Session 20

{Recap for anyone who skipped sessions 17-18-19: Spike and Quinn head home after the jazz club. Spike spends the night, and when Quinn wakes up, he isn't in bed with her anymore. Quinn panics thinking he left her again, but he was actually making her breakfast in the kitchen. They eat together, and Quinn is now in the shower with Spike}

...

Hot water dripped down her back while she ran her fingers through her hair. Spike stood behind her with his body pressed against hers. They were both worn down from their last two sessions so it was nice to finally be taking a break. 

He kissed the back of her neck while he ran his soap covered hands along her exposed skin. Quinn enjoyed how wholesome there intimacy was becoming. They were both naked, and stuck together like glue, yet there was no desire to pursue anything further. Quinn enjoyed the irony of getting clean with someone who had only ever made her feel dirty. 

She never knew how gentle his touch could be, especially since the only touch she had ever received from him was fueled with sexual frustration. Quinn never considered the softer side of him. He was respectful, and he took care of the very body he had tainted moments prior. His delicate embrace was pleasurable, but in a virtuous way. 

Unfortunately, because of the busy morning she had ahead of her, the shower wasn't nearly as long as Quinn wanted it to be. Once they had both stepped out and gotten dry, Quinn made her way into her closet with a towel wrapped around her torso.  

Spike got dressed in her room while Quinn stared into the endless abyss that was her closet. She furiously dug through her limitless supply of clothing before settling on a matching, pine green blazer and skirt. She completed the outfit with a black blouse, black heels, and a matching three piece, gold jewelry set. She was terribly nervous for her meeting, but she dressed like someone who had never had a doubt in their life. Looking the part was always a number one priority for Quinn.

After she had gotten dressed, she dried her hair and applied her makeup while Spike relaxed with a magazine on her bed. It didn't take long for Quinn to get ready, and with little time to spare, she gathered her belongings before ushering Spike out of her bedroom. 

"This has been fun," Quinn smiled as she led Spike down the hallway, and towards the front door. He nodded in agreement as he reached towards his jacket that was hanging loosely on the coat wrack. 

"It has been," he replied happily as he slipped his coat sleeves over his arms. Once his jacket was on, Spike adjusted his tie before propping up his collar. He seemed to always wear his shirts like this, and while Quinn observed his rather unique set of mannerisms, a sudden, deeply buried thought popped into the front of her mind. Quinn audibly gasped as her eyes widened. Spike gave her a puzzled look as he zipped up the front of his coat. 

"Wait here for a  second," Quinn panicked as she placed her bag on the floor. Spike raised an eyebrow as she pivoted herself away from him. The sound of her heels clacking against the hardwood flooring echoed throughout the hallway as she jogged towards her bedroom. 

Quinn wondered if she really wanted to dig up the memory she had painfully buried in the past. It had been months since she had last seen the item, and she worried that her mood would be ruined once she saw it again. Regardless, Quinn knew it was for the greater good. She trusted Spike to stay around this time, but there was still a shadow of doubt within his promised words. If he were to disappear again, she didn't want to have any memory of him left behind. She rarely gave people third chances, let alone second ones. She figured if he disappeared again, the pain would be easy to overcome knowing that a piece of him wasn't still left behind in her closet. 

As she threw open the door to her bedroom, her stomach churned. She was nervous to see it again. Her hand shook as she reached for the handle along her closet. With her breath caught in her throat, Quinn swung the door open.

She approached her coat wrack hesitantly, almost as if she were approaching a potential threat. As she dug through the dense array of clothing, she bit the inside of her cheek as a flash of blue caught her eye. 

She pulled it off the wrack before holding it under the light of her closet. She didn't feel anything. Her mind went blank as she held Spikes blue, dress coat close to her chest. She was glad that she hadn't gotten rid of it, and now that she had it's rightful owner waiting for her at the front door, she was relieved that she wouldn't ever have to think about it again. She smiled as she pulled it off the hanger. She hung the jacket over her arm before leaving the closet and making her way back towards the front door. 

