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Secrets and Lies by angelic_amy
 
Explosive Reunions.
 
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A/N: As always, thanks to Megan for betaing. :D


Chapter 8: Explosive Reunions.


“Buffy?”

Her gaze blinked from the apparition before her towards Angel, confusion washing over her. She was imagining it… she had to be.

He’s not really there…

She began feeling dizzy and had reached for the wall to support herself when her knees began to tremble.

Angel and Spike both reflexively moved towards her, each reaching forward but neither going the full distance when she seemed to steady.

Angel knew the game was up, that he was going to have some explaining to do. That is if she doesn’t stake me first…

Spike’s heart was soaring. She was here… she was really here. Within touching distance, not on the other side of the world as he had been moaning about moments ago. He could feel the confusion that rolled off her, could hear the way her heartbeat leapt up a notch when he moved towards her.

Her eyes slowly lifted from the floor to his face, and Spike’s expression softened, the love he felt for this girl before him shining out from his eyes. She was the one thing in this world that he’d fought for, that he had died for. She was his reason for being.

She was swinging a punch right at him…

Buffy’s fist connected with Spike’s nose a milli-second after she swung. His reaction was immediate, a howl of pain followed by a string of curses which drowned out her gasp.

He’s really here…

“What the bloody hell was that for?” he demanded.

A laugh of disbelief broke free from her mouth, her hand coming up to clap it closed. How was this even possible? He had died, she had watched as he had begun to crumble. Could he somehow have escaped that and not told her?

Her joy immediately began to shift to anger at that thought.

“Buffy, I can explain,” Angel began.

Buffy’s eyes flew to Angel, her expression accusatory as she swung a fist in his direction. But Angel had been expecting it, his block changing the trajectory of her assault and landing it in his chest instead of his face. “You knew?

Spike’s eyes widened in belated realization. “You bloody knew she was here? After I poured my bleedin’ heart out you didn’t think to fill me in? Oh yeah, Spike, forgot to mention. She’s IN TOWN!

Angel took a step back as vampire and slayer moved in unison towards him, each glaring with the intensity to start fires.

“I thought it was best --” he began.

“You thought it was best?!” Buffy repeated. “Since when have you been the person to decide what is best for me, Angel?” she demanded. “You gave up that right when I was still a teenager, but apparently you still think I’m that naïve little girl.”

“Buffy, no—” But he was cut off again.

“You knew how much I was hurting and he was here the whole time?”

Spike blinked. Buffy had been hurting? Some of his anger faded at the unconscious admission that she had mourned his death. He had wondered if she had cared that he was gone, and now he knew.

“I’ve been here several days now and you didn’t tell me?” she shouted. “Did the others know as well? Did you rope them into hiding this ‘secret’ from me?”

Buffy’s heart broke a tiny bit at the thought that Fred and Wesley and Gunn had not informed her of Spike’s presence. She had very quickly come to enjoy their company and to think that they had lied to her…

“Days?” Spike did a double take. “You’ve been here for days? Here in LA?”

“Yes!” Buffy fired back, diverting her anger from Angel to Spike. “And you! You couldn’t pick up a phone and let a girl know that you weren’t dead and possibly suffering eternal torment in a hell dimension?”

“Buffy, I…” He trailed off. How could he tell her that he had been afraid to call in fear that she’d reject him?

A shrill beeping sounded throughout the room.

“What’s --” Spike began, looking confused at the interruption.

“My beeper,” Buffy filled in. “If I hadn’t forgotten this I wouldn’t have come back and discovered you.”

She turned her back on both vampires and moved over to the bench where the small black piece of plastic was vibrating away. Picking it up she checked the message, her expression softening yet becoming guilt ridden at the same time.

“What is it?” Angel asked carefully, not wanting to promote her ire. “Is everything okay in England?”

“It’s not Giles,” Buffy supplied quietly. “It’s Juan.”

“Juan?” Spike repeated as his gaze narrowed. “Juan who?”

Buffy sighed. “My boyfriend.”

Both vampires looked at her in shock.

