Disclaimer: The work contained within is merely my playtime with the characters created by Joss Whedon and I in no way own any of them, or anything like that. Unfortunately. It sucks. But I'll just continue my plot to kidnap and clone James Marsters for myself.
Rated NC-17. Just in case.

Author's Notes: This fic has had nearly 40,000 hits. And over 400 reviews combined on the sites it is posted on. You have no idea how humbled I am by this. I am humbled if one person enjoys my stories. I do this for the love of the Buffyverse, and nothing else, and the fact that I can share that love with so many people...seriously I love you guys. Each and every one of your likes, favourites and reviews just makes me so happy. Thank you, thank you, so much from the bottom of my Spuffy lovin' heart!

Si Primo Venit

Farewell Doesn't Last

He was gone.

All too soon, she was left bereft of his presence, and hanging around Revello Drive, at a complete loss of what to do with herself. Sunnydale had fallen quiet, as it often did after the yearly apocalypse. The summer stretched before her, beckoning her to frolic and enjoy the last vestiges of high school-hood and her childhood before she began college and the endless stretches of coursework, frat parties and that daunting path into adulthood.

But he was gone.

Oh she knew he was coming back; she knew he would fight tooth and nail to return to her side. But he was still not here. She was lacking of her vampire.

Made her summer seem very cold all of a sudden.

They'd had twenty four hours before her mother had returned and he was leaving. They'd gone to the beach, spent the day in the sun; swimming, lounging, stealing kisses. And when they'd returned home, he'd ordered take out, laughing at her dislike of the overly spicy food he enjoyed, and then cringing when she decided they were going to watch a sappy chick flick. She'd fallen asleep in his arms, smiling widely, desperately ignoring the fact that he would soon be gone.

And he was.

Gone, that is.

Not here.

Far away, and moving further every minute.

This summer was going to totally suck.

'Buffy, come on. It's a beach party. Like, as in, sand plus beer plus music.' Xander moaned, pouting at his best friend. Willow giggled at his plaintive tone, and Buffy rolled her eyes, looking around at the dead zone that was the Bronze. So many people had left town for the summer, it was becoming boring.

'We won't know anyone.' She said, lamely trying to think up an excuse not to go. She would much rather be sat at home with a pint of icecream, making the most of that fast Slayer metabolism that stopped her gaining weight. Killing things on a nightly basis had its perks.

'There's gonna be people from Sunnydale High there. And Oz is playing. Come on, Buffy. We need to get some practice in before college.' Willow said, knowing that her friend needed to spend less time pining. Spike had been gone for two weeks, and Buffy had not seemed like herself since his departure. Even Giles had seemed down in the dumps since the vampire had left.

'Fine. But I refuse to put much thought into my outfit. And no beer.' She said, relenting to their pleas. Xander fist bumped the air and Willow smiled widely.

'You'll have a good time, Buffy. You'll see.'

Two weeks earlier

Giles was driving him to the airport. Buffy had gone with them, just because she wanted the extra time with him. He had only a small holdall with him, and he'd left his duster at her house, just for extra reassurance that he would come home. He stood in the airport, in front of the boarding gate, bathed in sunshine, just looking at her.

They were calling his flight for the last time.

She felt the tears rolling down her cheeks. She couldn't stop them, no matter what she did. He was going. Regardless of the fact that he was coming back, he was still leaving. Being elsewhere from her.

Spike looked at her, his head tilted, looking so damn gorgeous in the shirt and jeans combination he'd decided was most comfortable for the trip. In his right hand he clasped his plane ticket so tightly that if he'd had circulation, his knuckles would have been white. Like a flash he was holding her, his free hand clasped in her hair as he brought her up for a desperate kiss.

It was not their last kiss.

He'd make damn sure of that.

And then she was sobbing as the very last call for his flight was made and the attendant tapped her foot impatiently behind the desk. Spike didn't say anything as he wiped her tears away with his thumb and then pulled away, leaving her desolate and alone in the terminal. The door to the boarding tunnel shut behind him, and she almost crumpled right there.

'I love you.' She whispered to the ghost of his presence, and then allowed Giles to lead her away back to the car.

