The Support Of A Friend


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After her transatlantic flight just yesterday, she wasn’t exactly keen to be on a plane again so soon, but even with a wait at check-in it was the quickest way to get to San Francisco – and the quickest way to get away from LA. And from Spike, much as it pained her with every mile she got away from the city. She would have given everything to stay with him, but she would not force her love on him. She loved him, and respected him, too much for that.

So she had left, cursing herself with every metre she got away from Wolfram & Hart. At least she had the memory of last night to cling onto. She could hide it away in her heart and treasure it. It had almost been like old times, minus the violence of course. But the look in his eyes… she almost wanted to hope it was the love that had always been present in his expression before. But she wasn’t foolish enough to hope that. The Spike she had loved in Sunnydale was gone and she would have to learn to live with that.

She was more than in need of a little R&R with her best friend right about now… and probably some ice-cream too. She was at the Council building in no time and almost as soon as she got through the door, Willow was summoned and appeared moments later, overjoyed to see her.

“Buffy! What are you doing here?”

Willow pulled her into a hug and helplessly, she broke down in her friend’s arms, the tears she had been holding back for the last three hours since she had left Wolfram & Hart now flowing freely.



Willow had guided her away from the curious gazes of a crowd of slayers and up to her room, setting her down on a little couch and sitting beside her, one arm around her shoulders and her free hand gripping hers.

“What is it, Buffy? What’s happened?”

“He’s alive,” she choked out helplessly.

“Who?”

“Spike,” she whispered, brushing her cheeks impatiently.

She felt Willow tense and she raised her head to meet her friend’s shocked look.

“What?! How?”

“I don’t know,” she sobbed, shaking her head, “He’s… he’s in LA. And God, I…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence as she burst into tears again, burying her head in her hands, her whole body racked with her sobs.

Willow rubbed a hand against her back gently, soothing her with soft words. When she had calmed down some more, she raised her teary eyes to her friend’s again.

“Will, I still love him. I… I tried to stop but I…”

A sob burst from her again and she rested her face in her hand, helplessly trying to hold back her tears. Willow said nothing but wrapped both arms around her and she buried her head against her friend’s shoulder, letting the tears come. At least Willow understood what it was like to lose the one you loved. And she had realised after his death that Willow had never hated Spike as much as the others.



After she had calmed down, she was exhausted and Willow had urged her to rest. Sleep had come easily after the day – and night- she had had. She didn’t know how long she dozed for but when she woke, she found Willow at her desk, reading a book. She sat up, groaning at the pain in her neck and drawing Willow’s attention to her.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better,” she replied with a wry smile, wiping a hand across her tired face, “I don’t think I’ve cried so much in years.”

Willow frowned slightly and turned to her fully, placing the book down on her desk.

“What you reading?” Buffy asked quietly, hoping to distract herself for a little while at least.

“It’s, erm, it’s about the amulet.”

“Oh.”

“I just thought I’d see if I could find anything… But I… I’ll stop if you don’t want-“

“I don’t know what I want,” she admitted softly, brushing her hair back from her face.

She dropped her gaze to the floor, her face heating up.

“We, erm, we slept together,” she admitted, “Last night.”

“And you ran away this morning? I thought you were past all that, Buffy.”

She and Willow had grown closer since the end of Sunnydale, making up for the two years of distance, and one late night she had told her friend all the details of her relationship with Spike. That was probably another reason why Willow understood her grief a lot better than anyone else, except maybe Dawn. She raised her head and nodded sadly.

“I am. But Will, he… he doesn’t love me anymore.”

“Did he say that?” Willow asked, surprise and a dash of anger in her tone.

“No. He just… I know he doesn’t, Will. If he did, he would have told me he was back,” she said quietly, eyes drifting to the window.

They fell into a comfortable silence and she curled up on the couch, watching as her friend went back to the book.



They dined later and returned to Willow’s room, Buffy more than happy to avoid all the curious stares. Not thirty minutes later though, all hell broke loose, alarms whining throughout the building. She got to her feet in surprise, turning to Willow.

“What’s going on?” she shouted over the noise.

“The barrier’s been breached. There’s a demon in the building.”

She was in Slayer mode and ready to go on the hunt when suddenly the alarms fell silent and Willow’s phone rang. She answered it, spoke to the person on the other end and then hung up, turning back to her.

“They caught a vampire,” she explained, “He’s only alive because he said he wanted to talk to you.”

She frowned and nodded to Willow, following her out of the door, having no idea what vampire in San Francisco might be barging into a Slayer Headquarters and demanding to see her. She could do with a good fight though.

Willow led her down through the maze of corridors and opened a large door leading into one of the training rooms. At first, she could see nothing but the crowd of girls with crossbows pointed at one corner, but then they shifted slightly and she froze, eyes going wide.

“Spike?” she whispered.

She heard a buzz go through the girls - apparently the rumours had spread far beyond the Sunnydale girls – and at a signal from Willow, they lowered their weapons as one. She glanced at her friend, who tore her wide eyes away from the vampire and sent her an encouraging smile.

“We’ll leave you two alone,” she murmured, following the Slayers and shutting the door behind her, leaving the two of them in tense silence.