Chapter 10 - Changing


Buffy wrapped her arms around her small body, staying slightly behind Spike
as they made a sweep of the area. Her comfort level had severely decreased
around the blonde vampire now that she knew more about who she used to be.
She knew she didn’t deserve him.

“What’s going through that mind of yours, pet?” Spike asked, slowing his pace
to walk beside her.

Buffy paused for a few moments before answering. “What happens when I get
all my memories back, Spike?”

“What do you mean, luv?”

“Why am I here? If I’ve lived my life, why am I back?”

“I’m not supposed-“

“So help me, Spike, if you say you’re not supposed to tell me, I will
personally kick your ass.”

Spike had to hide his smirk. ‘There’s my girl,’ he thought.

“Alright,” he said. “I’m not giving you details, because I don’t know any,
but there’s a prophecy that mentions you.”

“A prophecy? Like, something written millions of years ago and telling the
future?”

“That would be the short version.”

“And you don’t know the details of this thing?”

“Not yet,” Spike admitted.

Before Buffy could respond, she felt herself grabbed from behind. Without
stopping to think, she wrenched herself free and spun around, facing a
vampire. She could hear the fighting behind her and knew that Spike was
taking care of another one.

Buffy reeled back as she was punched in the face. Righting herself, she
landed a solid kick to his stomach. “Note to self- learn to duck,” she
said, throwing a few more punches, when she heard Spike call her name.
Turning toward him, she deftly caught the stake he threw at her before
plunging it into the vamp’s heart.

Breathing heavily from the adrenaline coursing through her, Buffy brushed
the dust off her hands as she turned to face Spike.

“You okay?” he asked, stepping closer to her.

Buffy took a step away, still not allowing herself to get close to him.
“I’m fine,” she murmured, trying to control her breathing. She jumped when
she felt Spike’s hand trace her cheek.

“You’re hurt,” he murmured, carefully touching the reddened skin.

“No, I’m fine,” Buffy said, shaking her head as she averted her eyes, trying
to fight the natural pull she felt toward his body.

Spike’s hand dropped away as he looked around the area. “I think that’s all
the action we’re going to see tonight, luv. We should probably be getting
back.”

* * * * *

Buffy sat up in bed later that night, unclear as to what woke her up.
Pausing for a moment, she closed her eyes, trying to remember the dream.
Her eyes flew open as she gasped. “Dawn!”

Scrambling out of her bed, Buffy pulled open her door and almost ran over
Cordelia, walking down the hallway.

“Buffy, what’s wrong?”

“Dawn,” Buffy said, the memory already fading. “I need to see Dawn, she’s
my…my…”

“Dawn’s your sister, Buffy,” Cordy said gently. “Do you remember anything
else?”

“I-I’m supposed to protect her,” Buffy replied softly. “I don’t remember
why.”

“It’s okay,” Cordy said with a gentle smile. “You’ll remember more, I’m
sure of it.”

“Is she safe?” Buffy asked.

“Yes, she’s safe. She’s happy.”

“Okay,” Buffy breathed out a sigh of relief. She was getting flashes and
images of a girl that she knew was supposed to be her sister, but she didn’t
remember any particular events. Regardless, she was relieved that Dawn was
safe.

“Are you okay?”

Buffy nodded. “I think I’m going to stay up for a while,” she murmured,
walking to the end of the hall.

Cordelia watched the younger girl as she disappeared around the corner
before turning and walking to the other end of the hall. Knocking on the
door, she almost laughed as a very disheveled Spike answered the door.

“What’s wrong, Cordelia?” he asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Buffy needs you.”

Spike was instantly awake. “Where is she? Is something wrong?”

“She’s downstairs,” Cordelia replied. “She remembered Dawn.”

Spike’s mouth dropped open slightly before he turned and jogged down the
hallway. Practically flying down the stairs, he could see Buffy sitting on
the couch, her legs pulled up to her chest with her chin resting on her
knees. She looked so tiny and frail that Spike wanted nothing more than to
take her in his arms.

Buffy looked up, hearing a noise. Her eyes widened as she stared at Spike.
His shirt was open, leaving his chiseled abs and muscular chest in plain
view. His hair stood up in spikes all over his head. She didn’t say
anything as he walked over, sitting down next to her.

“So…you remembered Dawnie?” he asked softly.

“Kind of,” Buffy replied in a quiet voice. “I remembered feelings.
Emotions that I couldn’t turn off. I knew that I needed to protect her, but
I didn’t know from what. I knew that I loved her, but it was a sudden kind
of love, you know?”

Buffy turned to look at Spike. He did know what she was talking about, but
he didn’t feel this was the right time to explain about her sister once
being a mystical ball of energy. She would figure it out soon enough on her
own.

“You loved her,” Spike said with a soft smile. “More than anything or
anyone…you loved her.”

“And she’s safe?” Buffy repeated the question to Spike, needing it confirmed
again.

“Yes,” Spike replied. “She’s safe.”

“Does she know about her…me?”

“Not yet.”

Buffy nodded, standing up. “I should probably get back to sleep. More
memories are waiting to assault me, I’m sure,” she said in a sardonic voice.

Spike began walking with her as they climbed the stairs. “It’ll be easier,
Buffy,” Spike said softly as Buffy looked over at him. “When you remember
everything…it’ll get easier.”

“You’re so sure about that?”

Spike stopped in front of the door to her bedroom, turning to face her.
“You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever known,” he murmured. “You can make it
through anything they throw your way.”

“I’m not her, Spike,” Buffy whispered, tears shimmering in her eyes. “I
don’t want to be like her.”

“Yes, you do,” Spike said, offering her a small smile. “You just don’t know
it yet.”

“You don’t get it,” Buffy said, more forcefully than she intended. “Even if
I get every last memory of who Buffy Summers was, I am not her!”

Spike sighed, deciding it was best not to argue with her tonight, as he
slowly leaned forward to brush his lips against her cheek, surprised when he
was met with her lips instead. The kiss wasn’t passionate. There was no
eager need to deepen it, but it held a fire and electricity that they both
felt. Pulling away after a few moments, Spike stared into her deep green
eyes, gently trailing his fingertips along her cheekbone.

“Good night, Buffy,” he whispered.

“Good night.”

Buffy turned and walked into her room, shutting the door behind her before
leaning against it. Spike just didn’t get it. Nobody did…or could. She
was turning into Buffy Summers- she could feel it. With every memory, with
every minute of the day, she was changing. She knew that she would soon
remember the woman she once was, but that didn’t mean she had to allow
herself to change.

Chapter 11 - Remember


The Scoobies, the Master, Angelus, Acathla, Faith, The Mayor, Riley, Dawn, Glory, the portal…

* * * * *

Angel and Wesley looked up from the prophecy they were trying to decipher
to see Buffy slowly walking down the stairs.

“Buffy, are you alright?” Angel asked, standing up to walk over to her as
she looked at him in confusion.

“Angel?” her voice was laced with uncertainty. “Where am I?”

Both Angel and Wes looked at each other, starting to get worried. “You
don’t know?” Angel asked her as she looked around the lobby and out into the
darkening night.

“Dawn,” Buffy said with clarity in her voice. “I-I have to save Dawn.”

“Yes, Buffy, you’ve done that,” Wesley said, coming to stand next to Angel.

“I did? I did…I jumped,” Buffy replied, her eyes widening. “I jumped off
the tower…how am I here?”

“You remember?” Angel asked in disbelief. “You remember who you were?”

“Who I was? Angel, what are you talking…”

Her mouth dropped open as more memories assaulted her. Images of her with
her family, only it wasn’t Joyce and Hank, it was two strangers. Except
they weren’t strangers- they were her parents. Growing up, her brain
recalled two different sets of memories. She couldn’t decipher the fine
line between Buffy Summers and Elizabeth Winters. She had strength, she had
lost her family, she’d met the people who she once knew, she…Spike!

“Spike,” Buffy whispered, running both hands through her hair. “I need
Spike,” she whimpered, nearly falling to the floor. Angel caught her,
nodding to Wesley, who turned and ran up the stairs as Angel put her down on
the couch.

“Are you okay, Buffy?” he asked, standing next to her.

Buffy looked up and noticed him towering over her. “Were you always this
tall?” she asked, not remembering ever feeling overwhelmed by Angel until
this minute.

Angel smiled. “For as long as I can remember.”

“Remember,” Buffy repeated, putting her face in her hands.

Hearing a noise, Buffy was about to look up when she heard the distinct
British accent. “What’s wrong, luv?”

Her hands were gently pulled away from her face as she stared into Spike’s
deep cobalt eyes as he crouched in front of her. “Spike?” she asked,
tenderly touching his face. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Angel
and Wesley backing away, presumably to give Buffy some space to deal with
her memories and not to leave the couple alone. “It’s you,” she whispered,
tracing the sharp edges of his cheekbones.

“What’s wrong, pet? Wesley said you needed me.”

“I do,” she whispered, feeling tears begin to threaten her. “I do,” she
repeated as she threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his
shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her.

“Buffy, what’s-“

“I remember,” she said in a strangled voice, pulling away to look into his
eyes again. “I remember everything.”

She felt Spike’s muscles go rigid against her fingertips as he stared at
her. Very slowly, he got to his feet and began taking a few steps away from
her.

“Spike?” she said, standing to look at him with a confused expression.

“You’re back,” he mumbled. It wasn’t a question, and Buffy could hear the
dismay that seemed to thread its way through his voice.

“Yeah,” she said, taking a hesitant step toward him. “It’s me, Spike.”

“Right then,” he said, turning and heading for the door.

“Where are you going?” she called after him.

“Patrolling,” he called over his shoulder as he walked through the door.

Buffy stared after him in disbelief before tightening her jaw. “On no you
don’t,” she muttered as she stalked toward the door. “You’re not running
away from me, mister.”

Spike heard the hurried footsteps behind him but didn’t bother turning
around. Feeling a hand on his arm, he was surprised when he felt himself
spinning around to face an outraged Buffy.

“Bloody hell!” he yelled. “You nearly tore my soddin’ arm out of its
socket!” He seemed to pause for a moment as he looked at her hardened
expression, his own features closing off, not wanting to be vulnerable
around her. “Good to have you back, Slayer,” he said in a low tone.