Spike watched as she approached him. His eyes widened once he noticed what she was carrying. Quinn smiled weakly as she held the coat out in front of her. 

"Wow," he chuckled through a wide grin as Quinn handed him the jacket. 

"I'm surprised you kept it," he smiled as he tucked it over his arm.

"I would've felt bad throwing it out," she shrugged as she picked her purse up from the floor. For months she felt like she was carrying a deadweight on her shoulders. And what was even worse was the fact that although she kept it away, and hidden from her sight, she couldn't quite hide it from her mind. 

She didn't look at the jacket ever, but it haunted her to know that it was always hanging in her closet. It was a terrifying ghost from her past, and as the months went by, the weight it carried only seemed to grow heavier. She didn't know why she couldn't part from it, but something about the memories attached it (whether they were good or bad) stopped her from ever getting rid of it. Maybe it was her subconscious telling her she wasn't over him yet, or maybe it was simply an act of fate. Quinn didn't believe in such frivolous ideologies, but it was hard to believe that his sudden appearance last night wasn't an act of destiny. 

"Thanks for everything," Spike half smiled as he wrapped his hand around the door handle. 

"You're welcome," Quinn replied. She wanted to thank him for coming back to her, but she knew it wasn't a gesture worth praising. He had done the bare minimum, and judging by his seemingly unbothered demeanor after presenting his thank you, it was clear he wasn't looking for a thank you back. Quinn smiled as Spike pulled the door open. She walked outside her apartment before leading Spike towards the elevator lobby. 

She didn't want to leave him so soon, but she knew it was time to break away for a bit. Her only hope was that the time they spent apart wasn't going to be as long as it had just been. 

"This is where we part ways," Quinn sighed as she stopped in the lobby. Her shuttle was parked on the rooftop. She mentioned earlier to Spike that she would have given him a ride back if it weren't for her flight leaving in an hour. He understood, and he wasn't bothered by the fact that he had to take a cab. 

"I'll see you again soon," Spike smiled as they both summoned elevators going in opposite directions. Quinn prayed he wasn't lying to her. She trusted his word, but she was ready for the worst if that were to be the outcome. 

"You know where to find me," Quinn smiled weakly as the duo stood adjacent to one another. Spikes elevator arrived before hers, and as the glass doors slid open, Quinn left him with one last request. 

"Let Faye and Jet know I say hi!" Quinn waved as he slipped into the shaft. 

"Will do," he smiled, tucking his hands into his pants pockets. 

"See ya," Quinn grinned as the glass doors slid shut. Spike nodded as he waved a two finger salute over his head. He was gone in a matter of seconds, and once he had disappeared from her sight, Quinn felt a large smile grow across her face. Her elevator arrived shortly after his, and as she stepped inside, she felt her cheeks grow hot. 

For the short time she was in the elevator, she looked through the glass windows down to the streets below.  She watched cars weave in and out of traffic while tiny pedestrians crossed the busy roads. Quinn couldn't help but smile to herself as her mind raced with thoughts of Spike. 

She was irritatingly bubbly, and her heart fluttered every time his image appeared in her head. She sighed longingly as she rested the back of her head against the glass. She felt like a teenager in love again.

When the elevator halted, she stepped out and inhaled a large breath of fresh, morning air. The rooftop was packed with shuttles, and as she made her way towards hers, she felt the butterflies in her stomach swarm rapidly throughout the rest of her figure. 

For once, she didn't suffocate this feeling; in fact, she embraced it. Quinn was sure no one else in the galaxy was as giddy as she was at this time of day. As she opened the hatch to her shuttle, she allowed a calming sensation to wash over her. 

Of course the meeting she had planned ahead of her was causing her a great deal of stress, but as she started up her ship, she removed all unpleasant thoughts from her mind. Things were really looking up for her, and Quinn hoped things would stay that way.