Chapter 21 – Confronted By the Enemy

3 Months Later


Walking through the streets of Sunnydale for the first time in months, Buffy tried to keep a positive disposition. Holding her boyfriend’s hand, she offered him a slight smile when he playfully tugged on her hand, trying to get her attention.

“What is it, Riley?” she asked.

“You alright?” he asked, giving her his trademark concerned look.

“I’m not going to break,” she said, looking at the ground for a moment before raising her gaze to the Christmas lights that decorated the town.

“It’s just… this is the first time you’ve been home since-”

“Since I transferred schools,” she interrupted, turning to look at him.

“Actually, I was going to say since the kidnapping.”

Rolling her eyes, Buffy pulled her hand away from his, knowing that she was being unusually irritable, but the memories that were threatening to wash over her were being held away by a very thin wall that was rapidly cracking. She didn’t even want to be in this town, but Riley insisted they visit for the holidays.

“I don’t even know what you’re planning on doing here,” she said, wrapping her arms around her body.

“I have a few friends here,” he said vaguely. “It’s not UCLA, but it’s a nice little town.”

Buffy didn’t respond as they walked across the street to the Espresso Pump. “Want anything?”

“Hot chocolate,” she murmured, not bothering to walk into the small café as she watched him disappear into the holiday crowd.

Sitting down on the bench next to one of the entrances, Buffy shifted uneasily. Hearing a group of carolers nearby, she closed her eyes. The town was like a Norman Rockwell painting around the holidays, and it seemed to overload her senses.

“This seat taken?”

Buffy’s eyes snapped open at the sound of the voice she only heard in her memories. Raising her eyes to his, her mouth opened in shock. Regaining her composure, her eyes narrowed slightly. “As a matter of fact, it is.”

Spike shoved his hands in the pockets of his duster, shifting nervously on his feet. He knew it was a bold move to walk over and attempt to talk to a woman he hadn’t seen or heard from in months, but he couldn’t resist the temptation.

“How’ve you been?” he asked, attempting to make conversation.

“What are you doing?” she asked, looking up at him in confusion.

“Making conversation. It’s what people do.”

“Not when you hate each other,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

“Never said I hated you,” he said, feeling his stomach flip at the very thought.

“What did you expect, Spike? A happily ever after?” she asked, throwing his words to her back in his face. “It’s not like we were a match made in heaven.”

“Buffy-”

“I’ve had your voice running through my head for three months,” she said slowly. “You dismissed me. You practically spat on me, and now you want to sit down and pretend we’re old high school buddies?”

“About what I said-”

“Oh, let me guess,” she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. “You didn’t mean it. Once you realized that you weren’t going to get locked away for the next few years and you’d simultaneously just thrown away your little fuck toy, I’m sure you were extremely remorseful.”

“Now, wait just a damn minute-”

“Why should I?” she muttered to herself, standing up and walking toward the entrance of the café, only to feel Spike’s hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. “What’s the matter, Spike?” she asked, feeling the need to hurt him as much as he’d hurt her. “It was fun… That’s all it was. You were there, you were available, and I used that to my advantage.”

“Do you remember everything I said that day?” he asked in exasperation.

“Do you?” she countered, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I don’t know what to say…”

“Apologizing might be a good start.”

“I’m-”

“But not just to get back in my good graces,” she said, biting her lip as she looked at the ground. “I don’t even know if that’s possible anymore.”

“There was a reason,” he said, looking at her with a pleading gaze. “There was a reason for all of it.”

“I’m sure there was,” she said, swallowing the lump in her throat. “That doesn’t mean it excuses any of it. It doesn’t make me less of an idiot for believing that you actually felt something for me when all you wanted was to get laid.”

“Buffy-”

“Here you go.”

Closing her eyes for a moment when Riley walked out of the café, she tried to graciously accept the steaming cup of hot chocolate.

“Who’s your friend?”

Spike stared in stunned silence at the other man, unsure of what to think.

“Riley, this is Sp-William,” she corrected, knowing that he associated the name Spike with her kidnapper.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, holding out his hand.

Spike merely raised an eyebrow, not willing to get any closer to the other man than he was already.

Barely put off by the dismissal, Riley took a step back, wrapping his free arm around Buffy’s waist, causing Spike’s glare to intensify. “So, how do you know Buffy?” Riley asked, taking a sip of his drink.

