New Beginnings

By PSUBrat

Bound By Dreams

Buffy tossed and turned uneasily in her bed. The dream was consuming her. She wanted to wake up but couldn't find her way out. It was the same dream she'd had when she fell asleep on the couch. She found herself walking through the desert again, still dressed in white and still barefoot. Spike appeared before her. He looked like he did in the last dream, pair of faded jeans, no shoes and no shirt. "Spike," she whispered, "why are you here?"

"Haven't you figured that out yet pet?" He asked with sparkling eyes and a smile.

"Figured what out?"

"Why I'm here." He walked over to her and placed his hand on her cheek.

The warmth of his hand on her skin made her weak. "Spike…I…"

"Hush luv," he said brushing his lips over her lips. "I'll never leave you again. Ever."

"Promise?"

"I promise. I love you Buffy."

She closed her eyes as he touched his forehead to her's. She longed for him to put his arms around her. She needed to say it, to finally get it out in the open. "I love you too Spike."

Spike sighed and pulled her close to him. She could tell that he had been waiting for her to say these words. To accept him for who he was. She began showering his face with kisses and when their mouths met she swooned. She needed him. Every part of him. Souled or not. Human or not. She was his and he was her's. Finally, she realized that they were meant to be. Every fiber of her being knew this to be true.

She pulled back from the embrace and looked him in the eyes. "I know why you're here now Spike. I understand." She was startled when he suddenly vanished from in front of her. She looked around wildly and found herself back in the cave from her pervious dream.

"It's almost time for us to meet again my dear," the voice said from the shadows.

"You're dead," she responded harshly.

"You were once too."

"So was I you stupid git," Spike said appearing from out of nowhere, ready to do battle. "Things change." He charged at the voice and the sounds of fighting reached Buffy's ears.

"Spike no," Buffy shouted and reached out for him but the cave went deadly silent.

***

The sound of her own voice was still ringing in her ears as she sat bolt up right in her bed. She was breathing heavily and crying. One look at the clock told her that she needed to get up soon anyway but this wasn't the way she wanted to wake up. This was the second time she'd had this dream. It was time to take it seriously. She ran her hands through her hair and wiped her face. She then picked up the phone and called Giles at his hotel.

"Buffy what is it?" Giles asked with concern. He had detected a touch of anxiety in her voice.

"I need to talk to you. Right away. I had one of those dreams."

"Buffy if this is a slayer dream then you must call William, he is, afterall, your watcher."

"No Giles. Can't do that." She sighed heavily and then continued, "He was in the dream only he was Spike or maybe he's William. I don't know. But I know it's a slayer dream. I really need to talk to you."

"Very well. Do you want to meet at the Magic Box?"

"No. I think it's better if you come here. I need to talk to you about this first."

"Right. I'll be there as soon as I can."

***

It was another typical sunny day in Sunnydale. A sleek, black limousine pulled up in front of the new Wolfram and Hart offices. Once it had come to a complete stop in front of the building, Linwood, Lilah and a second man emerged. The second man took a few moments to get reacquainted with his surroundings before he was ushered into the building. It felt strange to be back in Sunnydale after all this time. The thought of returning here had never crossed his mind until Lilah had recruited him. It looked as though nothing had changed. And he had noticed as they passed the high school, that it was being rebuilt. He was sure that the city would have just leveled what was left of the burnt out shell and thrown a concrete slab over it. Amazing.

Once inside the building they rode the elevator up to the second floor. He followed the two attorneys into the conference room where he was asked to take a seat. The room smelled of new woodworking and fresh paint. He glanced out the window and noticed that there was a magic shop across the street. He'd have to check the place out as soon as the leash he was on was loosened.

Ms. Blackwell entered the room and introduced herself as Gavin's assistant. She instructed them to help themselves to the coffee and the continental breakfast at the back of the room. "Mr. Park will be in momentarily," she said as she closed the door behind her.

Lilah folded her arms and expressed her disapproval at Gavin making them wait. Just who did he think he was? Only senior partners were permitted such a luxury. She looked over to see if Linwood was as perturbed as she was. Unfortunately, he looked unfazed. He was too busy putting jam on a toasted bagel. She rolled her eyes. This was going to be a lot tougher than she had anticipated.

After a few minutes, Gavin entered the room. Lilah was sure that the delay was calculated on his part, but the look on his face upon seeing the second man was well worth her wait.

***

Buffy paced the living room as she waited for Giles to arrive. She had already sent Dawn off to the Magic Box telling her that she would be along shortly. The longer she waited, the more she paced. And the more she paced, the more agitated she became. She wasn't sure which to be more upset about, the possibility of the Master rising again or the fact that she might be in love with Spike. They were both frightening thoughts to her for different reasons. The Master had killed her but she had defeated him once, she could do it again, but Spike, that was totally different.

Finally, Giles arrived and they sat down in the living room. He could tell that there was definitely something upsetting her and decided to get straight to the point. "Buffy, why don't you tell me about your dream?"