“Don’t,” she said in a falsely subdued tone. “You don’t get to call me
that, you jerk.”

“And there she is,” Spike muttered with a sigh as he looked at the ground.

“Why are you acting like this, Spike?”

“Because everything is different now, Summers!” he cried, throwing his arms
out to emphasize his point.

“So, I should have just acted like I was fine? That I didn’t remember who I
used to be so you wouldn’t treat me like I’m some kind of outcast?”

“I’m not treating you like an outcast, Summers, I’m going back to the way it
was!” he yelled.

“WHY?!” she yelled back, taking a step closer to him in her anger. “Why the
hell do you think I want it the way it was?”

Spike was at a loss for words as she advanced on him.

“Why, Spike? I told you that she wasn’t me.”

“She is now,” he said through clenched teeth.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m not either of them…I’m both, don’t
you see that? I’m just me. That’s all I know how to be, Spike.” She
stared at him for a minute, trying to gauge his reaction before continuing.
“You don’t think I remember everything, do you? That I don’t remember
coming on to you and you turning me away? That I don’t remember kissing you? That I don’t remember you being my friend?” she trailed off in a whisper.

“Buffy-“ Spike began, shaking his head, only to be cut off.

“You’ve been there, Spike,” she said softly. “You’ve been there for me,
when no one else has. I still need that…I still need you.”

“You don’t need anyone, Slayer,” Spike replied, trying to fight the torrent
of emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him.

“I need you, Spike,” she whispered, closing the distance between them. “I
need to know you’ll be here.”

“I’ll always be here, Buffy,” he said in a choked voice, not sure how much
more of this he could take.

“With me?” she asked timidly as she reached out and grasped his hand in her
own.

Spike stared at her, not sure he knew what she was asking. Not sure if he
wanted to know.

“You said we’d talk about it when I got my memories back,” she said softly,
looking into his eyes. “So…do you still love me?”

Spike squeezed his eyes shut. “Yes,” he whispered in a husky voice. “I
never stopped. I tried, but I couldn’t stop.”

Before he realized what was happening, her lips were on his. Not wanting to
think, his arms wrapped around her waist as they brutally kissed each other,
both needing reassurance from the other as they fought for dominance. Buffy
surrendered, letting Spike take control, as his hands came up to her face.
Buffy moaned as she felt his tongue lightly brush against hers, tightening
her hold on him at the lightheaded sensations he was causing her.

The frantic pace slowed down after a few moments as they gave in to each
other, slowly breaking away as Buffy gasped for some much needed air. Spike
found himself inhaling as he stared down at her flushed face and swollen
lips.

Reaching out to gently stroke her cheek, Spike tilted his head to gaze at
Buffy as she stared back at him. Slowly reaching up to take his hand away
from her face, she smiled as she interlaced their fingers before taking a
step closer to him.

“It’s me,” she whispered.

Chapter 12 – Questions and Answers


“So, what’s the what?” Buffy asked, walking back into the hotel and dragging
a very reluctant Spike with her.

“Buffy?” Cordelia asked, taking a step closer to her.

“Yeah,” Buffy said softly. “It’s me, Cordy.”

“Oh my God,” Cordy cried before hugging the younger girl. “So, you remember
everything?”

“Not everything,” Buffy admitted. “I remember the most important stuff, and
the rest is like…flashes, I guess. Extra puzzle pieces that are thrown in
for my benefit. Now, my question for you all is…why am I back?”

Buffy looked at each person in the room with an expectant face. When no one
answered, she continued. “Come on, guys, I know it’s a prophecy, so tell me
what I’m up against.”

“We don’t know,” Angel said softly, clasping his hands in front of him.
“We’re working on it, Buffy, but we just don’t know much of anything right now.”

“But it’s soon?” Buffy asked, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.

“Sooner rather than later,” Fred replied, hating herself for being the bearer of bad
news.

“Okay…well…hey, whatever this thing is, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Buffy
said with more confidence than she felt.

She felt the tension leave her body as Spike gently took her hand in his and
gave it a light squeeze, a move that did not go unnoticed by the entire
room.

“So, you two are….?” Connor asked, jealousy tingeing his voice.

“Friends,” Spike supplied with a brief nod, causing Buffy to look at him in
confusion.

“Excuse us,” Buffy said with a falsely sweet smile as she pulled Spike
toward the office, shutting the door behind them. “Friends?” she asked with
a hurt expression.

“What did you want me to say, Buffy? That you hated me in a former life and
all of a sudden developed feelings for me overnight?”

“Not overnight,” Buffy said, shaking her head. “They started earlier than
that. A LOT earlier, Spike.”

“When?” he asked, hating himself for the insecurity in his tone.

“When you didn’t give us up to Glory,” Buffy said softly. “You let her
torture you, but you never even thought about giving her Dawn.”

“How do you know? What if I almost did?” Spike asked. “What if I came so
close to telling her that if you hadn’t shown up when you did, I would have
given her everything?”

Buffy stayed silent for a moment. She knew he was just trying to get a rise
out of her, and she wasn’t about to let that happen. “So that’s why you
told me that you’d let Glory kill you first?”

“I…I was just trying to get a reaction out of you.”

“You didn’t even know it was me, Spike,” Buffy said with a smile as he
tilted his head to look at her.

“I thought you said you were only getting flashes,” Spike said in confusion.

“I told you I remember the most important things,” Buffy said softly as she
took a step closer to him. “And our first kiss…our first real kiss, with no
magical influences, definitely qualifies as important to me.”

Spike took an unneeded breath as she came to stand in front of him, her
hands resting lightly on his stomach as she looked up at him with those
expressive green eyes.

“Buffy, this feels strange,” Spike whispered as his hands brushed the hair
away from her shoulders.

“Why?” Buffy asked softly. “Because I’ve changed? I thought you would have
liked it,” she said with a pout.

“I do, it’s just…” Spike trailed off at the incredible urge to kiss her.

“You’re scared I’m going to change my mind,” Buffy said softly.

Spike noticed she wasn't asking him- she was simply commenting.

“Buffy,” he whispered, avoiding her eyes as his hands traced up and down her
arms. “I know you remember some of the things you said to me…but when you
remember some of the things I’ve done to you…”

“Like trying to kill me?” Buffy asked. “Like…kidnapping my friends?
Assembling The Judge? Threatening the Initiative doctor instead of helping
Riley?”

Spike growled at the mention of the other man.

“I also remember you helping me save the world when Angelus was free,” Buffy
continued, wrapping her arms around his waist and propping her chin against
his chest. “I remember you helping when you didn’t have to, just because
you wanted to. And I know you kept your promise to look after Dawn until
the end of the world.”

“I had to,” he replied in a voice that was choked with emotion. “I couldn’t
save her, and you had to-“

“Shhh,” Buffy whispered, placing a finger over his lips. “You did your
best, Spike. Deep down, I knew what I had to do. It wasn’t your fight, it
was mine.”

“It should have been mine,” he murmured.

Buffy felt Spike’s arms go around her in a tight hold before his lips met
hers. She could feel the desperation in his punishing kiss. He needed
reassurance, and Buffy wasn’t about to let go. Her arms wrapped around his
neck as her lips parted, moaning as his tongue began to tangle with hers.

Pulling away after a minute. Buffy panted for air as Spike trailed his
fingertips over any exposed skin that he could find.

“Why me, Buffy?”

“What?”

“Why not the poofter?” he asked, gesturing toward the lobby.

”Angel,” Buffy corrected with a smile. “We weren’t meant to last,” Buffy replied after a moment as she, glanced at the door that separated them from the rest of the group before turning her eyes back to his. “You never left me…even when you hated me, you couldn’t stay away.”

“I’ll never leave you,” he whispered, brushing his lips against hers again.
He would never get enough of her.

“Ummm…guys?”

Both turned when they heard Cordelia calling them from the next room. Buffy
frowned at the nervous tone in her voice. Cordelia may be a lot of things,
but nervous was not usually on the list.

With trepidation, Buffy clasped Spike’s hand in hers as they walked back
into the lobby.

“Yeah, Cordy?”

Angel spoke up instead. “Buffy…I think we deciphered the prophecy.”

“And from the look on your face, I’m guessing it won’t be fluffy bunnies
that I’ll be facing,” Buffy said nervously.

“No,” Angel said. “It won’t.”

“So, what’s the prophecy say?” Buffy asked, her voice filled with anxiety as
she sat down, holding Spike’s hand in a death grip- something that did not
go unnoticed by Angel.

“From what we’ve deciphered,” Wesley began. “It says: The Slayer will be
reborn to confront the cause of her death.”

“What?” Buffy asked in disbelief. “But it was me…I was the reason I died.
I was the one to call the shots, no one forced me to jump.”

“Not necessarily to confront what took your life, but more accurately, the
one who caused you to make that decision.”

“That could be any number of things,” Spike said in confusion. “It could be
the monks, Doc, even Dawn, or…”

“Glory,” Buffy murmured, her eyes trained on the ground as they became
unfocused. “I’ll have to face Glory.”

“You don’t know that,” Spike said softly, kneeling in front of her. “Glory
doesn’t exist anymore. Ben was killed.”

“And that doesn’t sound a little strange to you, that you have to kill a
human in order to kill a Hell-God?” Buffy asked, standing up to start
pacing, letting her anger mask the slight tinge of panic she was
beginning to feel. “That’s not the way it works, and all of you know it.
The weak die and the strong prevail- that’s the way of the world.”

“And you’re the strong one, luv,” Spike whispered, coming up to stand behind
her.

“I think it’s time to get the Scoobies together,” Cordelia spoke up.

Buffy’s eyes widened. She wanted to see her friends…her family, more than
anything in the world, but what would they say?

“I don’t know Cordy,” Buffy said, shaking her head. “They all have their
own lives. I can’t ask them to come back and fight after so long.”

“You won’t,” Cordy said, already walking toward the phone. “I will. A
quick phone call to Willow and Tara, and they can assemble the whole gang.
And hey, you’d get to see Dawn.”

“NO!”

Everyone turned at Buffy’s outburst. “I don’t want her anywhere near this!”

“Buffy,” Angel began gently. “She’s not the Key anymore. She doesn’t open
anything. Her blood is as normal as yours.”

