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“I haven’t seen you for awhile,” Giles commented when he opened the door to Spike.
“Been busy.”
“With Buffy?”
Spike nodded. “We’re going to California for awhile. Thought I’d stop by and let you know. Figured maybe I can work on it a bit before leaving—or at least get the notes so I can work on it while I’m there.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“Until August.”
“Well, you’re more than welcome to take the notes if you think you’ll get a chance to work on them.”
“I might.”
“So…did you take my suggestion?”
“It took me a week to realize that I was stupid to try to stay away from her…Well, ok, I knew the night I left her…She’s the most…” Spike tapered off with a shrug.
Giles couldn’t help but smile at the younger man. It was clear to anybody with eyes that he was completely and totally infatuated with his wife. “I’ll get the notes for you.” He returned with a notebook and several floppy discs. “Are you going to Jackson’s retirement dinner?”
“I hadn’t planned on it.”
“You should, if you’re going to be teaching again in September. It’s important to re-establish yourself.”
“I hate those things. I barely knew Jackson anyway.”
“You should go anyway. It’s this Thursday in the President’s Dining Hall.”
“Couldn’t even spring to go to a real restaurant, huh?”
“Guess not. So?”
“If I go, I’ll have to bring Buffy.”
“Yes, I’m aware of that.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to take her out…but after the mess…after what she went through…it may not be fair to her.”
Giles shrugged. “That may be true. But I think everybody has had a chance to get used to the idea…it may not be as bad as you think it’ll be.”
Spike took the notes from Giles. “I suppose you’re going, then?”
“Yes, I’ll be there. Think about it.”
“Why do you think it’s so important that we go?”
“Like I said before, if you’re going to teach, you need to re-establish yourself with your colleagues. And, if you don’t treat your relationship with Buffy like it’s some shameful secret, they might not either.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re not seen in public very much…It’s not even clear to some people that you are married.”
“Why should I care what they think?”
“I’m not saying you should, Spike.”
“Well, I promised Buffy I’d be home by three, so I have to go now…”
“Thanks for stopping by Spike. And if I don’t see you before you leave, have a safe trip.”
~*~
Buffy stared at the computer screen for twenty minutes before she thought of anything to type. Then all she could must was, “Hi Tara.” Well, it’s a start…
She didn’t know if she should reply at all. She didn’t know what to say, or if what she said could be misconstrued, or if it was even worth replying at all. Tara was gone from her life and she had made amends with Spike, and would it be asking for trouble to let Tara back in even if it was just a little bit?
Hi Tara, I’m glad to hear from you…
But was she? After the last time she saw her friend, she didn’t give Tara another thought. All of her energy had been focused on Spike, and how miserable she was without him. She didn’t have the time to worry too much about Tara, or the inclination. Of course, that brought up another concern she had—how would Spike react to her replying to the email at all? When she brought it up that morning before he left, he didn’t seem too concerned. Of course, if he did want her to not communicate with Tara at all, she’d respect that. It wasn’t worth fighting over, or making him angry.
Buffy had gotten as far as “Hi Tara, thanks for the email,” when Spike returned.
“What are you doing?”
“Still trying to figure out how to respond to Tara.”
“What have you got?”
Buffy read the single line to him. He nodded and said “Sounds good to me.”
“What? Just that one sentence?”
“What else needs to be said? Unless you want to accept her apology.”
“I kind of do…”
“Then accept it.”
“I’d expect you to be more…upset about this.”
Spike shrugged. “No reason to be. Besides, she’s sending you an apology, not another offer of sex.”
“So you think I shouldn’t hold a grudge?”
“I think you should do whatever you feel comfortable with.”
“I do…sort of…hold a grudge. I mean, I don’t mind so much what she did to me. It’s what she did to you…”
“Send her a reply that says ‘Tara, thanks for the email. I accept your apology’ and then come with me.”
“Where are we going?”
“We’ll know when we get there. Wait…Buffy, would you like to go to a retirement dinner on Thursday?”
“Who is retiring?”
“Professor Jackson.”
“The math professor?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Why is he retiring or why am I asking?”
“Why are you asking?”
“Giles suggested that we might want to go. I personally don’t want to, but…”
“But maybe it would be good for you to go?”
“Something like that, yeah.”
“Yeah, ok, sounds fun.”
“No it doesn’t.”
“We can leave early. Here let me send this…” She typed quickly and hit ‘send’ before she could lose her nerve. “Right then, let’s go.”
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upate soon plz
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pepper!
I just created my LJ this morning, and wanted to say hello ... and tell you you've got a new fan. I am in shock and awe of how you can write such lovely stories so quickly, and the well just never seems to run dry! You're quite simply astounding. Thanks so much for sharing your talent.
I hope I catch up soon ... I am a fast reader, after all!
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*happy sigh*
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*figeting in my chair*
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From: (Anonymous)
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Bunny