The beach party was rocking, but Buffy wasn't in the mood. She wanted to leave. Her thoughts were consumed with worry - there had been no word from Spike, and he'd been calling to check in with them everyday since he'd left. His voice had been the one thing getting her through every day, even though he'd told her she was being silly for being so dependant on him. She knew she was, but the newness and rawness of her feelings for him made it feel like someone had ripped her heart out and put it on that damn plane with him. Even Giles had told her to enjoy the summer, and that seeing Spike when he got back would be worth the time they had spent apart.

Absence made the heart grow fonder after all.

Buffy looked around at the gathered youth on the sand, sighing heavily as she perched on the rock, a forgotten drink in her hand and her mind elsewhere. She wanted to leave but Willow and Xander would probably drag her back kicking and screaming, Slayer strength be damned.

'You know, you don't look very happy.' A voice said from behind her and she almost jumped.

Sloppy, Slayer. Real sloppy. She blinked at the owner of the voice and took him in. He was tall, about the same height as Angel, but he was clearly human. Well muscled, handsome (in an All-American kind of way) and had boyish bangs hanging over her face, reminiscent of Nick Carter from The Backstreet Boys. She smiled as nicely as she could, trying to project an "I'm brooding, leave me alone" posture. Obviously she never did quite pick up on Angel's habit, because the guy got closer, smiling in a friendly manner as he nodded to her cup.

'Want a refill?'

She looked down at the cup as if it had materialized out of thin air and then shook her head. 'I'm good thanks.' Please go away.

'So why is such a beautiful girl like you sitting all alone up here?' He asked, his hulking mass getting closer and beginning to annoy her. Two years ago, she would have swooned that a guy like him had called her beautiful, but now, all she could think was that Spike sounded so much sexier when he said it.

'Just thinking.' She said, looking away and attempting to ignore him.

'I'm Riley, by the way. I just moved here.'

I didn't ask. Go away. 'Buffy.' She said, her tone conveying the irritation she felt. didn't pick up on it.

'You here with friends?' He asked. She nodded and he decided to take a seat next to her on the rock. Sadly there wasn't enough room to scooch away without looking like a fool and falling flat on her face, so she put up with intrusion. His body heat was practically scalding her. 'I'm a TA at Sunnydale U. You going there?' Another nod from her. Any other guy would have given up by now. Seriously.

'Buffy!' Willow called as she jogged over from the crowd. Buffy felt elated at the appearance of her friend, and she stood.

'What's up, Will?' She asked, almost desperate for an escape.

'You going to come dance?' The redhead asked, bouncing on her feet.

Buffy looked over at the party, and decided she'd rather be away from annoying boys and music. 'Nah. Actually, Willow, I'm not feeling so great. I'm going to head home I think.'

'Oh.' Willow looked disappointed, and then noticed Riley. Her eyes widened and she seemed to understand what was going on. 'Okay. I guess Spike would be calling soon right?'

Buffy smiled. 'I hope so.' She replied, not looking back to see the disappointed look on the guy's face. 'I miss him.'

'He'll be home before you know it.' Willow reassured her, reaching out. 'Come on, stay for a while longer.' Riley got up, moving past them.

'I guess I'll see you around, Buffy.' He said, a hopeful smile gracing his face before he moved back to the party.

'Who was he?' The redhead asked, when he was out of earshot. Buffy grimaced.

'Someone who wanted something I don't have to give.' She replied, almost scowling. She rolled her shoulders. 'Seriously though, Wills, I'm gonna go do a patrol and hit the hay. I wanna be up early to go over to Giles'.' The former librarian was holed up in his apartment, researching something he hadn't discussed with her yet. He was enjoying his life of leisure at the moment though, having no need to seek employment for a while.

'Okay, Buffy. I'm sorry. I really thought you might enjoy this.' She paused. 'Spike will tell you off for moping you know.'

'I know.' Buffy smiled. 'But I'm not in the party mood.'

'Call me tomorrow, yeah?' Her friend asked, and Buffy nodded, moving away as Willow headed back to the party.