“I don’t care,” Buffy replied, looking around the room. “If this thing is
Glory, I don’t want my sister anywhere around it. She may not open
anything, but that wouldn’t stop the Hellbitch from exacting a little
revenge for not getting what she wanted the first time around.” She paused
before turning to face Wesley and Fred. “How much time do we have?”

“A few weeks…at the most.”

“Weeks?” Buffy asked in disbelief before turning panic-stricken eyes to
Spike and Angel. “I’m not ready,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m not
even as strong as I was when I was this age…the first time around. I faced
Glory after training with Giles for months, and even then, I had that Troll
hammer thingy.”

“Buffy…relax,” Angel said in a soothing tone.

“You’ll be ready, luv.”

Buffy turned grateful eyes to Spike, her chin trembling slightly at all the
emotions coursing through her.

“This is quite a lot of information to absorb,” Wesley said. “You should
probably get some rest, Buffy. We can work on this tomorrow.”

Buffy nodded, turning toward the stairs and slowly climbing them. She felt
like she finally got her life back, only to be stripped of it yet again.

Pausing outside of her bedroom door, she turned and was surprised that Spike
hadn’t followed her.

* * * * *

“What’s it say?” Spike asked, turning glowing eyes to Wesley.

“I’ve already told you, Spike.”

“Is she going to die?” he asked with fear in his voice.

“That part's unclear.”

“Well, clear the bloody thing up!”

“Spike,” Angel said softly, using the voice he rarely used with his
Grandchilde. The authoritative, yet warm tone that reminded him of their
blood link. “She won’t die if we can help it, you know that. We’ll do everything we can…”

Spike closed his eyes, wishing there was more he could do. “Everything
wasn’t enough last time,” he whispered.

Chapter 14 – Loving


Buffy gave up on trying to fall asleep, two hours later. Her thoughts were
fluttering all over the place, from the impending battle to wondering why
Spike never came to check on her.

Throwing her covers off of her, Buffy made her way to Spike’s room, hoping
he was there. The old Buffy part of her wanted to just open the door. The
woman she was now timidly knocked before stepping back and hugging her arms around her small body.

Spike opened the door wearing a pair of low-hanging sweatpants, his hair
disheveled. He didn’t say a word, just opened the door for her to enter
before closing it behind her. Buffy turned to him with watery eyes and
offered him a small smile when he opened his arms to her.

She didn’t hesitate to step into the embrace, letting the tears fall as his
strong arms wrapped around her protectively.

After several minutes, Buffy pulled back to look at him, her body trembling
as he looked down on her with his own tear-filled eyes. “I don’t want to
die, Spike,” she whispered.

Spike could almost feel his heart breaking as he gently tucked a strand of
hair behind her ear. “I’m not going to let you die, Buffy,” he whispered.
“You can beat this…you’re the Slayer.”

“No, I’m not,” Buffy said softly, shaking her head. “I’m not the Slayer,
I’m just stronger than a normal girl. I don’t even know who the Slayer is.”

“You’ll beat this,” he murmured again, pulling her close to him as he
inhaled the vanilla scent that seemed to waft off of her.

Spike didn’t have time to register what was happening as Buffy pulled away
from him before her lips found his. He hesitated for a split second
before leaning into the kiss, each seeking comfort.

Spike could feel her blood pulsing under his fingertips as the kiss
deepened, hear her heart pounding rapidly.

Buffy’s hands traveled up his bare arms to gently play with the soft hair at
the nape of his neck, bringing him closer to her as his own hands slid under
her camisole, caressing the soft skin of her back as he held her.

Both sighed as his tongue brushed against hers, chasing any coherent thought
from both of them as they got lost in the kiss.

Her lips were so needy, so desperate, but at the same time, giving him the
reassurance that they both needed.

Buffy gasped as he pulled away, trailing light kisses down her neck and over
her collarbone as her head rolled back. Spike nearly growled at the trust
that she seemed to have in him as his blunt teeth scraped over the sensitive
flesh.

“Spike…I need you tonight.”

Spike pulled back with wide eyes, staring at her. “Buffy, I-“

“Please,” she whispered as she looked at him with watery eyes, her hands
trailing over his chest. “This isn’t about sex…it’s about us.”

“Us?”

“About all the times you helped me when you didn’t have to,” she said
softly, backing him toward the bed. “About falling in love with your worst
enemy in spite of the way I treated you. It’s about you still helping
without having a soul…or the chip.”

Spike’s eyes snapped to hers in shock as she gave him a small smile. “When
we were training…I remembered it never went off, and some of those moves
would have definitely caused you some pain.”

“Buffy-“

Her hand covered his mouth as she shook her head. “I don’t care how it
happened,” she said softly. “All I know is…you’re a good man, Spike. Deep
down, you always have been.” Buffy slowly sat down on the bed, looking up
at him with hopeful eyes. “Make love to me?”

Spike felt as if his heart was going to burst as he gasped for unneeded air.
He slowly removed her shirt, letting his hands linger on her skin as he
looked at her. She was so young, but her eyes showed her true age.
They were so expressive…did she even know how he could look into them and
practically know what she was thinking?

Buffy unhurriedly pulled his sweatpants off, letting his erection spring free, as
he closed his eyes. Spike slowly followed the path that Buffy was making
to lay down on the bed. He was uneasy as he removed the rest of her
clothing before settling between her legs.

Buffy could feel the tension rolling off of him as he looked down at her,
gently running his hands through her hair. “Relax,” she murmured, giving
him a soft kiss as she felt the tip of his shaft probe her entrance. “I
want this,” she continued. “I want you.”

Spike inhaled sharply as he slowly pushed into her, inch by agonizingly slow
inch. He paused, his eyes widening, when he came to her barrier.

Buffy saw the look on his face and gave him a gentle smile. “New body,
remember?”

“Buffy, are you-“

Buffy silenced his worries with a kiss as she arched against him, swallowing
her scream as he tore through her virginity. Having to go through this
twice was definitely where she got the bad end of the deal on the ‘living
again’ policy.

Spike stilled his movements as he waited for her to get accustomed to him.
“Are you okay?” he whispered, breathing heavily in spite of his inability to
need oxygen, as his hands caressed her skin, trying to soothe the pain.

Buffy gasped for air as she nodded, offering him a tiny smile before slowly
arching her hips against his, needing the friction to make the pain subside.
Spike complied as he slowly began thrusting into her, fighting off an
orgasm at the exquisite feel of being inside the woman he loved.

Buffy began moving faster, already seeking her release as Spike moved with
more confidence, pulling almost all the way out of her before pushing back
in until Buffy was nearly writhing beneath him.

“Easy, luv,” he whispered into her ear as he began speeding up his thrusts
as Buffy moaned beneath him.

Buffy gasped as he grabbed her hips, changing their angle to penetrate her
even further. Her hands abandoned his shoulders to fist in the sheets as
her head rolled back. She could see stars dancing in front of her eyes
seconds before she was pushed over the edge, arching her body against his.

Spike felt his demon come forth as he buried his face in the pillow, his
hips never stopping their rotation.

“Spike,” Buffy whispered, trying to get him to raise up and look at her. He
merely turned his head, not wanting her to see him like this. “Spike, look
at me,” she said softly, pulling his chin around until he was facing her.
She gave him a gentle smile as she traced the ridges of his forehead before
baring her neck to him. “Do it.”

Spike’s mouth dropped open in shock, his body frozen at the admission.
“What?”

“You heard me,” she said with a soft smile. “I want you to.”

Spike swallowed as he looked at her unmarred neck. “I can’t,” he whispered,
shaking his head but never tearing his eyes away from her skin.

“I trust you,” Buffy said, moving her hips slightly, causing him to groan as
his eyes rolled shut. “Do it,” she said with more force before pulling his
head down to her neck and arching her body against his.

Spike couldn’t resist anymore. His fangs sliced into her neck as she
continued to hold him to her. Buffy gasped when she felt him imbedded in
her throat as he began rapidly pumping into her. Her eyes squeezed shut
moments before a second more powerful orgasm overtook her. Her fluttering
muscles squeezed Spike, setting off his own release as he pulled gently on
the wound in her neck.

Both slowly came down as Spike extracted his fangs, slipping back into his
human mask as he lovingly ran his tongue over the mark he’d left on her.
Just as he was about to roll away, Buffy wrapped her legs around his waist,
holding him inside of her as she pressed her lips to his.

Pulling back, she stared into his eyes, letting her hand follow the same
path it had taken minutes before, only this time, it was to trace his human
features. “I love you, Spike,” she whispered, smiling at his shocked expression.

“You love me?” Spike asked in disbelief.

“I said that out loud, didn’t I?” she asked with a smile.

“Buffy,” he said in a warning tone as she giggled.

“Of course I love you, silly,” she murmured, her expression turning serious.
“I wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t true.”

Buffy gasped as his mouth attacked hers before smiling against his lips.
The kiss quickly went from savage to soft, loving caresses to a more passionate duel
between the two lovers.

Buffy’s eyes widened when she felt him harden inside of her. Spike pulled
away with a smile as he looked into her eyes. “I think we’re going to be up
for a while, luv,” he whispered before nuzzling the tender mark on her neck.
“I love you, Buffy.”

Chapter 15


Buffy walked down the stairs the next day, trying to keep the bright smile
from appearing on her lips. She knew that it may as well have been written
on her face what happened last night, but she didn’t have to let everyone
know. After all, she was facing a potential apocalypse or her impending
doom. Either way, she had no reason to be smiling. No reason, that is,
until she thought of the blonde menace who was still sleeping upstairs.

“Hey, Buff!” Cordelia called from across the lobby. “Great news. I
explained everything to Willow, who was very confused, by the way, and she’s
rallying the troops.”

“So they’re coming?”

“In about a week. She was going to call Giles after we hung up. She said
we’d be in touch later. Oh, and I didn’t call Dawn…I figured you’d want to
handle that one. Or let Spike tell her.”

“Yeah,” Buffy murmured.

“Angel wanted to see you, whenever you get a minute,” Cordy continued,
walking back to the reception area. “He’s in his office.”

A minute later, Buffy apprehensively knocked on the door.

“Come in!”