“We dated,” he replied, wanting Riley to feel as uncomfortable as he did. Seeing Buffy’s eyes widen, he offered her a smile.

“Really?” Riley asked, looking at his girlfriend. “Buffy never mentioned it.”

“Well, I’m sure you haven’t known each other that long,” Spike replied, keeping his gaze on the woman in front of him. “And how do you two know each other?” he asked, his voice carefully disguising everything he was thinking.

“We met at UCLA,” Riley said, looking at Buffy with a bright smile.

“So that’s where you’ve been, is it, love?”

Buffy turned to look at Spike, glaring at him as she stepped closer to Riley. “I’m feeling a little tired- I think I’m ready to go back to the hotel.”

“Let’s go,” Riley said, turning her away from Spike.

“I’ll see you soon, Buffy,” he called after her.

Turning around to face him, she shook her head. “No, you won’t.”

Chapter 22 – Another Surprise Encounter

“You don’t mind if I meet up with Forrest and Graham?” Riley asked as he looked at Buffy, who was sitting on the bed in their hotel room, painting her toenails.

“Go ahead,” she replied, smiling. “You’ve wanted to see them for a while.” He tilted his head, crossing his arms. “What? I really don’t mind, Riley. I’ll be fine here on my own.”

“You could always go meet up with some of your old friends,” he suggested, and she shrugged. “It might do you some good, help you gain some closure.” She raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, that’s the Psychology major in me coming out.”

“Go out and have a good time,” she said. “I’ll be here when you get back.” He was about to say something, but she waved him out. “Shoo! Have fun!” He chuckled and kissed her forehead before leaving. She watched the door close and frowned, wishing for the millionth time that day that they hadn’t returned to Sunnydale.

After she finished doing her nails, she turned on the TV but quickly grew bored with it.

‘There’s nothing to do,’ she thought, standing up and grabbing her room key. ‘Might as well go out for a while- he won’t be back until after midnight probably.’

She walked out into the cool night air and made her way into town, aimlessly walking around and trying to find if anything had changed in her absence. When she came up short, she sighed.

‘No surprise- Sunnydale’s always the same,’ she thought, letting herself inside the Espresso Pump to get another hot chocolate. ‘And maybe it won’t be ruined this time.’

She walked up to the counter and ordered, taking her cup from one of the employees before sitting at a table and grabbing a newspaper off of the table beside hers. She opened it up and began reading, catching up on the local news, when she felt as if someone was watching her. She looked above the paper and spotted Charles Gunn walking toward her, smiling. She couldn’t help but smile in return, realizing she didn’t have any issues with him.

‘He was the nice one,’ she thought. ‘He was the one who always seemed to have a good head on his shoulders.’

“Hey, Buffy,” he said, stopping at her table, surprised when she stood up and hugged him. “Look at you, Miss Summers- you look different.”

“Maybe it’s all that pollution in Los Angeles,” a familiar voice offered, and Buffy tensed up as she turned to see Spike, standing behind her. “Twice in one day, pet- that’s pretty coincidental.”

“Unless you’re following me,” she replied, crossing her arms, angry to see him again.

“Just making sure you and Captain Cardboard are on the up-and-up,” he said, smiling. “And fancy seeing you here, Gunn- it’s been a while.”

“Well, we’ve both been working,” Gunn said, sitting down across from Buffy. “Why don’t you join us?” Buffy looked at Spike with wide eyes, shaking her head. “No?”

“Come on, love- we’ll all catch up,” Spike said, grinning as he sat down beside Gunn. “Seems like old times, doesn’t it? All we need is Angel.”

“He’s locked up for a while,” Gunn said, looking at Buffy’s annoyed expression. “Your dad made sure of it.”

“How is dear old Hank?” Spike asked curiously, and she shrugged.

“How would I know? I haven’t spoken to him since I moved to L.A.,” she answered.

“What prompted the move?” Gunn asked, and she looked away.

“It was just too much for me here,” she said quietly. “Everyone always looked at me and asked questions, Dad went back to ignoring me, except for whenever he’d blame me for the problems in his life, and… the memories of everything became too hard to handle.”

“I’m sure it was difficult,” Gunn said sadly. “I’ve been meaning to thank you for months now, Buffy. You didn’t have to let us walk free- we deserved to be sent away for what we did.”

“Some more than others,” she replied, shooting a pointed look at Spike, who raised an eyebrow. “You helped me, Gunn- I wasn’t about to get you in trouble after everything you said to me and did to help.”