Quickly, she made her way into town from the beach, which was fairly local. She wanted to do a sweep in Restfield before heading home, but unbidden, she found herself outside Sunnydale Memorial, her eyes casting over the dreary grey building. Within seconds, she'd made up her mind, and entered, going straight to the long term care unit.

In a private room off of the main wing, funded by her mother's insurance, Faith lay asleep. She was healed but not likely to wake up, according to the doctors. Something had gone wrong in her head, and they couldn't figure it out. Buffy knew she would eventually wake up, but it would take a long while for her Slayer healing to fix whatever had gone wrong.

She'd been trying to visit every day. Sometimes she talked to the girl, but she'd read somewhere once that coma patients could hear everything, and she was worried her voice might just piss the girl off. The dream she'd had indicated that bridges could be mended, but she wasn't sure if that had been her own consciousness or actually Faith. So mostly, she sat in silence.

Tonight, she felt like talking.

'Hey, Faith.' She looked over at the vase of flowers on the table. Her mom was coming up twice a week, seeing through everything the girl had done in the past. Joyce Summers was the forgiving type, and she'd said that if the situation had been reversed, she'd want someone there for Buffy if she'd ever ended up here. Faith had no family; so the Summers' provided one. Even if it could have been argued that she did not deserve it.

'I'm pretty bored ya know.' Buffy took a seat next to the bed, reaching out and holding Faith's hand. The doctor had told her that physical connections could help and Buffy wanted to help. She didn't think anyone was beyond forgiveness if someone was willing to try. 'This summer is a snoozefest. Doesn't help that he isn't here. Even fighting you would be a welcome change right now.' She sighed. 'I know I say it every time. But I am sorry this happened. I'm sorry we couldn't be what you needed. I just hope-' She paused, looking at the monitors, hoping for a change. Nothing came and she sighed again. 'When you wake up, we'll sort this all out. You've been forgiven, Faith. You just need to wake up and see.'

She sat for a while longer in silence, but as time dragged on, she knew she had to leave.

'It's been four weeks, Giles.'

The former Watcher looked up at her, a book in his hand and a cup of tea in the other. His gaze held nothing but sympathy and concern. He knew just how long it had been. 'I know, Buffy. But none of the numbers I have tried are working. And Willow cannot do a locator spell over that distance.'

'So we just have to wait and see?' Buffy threw her hands up in the air. 'He could be dead. He could be laying the middle of some African desert, dying and in pain and alone and...' She trailed off. 'We have to do something.'

'I don't know what to suggest, Buffy. Spike assured me he knew what he was doing. But I cannot very well fly us out there. The college semester is starting soon. You are moving into the dorm in a couple of weeks. You should be preparing yourself.'

Buffy frowned. 'I don't like not knowing. Do you not have any friends or contacts out there that could help?'

Giles thought for a moment, then put his cup of tea down. 'I can have a look through my diary. Although, I cannot guarantee that anyone would be willing to help us.'

'We have to try.'

Somewhere in the Narobi desert, Kenya

All he could must right now, was a groan.

Nightmarish memories assaulted him, reminding him of what he had gone through. The itching memory of the bugs underneath his skin and the burns littered over his body from the fists of the fire demon. And the searing pain of the demon's touch, giving him what he had sought; a way to anchor his soul and give Buffy what she deserved.

And now it burnt.

Hot blood ran throughout him, and the pounding of the drums in his head gave him nothing but torment and a headache. His stomach gurgled, starving after so long without nourishment. And in the recesses of his mind, the demon he'd lived with for so long, simply shrugged it's shoulders and growled. You asked for it, mate.

He could never be fully human. He'd been dead too long, held the demon too long. But the wish granting beast he'd sought out had certainly done a number on him. Living through his organs coming to live, dead flesh made whole, had been the most painful experience of his life, and he'd lived with Darla for over a century.

The vampire inside him would make him strong. The soul inside him made him good. More or less.

And now the heart beating inside him, made him what she needed.

Alive.

FIN

Yes. This is it. For this part of our tale anyway. I will hopefully be starting the second instalment soon. But I feel that this part of the tale is done. And we've got plenty of set up for more Spuffy lovin'.