denial

by SoulVamp

He sat up.

"Spike?"

"Buffy!"

She heaved a sigh of relief and turned to Willow. "He knows me!"

"Well, of course he does," Willow said.

Buffy turned back to him. His head was cocked to one side, and he was regarding her expectantly.

"How do you feel?"

"Very well," he replied immediately. "And how are you?"

"Much better now," she said. "I missed you."

Behind her, Willow was frowning slightly. "Um, should I leave you two alone?"

Buffy gazed almost dreamily into his eyes, gently stroking his cheek. "No,  that's okay," she told Willow. "God, I just can't believe this."

Willow approached them, and Spike smiled at her. "Hello, Red."

"Uh, hi."

"You did a very good job." He looked at Buffy. "She's quite a witch, you know."

"Well, um, this wasn't exactly --"

"She certainly is," Buffy agreed. "Will, how can I ever thank you?"

Willow cringed. "Please don't thank me yet, Buffy, I'm not sure if he's... I mean, it's been awhile since I've done something like this."

"You did fine," Buffy assured her.

"You did a very good job," he said again.

Buffy peered at him closer. "You already... oh, never mind."

He grinned. "Whatever you say, Buffy. You're a Slayer, you know."

And then she sighed. "Yes, I know..."

Willow put her hand on Buffy's shoulder. "See, I told you it would be weird, but you wouldn't listen, and I hated to see you in so much pain..."

"You're in pain?" he asked Buffy. "I love you. Does that make you feel better?"

Buffy buried her face in her hands. "Turn it off," she mumbled.

"Are you sure? You know, he's very strong. You could patrol with him, and --"

"Yes, I like to patrol. I like to help Buffy kill things," he said eagerly.

"Turn. It. Off."

Willow looked at him. "Sorry, Spike," she said with a hint of sadness. "This won't hurt." She lifted his shirt and tapped his abdomen. A small panel opened, revealing flashing lights and masses of wire. Willow reached her hand inside for a moment, and soon his eyes closed, his head drooping forward.

Willow guided Buffy out of the room. "So not the way to deal with grief," she told her gently.