“Well, I don’t like watching women get hurt,” he said, and she nodded, looking down, not wanting to mention that Spike had hurt her even more than Angel ever had.

“So, what’s the story with your boyfriend?” Spike asked, and Gunn looked at her, surprised. “He seems like a simpleton.”

“So what?” she asked, crossing her arms. “I’d rather be with someone simple than someone who treated me like I was nothing.”

“I did no such thing,” he replied sharply, and Gunn looked between them, confused.

“You two clearly have things to discuss,” he said, standing up quickly. “It was nice seeing you again, Buffy, and once again, thank you.” She offered him a smile, which he returned before walking out. Buffy turned her attention back to Spike, who looked upset.

“What?” she asked, not backing down from his gaze. “I have nothing to say to you, Spike.”

“Do you know what Stockholm Syndrome is?” he asked, and she shook her head, not getting what the point of the question was. “In simple terms, it’s when a person held captive by someone else forms an attachment to them, starts to like being around them. It would be like a prisoner falling for their warden.” He paused. “Or like a hostage falling for her kidnapper. Well, one of them, at least.”

“What’s your point?” she asked, tilting her head. “Are you suggesting that’s what happened between us?”

“When we were at the police station, one of the officers said you were exhibiting signs of it, and I-” he began to say, cutting himself off when he noticed her crestfallen expression.

“You believed him, didn’t you?” she asked, and he looked down, nodding. “You know that I wasn’t attached to you because of some syndrome I’ve never heard of, Spike- we made a connection. We both felt something- it wasn’t just one-sided.” He looked at her. “You were the one who expressed your feelings first. If anything, you were the one who had that syndrome thing.”

“Maybe you had it, is my point,” he replied, becoming irritated. “You might have adopted behavior like that because it’s what some people in your situation do.”

“This is ridiculous,” she said quietly, standing up. “If that’s why you wanted to end things, because you didn’t believe I truly had real feelings for you, then it’s your own problem. I’m a lot happier now, and I have a boyfriend who genuinely cares for me and understands me.” She looked at him. “One who would never kidnap a girl in a ploy to get monetary reimbursement for stuff that went wrong in his life.”

“Tread lightly, little girl,” he said in a low tone, and she glared at him.

“Don’t follow me anymore, and let me live my own life,” she replied sternly. “You’re the one who let me go back then, so just get over it.”

“Are you over it?” he asked curiously, and she smirked.

“I’ve been over it for months,” she answered, turning and walking out of the building. Spike watched her for a moment, frowning.

“Like hell.”

Chapter 23 - Giving It A Real Try

Buffy had been in the hotel room less than a minute when she heard the knock on the door. Assuming it was Riley coming back early, she quickly opened the door, her face going blank when she saw Spike on the other side.

“What do you want now?” she asked through gritted teeth.

“We’re not finished.”

“Wrong. We never began,” she replied, moving to close the door on him. Her eyes widened when he easily blocked it, pushing his way into her room. Knowing that he wouldn’t leave, Buffy angrily slammed the door behind him. “You know I’m not a hostage now, right?” she asked, glaring at him. “You can’t just come barging in my room at all hours of the night and… how did you know I was here?” she asked, realizing that the room was registered under Riley’s last name, which Spike didn’t know.

Turning around to smile at her, Spike watched as she rolled her eyes.

“I don’t really care for stalkers,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “They’re second on my list of things that piss me off.”

“Let me guess the first,” he said with a heavy sigh. “Kidnappers.”

“No,” she replied in an even tone. “You.”

“I’m touched.”

“Don’t be,” she muttered, watching as he sat down on the bed.

“Only one bed, love?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“What are you insinuating, Spike?”

“I think you know.”

“If you want to know whether I’m sleeping with him or not, just come out and ask me!” she cried, her nerves setting her on edge. “Stop playing these stupid games.”

“Are you sleeping with him?”

“None of your business.”

Spike smirked, raising an eyebrow in amusement. “That’s my girl.”

“Not yours,” she said, self-consciously crossing her arms over her chest when he looked her up and down.

“You’ve always been mine,” he replied, standing up and slowly walking over to her.

Buffy backed away, feeling her foot hit the wall behind her. Glancing around, she sighed, hating the feeling of being cornered.

“What do you want, Spike?”

“I think you know.”

“Go home,” she said in a strong voice, not backing down when he took another step toward her.

