Notes: Heard the song and another idea popped into my head!
Notes2: Slight twist on Chosen and Season 7.
Spoilers: Major Season 7 spoilers! Especially Chosen.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Joss & Company own all. Trapt owns the song.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I think about your face
And how I fall into your eyes
The outline that I trace
Around the one that I call mine
Time that called for space
Unclear where you drew the line
I don't need to solve this case
And I don't need to look behind
Close my eyes
Let the whole thing pass me by
There is no time
To waste asking why
So I'll run away with you by my side
I need to let go of this pride
Until this echo in my mind
Until this echo can subside
Do I expect to change
The past I hold inside
With all the words I say
Repeating over in my mind
Some things you can't erase
No matter how hard you try
An exit to escape
Is all there is left to find
~^~**~^~
Willow closed her eyes as she felt the wind blowing through her hair. She crossed her arms and stood there, reveling in the feel of it all. It almost felt like she was flying. Almost.
As she stood there, the thoughts and worries passed through her and it felt as if they were being blown away. She was here in a state of no uncertainties or fears and everything was just right. Everything felt right.
She felt arms surround her and she sighed happily, “Spike.”
He held her tightly, his strong arms embracing her, giving her the sense
of protection she needed and wanted, “I’m here, luv.”
Willow shook her head, “You’re dead. I felt you burn. Our hands…”
“I saw how it ended, Willow.” He whispered into her ear, “I saw you. I couldn’t leave you.” Spike tightened his hold on her, “Had to come back.”
“You’re back?” She whispered hoarsely.
“I’ve always been here. I always will be.” She felt his grip loosen as he began to slip away.
The tears began to fall from her eyes, “Don’t leave.”
“I never left. Remember me.”
Willow’s eyes snapped open. She looked around the room and got off the bed with a heavy sigh. She hated living like this, motel to motel. It had only been a few days since Sunnydale was destroyed and taken off the map of California so the Scooby Gang was still in search of a place to stay permanently. Until then, she was stuck with being cramped up with 5 other girls. Her eyes drifted to the clock. 5:23.
The redhead closed her eyes again but behind closed eyelids, all she saw was Spike. All she felt was Spike. He was around her, surrounding her. And she hated it. She hated that she couldn’t touch him, couldn’t feel him, couldn’t hear the sound of his voice. She was only stuck with memories. Memories that faded. Memories that just weren’t enough.
She quietly brushed her teeth and combed her hair. She slipped into a pair of sweatpants and a shirt and grabbed the key before walking out into the morning darkness. She had no idea where they were. Some small city or other in the middle of California. Everything was blending together and she just lost the will to care. Nothing seemed to matter anymore.
All she felt these days was lost and pain. The only time she was remotely happy was when she was dreaming. It was only then that she saw him. It was the only time where she could pretend and forget that he died. That he died to save the world.
She looked around the empty sidewalks angrily. Nobody knew. Nobody knew that her lover died to save the world. Nobody cared either. The ones that did know seemed all too eager to just forget. Forget that Sunnydale ever happened. Forget it all.
She had tried to keep on a happy face. But she couldn’t pretend anymore. She didn’t want to. It hurt too much. It hurt to smile. It hurt to cry. It hurt to talk. There wasn’t anything she could do without feeling some sort of pain.
And she was so tired. So tired of feeling pain and anguish. She just wanted to feel Spike’s arms around her again. His soft lips upon hers. She just wanted him.
But she couldn’t have him. He was dead. And not just undead. He was dead dead. As in ashes dead. So dead that he would never be back. Ever.
Her thoughts drifted back to the first time they revealed their feelings for one another. It was back when they were still figuring out what the Initiative was and getting used to Spike being around with a chip. She was assigned to feeding him and everyday, they got closer and closer. At first, the general talking started with Spike baiting her but it gradually grew to stories of the past and finally to more personal issues. Through their talks and conversations, Willow began to fall for him, without even knowing it really until one day, in a regular feeding time, she opened the door and it hit her. She was in love. With Spike.
She kept her feelings secret, repressed them really, trying to convince herself that they weren’t real. That she was merely on the rebound after Oz. But the lying only delayed the oncoming relationship. Surprisingly, he was the one to reveal his feelings first. A small smile crept onto her face as she remembered the way he went about it. By that time, Giles had released him from his confines of the bathtub and he was free to roam about the apartment. Giles had gone off to the airport to pick up a new shipment of books. Buffy was just starting her new relationship with Riley, while Anya and Xander were immersed in each other. That left Spike and Willow together and alone. It was then that he revealed his feelings. Telling her all that he felt. He poured his heart out to her that day. And she accepted it with open arms.
Their relationship was met with less resistance than expected. Giles had given his speech about being careful and what not but it was done out of love for the redhead he thought of as a daughter. Buffy had been supportive, understanding that Willow had somebody that she truly cared about but she didn’t let Spike off without giving him a threat of turning into dust if he ever hurt Willow. Xander had been awkward with the relationship at first but after some reasoning on Anya’s part, he saw that the two were truly in love and gave his blessings and added another threat to Spike’s growing list.
And from then on, they’d only grown closer. Until the day he died. For good.
The day he promised would never come. He said they would never part. She thought they were going to be together forever. Forever.
Tears slipped from her eyes as the subject of eternity was brought forth in her mind. She bit her lip in pain. Forever. She never realized that a simple word with three syllables and seven letters could cause so much pain. That if said without full assurance of truth, the pain would last just that long.
Willow began to walk back to her room as the sun was starting to rise. She watched as the colors began to peek out and blended together so well, like a perfect picture. Flashes of the day when Spike gave his life for theirs came to mind. What she wouldn’t give for just one more kiss. A chance to hear his laugh again. Just something. Anything.
She looked up, her cheeks stained with tears. She whispered, “You promised me forever, Spike.”
As she walked back to the hotel, she felt the wind start to rise and a soft wind was blown, caressing her lips. And for a second there, she felt his lips upon hers again.
A single tear slipped from her eyes as she looked up at the sky, knowing that somehow he would hear her, “I love you and I’ll never forget.”
The End