In the cemetery, Buffy looked at me as she shifted on her feet while putting her hands into her pockets.
"You wanna split up, cover more ground?" She asked, and I shrugged. "Okay....you take that way, I'll go this way." She pointed out directions before walking off. Sighing, I scratched my arm while looking around. Going off in the way Buffy had pointed out for me, I looked out for demons. After a while, though, I kind of got lost in my head, and I found myself standing outside of a familiar crypt. Walking inside felt like such a natural action, and I glanced around.
It looked very different on the inside than I remembered.
"Aud." Turning around, I saw the messy-haired Spike. "You should be careful. You never know what kind of villain's got a knife at your back." I saw the machete in his hand and stuffed my hands into my back pockets.
"Your hand is hurt...." I mumbled, my voice still feeling a bit raw.
"Hmm." He looked down at it. "I'd say the same to you, but you heal pretty quickly."
"Yeah." Looking down at the ground, I shifted on my feet. There was a silent pause before he walked to the other side of the crypt and set down the blade.
"Willow's gettin' pretty strong, isn't she?" The vampire looked back at me. "Bringin' both you and Buffy back. It's hard to get a good night's death around her." He smirked while trying to crack a joke. "You can sit down. I got furniture." He pointed, and I sat down. "You should see the downstairs too. It's quite posh." Looking at him, he walked over and sighed as he sat down across from me. "Uh, I do remember what I said. The promise....to protect them. If I'd have done that, even if I didn't make it.... Buffy wouldn't have had to jump, and you wouldn't have gotten-" He cut himself off while shaking his head.
"But I want you to know I did save you. Not when it counted, of course, but after that." He swallowed. "Every night after that." Spike looked up at me. "I'd see it all again. I do somethin' different. Faster, more clever, you know? Dozens of times, lots of different ways. Every night, I save you." Looking at my hands, I didn't really know what to say. Standing up, I walked over to him and grabbed his hand. "What are you-" He cut himself off as I cut my palm with my fangs. Putting my bleeding hand over his knuckles, I looked him in the eye.
"You took care of Dawn when you could, and even if you couldn't save Buffy, you made sure that Dawn was safe. And that," I paused while giving a soft smile. "is what I thank you for." Letting go of his hand, I stepped back as my ear twitched. "I gotta go now, Buffy's calling." Spike didn't say anything, but I felt his eyes lingering on me as I left.
~
After a little walking around with Buffy, we decided to just head home. The Slayer led the way into the house and up the stairs. She said she wanted to go to bed and that she was tired, so she went to her room, leaving me standing in the hallway for a few seconds alone. I decided to go to my own room, but as soon as I stepped in, I heard a faint whisper.
"You don't belong here." Turning, I saw a ghostly figure coming at me. I instinctively threw a fist, but my hand went right through. However, when the thing struck back, it was a solid hit, and I flew back into my dresser. Snarling as I got back to my feet, I looked for the white wisp until it appeared, circling me. Every time I tried to fight back, my attack would just pass right through while it was able to land solid hits. I could hear shuffling and thuds from the other room as it sounded like Buffy was fighting as well.
"Did they tell you you belonged here?" I pushed myself off the floor as my tail began to sway. "Did they say this was your home again? Where you offered pretty lies, little beast?" Growling, I watched the smoke-like being float around. "Or did they even give you a choice?" Suddenly, the thing had its arms around me from behind and was squeezing. Then, it began to feel more solid, and I pulled myself from its grip.
Turning on it, I lept, but was tossed to the side. I roared with frustration at the ghostly being, but when I looked again, it was completely solid and had physical form. My tail swayed as I crouched like an animal hunting- I was waiting for the right moment to strike. I needed an opening to attack. 'There!' I thought while leaping at the thing. It screamed as my fangs dug into its shoulder. With a thud, it hit the ground, and I wrapped a hand around its neck. Squeezing, I heard the bones in the thing's neck cracking as it bent in a strange direction.
~
"Dawn!" Buffy called out as we went out the front door.
"What's wrong?" The little Summers girl turned around, a worried look on her face.
"You forgot your lunch." I said while holding up the brown paper bag.
"You made me lunch?" She smiled. "Wow. Thanks." Dawn took the bag. "It's not PB&J, is it? The Aud-bot sort of kept making those all time." She asked awkwardly.
