By Ripe Wicked Plum

Buffy's head shot up when she heard them, nearly screaming herself as she sprinted up the stairs.

She threw open the door, then was thrown back as bright, green light seemed to shoot out at her, and she threw her hands over her face, "SPIKE! DAWN!"

Everything in her was pain. Bright, hot, searing pain. Dawn's hazel eyes were opened wide, unseeing as she felt her essence leaving her as she and Spike were bathed in a haze of green light.

His body was completely rigid as he jerked beside her, screaming as she was at the pain.

Then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. Then it was silent.

Buffy lifted her hands away from her face as Giles appeared beside her, her eyes wide, "Oh God...Dawn...Spike..."

Giles helped her to her feet as she stared at the doorway, swallowing heavily before forcing her leaden feet to move, expecting to see carnage and blood.

Instead, she saw Dawn lying across Spike's abdomen, her eyes closed as tears poured from beneath the lids. Spike was staring up at the ceiling, his eyes blank, and nothing moved to show he still lived.

"Dawn!" Buffy rushed to her sister's side, and the girl weakly lifted her head, wincing as the movement sent fresh pain coursing through her. "Sp...Spike..."

"Shh," Buffy lifted her up and Dawn wrapped her arms around her neck, holding on like a child as Buffy kept her head in a tight grip, preventing her from seeing him. "Buffy...what's wrong with Spike? I did something to him...oh...God..."

"Sh," She closed her eyes, bouncing her slightly, "It's okay, baby."

"No!" Dawn tore away from her sister, falling to the ground since her legs seemed unable to hold her weight. Dawn sobbed when she saw him, "Oh God...I broke him...I hurt him, Buffy..."

Buffy reached for her, but Dawn shied away, sitting next to Spike on the bed, her hand reaching out for his face as she cried, and then screamed as his hand shot out and grabbed her hand before it could touch him.

He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his mind, and his eyes focused on Dawn as she stared at him with wide eyes, frowning slightly, "What's wrong?"

"Sp-Spike...?"

His frown deepened as he sat up, then groaned, clutching his head, "UGH! I feel like a truck hit me..."

"Oh my God!"

Spike looked towards Buffy, seeing the stricken look on her face, "All right...I'll bite...what did I do now?"

Giles stood in the doorway, a strange look on his face as Buffy turned towards him, "Giles...what the hell happened...?"

"I...uh..." He shook his head, staring at Dawn, "Who are...you?" He shook his head again, his eyes seeming to clear, "Dawn...sorry...I...blinked out a minute there..."

Spike looked around, confused, "Will someone bloody tell me why we're at the Watcher's house?"

Buffy tore her gaze away from her bewildered Watcher as Spike turned towards her, and she frowned slightly, cocking her head as she studied his eyes, "You're...you..."

"Uh...yeah. I'm pretty sure that...that..." His eyes widened slightly, "The house...Glory..."

"She blew it up..." Dawn told him, threading her hand with his, and he looked down at her, "She brainsucked you..."

"She...seems...to have cured him...of his...ailment..." Giles stammered, and Buffy allowed a small smile to come to her face, "So, that's what a Key does."

"Um...hello...paging Dr. Clue-me-in...what the hell happened here?"

"We...were playing and I touched your head...and then...whoosh!" Dawn threw her arms open dramatically, "Big green light...and lotsa pain..."

"Pain bit I remember," Spike shook his head, trying to recall all that had happened, but everything between being 'brainsucked', as Dawn put it, by Glory, and the present, was a large, drawn out blank. "How long?"

"Two...three weeks," Buffy told him softly, her hand sliding to the stake in her sleeve, "Dawn, get out..."

"But..."

"Come along, Dawn...let Buffy speak to him..." Giles gestured for her, seeing the look in Buffy's eyes. It was her resolve face. Dawn looked back at Spike, and he grinned when she kissed his cheek before darting out with Giles.

He looked after her, and as soon as the door closed, flopped back on the bed with a groan, pressing the heels of his palms against his eyes, "Fucking A! Whatever the chit did to me 'urts like hell!"

Buffy moved silently to his side, and he lifted his hands when he felt the point of a stake being pressed against his chest, raising an eyebrow at Buffy, "Kinky."

"Not funny," She put a little pressure on it, biting the inside of her cheek as he drew in breath sharply, "Slayer..."

"The chip, Spike...it's not working anymore..."

"Well...shit...I was kinda hoping you wouldn't find out about that..."

"How long?" She asked his question from before, and he looked up at her, grinning somewhat sheepishly, "Some of those Intiative buggers never skipped town...and uh...well...after...the de-invite...I kinda paid one to remove it for me..."

"Why?"

"Well...I'd be lying if I said I didn't consider killing you..." He hissed when she pressed down sharply, glaring at her, "If I was, I would have bleeding done it by now and not get myself nearly killed by that fucking bitch!"

"Why did you lie to me?" She asked softly, easing up the pressure a bit.

"You never asked."