Buffy nodded and took a deep breath. "I think the Master is about to party down in Sunnydale again."

"What," Giles asked incredulously, "Are you quite certain?"

"I've had two dreams now. Both dealing with him. And he's saying stuff like 'I knew you'd come' and 'Soon we're gonna meet' blah, blah, blah."

"I realize this is hard on you…but I need more information than that. Can you be more specific?"

"Both times it was the same. In a cave. He's in the shadows. Waiting. Why do they always have to be in caves," she mussed.

Giles took his glasses off and sat forward on the couch. "And you're certain that it's the Master?"

"Oh yeah. Wouldn't forget a face like that. Besides, killed me, remember? I think I'd recognize him."

"Right. Now you say that Spike was in your dreams as well?"

At that question she shrank into the chair as if trying to hide from all that needed to be said. She looked at her former watcher. How was she going to tell him about Spike? He wouldn't understand. How much did he know about what happened between her and Spike this past year? Only one way to find out. "Giles, how much has Spike told you about what went on between us?"

***

Gavin's face flushed as he recognized the man sitting in the chair next to Linwood. "What are you doing here? " He demanded again his anger growing more intense.

"Oh," Linwood stated with a mouth full of food, "didn't you get my memo?"

Gavin stared at his boss in shock. "What memo?"

Linwood waved to Lilah to do the explaining as he finished enjoying his breakfast. Lilah grinned smugly. "That would be the one announcing the addition of one Wesley Wyndham-Pryce to our group." She waited for the information to sink into Gavin's brain. Once she felt that sufficient enough time had passed, she went in for the second blow. "Oh and Gavin? He'll be working out of this office."

Gavin growled as he glared at Lilah, "Do you really think this is such a great idea Mr. Linwood? The man can't be trusted. He's one of Angel's closest associates."

"Was," Wesley interrupted. "I was. As in past tense."

"Gavin sit down," Linwood ordered. "The senior partners have made their decision. Besides, who better to be your right hand than one that knows the ins and outs of this place?"

"I assure you Mr. Park," Wesley said in an even tone, "I am completely trustworthy. Ms. Morgan finally convinced me that this is where I belong. After all, where else did I have to go after throwing Connor to the wolves? I've betrayed Angel in the worst possible way. You and I both know how Angel is, there's no coming back from something like that."

"Ah yes Mr. Wyndham-Pryce," Gavin replied in an angry tone, "Angel's hatred for you is well known. But you do realize that with Angel in a watery grave, there's nothing holding you back from reuniting with the others."

"I am well aware of Angels' present whereabouts. However, there is nothing left for me in L.A."

"Not even Winifred Burkle," Gavin asked trying to bait Wesley into admitting he was still one of them.

Linwood and Lilah turned their attentions to Wesley, waiting for his response. "Especially not her," Wesley seethed, tired of playing this game with Gavin. "She is quite happy with Gunn. I am moving on. I suggest you do the same Mr. Park."

Linwood grinned and Lilah smirked while Gavin turned red. "Shall we get started then Gavin," Lilah asked and she flashed a smile at Wesley, showing her approval of how he handled the situation.

The four of them then turned their attention to the matter at hand, tonight's ceremony.

***

Across the street at the Magic Box, Dawn was dusting while William sat at the table surrounded by several large volumes. "So Willow and Tara knew about you, huh Spike? I mean William. Can I just call you Will or something? Cause this William thing is kinda stuffy. Oh. I guess Will is what we call Willow. Can I just call you Spike?"

William looked up from taking notes to see Dawn staring happily at him. "Niblet I'm sorry if William is too stuffy for you, but it's my name. It'll just take time to get used to is all."

She nodded and sat down next to him at the table. "So what's it like; to be human again? Do you feel all angsty and remorseful like Angel cause of what you did in the past? Or are you all redeemed and stuff?"

He smiled at her and sighed audibly. She had been asking him questions ever since she had arrived. He needed to let her know, in a nice way, that she was bothering him and that there would be plenty of time to catch up later. Right now, he needed to find out why she could open portals. "Lil' Bit, I'm not going anywhere for a long time. No need for the twenty questions. Tell you what. Why don't we have lunch together and then we can catch up? And I want to know all about this git Steven who stood you up last night."

"I told you he called and left a message on the machine," she huffed at him defensively, "He couldn't make it. His mom was making him go shopping for school stuff. It starts soon you know."

He held his hand up and chuckled. "Okay, okay. I believe you. Don't get your knickers in a twist. So lunch then?"

"Sounds good. Just you and me?"

"Just the two of us," he said with a yawn.

"Yeah right. If you don't fall asleep by then. Still jet lagged?"

"No. I'm all caught up on the time difference. I just didn't sleep well. Had a couple bad dreams. Nothing big."

"Talk about bad dreams. You should talk to Buffy about her's. I could hear her shouting in her sleep this morning. Something about somebody being dead," she said with a shrug. She didn't notice William's reaction as she walked away to dust the front of the shop.

Continue