"Positive Thinking"
Author: A. Price
Email: andramichelle@yahoo.com
Fred leaned up against her desk laughing softly as she watched Spike pick up her coffee cup. He seemed to be a bit more accepting of his condition now and that just made her want to make him corporeal all the more. There had to be a way- afterall he had given up his chance to save her. At that moment she could see what Buffy had seen in the blonde vamp - why she had chosen him as her champion in the end. Of course for Fred there was only one vampire, even after everything ,Angel was the vamp who had saved her in Pylea and she would always owe him for that. But right now...right now she felt like she owed Spike something too. "Spike, is there anything I can do that would make this easier for you...until I find another way, something that would make you feel better?"
He thought for a moment, "I'd ... I'd like to see... maybe talk to ... nevermind?"
"Who?" Fred asked, then realization struck, "Buffy, you'd like to talk to Buffy?"
"Don't know what good it would do...but yeah her voice would be nice about now." His eyes were faraway now, lost in a memory.
"Angel probably wouldn't like it." Fred answered nodding her head as is she was making a decision.
"No, he wouldn't. " Spike agreed.
"If you'll excuse me, I've got some research to do." She smiled at him," but I'll be back in a couple of hours if you want to drop by."
"Sure, I'll see you then." And he left the office.
Fred snuck into Angel's office right past Harmony who was busy filing her nails. She reached for the rolodex and began to thumb through it, she was sure there was a number in here. She found it and memorized it quickly setting the rolodex back down in it's place. She hurried back to her office and picked up the phone, "Hello, Buffy? My name is Fred... Winfred. I have some news for you..." Twenty minutes later she hung the phone up with a smile.
A couple of hours later Spike showed back up in the lab to find Fred with her head buried in a book. "Find anything interesting?" She looked up at him and smiled then glanced at the clock, should be any minute now. As if on cue, the phone rang, "Could you get that?" Fred asked Spike nonchalantly.
"You know I can't get it, " Spike frowned at her as his hand reached through the phone.
"You said if you concentrated and wanted it you could," the phone rang again, "Trust me you want to pick it up." Fred nodded towards the phone.
Spike concentrated on the phone and after another ring picked it up, "Hello?"
Fred looked up at him and smiled at the look of pure surprise and joy intermingled on his face.
"Yes, yes it's me... I don't know how... or why, Fred's working on it. No, I'm okay for now... no.. you don't have to do that... no, luv, can't even give you a proper hello hug right now... when Fred gets me back to normal...I'll come to you... " He talked a few more minutes before hanging up the phone.
Fred looked at him shyly, "So...feel better?"
His smile went all the way to his eyes, "She wanted to come, said she could be here in a couple of days...I told her not now wait till I'm right again. But she wanted to come now." He said the last sentence with a kind of awe in his voice then quickly added, "Thank you, Fred...for everything."
"Your welcome." She went back to work on her books.
TWO DAYS LATER
A short blond whirlwind blew right by Harmony's desk and into a surprised Angel's office. "Okay, where is he? And why did someone I don't even know have to tell me he was back?" Buffy leaned across the desk from Angel.
"Buffy, nice to see you." Angel answered his forehead creased with trying to figure out who had told her about Spike.
"Yeah, sure. Now where is Spike?" Buffy demanded.
"Buffy, what makes you think Spike is back and here?" He asked rather unconvincingly.
"Two days ago I spoke to him on the phone. I know he's here and I'd really like to know why you didn't tell me." She drummed her pink tipped nails on the desktop waiting for her explanation.
"You talked to him?"
"Yes, I did. So just tell me where he is and I'll leave quietly." She backed away from the desk and looked intently up and down Angel, and then walked around the desk looking straight in his eyes and squinting.
"What are you doing?" Angel asked as he watched her actions.
"I'm looking for one tiny iota of proof that the man I used to know is still in there." She answered stepping back.
"Fine, this is only going to cause you more heartache," Angel knew when it was time to concede, "You can usually find him in the lab, down the hall to the right, you can't miss it."
"Thank you." She gave him a smile as she left the room.
He lay his head down on his desk and sighed.
Buffy did find the lab without a problem, she opened the door and walked in cautiously the room appeared to be empty, "Spike?" She called out softly.
She saw him then, standing in the corner looking out of the window. "Spike?" She called out louder this time as she walked towards him.
He turned then, "Buffy? Is it really... "
She stopped in front of him, "Yes it's really me."
"I told you not to come yet." He grinned as he looked her over from slightly darker hair to tiny feet, still as beautiful as ever.
"And I listen to you when?" She grinned back.
"But... I... hate for you to see me like this." He sighed.
"It's okay. We'll figure it out... " She took another step forward and raised her hand, he concentrated very hard as he lifted his hand to match hers. A spark of electricity went through both of them - "I thought you said you couldn't touch!" Buffy exclaimed.
"If I concentrate really hard I can, if it's something I want bad enough. It won't last long though." He replied as she thread her fingers though his and gave a gentle squeeze.
"Let's try for that hello hug." Buffy let go of his hand and went to put her arms around him, "Hello." She whispered into his chest as he tightly held her against him, "You feel very solid to me, Spike."
He rubbed his hand in small circles on her back and realized she was right, he did feel solid, he pulled away from her. "Hold on luv, let me try something." He stepped away from her and reached for the coffee mug still sitting on Fred's desk and lifted it easily, he walked to the door and opened it easily, he turned around to find Buffy right behind him, she took his hand in hers, solid.
"I think... I think I'm fixed!" He cried out as he picked her up and swung her around in a circle. When he put her down his expression became serious, "I suppose we should try some more tests to make sure."
"Yeah, there's one important one we didn't try." She smirked at him mischeviously before stretching up to place her lips on his.
Spike's lips quickly remembered the feel of and taste of Buffy as he eagerly returned the kiss, it deepened as he pulled her close against him. She paused for air and smiled up at him still pressed tightly against him- a perfect fit, "Still solid... " She raised her eyebrow "Everywhere."
Fred entered the room smiling at the sight of the reunited lovers. She coughed so they would realize she was there. "Hey Fred!" Spike pulled away briefly from Buffy's lips, "Buffy this is Fred."
Buffy waved at her, "Nice to meet you, thanks so much for your help."
"Good news, pet. I think I'm fixed but I'm not sure how." He clasped Buffy's hand in his to show Fred that he was corporeal once again.
"Oh! Oh! I think it must have worked." Fred exclaimed excitedly as she grabbed her meter and walked around Spike, "You... well you're a vampire again or you're registering as one now."
"What worked?" Buffy and Spike asked in unision.
"Well, I was pretty much at a loss as to what to do after my machine got destroyed. And Spike told me he could pick things up if he wanted to bad enough and concentrated on it - and I got thinking about what was the thing he wanted most ... " Fred looked at Buffy, "That was easy... you."
Buffy blushed slightly at the words, "So...I helped bring him back?"
"Doesn't surprise me at all, luv." Spike whispered as he nuzzled her hair.
"It was you, Buffy. It was, Spike. It was... as corny as it sounds the power of love that brought him back." Fred sighed with a smile on her face, "Guess I'll leave you two alone now."
"Actually I think we're leaving," Buffy told her as she took Spike's hand, "I have a very nice hotel room... and we have lots of catching up to do."
Angel called out to the couple as they walked by his office hand in hand.
They never looked back...
The End