everything and stay here for the summer.” There was a silent moment between the two old friends before Spike spoke up.
“It’s been a long time, pet. I missed you.” He stated softly with more emotion behind his words than he should have.
Buffy placed her hand over his, and squeezed it affectionately. “I know…I missed you too. It shouldn’t have taken me this long to come back.”
Spike sighed, “A lot’s happened since you’ve been gone. Cecily had another baby…” he started.
“I heard…Nana told me, said there were happier than ever.” Buffy smiled thinking of Spike’s sister and how close the two of them were. “I heard about your apartment too…that’s gotta suck.” The blonde stated with sympathy.
Spike chuckled. “Yeah…my ex was the one that did it too. Crazy bint she was. Sometimes I wonder what I saw in her, you know.” He glanced at her with a half smile.
Buffy winced. “I kinda heard about her too.”
Spike laughed again. “Wow Nana really likes to flap her gob, doesn’t she? Gotta love her though. Yeah…Drusilla was something alright. She always knew how to throw me for a loop.”
Buffy was listening to the words coming out of her ex lover’s mouth and was having a hard time doing so. In all the time that she’d been gone he had moved on with someone else…had fallen in love with someone else, while she refused to date at all. Not just because she still felt for him, though that was a major reason; but also because she was too busy with work and school that there really wasn’t any time for her to have a social life. Between going to Juilliard, bartending weekend nights and teaching a dance class on the side she barely had any time to herself. But she loved it…being busy kept her mind off of Spike and what could have been.
squawks
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!