"No, it's not PB&J." I smiled. "I made something I remembered reading in a....a French cookbook."
"You better go." Buffy added as she stood next to me. "You've been out of school since....we got back."
"And you know what they say- 'Those of us who fail history-'" I began.
"'Doomed to repeat it in summer school.'" Buffy finished.
"Thank you, guys." Dawn grabbed us in a hug. "You two okay?" She asked while standing back.
"I'm going to start charging money for every person that asks me that." Buffy smiled.
"Everyone's been doing that, huh?"
"A little bit." I gave a half-shrug.
"It's because they care about you both a lot. When you guys were gone.... It was bad when you guys were gone. But it'll be better now, now that they can see you two being happy." We looked at Dawn. "It's all they want." She said before going off to school.
~
"Buffy, Aud, hey." Willow smiled as we walked into the magic shop.
"You get Dawn off school all right? 'Cause I was thinking if you guys need help pickin' her up, I-"
"It's okay. We got it." Buffy smiled. "Look, you guys, um, there's this thing. So I'm just gonna say it." Everyone looked at Buffy. "You brought us back. We were in a-" She paused. "We were in Hell. We, um, we can't think too much about what it was like, but it felt like the world abandoned me there. And suddenly, you guys did what you did."
"It was Willow. She knew what to do." Tara smiled.
"Okay, so you did that. And the world came rushing back."
"Thank you." We said at the same time.
"You guys gave us the world. We can't tell you what it means to us." Buffy looked at them. "And we should've said it before."
"You're welcome." Willow smiled before giving us a hug.
"Welcome home, guys." Xander came over. After they stopped hugging, I slipped my name tag on and smiled at everyone.
"It's good to be back." They smiled back, and I walked to the training room. Using the back door in there, I slipped into the back alley, needing some air.
"Aud." Looking up after I closed the door behind me, I saw Spike and furrowed my brows with confusion.
"Spike, it's daylight, and you're-"
"Not on fire?" He looked up towards the sky. "The sun's low enough. It's shady enough here." The vampire then turned to me as I put my hands into my back pockets. "I was gonna go inside, but I overheard you and the Super Friends exchanging a special moment, and I came over a bit queasy." I stood in the shade and nudged a pebble with my foot. "Say, aren't you leaving a hole in the middle of some soggy group hug?" He asked while putting out his cigarette.
"Just wanted a little fresh air and alone time. Plus, Buffy's taking up the slack." I smirked while walking over and sitting down on the stack of wooden crates.
"Oh. Uh, right, then." Spike rose to his feet and walked to the edge of the shade before stopping. He looked up at the sky, and I smiled a little.
"It's okay. I can be alone with you here."
"Thanks ever so." He sighed before looking back.
"Yeah." Looking down, I put my hands together in my lap.
"Aud?" There was a pause. "Short stack....are you okay?" The vampire turned to fully face me.
"I'm here. I'm good." I nodded. He then walked toward me.
"Aud, if you're in....if you're in pain, or if you need anything, or if I can do anything for you...."
"You can't." I gave a sad smile while staring down at my hands.
"Well, I haven't been to a Hell dimension just of late, but I do know a thing or two about torment." He put his hands into his coat pockets before sitting down next to me.
"I wasn't tormented. I was happy." Looking up, he was quiet while looking down at me. "Wherever I was, I was happy. At peace. I knew that everyone I cared about was all right. I just knew it." Shaking my head, I furrowed my brows. "Time didn't mean anything. Nothing had form. But I was still me, you know?" I looked at him while asking.
"And I was warm. And I was loved. And I was finished. Complete. I-I don't understand....much about theology or-or dimensions, but I think I was in Heaven. And I think Buffy was with me- she says we were in Hell, but...." I furrowed my brows again. "I know she was lying. And now we're not. We were torn out of there. Pulled out....by our friends. Everything here is hard....and bright....and smells of death." I paused.
"Everything I feel, everything I touch- This is Hell. Just getting through the next moment...." I shook my head. "and the one after that, knowing what Buffy and I have lost...." Trailing off, I glanced up and saw the face Spike was making. Clearing my throat as I stood up, I began to walk away. "They can never know." I said over my shoulder. "Never. Buffy lied for a reason." And then I left.