Buffy slowly walked in, quietly closing the door behind her. “You wanted to
see me,” she said, looking at the man who she had once loved more than
anything in this world. Now, those feelings were just a distant memory,
almost a dream.

“Yeah, Buffy…look, I know this is none of my business, but I was…I was
wondering about you and Spike.”

Buffy took a deep breath, feeling her heart pound a little faster at the
mention of his name. “I love him, Angel,” she blurted out, figuring the
truth was always better than dancing around the subject.

“You…”

“I love him. Buffy…Elizabeth, whoever you want to call me- every one of my
personalities has fallen for him,” she said with a smile.

Angel raised both eyebrows. “You’re not schizophrenic, Buffy.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “It was a joke, Angel. I don’t actually believe
that I have more than one person living in here,” she replied, gesturing to
herself.

“Okay.”

“And…you have Cordelia,” Buffy continued. “You two are happy together.”

“We are,” Angel agreed with a nod.

“Anyway, I was wondering if I could ask you something.”

“You know you can.”

“I need to get back in shape. I need to at least try to be the Slayer again,
and to do that, I’m going to need your help.”

“What do you need?” Angel asked in concern.

“I want to train with you…not just you. Spike, Gunn, maybe Connor. I just
need to go against the odds on my own terms first, and I’d rather do that
in controlled circumstances.”

“When do you want to work?”

“Whenever we can.”

* * * * *

An hour later, Buffy was dragging Spike down the stairs as he was grumbling
under his breath.

“Do you mean you don’t want to help me?” Buffy asked, turning around to face
him with a pout.

Spike leaned forward, capturing her lips with his and running his tongue
over her bottom lip before pulling back to look at her. “I will do anything
to help you, luv. I just don’t see why it had to be now when we could be
spending some quality time together,” Spike finished, raising his scarred
eyebrow suggestively as his tongue traced over his teeth.

“Stop it,” Buffy scolded with a smile. “We’ll have plenty of ‘quality time’
later,” she promised.

Buffy led him to the training room, smiling at the three men that were
waiting on them. “Thank you, so much, you guys!”

“Not a problem,” Gunn said, finishing his stretches. Wesley stood with
Cordelia and Fred off to the side, looking as if he was taking notes.

“So, how are we going to start?” Connor asked, sulking slightly at the
closeness between the two blondes.

“You mean you don’t know?” Spike asked with a smirk before charging at
Buffy.

She easily anticipated his move as she rolled out of the way, only to be
encountered with Gunn’s fist, which she narrowly dodged. Angel was able to
grab her around the waist, but his victory didn’t last long as Buffy spun
away, using his arms for leverage as she flipped him onto the mat.

Connor didn’t take long jumping in, but Buffy quickly swept her leg under
his, knocking him off his feet as well.

After fifteen minutes, Buffy was slightly winded as Connor and Gunn panted
heavily.

”Okay,” Buffy said, catching her breath. “Enough sparring. I think it’s
time to go full-force with these two,” she finished, gesturing to Angel and
Spike, who both nodded.

Connor and Gunn gratefully took a break as they walked over to join their
friends. Buffy never even had to say anything before Spike and Angel
attacked simultaneously. She dodged a couple of blows, cringing when a fist
hit her ribs, before spinning around, landing a solid kick to Angel’s
midsection.

Spike was able to grab her around the waist, bringing her down to the mat,
before pinning his arms above her head and flashing his fangs at her. “You
gotta do better than that, luv,” he said softly, smiling when Buffy clenched
her jaw and bucked him off.

Springing to her feet, the three traded blows before Buffy finally got the
upper hand again. Holding up her hand, she signaled the need for a breather
as she dropped onto the mat, smiling when Spike came to sit behind her,
pulling her into his lap and nuzzling her neck.

Connor and Angel both watched the display with separate expressions. Angel
seemed to be more accepting as he walked over to put his arm around
Cordelia, while Connor’s was pure jealousy.

“You’ll be ready in no time, luv,” he whispered against the swollen bite
mark, sending tingles down her spine.

“You think so?” she asked, leaning her head back onto his chest and closing
her eyes.

“I know it.”

”Good,” Buffy replied. “Because there’s something I have to do before the
next Big Bad comes hunting for me.”

Chapter 16


Spike turned Buffy to face him as he looked at her questioningly.

“What do you need to do, luv?”

“I have to go see Dawnie.”

Spike stood up, pulling Buffy to her feet as he led her out of the training
room. “You sure you don’t want to wait until all of this is over?”

“Spike, I might not be here when it’s over.”

“Don’t say that,” he replied through gritted teeth.

“Why not?” Buffy asked, shaking her head slightly. “You know it’s true.
The Powers or whoever brought me back haven’t exactly given me the longest
life span in the past.”

Buffy tried to smile, wanting to lighten the mood, but failed miserably.
“You still don’t know that it will be the same this time around.”

“I’m going to be going up against the thing that managed to kill me the
first time around.”

“No,” Spike said, shaking his head. “You said it yourself- YOU called the
shots. It wasn’t Glory, it was you that decided when it was over.”

Buffy sighed, looking at the floor. “You’re right.”

“Damn straight, I’m right,” Spike replied, pacing in front of her. “You
beat this chit once, you can do it again.”

“How?” Buffy asked skeptically.

“That’s what your friends are working on.”

“I have to see her, Spike,” Buffy said quietly, causing Spike to halt in
front of her, tilting his head to study her. "I have to see my sister."

“You do know she’ll want to fight in this, don’t you?”

“I know,” Buffy murmured. “But she has a family. She has a life, and I
won’t let her throw all that away.”

“Since when do Summers women listen to anyone?” Spike said with a scoff.

“I’m going,” Buffy said more forcefully this time as she turned to walk
down the hallway. “Whether you come with me or not is up to you.”

Spike closed his eyes for a split second before catching up to her.

Buffy jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her arm, expecting Spike to go
patrolling and work off his aggression, not to follow her. She turned
around, keeping her eyes downcast as he gently tilted her chin up to face
him.

“Look at me, luv,” he whispered, feeling his heart wrench when she raised her
watery eyes to his. “You know I’ll go with you,” he said softly, tucking a
strand of hair behind her ear.

“You will?” she asked timidly.

“I’m not letting you out of my sight longer than I have to. Just let me
call the Niblet and give her a heads up, alright?”

Buffy threw herself into Spike’s arms, letting a few tears fall as he held
her. “I love you so much.”

Spike felt tears come to his own eyes as he tightened his grip. “I know,
luv.”

Buffy pulled back, her eyes widening, causing Spike to turn and see what she
was staring at. He suppressed a sigh when he saw Connor standing behind
them before the boy turned and ran down the hallway.

“Go after him,” Spike said softly.

“You’re sure?”

Spike seemed to hesitate before he nodded. “I’ll go call Dawn, you
straighten out this mess.”

Buffy stood on her tiptoes, pressing her lips to Spike’s in a soft kiss
before pulling back, tracing her hand along his cheek. “I’ll be up in a
minute.”

Spike took her hand, leaving a delicate kiss on her palm, before they both
turned to go their separate ways.

* * * * *

“Connor?” Buffy called quietly as she opened the door to his room. She
could see him sitting in a darkened corner, flipping through a magazine that
she was sure he wasn’t reading. “Hi,” she said softly, stepping into the
room, making sure to leave the door open.

“What do you want?” he asked in the sulking tone that only teenagers could
manage.

“I wanted to check on you.”

“Oh, please,” he replied with a sneer. “You don’t care about me. You’re too
interested in your undead friend upstairs.”

“His name is Spike,” she said, using the same tone that she had used when correcting
Xander all those years ago, whenever he called Angel ‘Deadboy.’

“Whatever,” Connor said, tossing the magazine aside.

“Connor, who are you really mad at?”

“Why him?!” he yelled.

Buffy would have felt slightly intimidated as he advanced on her if she
hadn’t just wiped the floor with him and three other men who were each twice
her size.

“Because I love him.”

“This is new,” he said mockingly.

“Yes and no,” Buffy replied. “We went on one date, Connor, and it wasn’t
even really a date.”

“It was to me.”

“After I got my memories back, it never would have worked out between us,
even if I wasn’t in love with Spike.”

“Why not?”

“Because my first love was your father!” Buffy cried, losing her temper as
well. “Do you know how weird that would be?” Connor glared at her as she
continued. “I loved him, Connor. With everything I had, I loved Angel.
You were born three years after we broke up. Can you comprehend how weird
that is for me? I’m the same age as Cordelia…as your surrogate mom.”

“So why not go back to my dad?” he asked mockingly.

“Because I’m not in love with him anymore. He’s happy…not perfectly happy,
which is a very good thing, but he’s still happy. And so am I. I love
Spike…that’s not going to change.”

Connor sat down on his bed with a huff. “I like you.”

“I know,” Buffy replied, making sure to not offer any comfort. She
definitely didn’t want it to be taken the wrong way. “I’m sorry.”

* * * * *

“It was for your own good, Dawn!”

Buffy smiled as she walked into the room to see a red-faced Spike yelling
into the phone in exasperation.

“You didn’t need to know she was back, she-“

He growled as Dawn interrupted him.

“She wouldn’t have known who you were, even if you had been here! She
didn’t even know me or Cordelia or the Poofter.”

“Angel,” Buffy corrected with a smile as she leaned against the doorway,
causing Spike to turn and face her.

“She’s right here. Do you want to talk to your sister or yell at me some
more?”

Buffy smiled as she eagerly ran over to Spike when he held out the phone.

“Dawnie?”

“BUFFY!”

“Easy, Dawn, I kind of like my eardrums.”

“It’s you. It’s really you, I can’t believe it!”

“It’s me,” Buffy agreed with a smile.

“When are you coming to visit? I can’t wait!”

Buffy bit her lip before looking at Spike. “We’re not coming.”

Spike felt his stomach knot up as he looked at her before taking the phone
away. Never breaking eye contact with Buffy, he spoke into the receiver.
“Niblet? She meant we’re not coming until tomorrow night…yeah…we’ll see you
then.”

Spike hung up the phone as he pulled Buffy into a comforting hug. “Thank
you,” she whispered against his shirt.

“No need to thank me, luv.”

Chapter 17 – Understanding


“Dawnie!” Buffy squealed as the front door opened, revealing her sister.

