Michael had been dialing Dale’s number for over 2 hours, the machine picked up time after time. He didn’t dare leave he had to be home when or if Buffy came home but he was starting to get worried about Dale.
Dale laid in the middle of the dark living room floor crying, his body shaking. The phone rang continuously and now there was a banging on the door.
Every light in the house was off but she knew he was home, she could hear his sobs through the door. "Dale I know you are home, please open the door. It’s Buffy."
The door slowly swung open and he motioned for her to come in. His breathing was ragged from all the crying and as he shut the door the tears fell again. He hit his knees and wrapped his arms around Buffy’s waist "I am so sorry Buffy, I don’t blame you for hating me but please don’t hate Mikey. It was my fault not his."
She helped him up and lead him to the couch then turned on a few lights. That was when she saw it. The torment on his face the loneliness and abandonment in his eyes. A pain he had hidden away for 3 years, pain no one noticed cause there were more important things to do, business to do. No time to grieve just move on. How many time had they all heard that from Teresa or Ty? Nobody noticed, no one but Mikey. "God, what the hell has happened?" Dale looked at her. "Don’t answer that, it was rhetorical."
"I never meant for you to get hurt like this, you have to believe me." he was pleading "It was never suppose to go beyond that first night. Hell, it was wrong for us to ever let that happen but I started it all not him. It was me. I don’t even know how it got this far, we swore it wouldn’t. But damn it," he was trying to stop the tears. "he was the only person who made me feel whole, alive, like someone out there actually cared about me and not my name or bank account. It was more about the emotional that led to physical."
Buffy half laughed. "He just told me the exact same thing."
"I’m sorry."
"Stop beating yourself up, what’s done is done and we have to figure out where to go from here if ‘we’ do."
"What does that mean?"
"I just don’t know where I fit into this equation if I even do."
"Buffy, no, don’t even think what you are thinking right now. He loves you more than anything or anyone in this world. We ended this more than once because it wasn’t fair to you and the kids. Look I can solve all this, I will walk away right now. It’s over."
"But you always found your way back to each other. Dale do you honestly believe you can walk away from him?"
"I have too. To protect him, you, Caitlyn, Macy, everyone, I have to and will. We both know him and I would never be able to be together and we don’t want to be like that. It was never about that."
"Dale you walking away doesn’t end anything. There are still bigger issues here we have to work out. I just don’t know how."
"No, I won’t let you guys get hurt because of me." he stood and started pacing the floor. He was breaking down quickly and Buffy honestly was worried about him.
Buffy stood and walked over to him. She placed a hand over his heart and kissed his cheek. "If at anytime he made you feel loved, special, and not so alone then it wasn’t wrong." she left Dale standing in the middle of the room and let herself out.
Michael looked at the caller ID, "Buffy."
"Michael, I am not coming home tonight."
"Buffy, please, no."
"Calm down, I said tonight. I need to think and I need to be alone."
"Then stay here I will leave."
"No, I need to be away from that house and all the memories. I went and talked to Dale." she heard a gasp. "It’s ok. I needed his side of it all. And by the way he is upset but he is fine. I know you’re worried, I figured the phone ringing was you. I will talk to you tomorrow."
"Buffy?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"I love you too Mikey."
None of them slept that night. When Dale’s phone rang the next morning he was still in the same clothes he had been in the day before. "Hello?"
"Dale it’s Buffy, can you meet me at my place in 2 hours?"
"Um, yeah, sure." he had a sick feeling, he really didn’t want to go back into that house.
"Thanks, see you in a bit."
2 hours later Dale was showered and changed knocking on the Waltrip’s door. "Buffy?" Michael asked as he opened the door. "Dale, what are you doing…uh…come in."
"Buffy called asked me to come over." he stepped inside.
"I am glad you came, I was worried about you last night." He laid a hand on Dale’s shoulder and flinched when Dale stepped away.
The door opened and Buffy stepped in. "Good you are both here. Please sit." They did as they were told. "I didn’t get much sleep last night as I assume you both were the same. I sat up thinking and came to a conclusion."
Michael swallowed and looked away from her. Dale saw the fear in his eyes. "What is that?"
"That I don’t have a fucking clue what in the hell to do to fix all this. There is no easy answer. Mikey, I love you with all my heart and am not willing to give up on us."
Dale stood, "Damn straight you won’t. I told you last night, I won’t let that happen." he walked towards the door.
She stopped him, "And I won’t allow you to just walk away to be alone and deal with this by yourself. I saw the pain last night, the pain that he saw along time ago the pain someone else should have noticed years ago." she said pointing to Mikey. "I can’t forget that and I know he won’t."
"Then what?" Michael asked finally speaking.
"I don’t know." she started crying.
"God baby I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you." he wrapped his arms around her. Dale saw an opportunity to leave quietly.
"Don’t you dare walk through the door." Buffy said.
"Buffy please just let me go. I can’t stand this. I can’t live with myself knowing what I have done to you guys." he didn’t think there were anymore tears left. He was wrong, as they started to fall again, he fell to the floor his body shaking from his sobs.
Buffy looked at her husband and gently nudged him towards Dale. He looked back at her before kneeling down by him. Dale shook his hands away. "No, it’s wrong, we…no."
"Come on Dale." he urged him to his feet and half carried him to the couch.
"Dale lay down." Buffy said placing a pillow on the couch for him.
"No, I shouldn’t be here."
"Dale, this is exactly where you should be. You are a part of our family and I won’t let you go. Promise me you won’t leave."
"Buffy?"
"Dale, Promise me." she covered him with a blanket as he laid down. He was too tired to fight her anymore.
"I promise." he pulled the blanket up to his chin and curled up like a little kid.
Michael noticed how much older yet how young Dale looked all of a sudden. He followed Buffy to the bedroom and stopped outside the guest room.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"I figured you didn’t want me to…"
"Come on." she reached for his hand and pulled him into the bedroom. She grabbed the phone. "Mom, hey, I don’t think we are going to make it to dinner tomorrow. Michael isn’t feeling well. Do you mind keeping Macy for a few days anyway. I don’t want her here right now. Great. I will let you know this weekend when we will get her. Love you too."
She hung up the phone and laid down on the bed while he stared at her. "Michael please."
As he laid beside her she scooted back into his arms. He wrapped them around her and he buried his face in her hair. Soon they were all asleep not knowing what was to come when they awoke.