She glared at him, and he sighed, "Luv...seriously...how long would you have let me live after you found out that it was gone? I prefer myself non-dusty, thank you very much."

"You slept with me and you didn't tell me!" She accused him, "Why not then?"

"Cause I was going to bloody kiss up to you with bloody dinner, flowers and a fuckload of candles, then tell you," He told her calmly, "Course...then came the brain-sucking and unimaginable pain...of which you are not helping by pressing pointy objects against me."

"Oh..."She frowned, lifting her stake, and he sighed in relief. "If you had tried to fight me, I would have done it," She told him, and he grinned evilly, "I know."

"Wha--!?" She yelped as he grabbed her by the shoulders, and pinned her body beneath his. "Course...you woulda missed me..."

She swallowed her sigh of relief, "Not likely."

"Admit it, Slayer...you love me..."

"I already told you that, but stupid male that you are, you forgot..." She smiled at the shocked expression on his face, brushing her fingers across his lips, "You should get some sleep..."

Spike raised an eyebrow, "Funny thing about having a woman who just said...in a roundabout way, I might add...who just said she loved you at your mercy that makes a bloke not very sleepy."

"Probably all those Knights you ate..."

He blinked in surprise, "Huh?"

"Never mind...talk later..." She pulled his head down to hers, kissing him deeply. When Spike lifted his head again, his eyes were nearly black with passion, "Buffy..."

"Spike...you were right...I would've missed you..."

Dawn and Giles exchanged a look as Buffy came down in the late afternoon, her hair mussed, and her eyes slightly glazed. "Morning," She muttered, opening the fridge and taking out the orange juice. She chugged the entire container before sitting at the table, and Giles shook his head as she shifted her position on the chair several times before perching on her thigh.

She saw the looks they were giving her, "What?"

"Jeez, Buff...you think you'd give the guy a few hours to recuperate," Dawn remarked, and Buffy scowled at her before looking towards Giles, "What happened, exactly?"

"Uh...well...after hearing Dawn's story..." Among other things, he thought, shuddering slightly. He definitiatly needed to get them out of his home, "I think...that she's...a counteracting agent to Glory..."

"Huh?"

"She sucks, I fill," Dawn simplified for her, and Buffy nodded, "All right...cool...so you can heal nutso people."

Spike bounced down the stairs right then, wide grin on his face as he kissed Buffy's head, and ruffled Dawn's hair, who let him slide on that, at least, just this once.

"I think I prefered you insane," Giles muttered dryly, but Spike only grinned at him, "Face it, Watcher...I'm back for good this time. Christ...I feel like I could rip the bint's arms off and beat her to death with them," He said chirply as he put a mug of blood in the microwave.

"Well, at least he isn't putting Weeta--" Buffy grimaced as she watched Spike crush crackers into his blood, "All right...scratch that. At least he isn't eating toothpaste."

"What? I like the bubble gum flavor," He protested, "Besides...it's not like it's going to make toothbrushes grow in my stomach! What else were you trying to corrupt me when I was impressionable?"

"Ah...getting your memory back?" Giles asked, and Spike shrugged, "Bits and pieces here and there..." He glanced at Buffy, "Oh, and remind me to kill the whelp for the whole Dru Jr. thing..."

"Spike, as one of the chipless, idle threats are not so idle anymore," Buffy warned, eyes narrowing slightly, and he rolled his eyes, "Like I would anyhow. The demon girl probably has a few tricks up her sleeve, and I don't fancy becoming like good ol' Olaf."

"Good...remember that," Buffy muttered, then smiled as he lifted her up and took her seat before settling her on his lap, "So, what else I miss?"

"Not much...we're once more at the point of getting ourselves back together," She sighed deeply, snuggling against him comfortably and glaring at her sister as she gagged. "She's a counter-acting thingy..."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that out during the intense pain," Spike smiled at Dawn, "Thanks, luv, I owe you."

Dawn nodded, glancing at Giles, "So...those poor people in the hospital..."

"No!" All three said in unison, and she blinked in surprise, "What? But I can help them!"

"Yeah, but we don't know what it does to you, nibblet," Spike told her, "You can't do something like that without consquences..."

Dawn rolled her eyes, "I didn't explode or nuthin'...what could go wrong?"

"Exactly what we're not going to find out," Buffy said firmly.

Dawn grumbled beneath her breath as Anya and Xander walked in the front door, and Giles sighed, "Knocking...fairly simple procedure..."

Xander grinned at him as he looked towards Spike and Buffy, "Hey, Buff...hey Spike...did ya start talking to the dollies yet?"

Spike growled, flipping him off, "Go fuck yourself, Harris..."

"Whoa!" His eyes widened, "That's not right..."

"I healed him," Dawn said proudly, and Xander's mouth dropped open, "You...healed him?"

"Yep."

Xander shook his head, then frowned, "If he's all healed up, why is Buffy sitting on his lap?"

"You didn't tell them?"

"Oh...they know," Buffy told him, "Just not Xander."

"Not Xander what?"

"Spike and Buffy are doing it..."