“Buffy!” Dawn cried with as much excitement as they jumped into each
other’s arms.

The girls held each other for several long minutes before reluctantly
pulling away. Dawn turned to give Spike a hug as Buffy slowly entered the
house. Dawn and her family were still living in the house on Revello, and it
looked almost identical to the way it had looked seventeen years ago. New
furniture, new pictures, but the feeling was still the same. It still felt
like home.

“So, where’s my nieces?” Buffy asked, picking up a picture of Dawn with
three girls, each very similar, one looking decidedly like Buffy, and the
others seemed to take after Dawn.

“They went out with RJ,” Dawn said with a smile as she pointed out a picture
on the wall. Buffy gasped as she looked at it. Dawn was in a beautiful
wedding dress, standing next to a handsome man in a tux. “I wanted to see
you alone before the little rugrats come back,” Dawn said affectionately.

“What did you tell him?” Buffy asked, turning to face her sister with a
worried look on her face as Spike sat on the couch.

“The truth,” Dawn said bluntly, shrugging her shoulders. “We live on the
Hellmouth- I didn’t see any reason to lie to him when we got engaged, so
he’s used to strange occurrences.”

“That’s good,” Buffy said with a smile. “I’m happy you found someone you
can be honest with. What about the girls?”

“They’re still young,” Dawn said, picking up a picture. “We told them
you’re my sister, but as far as they're concerned, you’re my younger sister.”

Buffy nodded as she went over to stand next to Dawn. “Which one’s which?”
she asked. “Spike told me names, but I need to put them with faces now.”

“This one is Joyce, she’s three,” Dawn said as Buffy gave a soft smile when
she pointed to the little girl who looked a lot like Buffy. “This is
Summer, she’s five.”

Buffy turned to face Dawn with a bright smile. “As in ‘Summers’?” she
asked.

“I’m keeping it all in the family,” Dawn said with a firm nod as she turned
her attention back to the picture. “This is Bethany…but we call her Buffy.”

Buffy turned shocked eyes to her sister. “After me?” she asked in
disbelief.

“Spike didn’t tell you?” Dawn asked, shooting the blonde a look as he
shrugged.

“He said her name was Bethany, but I never thought…”

“Buffy, you died to save me,” Dawn said quietly. “It was the very least I
could do.”

“How old is she?” Buffy asked, looking at the brown-haired girl with emerald
eyes.

“Eight,” Dawn replied softly.

“They’re beautiful, Dawnie,” Buffy whispered.

* * * * *

Two hours later, Buffy and Dawn were still talking and filling each other in
on what their lives had been like in the past seventeen years. “Your
birthday is in a few days,” Dawn said softly.

“No, it’s not it’s…oh…that birthday. It’s so weird- it’s like it should be
my deathday or something,” Buffy said with a smile.

Dawn was about to reply when the door opened and three pintsized blurs flew
through the room. “No running in the house!” Dawn called as they slowed
down when they reached the living room.

“Uncle Spike!” squealed three small voices as they charged the vampire.

Spike chuckled as he was tackled to the couch as all three began to vie for
hugs and attention.

“You stayed away too long.”

“Why didn’t you come visit when you said you would?”

“Did you bring me anything?”

Buffy laughed softly as he was assaulted with the questions. Before he got
a chance to answer, all eyes turned to Buffy as the girls slowly got up and walked
toward her.

The oldest one looked at her critically before smiling. “I’m named after
you.”

“Yes, you are,” Buffy said softly.

“You’re pretty,” Summer spoke up with a grin.

“Thank you,” Buffy replied. “You are, too.”

The three girls beamed as Dawn led an attractive man over to Buffy. “RJ,
this is my sister Buffy. Buffy, this is RJ.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Buffy said as she shook the man’s hand.

“I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“All good, I hope,” Buffy said with a smile.

“Most of it,” RJ said with a nod as he slipped an arm around Dawn’s waist.
“A lot of it was very strange.”

“I’ll bet,” Buffy said with a laugh before looking around the room. “Where
did Spike go?”

RJ and Dawn looked around. “I don’t know,” he said. “He said hello, and
then I think he went outside for a smoke.”

“I’ll be right back,” Buffy said, heading for the door.

“Hey,” she said softly, closing the door behind her as she wrapped her arms
around her body against the chill in the air. She could see the cloud of
smoke rising into the sky as Spike stared out into the night, his back
turned to her. “You know those things will kill you,” she said with a
smile.

“Ha bloody ha, Slayer.”

“What’s wrong?” Buffy asked in concern as she walked up to him.

“Nothing,” he grumbled, throwing his cigarette to the ground as he stubbed
it out with his boot.

“Tell me,” she said softly.

“I’m just thinking, luv.”

“Spike.” She gently turned him to face her. “You’re scaring me.”

Spike sighed. “I’m being selfish.”

“What?”

“You deserve this, Buffy,” he said quietly as he gestured toward the house.
“The family, the kids, you deserve it all…not stuck in the dark with me.”

“No,” Buffy said forcefully as she shook her head, fear ripping through her. “You’re not going to do
this, Spike. You’re not going to pull an Angel and run away on me just
because you think it’s for my own good!”

Buffy turned away as tears came to her eyes. She couldn’t believe this was
happening again. Did she have some kind of curse? She wasn’t allowed to be
happy after waiting for so long?

She barely registered when Spike’s arms went around her to pull her against
his strong body. Wrapping his arms around her in a crushing hold as he
buried his face in her neck, he gently kissed her shoulder as she let her
tears fall. “I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered, nuzzling his faded bite mark.
“I wasn’t thinking.”

“No, you weren’t,” Buffy said with a sniffle. “And I’m not letting you do
it,” she continued more forcefully. “I let Angel leave. I’m not doing the
same thing again.” Buffy turned around in his arms, looking at him through
shimmering eyes. “I can’t live without you, Spike.”

Spike slowly leaned forward, capturing her lips in a tender kiss. “I love
you, Buffy,” he whispered against her lips.

“I love you, too,” she said with a smile as she touched her forehead to his.
“We’ll get through this, Spike. We’ll get through it, and we’ll be
together.”

Chapter 18 – Surprises


Buffy and Spike wandered through Sunnydale later that night with Dawn
slowly trailing behind. They had left the kids with their father to enjoy
the peace and quiet. Or at least enjoy how peaceful a town overrun with
vampires can be, but they had spent the quiet time telling Dawn about the
prophecy, and now she was trying to absorb the news.

Buffy shot Spike a worried look before glancing over her shoulder at her
sister.

“So…she’s coming back,” Dawn finally said with a nod.

“That’s what all the signs are pointing to,” Buffy said, taking Spike’s hand
and slowing down to walk with Dawn.

“How can I help?”

“By staying out of it, Niblet,” Spike said with a raised eyebrow. “You have
a family now. Big Sis doesn’t need to be worried about you on top of
everything else.”

“What about Xander?” Dawn asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she
stared at them. “He and Anya have a son. Is he helping?”

Buffy gave Spike a surprised look at never hearing this piece of
information.

Spike sighed. “It doesn’t matter. You’re not fighting.”

“Spike, this whole thing is because of me.”

“All the more reason to stay away from it, Dawnie,” Buffy said softly.
“Spike’s right, I don’t want to worry about you. I want you safe.”

“Buffy, I-“

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite little girl, all grown up.”

Buffy felt frozen in place as she turned to see what she feared the most-
Glory.

Spike was already moving to stand in front of ‘his’ girls as the Hell-God slowly
approached, checking her nails as she walked.

“And you’re still hanging around the vampire,” Glory said as she walked.
“Honestly, Dawnie, I thought you had better sense than that. I mean- this
is the Hellmouth, after all.”

Buffy’s breathing became more rapid as Glory closed in on them. ‘I’m not
ready,’ she thought. ‘I’m not ready, I can’t do this, I’m not strong
enough.’

Buffy seemed to snap out of it as Glory got within touching distance. Her
view was blocked by Spike, but Buffy could hear the sound of her heels on
concrete, her voice quickly approaching. None of them had said a word to
Glory, and Buffy knew she could easily see their fear.

Shaking her head as if to clear it, Buffy grabbed Spike and hauled him
backwards before landing a solid, unexpected kick to Glory’s midsection.

“GO!” she screamed at Spike and Dawn.

“We’re not leaving you.”

“Get Dawn out of here,” she said in a clear voice as she kept an eye on
Glory. “Keep her safe.”

She knew Spike was hesitating, but she heard a sigh before she heard them
running. Turning her full attention back to Glory, Buffy smiled.

“Oh, don’t tell me they brought you back, too.”

“Yep,” Buffy replied, feeling her old bravado return as her smile
broadened. “I guess it’s part of that whole ‘Good vs. Evil’ ‘Balancing the
Scales’ crap that we hear so much about. Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll have
just as much fun this time around,” she finished with a sharp kick, sending
Glory reeling further back.

“You’re supposed to be dead.”

“I could say the same to you,” Buffy said with a shrug.

“You’re awfully confident without your hammer.”

“What can I say,” Buffy replied, ducking a punch. “I feel good.”

They traded blows as Glory slowly gained the upper-hand. Buffy could
feel herself beginning to tire when her eyes widened in shock as Glory flew backwards
into a tree. Buffy saw Spike standing where the Hell-God had just been
before he grabbed Buffy’s hand and began running.

“I told you to watch after Dawn.”

“I did,” Spike argued. “She’s safe.”

* * * * *

Buffy and Spike ran through the front door of the house to encounter a
flurry of activity. Dawn was calling out directions to RJ before turning to
Buffy. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“I know,” Buffy replied, giving her sister a hug. “But it’s for the best.”

RJ came down the stairs with a sleeping Joyce in one arm, a suitcase in the
other. “Where are we going?” he asked Buffy.

“I’ll call Angel. I’m sure all of you can stay at the Hyperion. You’ll be
there in two hours.”

RJ nodded as Spike ran up the stairs, reappearing a moment later with Summer half-asleep in his arms. Buffy kept a careful watch as the girls were loaded into the minivan. Dawn and Buffy each grabbed the bags that were
sitting next to the door as they walked outside. Bethany trailed after
them, rubbing her eyes as she walked outside, dragging her teddy bear behind
her.