She continued quietly as she clasped her beeper tightly in her hands.

“I met him in Rome about a month ago and…” she trailed off when she caught herself justifying her actions. She didn’t need to justify herself. Buffy had been trying to move on and she didn’t owe either vampire an explanation, especially in light of this new discovery.

“Juan who?” Spike demanded, his jealousy rising at the thought of his Buffy being with someone other than him.

“You wouldn’t know him,” Buffy brushed off. “He’s an Immortal, some say the but I find that --”

“The Immortal?” both Angel and Spike retorted incredulously.

“You two know him?” she frowned.

“You’re dating that ponce?” Spike answered sarcastically.

“Buffy,” Angel beseeched. “Spike’s right, you can really do better than --”

“Oh NO!” Buffy waved her hands in the air. “I am not going to stand around and be lectured by you two. If I wanted dating advice I’d…”

“What’s with the ponce calling himself Juan now?” Spike snarked. “He used to just go by The Immortal back in the day.”

“I call him that,” Buffy responded with a raised chin. “Excuse me for wanting to call my boyfriend by a name and not a ‘The’ title.”

Spike tensed at the word boyfriend, a low growl escaping his lips.

“Juan…” Angel voiced slowly as the name began to sink in. “As in Don Juan? The great lover?”

The doors to the training room burst open as Harmony, followed by Lorne, walked in. “Angel, Buffy was… uh oh…” Harmony trailed off when she saw the red and angry faces of the three people in the room. “I’m just gonna go back to answering the phones.”

Before anyone could object, she turned and rushed back out through the door.

“Who died in this room?” Lorne quipped, trying to lighten the mood. When the three rolled their eyes and looked at the demon as if to say ‘I did’ he laughed nervously. “Oh-kay then maybe I should skedaddle on outta here. Angel-cakes, I’ll drop a line later on when you’re not looking to get beaten up by someone.”

“No need to leave, Lorne,” Buffy responded quickly. “I was just going.”

”Buffy, wait…” Spike called but Buffy was already sprinting out of the training room. He whirled on Angel, his eyes flickering golden as the demon within raged to be set free. “You hypocritical son of a…”

His fist was flying through the air before he finished his sentence, blood pouring from Angel’s nose as a result of the brutal contact.

Angel returned the blow with equal ferocity.

Inching back quietly, Lorne made his way for the door. The emotion in that room had been tangible and the look on Buffy’s face when she had run out of there had been one of heartbreak, betrayal and relief all at once.