“I’ve missed you, Buffy,” he whispered, biting his lip as he looked at her.

“I don’t know why,” she replied, her resolve wavering the closer he got to her. “Nothing I felt for you was real, remember? According to you, I was just romanticizing you into a different person or something to that effect.”

“Do you even remember anything that happened that day?” he asked, his brow furrowing as he stared at her.

“I remember waking up in your arms,” she said softly, her true feelings coming out for a split second before the mask fell back into place. “Then it all went to hell.”

“It did,” he agreed with a nod. “Because of me.”

“Yeah,” she murmured, blinking back the tears that materialized in her eyes. “But I’m over it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Therapy is a remarkable thing, Spike.”

“You’re in therapy?” he asked, feeling his stomach churn in response. “Because of me?”

“Because of… not you,” she said, shaking her head. “It was just a lot to take in, and then Angel attacking me and nearly succeeding… it doesn’t do a girl good.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, genuine warmth layering his voice. Taking a step forward, he slowly reached out, cupping her face in his hand.

Closing her eyes at his touch, Buffy leaned into his hand, breathing a sigh when he gently kissed her forehead.

“Missed you,” he murmured, moving a little lower to kiss her nose. “Missed you, so much,” he said, kissing her cheek.

Buffy’s heartbeat skyrocketed when his lips met hers in a tender kiss. Whimpering against his lips, she grabbed the collar of his duster, eagerly holding onto it. She brushed her tongue against his, trembling against him when he pulled her closer, fervently returning the kiss.

So caught up in the moment, they never noticed when the door opened, revealing Buffy’s boyfriend.

Riley stared at the couple in front of him with a pained look on his face before angrily slamming the door.

Jumping at the sound, Buffy guiltily pushed Spike away, trying to ignore the guilt that surfaced when he looked at her.

“Riley, this isn’t… I mean it… I…”

“Care to form a sentence, Buffy?” Riley replied, covering up his hurt feelings with anger.

“Watch it, pillock,” Spike growled, moving to take a step forward, stopping when he felt Buffy’s hand against his chest.

“Spike,” she said in a soft voice that Riley couldn’t hear. “Can you go?”

“Buffy-”

“Please,” she said, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “Please just go.”

Glaring at Riley as he walked past, Spike left the room, closing the door behind him. Stepping to the side, he listened intently, not willing to leave her alone in a room with an angry man… as hypocritical as that sounded to him.

“What the hell is going on?” Riley asked, clenching his fists. “Why were you kissing him?”

Spike rolled his eyes, clenching his jaw.

‘Because she’s mine, not yours, mate,’ he thought.

“William and I used to… be together,” she said carefully, not wanting to let anything slip. “And when we saw each other before, things just kind of… clicked again.”

“So you brought him back to our hotel room?” Riley asked loudly, furious.

“He followed me- I didn’t tell him to come here,” she answered, looking down. “I’m sorry, Riley- I didn’t mean for it to happen.” Spike stared at the door, angry.

‘You kissed me back, Goldilocks,’ he thought. ‘Don’t you dare blame this only on me- you wanted it, too.’

“Do you still have feelings for him?” Riley asked, and Spike held his breath, waiting for her to answer.

“Yes,” she managed to get out, taking a step back as Riley clenched his fists, looking up at the ceiling and groaning loudly in frustration. “I’m sorry!”

“I thought we were happy,” he replied, looking at her. “I thought we were doing well!”

“We were, but Spike and I were-” she caught her mistake and froze as his eyes widened, realizing who ‘William’ really was.

“Are you telling me that you and your kidnapper hooked up?” he asked, stunned, and she looked away. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” He ran his hand over his face, shutting his eyes.

“We had feelings for each other,” she replied. “Still do.”

“I’m just… going to go,” he said, managing to seem calm. “Out for a walk, I think. If you’re here when I get back-”

“I won’t be,” she replied, and he looked at her. “It’s probably best if I leave.”

“Where will you go?” he asked, and she shrugged, managing to smile bravely.

“I’ll figure it out,” she said, and he nodded, looking down. “I really am sorry, Riley.”

“Me, too,” he said before walking to the door and looking at her one last time before leaving. Spike quickly moved until he was shrouded in shadows, watching as Riley walked away from the hotel.

When Buffy emerged from the room minutes later, he looked at her with a hopeful expression, and she nodded, handing him her luggage. He smiled softly and led her towards his car, taking her hand in his, before putting her things in the trunk.