“You guys are fast with the packing,” Buffy commented, loading a suitcase.

“Well, when Spike said you were back, I figured we should be ready for
anything.”

“Good thinking.”

“I still think I can help.”

“The best way you can help is to stay safe. You have Spike’s cell number,
right?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay,” Buffy said, giving her another hug. “I’ll see you when this is all
over.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Dawn turned as Spike came up behind her. “All of the Little Bits are loaded
up. You’re ready to go.”

Dawn said good-bye to Spike as Buffy hugged RJ. “Sorry we couldn’t get to
know each other better,” Buffy said with a sheepish smile.

“Maybe next time,” RJ replied with a nod.

Buffy turned to the backdoor of the minivan, smiling and blowing kisses to
her two nieces that were still awake. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye, Aunt Buffy,” Bethany waved with a smile as Summer waved sleepily.

Buffy shut the door with a sad smile, trying not to cry as Dawn hugged her,
yet again.

“Call me,” Dawn said in a warning tone before walking around to the
passenger side and getting in. Buffy and Spike waved until they were out of
sight before walking into the empty house.

“Do you think we should stay here? Glory knows where I used to live.”

“I think tonight was just to make her presence known,” Spike replied,
wrapping his arms around her waist. “We should be okay.”

"I was so stupid,” Buffy murmured as Spike planted soft kisses along her
shoulder. "What was I thinking? Of course she wasn't going to be in Los
Angeles- she would come back to wear it all started, not wherever I happened
to be. I guess I need to call Angel."

“You’re probably right,” Spike said softly. “I think the Scoobies need to
assemble a little earlier than planned.”



A/N Please review!

Chapter 19 - Family Reunion


Spike stared down at the sleeping woman in his arms. Their naked bodies
were intertwined as she snuggled into his chest, a sheet barely covering
them. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was. He had waited so long for this
feeling, never holding out any real hope that this dream would become a
reality, but here she was. And she wasn’t just with him- she was in love
with him.

Spike slowly leaned over, brushing a tender kiss to her forehead before
pulling her closer to him and closing his eyes. He had waited so long for
this moment, and he wasn’t going to let her slip away from him again.

* * * * *

Buffy hurriedly pulled on a white sweater and a pair of jeans as the
doorbell rang. She and Spike had spent the better part of the day in bed,
and now she was rushing around, trying to make herself look presentable.

Running down the stairs, she flung open the door and gasped when she saw
Willow and Xander. “Oh my God!” the two girls screamed before they all
jumped into each other’s arms.

Spike came racing down the stairs, dressed in a pair of black jeans, towel
drying his hair. “What the bloody-“

He cut himself off when he saw Buffy in the arms of her best friends.
Xander was the first to pull away, giving Spike the once-over before taking
a deep breath and holding out his hand.

Spike raised an eyebrow in suspicion before sighing and accepting the
handshake. “It’s been a long time, Spike,” Xander said with a nod as Spike
offered a small smile and a nod of his own.

Willow and Buffy finally pulled away, and Spike jumped when Willow raced into
his arms. The years had done nothing for the excited little girl inside.
“Good to see you, too, Red,” Spike said with a chuckle.

Buffy looked out the door and smiled when she saw Tara coming up the path,
followed by Angel, Wesley, Cordy and Gunn. Buffy quickly embraced Tara,
tears streaming down her face from all of her friends being together again.

“Where’s Anya?” she asked, wiping her eyes to turn back to Xander.

“She decided to stay behind with Zachery.”

“Your son,” Buffy said with a smile. “How old is he?”

“Just turned thirteen,” Xander said with a brilliant smile. Buffy smiled
before saying a quick hello to everyone else.

“Did Dawn settle in okay?” she asked Angel.

“Yeah,” Angel said with a nod. “Lorne and Fred are with them.”

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief before smiling when Spike excused himself
to go put a shirt on.

“Damn,” Cordy said good-naturedly, earning a look from Angel. “It’s a shame
to cover up that beautiful specimen.”

“Amen to that,” Willow said with Tara and Buffy laughing along with her.

“Um…HELLO!” Angel yelled. “I’m standing right here!”

“Oops,” Cordy said with a grin before giving him a soft kiss. “Oh, come
on, honey, you know you’re the salty goodness that I can’t live without.”

This brought a smile to Angel’s face, pulling Cordelia closer to him as
Spike reappeared. “Thanks for the compliment, Cordelia,” he said with a
grin, wrapping his arms around Buffy’s waist.

“You heard?” Cordy asked with a smile, not ashamed in the least.

“Vampire, remember?”

The group walked into the living room, each finding a seat, as Spike sat in
an armchair, pulling Buffy into his lap.

“So, you two are…?” Xander trailed off.

“Yes,” Buffy said, turning to look into Spike’s eyes. “We’re together.”

Spike gave her a soft smile as her eyes seemed to twinkle at him.

“Okay, I think we need to get organized,” Wesley spoke up.

“Where’s Giles?” Buffy asked.

“He’ll be here in a few hours,” Willow spoke up. “He couldn’t get a flight
any earlier.”

“So, what do we know?” Tara asked, holding Willow’s hand.

“The basic things that I told you about the prophecy,” Wesley continued. “I
don’t know the details of the fight last night, however.”

“Not much to tell,” Buffy said with a shrug. “Punches were thrown, but I
didn’t really fight her. Spike threw her into a tree, and then I think she
just let us go.”

“Why did she come back?” Xander asked.

“Don’t know, don’t care,” Buffy replied. “I just want her gone…preferably
with me still here this time.”

Spike tightened his hold on her, trying to ignore the feeling in his
stomach.

“Okay, then,” Willow said. “I guess it’s time to get to work.”

* * * * *

Three hours later, Buffy felt exhausted. They had gone over all possible
explanations for the reason Glory was back, the reason Buffy was back, the
impending prophetic future. Buffy was ready to go out and pummel something
but restrained herself long enough to be research girl.

A knock on the door immediately set her on edge, but she relaxed when she
realized Glory would never knock. Opening the door, a smile lit up her
features when she saw Giles standing there. She practically threw herself
into his arms as they held onto each other silently for several minutes.

Pulling away with tears in their eyes, Buffy studied him for a moment. The
years had been good to him, giving him a more distinguished look. His hair
was almost completely gray, his eyes were still warm and seemed to be filled
with wisdom.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” she said softly.

“I can’t believe YOU are here,” he replied. “I didn’t want to believe it.”

“It’s me,” Buffy said with a smile, leading him into the house.

Giles said hello to everyone, hugging the woman and exchanging handshakes with the men.

“What do we know?” Giles asked.

Buffy had to suppress a groan as Wesley started from the beginning.

* * * * *

Everyone was struggling to keep their eyes open as the sun began to rise.

“So, we’re all clear on what’s going to happen?” Buffy asked, looking around
the room as everyone began to nod.

“Clear on all of it, except when it’s supposed to happen,” Xander said.

“Well, from what’s been deciphered,” Giles began, looking through a stack of
papers. “Glory will be in full power in a week. That’s what the prophecy
was interpreting, so as far as when…”

“Tonight,” Buffy said softly, resting her head on Spike’s shoulder.

“Buffy, we’re not ready to-“

“I’m not risking Glory becoming Miss All Powerful/Ruler of the World, Giles.
It happens tonight.”

Chapter 20 – Are You Ready?


Buffy wandered around a house that used to be her home, walking onto the
back porch as the final rays of the sun faded away. She was going on two
hours of sleep, too nervous to rest any longer than that, and she was
becoming more agitated as the darkness crept up on her. Running her hands
along the sleeves of her sweater, she tried to ward off the chill that was
creeping through her body.

Buffy jumped when she felt strong arms encircle her waist, relaxing when she
felt Spike’s lips brush along her neck. “You worried?” he murmured, pulling
her closer to him.

“Yeah,” Buffy said softly. “I am.”

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he whispered, breathing in
the scent of vanilla.

“It’s not up to you,” Buffy replied, turning to look at him.

Spike closed his eyes for a moment before deciding to let it go.
“Everyone’s ready.” Buffy took a deep breath nodding as she moved to walk
past him. Spike grabbed her arm, looking deep into her eyes before she
passed him. “Are you?”

“I guess we’ll find out.”

* * * * *

Buffy took a deep breath as she stood outside a mansion that was on the
outskirts of Sunnydale. A spell, similar to a locator spell, pointed them
in this direction, but now that Buffy was here, she wasn’t sure if she could
do this. She was suddenly, desperately, wishing for her trusty hammer that
she’d had, but even if she did have it, she wasn’t strong enough to lift it
anyway.

That’s what scared her the most. She was at full strength when she died.
Now, she was little more than a girl. She had strength and she had speed,
but the Slayer part of her felt like it was gone. She didn’t have the
confidence she had when sparring with Spike and Angel.

“Are you ready?” Angel asked softly, standing slightly behind her.

“It’s now or never, right?” Buffy replied, trying to smile before turning
and kicking the door in. Okay, so maybe she did have a lot more strength
than the average girl, but she was still nervous.

“It’ll come back to you, luv,” Spike whispered, standing opposite Angel.

Buffy nodded but was soon distracted as Glory’s minions came rushing at
her. “Let’s do this,” she said, a grin appearing on her lips as the three
of them backed away from the door, staying close together in the open land.

Buffy fought, almost lazily, as she kept an eye on the door, waiting for
Glory to appear. She found herself smiling when Cordy, Gunn, and Xander
appeared behind the minions that they were fighting, taking them by surprise
and dispersing the numbers.

“Well, this was certainly rude,” a voice announced from the direction of the
house.

Buffy quickly killed one of the followers before turning her full attention
to the Hell-God. “What can I say,” Buffy replied with a shrug. “I like a
big entrance. Or exit, in your case.”

“Look at the brave little warrior girl,” Glory said mockingly as she put
her hand over her heart. “Coming all the way here to scare me with two
vampires and a handful of worthless friends.”

“This is who we’re supposed to be scared of?” Cordy asked with a smirk.

“Pathetic, isn’t it?” Xander replied with a laugh as Buffy suppressed a
smile at the outraged look on Glory’s face.