If Lorne knew people, and he did, he knew that Buffy wouldn’t want to be alone. She might even want someone with objectivity to talk to. Decided, he turned, walked out of the training room and towards reception.

~~~

Buffy’s chest was heaving when she got to the bottom of the stairs, not having been willing to stand around and wait for the elevator to stop at her floor. The concrete of the wall was cool against her skin when she leaned up against it, her flesh still damp from her earlier workout. Spike was alive…

“Spike’s alive,” she verbally repeated, the concept still sounding foreign to her ears.

But it was true. She had seen him, heard him, felt his skin beneath her fist. That familiar tingle had run up her spine the moment she had stepped into that training room. The scent of cigarette’s, leather and whiskey that was unmistakably Spike had enveloped her. There was no denying it.

Spike is alive…

An anguished cry broke from Buffy’s lips as her arms came to wrap around her torso. She crumpled in on herself, sliding down the wall until she was a small heap on the ground. Her shoulders shook from the force of her now vocal cries, tears gushing from her eyes and running down her cheeks.

Seeing him in there brought back all of the memories of him being gone. She remembered how she had grieved him, how she had internalized her feelings when in the presence of her friends, but had broken down each night when she was reminded of her loss. Buffy had never been that good at lying so it didn’t take long for her friends to see through the charade. Giles had told her it would take time but eventually she would be okay. He was right and lately she had been healing. Juan had also helped with that.

And once more she found herself wracked with guilt.

The steel of the door she had just walked through squeaked as someone else exited into the parking lot. Buffy wiped harshly at her eyes as she lifted herself to her feet.

“Oh there you are cupcake,” Lorne greeted warmly when he rounded the corner of the stairwell and found Buffy trying to brush away the evidence of her crying. Without another word, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the miniscule blond.

Buffy stiffened before allowing herself to relax. The sobs began again and Lorne’s hand patted gently at her back, humming softly in an attempt to sooth her wounded heart. A moment later Buffy extracted herself, once again brushing away her tears.

“I’m sorry,” she apologised. “I don’t normally…”

“Honey, no need to say another word. It’s not everyday a wish comes true,” he stated knowingly.

Buffy blinked in surprise, her brow furrowing at Lorne’s insight. “But how did --”

“Crumb-cake, I can read you like a book,” he smiled. “You should be happy. You got your guy back.”

Her face fell. Spike wasn’t her guy. Her guy was waiting for her back in England. Catching sight of the scarring on her hand, she traced over it before she slowly lifted her gaze. “My guy is thousands of miles away in London. Spike is…” she trailed off.

“Yours,” Lorne said simply. “That boy has done nothing but drink himself silly thinking about you.”

Buffy clenched her jaw. She hadn’t known he was alive, that he was back, so it was understandable that she was shocked by his presence. What was his excuse? He had been back for how long now and he hadn’t thought to contact her? “He could have contacted me, let me know.”

Lorne shook his head. “No, he couldn’t. And I’m not just talking about the lock on the file containing your contact details. He was afraid of how you’d react.”

“How I’d react?” Buffy snapped incredulously. She was extremely agitated by Angel’s persistence in trying to ‘do what’s best for her’. It seemed that in his eyes she was still a little girl that needed to be protected. Angel, she could understand—no not understand, had expected. He had always treated her that way. She didn’t like it and she was definitely going to have words with him—likely with fists involved—but Spike? Why would he not try and contact her?

Buffy inhaled a deep breath to take control of her emotions before she continued. “I would have been thrilled. It was all I—” she rolled her eyes when she realized she was using his earlier words, “…dreamed about. But now, it’s too late.”

“Do you really believe that?”

She shrugged her shoulders slowly. “I’ve gotta go.” She pointed at Morty’s limo. “Thanks for the shoulder.”

Lorne watched the young woman walk away. “Any time.”

~~~

Eve stepped out from the shadows of the parking lot and smiled.

So it was done… they each knew of the other’s presence, and without the need of her planned meeting. That made it all that much sweeter.

Now all she and Lindsey had to do was sit back and watch Angel’s world collapse around him.

~~~

Spike’s hands flew out to brace himself as he was thrown towards one of the mirrors. A snarl curled his lips as he turned and lunged towards Angel. He was seeing red, and it wasn’t just from the blood that was dribbling down his forehead, marring his vision. Angel had known how much he had been hurting—how much he had wanted to go to her, to speak to her. She had been here for days now and what had the son of a bitch done? Nothing. Hid her presence from him. Judging by what Buffy had said, he wasn’t the only one being kept in the dark.

WHY?” he demanded when he was once again thrown after landing a few solid punches.

Angel wiped at his forehead with the back of his hand, staring at the blood that stained it. “She deserves better.”

“Like you!?” Spike spat in anger. “Or per’aps you were talkin’ about the Immortal.”

The growl that slipped from Angel’s mouth was not dissimilar to Spike’s when that little tidbit had first been divulged. “I didn’t know about that. If I had I wou--”

“Would ‘ave what?” Spike taunted. “Flown over to jolly ol’ England and whisked her off her feet?”

Angel sighed, rubbing at his forehead as he tried to clear his mind, an action that only caused the spilled blood to smear even further. “I didn’t want this for her.”

“You think I did? She’d be better off with Captain Cardboard.”

Angel laughed despite himself. “So what do we do now?”

“We?” Spike lifted a brow. “WE do nothing. Me on the other hand, I’m going to get my girl back.”

Before Angel could object, Spike had drug himself up from the ground and swept out of the room.



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A/N: I Hope it was worth the wait! Feedback as always would be appreciated.
 
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