“Come on,” Cordy said, rolling her eyes. “I was tougher than this chick when
I was in high school.”

Buffy didn’t have time to be amused at Glory’s expression before she
attacked her. Taken by surprise, Glory was quickly thrown off as Buffy went
into full Slayer mode. The moves came back to her with a force as she fought- flying kick, right
hook, spin kick to the stomach. Buffy could feel the adrenaline coursing
through her, but began to get nervous as Glory seemed to remember who she
was up against.

With a solid hit to Buffy’s stomach, Buffy was sent flying back at least
twenty feet. She painfully got to her feet, wincing at the pain that seemed
to explode through her body as Xander came running over to assist her.
Buffy turned to see Spike and Angel both lunge at Glory, taking her by
surprise as they relentlessly struck out at her.

Buffy looked around, breathing heavily as she tried to spot Willow.
“Xander, where are they?”

“They’re working on it, Buff. It could take some time.”

“We don’t have time. I thought they were ready.”

“Cordy went to check on them- she should be back soon.”

Buffy took a step forward when she felt Xander’s hand on her arm. “Let me
go, Xander. They need my help.”

“Buffy, you’re hurt, you’re no match for her right now. If you try to fight
her now, you could die.”

“Yeah, and if I don’t try to fight her now, they’re going to die. I’m
going.”

“Is this all you got?” Glory asked, advancing on Buffy, leaving two bruised
and bleeding vampires behind her. “Because, I gotta tell you, it’s not very
effective.”

“I’m rash and impulsive,” Buffy said with a shrug. “It’s a flaw.”

Buffy made it a few steps before a powerful voice seemed to bellow out of
the darkness. “Discede!”

Buffy watched as Glory disappeared, Willow and the others jogging over to
Buffy. “Well, you’ve certainly gotten more powerful with that spell,” Buffy
commented, bracing her hand against her back as they walked over to where Spike and Angel
were painfully standing. “But what happened to the plan?”

“It’s going to take a little longer, and it may be a little more
unpredictable than we originally planned,” Tara said softly.

“Oh boy,” Buffy said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Just the kind of
thing you want to hear when it comes to a spell…unpredictable.”

Spike hurriedly made his way to Buffy, taking her face in his hands. “Are
you alright?”

“You’re the one bleeding, and you’re asking me if I’m alright?” Buffy asked
with a soft smile.

“Because no matter how much I bleed, I’m not in danger of dying as a result of
internal injuries,” he replied with a worried expression.

“I’ll be fine. I guess we’re about to find out if my Slayer healing is
still fully intact.”

“So, where is she?” Angel asked, looking around.

“She’s close,” Wesley said, keeping an eye on the surroundings.

“We should get started again,” Giles said softly.

“Yeah,” Willow agreed. “Let’s hurry.”

Chapter 21 – Light Show


Their break from Glory was short-lived. Ten minutes after she had
disappeared, she seemed to come out of nowhere as Buffy caught a square hit
to the jaw. Staggering backwards, Buffy fought the stars that were dancing
in front of her eyes as Glory advanced on her again. “Did you really think
that would work?” she asked, kicking Buffy in the stomach, sending her flying
into the brick siding of the house.

“I think it worked just fine,” Buffy replied, painfully climbing to her feet
as Angel grabbed Glory from behind while Spike managed to get some hits in.
“Come on, Willow,” Buffy murmured, joining in the fight again.

Gunn and Cordy did their best to draw Glory’s attention away from her main
threats, but they were failing. Buffy gasped as Glory grabbed both Spike
and Angel by their necks, spinning slightly to throw them as
far away as possible.

“Your boyfriends are getting on my nerves,” she said, raising an eyebrow at
Buffy.

Ducking a punch, Buffy swept her legs out from under her, proud when she
knocked her off her feet. “First of all,” Buffy started, landing a hard
kick to her head and smiling. “Only one of them is my boyfriend.
Secondly,” she continued with another kick. “If you would just die, like a
good little Hellbitch, then we could all go on our merry way.”

“You can’t kill me,” Glory said with a laugh, catching Buffy’s foot and
throwing her backwards.

Buffy managed to flip herself, landing upright to stand face to face with
Glory again. She could see Spike and Angel, painfully trying to get closer
without being seen, but everyone soon became distracted as lightening
flashed dangerously close to them.

“Here we go,” Buffy said softly, knowing what she had to do as a portal
began to open.

“Buffy!” Spike yelled as Buffy advanced on Glory again, punching her in the
jaw before taking a few steps back, needing to distance herself for the time
being.

“What’s this? A little light show?” she asked with a sardonic smile.

“Something like that,” Buffy replied, watching as the portal got bigger.
Taking a deep breath when it reached its full-size, Buffy began running at
Glory, seconds before she felt the wind knocked out of her as she landed on
the ground. “Spike?” she asked in confusion as she looked around before
her eyes widened at the sight before her. “SPIKE!”

She jumped to her feet as Spike managed to wrap both arms around Glory’s
waist, using his momentum to propel them both into the portal.

“NO!” Buffy screamed as she ran for it, screaming when she felt Angel tackle
her to the ground as the portal closed. “Let me go!” she screamed, trying
to struggle out of his strong grasp.

Angel checked to make sure it was closed before releasing his hold. Buffy
ran for the area that Spike had disappeared, dropping to her knees, her body
shaking with sobs as she clutched at the grass.

The rest of the group ran toward them worriedly.

“Did it…” Willow trailed off as she looked at Buffy. “Oh Goddess, what
happened?”

“Spike,” Cordy mumbled as everyone stared in shock. “Spike jumped in…took
Glory with him.”

Buffy suddenly seemed to realize everyone was there as she jumped up, tears
streaking down her face. “Willow! You have to find him. You and Tara, you
can do it, right? You can bring him home?”

“Buffy,” Giles said gently, taking a step forward to put a hand on her
shoulder. “We chose that particular portal because there is no way to
return from it.”

“It’s possible that he…” Wesley began, taking a deep breath before he continued.
“It’s possible he didn’t even survive.”

“No,” Buffy said firmly, shaking her head. “You can find him, Willow,
please,” she begged, her body convulsing in tears again. “Please!”

Tara whispered something to Willow, who nodded her agreement.

“Buffy,” Tara began, swallowing hard as she continued. “We can see
where he is…if he survived. But there’s no way to bring him back.”

Buffy took a shaky breath as Xander wrapped a comforting arm around her
shoulders. “Do it,” she said forcefully.

“Buffy, you have to understand, it will practically be a glimpse,” Willow
said gently. “We’ll be lucky if we can keep the spell working for more than
five minutes.”

“Please, Willow,” Buffy begged. “Please just find him.”

Willow, Tara, Wesley, and Giles quickly arranged the crystals they had used
for the earlier spell as Willow brought out a book of spells.

Several minutes that felt like hours to Buffy, passed before they began
chanting. Buffy nervously wrung her hands as she began pacing, silently
willing them to work faster. After ten nerve-wracking minutes, Willow
gasped as she looked into the area the crystals were surrounding. “Oh my
God.”

“What?” Buffy asked, practically flying toward the group. “What?” she asked
again, the desperation evident in her voice.

“He’s not in the dimension,” Tara murmured as they struggled to keep the
spell working.

“Where is he?” she asked as Angel came to stand behind her, looking over her
shoulder as they stared at a very confused Spike, who was pacing in front of
a strange-looking man and woman.

“Where the bloody hell am I?” His voice had a tin-like quality, as if they
were listening to him through a wall- which they technically were.

Buffy let a small smile come to her lips, happy that he survived and
didn’t seem to be in any immediate danger.

“The Oracles,” Angel said in shock.

“The what?” Buffy asked, turning to face him for a brief second.

“They’re kind of…they’re like the spokespeople for the Powers That Be.”

“I-I don’t understand,” Buffy said, looking at Spike’s image. “Is he in
danger?”

“I don’t think so,” Angel said softly as he watched.

“Shhh,” Wesley commanded as they began listening to the conversation.

“You have done a very noble deed, lower being,” the woman said, circling
Spike slowly.

“Is that right?” Spike asked skeptically as he kept an eye on both of them.
“What’s it to you?”

“To us?” the man asked. “Nothing. The question you should be asking is,
how does it affect you?”

“Alright then, I’ll bite…how does it affect me?”

“You have sacrificed yourself to save the woman you love,” the woman said
with a bored expression. “For a soulless demon such as yourself, this is a
huge accomplishment. For it, you shall be rewarded.”

Spike raised his eyebrow skeptically. “So…do I get to be a real boy?” he
asked in a mocking tone. “Get to go all Shanshu, like Peaches is always
going on about?”

“No,” the man replied. “The Shanshu prophecy is for the vampire with a
soul. You have no soul.”

“What’s in it for me, then?” Spike asked, still doubtful.

“We have an offer for you.”

“You mean I don’t get to pick what I want?” Spike asked with a smile.

“Perhaps,” the woman said. “But our offer is this: you live out the rest of
your days with the woman you love.”

“And when she dies?” Spike asked, his brow furrowed.

“When she dies, you live on. The offer is not to become human…merely to
exist again.”

“Is this the only option?” Spike asked.

“Here is another,” the man replied. “You live. When she dies, you die as
well.”

Spike closed his eyes, clenching his jaw. “And be separated for eternity?”

“That is not for us to decide.”

“What is your answer?” the woman asked.

Spike stared down at the ground, his jaw tightening as he came to a decision. “No.”

Buffy felt as if her heart was stopping as the spell broke. “Can you get it
back?” she asked desperately, already knowing the answer. The group was
exhausted. Willow would be lucky to do a simple levitation spell the way
she looked.

“He said no,” Buffy murmured, her tears returning in full force. “How could
he say no?” she asked, turning away as she nearly collapsed.

Angel quickly caught her in his arms, seconds before she lost consciousness.

* * * * *

Buffy opened her eyes, feeling the pain tear through her heart as she looked
around her old house.

“Are you okay?” Willow asked nervously.

“No,” Buffy said, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks as she sat up to face
everyone in the living room. “I’m not okay…how could he? I thought he
loved me,” Buffy whispered as her body shook. Willow and Tara quickly sat
on each side of her, offering her all the comfort they could.

“I’m sure he had his reasons,” Cordelia said softly, leaning forward in her
chair as a soft knock sounded on the door.

Giles went to answer it. “Dear Lord!”

Everyone turned in time to see Spike walk into the living room. Buffy
stared in shock, seconds before leaping to her feet and flinging herself at
the blonde vampire. He caught her, bringing her close to his body and
wrapping her in a tight hug as his face buried in her hair.

“You’re here,” Buffy said softly, pulling back slightly to look at him as
everyone stared in surprise. “It’s really you?”

“It’s me, baby,” he whispered, his voice sounding exhausted. “Can we talk
outside for a few minutes?”

Buffy nodded, walking out of the house with him, waiting until the door shut
behind him before letting a punch fly to land solidly on his nose.

”Bloody hell! What’d you do that for?”

“I saw you,” Buffy cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I saw
the…whatever they were, make you an offer. TWO actually, and you turned them down.”

“I’m here, aren’t I, luv?”

Buffy let the tears continue to fall as she pulled him closer to her,
sobbing into his chest. “You scared me to death,” she whispered.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“You should be gone, Spike. You jumped into that portal, and you had no
intention of coming back. How could you do that?”

Spike pulled back to cup her face in his hands. “Because I couldn’t let
you do it…not again.”

“Then how are you here? Are you human?”

“No,” Spike said, shaking his head. “That wasn’t part of the deal. In
fact…I’m still one hundred percent vampire, nothing was done to me.”

“Then…what was the deal?” Buffy asked in confusion.

“It was for you,” he said softly, almost ashamed.

“For me?”

“Buffy, I wasn’t thinking clearly, and I didn’t even stop to think about-“

“Spike! What was it?” she asked, turning his eyes toward hers.

“You’re Immortal.”

Chapter 22 – Immortality


“Immortal,” Buffy repeated in confusion. “Like…I’m going to live forever-
Immortal?”

“God, Buffy, I’m so sorry! I was just being selfish, and I didn’t think how
this may affect you, and I-“

“Spike!” Buffy yelled, interrupting his rant. “Am I going to live forever?”

“Yes,” Spike said softly, averting his eyes.

Buffy stood in shock for a few seconds before practically assaulting his
lips with hers.

Spike stumbled backward into the railing of the porch before wrapping his
arms around her small waist. Pulling Buffy closer to him, his tongue brushing
against hers, eliciting a moan from her as her arms wrapped around his neck.
Buffy slowly pulled away, lightly sucking on Spike’s bottom lip before
separating.

“So, I take it by that little display, you’re not angry with me,” Spike said
with a soft smile as he played with her hair.

“I get to be with you,” Buffy said softly. “That’s all that matters.”

“And if you outlive everyone-“

“I might do that anyway,” Buffy murmured. “I’ll have you.”


* * * * *

An hour later, after an exhaustive talk with the rest of the group, Buffy
and Spike finally made their way up to Buffy’s old bedroom.

The sun was about to rise as Buffy slowly removed her clothes before
falling into the bed with a sigh. Spike stared at the beautiful woman in
front of him as he removed his shirt. Various bruises and shallow cuts
covered both of them, but neither noticed as Spike crawled into bed next to
her.

“So,” he said softly, tracing a hand along her shoulder. “I’m guessing
you’re too tired to do anything tonight,” he finished with a smile.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding,” Buffy said with a giggle as she rolled
over to straddle his naked body. “We just had the battle of a lifetime, and
I didn’t get the killing blow,” she said with a smile. “I have some
frustration to work off.”

Spike growled as she rocked her hips against his, teasing him as she brushed
against his painfully hard erection. She slowly leaned forward, claiming
his mouth as she let her fingernails scratch lightly along the ridges of his
abdomen.

Buffy broke away from his lips, proceeding to kiss her way down his body, his
stomach tensing and releasing as she ran her tongue along his abs. His hips
raised toward her, causing her to look up with a smile as his fingers
tangled in her hair as he stared into her eyes.

She slowly trailed downward before being jerked up his body and flipped
over. She gasped as she found herself pinned against the mattress, his lips
capturing hers in an emotional kiss as he slowly left her lips to move down
her body.

“I was going to do this for you,” Buffy panted softly as he ran his tongue
along her stomach, letting it dip in her navel as he smiled.

“What can I say?” he asked with a playful shrug. “I couldn’t help myself.”

Buffy gasped as he gently bit her inner thigh with his blunt teeth before
letting his tongue slip out to taste her. Separating her folds, Buffy
moaned as her fingers weaved through his hair before his tongue delved into
her depths. Buffy cried out in pleasure as her hips arched off the bed,
writhing against him as his hands slipped around her body to pull her even
closer to him.

Her orgasm seemed to crash into her as he continued to worship her with his
talented tongue. She tried to control her cries of pleasure as his hand
moved to her stomach, trying to draw out her climax before she finally
seemed to collapse beneath him.

He smiled as he crawled up her body, meeting her lips in a tender kiss as he
pressed his rigid shaft against her thigh. Breaking away, Buffy reached her
hand in between their bodies as she positioned him at her opening, arching
her hips slightly to give him the not-so-subtle hint.

Spike thrust into her wet opening, both moaning at the contact. Buffy let
her hands come up to his shoulders, pulling him toward her for another kiss
as his hand came up to catch one of hers, interlacing their fingers.

Buffy smiled at the tender gesture as Spike took long, sure strokes, causing
Buffy to arch against him, needing to feel more.

His other hand slowly caught hers, pinning both of her hands to the mattress
next to her face as he continued to move inside of her. Buffy realized what
he was doing as he crushed his lips to hers. He was trying to dissuade the
demon from coming to the surface by being more dominant than usual.

Buffy moaned as the tightening in her body was threatening to release.
“Please, Spike,” she whispered, frantically pushing against him.

The whispered request was too much for Spike as his demon flashed to the
surface. He quickly turned his head away so Buffy wouldn’t have to see.

“Spike,” she moaned, causing him to look at her against his better
judgment. “Kiss me.”

“Buffy-“

“Just kiss me.”

Closing his eyes, his lips met hers, the demon battling for control as his
fangs brushed against her lips, lightly scratching them. Breaking away,
Spike shook his head, not sure how long he could control himself with the
slight tang of her blood that coated his tongue.

“Spike, I love you,” Buffy whispered, causing his yellow eyes to turn back
to her. “I love all of you. It doesn’t bother me.”

Spike could feel himself begin to lose control as Buffy bared her neck to
him. “Please,” she said softly.

It nearly sent him over the edge as he sunk his fangs into her neck, pulling
lightly at her blood and sending them both soaring into powerful orgasms.
Buffy screamed out in pleasure, calling out Spike’s name as he emptied
himself inside of her.

Breaking away, their movements stilled as Spike’s forehead pressed against
hers, his human face now firmly in place. He could hear her heartbeat
frantically trying to slow down as her breathing became more controlled.

After a moment, Spike went back to her neck, lightly cleaning the wound that
he had reopened. Buffy moaned at the soft feel of his tongue brushing over
her skin. Pulling out of her after a moment, Spike rolled them so Buffy was
lying on his chest, keeping her as close to him as possible.

“I get this forever?” Buffy asked with a smile as Spike looked down into her
vivid eyes.

“Absolutely,” he murmured, pressing his lips to hers in a soft, tender kiss.

“I love you, Spike,” Buffy whispered when they broke away.

“I love you. Happy birthday, Buffy.” She looked at him in confusion.
“It’s technically May twenty-second,” he said, gesturing to the faint glow
of sunlight that was radiating around the curtains. “Happy birthday.”

Epilogue


5 Years Later


“We really need to go see Dawnie soon,” Buffy said as she and Spike walked
through one of the cemeteries in downtown Los Angeles, hand in hand.

“I know, luv. We’ll go back to Sunnyhell soon.”

Buffy and Spike were now living in the Hyperion with Cordelia and a newly
human Angel. After averting, yet another, apocalypse two years before,
Angel had finally been rewarded with the Shanshu prophecy. He and Cordelia
were still helping to fight the good fight, but Buffy and Spike tried to
patrol every night, wanting to give the two of them a break from fighting so
often.

Connor had graduated from Yale and was a successful lawyer. Working at Wolfram and Hart and trying to turn the place around from the inside.

Xander and Anya made it a point to visit once a year, and Giles tried to come
back for Christmas each year. Willow and Tara had moved to San Francisco,
and all made an effort to get together at least once a month.

Coming to a stop, Spike turned and lifted Buffy up onto a tombstone before
slipping between her legs, resting his hands on her thighs he leaned
forward, capturing her lips in a tender kiss as her hands came up to wrap
around his neck. Pulling away after a moment, Spike looked deeply into her
eyes. The green looked almost charcoal in the moonlight, and he found
himself mesmerized with the color.

Buffy still looked the way she had five years ago. Her hair was longer, and
she had lost a little weight as a result of so many nights patrolling and
‘working out’ with Spike, but she was still the Buffy he had fallen in love
with.

Now, as he ran his fingers through her long hair, Spike took a deep breath
as he looked at her. “I still can’t believe you want to be with me,” he
murmured, watching as the strands fell from his fingertips to land on her
shoulders.

“Of course I want to be with you, silly,” she said with a smile as Spike
looked at her thoughtfully. “Spike, you looked after my sister after I
died. You’ve been there for me every step of the way, and you were willing
to die to save me. That, in my book, makes you one of a kind.”

Spike smiled as he tilted his head to study her. “I don’t think I’m the
‘one of a kind’ person in this relationship, luv.”

“That’s a matter of opinion,” Buffy said, grabbing the collar of his duster
to pull him toward her again.

“Is that right?” Spike asked softly, a smile spreading on his face as he
gently teased her, brushing his lips against hers but never giving her full
contact.

“Yes,” Buffy replied with her own smile. “That’s right.”

Buffy jerked Spike forward, capturing his lips with hers as his arms wrapped
around her body, practically melting together as they completed each other.



THE END



A/N Well, another one down. I don’t know if I’ll have a sequel to this one. I’m very proud of how the storyline progressed, but it caused me a lot of writer’s block and headaches and I honestly don’t have any ideas for a sequel. I will have another vampire fic, set in early season 2, posted soon. Keep an eye on that and thank you to everyone who supported this story!