"Dawn!"

"Nibblet!"

"WHAT?!"

Anya patted her boyfriend on the shoulder, and he forced himself into composure, "All right...I can handle this...Buffy's screwing the undead...again...that's not so bad...at least he can't kill us with the chip..."

"Oh...um...about the chip..." Buffy started, then grinned sheepishly at her friend.

Xander stared at her in shock, and then his eyes rolled back in his head as he fainted.

Spike stared down at his body, "You know...of all the possible reactions I thought he would have had...that wasn't one of them."

Anya shook her head, "He did that when I told him I missed a period."

Buffy's head whipped towards her, and she frowned, "What? It was a false alarm."

"Thank God," Giles muttered beneath his breath, "Talk about diving into the shallow end of the gene pool..."

Glory lay listelessly on her divan, staring blankly at the ceiling as her minions milled about her, awaiting orders that never came.

Her entire life was destroyed...she had blown up her own Key, Ben had torched all her clothing, and the Slayer's little bitch sister had torched her hair...

Glory whimpered as she touched her shorn locks. She actually heard a kid ask if Ray Charles had done her hair...that was just before she ripped his throat out.

Finally, Murk sidled up to her, scaping and bowing, "O most beautous and beneficient one...will you not...partake in a bubble bath, perhaps? That always seems to soothe you..."

Glory considered this for several mintues, then sighed heavily, "No...I'm waaayyy too depressed for bubbles...do you think they make Hell-God prozac?"

The minions exchanged a look, "I don't think so, your magnifiance..."

Glory rolled her eyes, sitting up, "It's hopeless...that goddamn vampire ruined my life...and Ben...Ben...he's turned on me...he's taking his anger out on my poor, defenceless designer clothing..." She covered her face and wailed, "All I wanted to do was be free of this stupid body! Be allowed to have my full powers and all that! Is that so much to ask?! Huh?! Is it?! IS IT?!"

Spike smiled to himself as he curled his fingers around Buffy's, holding her hand tightly. She looked up at him and smiled back, raising an eyebrow as Dawn screeched, "I found my room!"

Spike chuckled, looking around the flat. It had four bedrooms, a fully functional kitchen, two bathrooms and a living room.

As soon as you walked in the door, you hit the main living room, taking up nearly the entire downstairs, save for the kitchen in the far corner. The floors were hard-wood, and not the cheap kind either, and the kitchen was a highly polished black marble and chrome.

The living room was furnished with two cream colored couches and a love seat, situated in front of an entertainment cabinent, and a fireplace of all things. Apparently the guy who owned it before, according to the landlady, was from the north and put it in to make himself feel more at home.

In the middle of the living a spiral staircase led to the upstairs and the bedrooms and bathrooms.

At the end of the hall, there was the main master bedroom, furnished with heavy oak furniture, a walk in closet and a tall, four-poster bed. The room Dawn was laying claim to was the only one with carpet, and was a peaches and cream color scheme.

Xander was looking around with a carpenter's eyes, while trying to keep one on Spike at the same time, overly cautisious of the vampire.

Spike caught his look, and rolled his eyes before looking at Buffy, "What do you think, luv?"

"It's...really...wow..." The Slayer was awed, and she looked up at her boyfriend, "Really...we shouldn't...it must be...really expensive..."

"Nonense," He scoffed, shaking his head, "It's really not that bad...and besides, I really doubt you'd have enjoyed living in a crypt all that much...you mortals really enjoy your running water and toilets..."

"Well, I gotta say, the floors are really well-crafted," Xander said begrudgingly, "The wooden furniture is a good quality oak you don't find that often anymore...all in all, fully furnished, I say it's a good deal."

"It's really fun getting a new place," Anya said to Spike and Buffy. "When Xander and I moved in together, we christened every room the first night..."

Dawn paled, "Even the guest room? Ew...I'm never staying at your house again..." She looked towards Buffy and Spike, "And my room is soooo off-limits..."

"Gotcha," Spike grinned, glancing at the landlady, who was waiting patiently, but eyeing her prospective tenents warily. They looked a little young to have a kid.

"Right...we'll take it then," Spike's grin widened as he took out a wad of cash, and Anya's eyes opened wide, "Whoa...Buffy, I'm stealing your boyfriend."

"Hands off, Demon girl," she wrapped her arm around Spike's waist, "I can cover the first six months right now, and the down payment..." He told the woman and she nodded eagerly, seeing them in an all new light. "Right...great doing business with you..."

Buffy let go of Spike to look around, her smile bright, and Spike groaned softly, "Stop that!"

"Stop what?" Buffy asked innocently as the landlady left, and Spike scowled, "You're already thinking of a million things to change it."

"So? I'm a woman, that's what I do..." She cocked her head critically, and Spike shook his head, "I can already see my money flying away with those little cartoon wings," He complained, and Buffy grinned, "You betcha, Spikey."

"Don't call me that," He growled at her, and Xander rolled his eyes as Buffy giggled when Spike wrapped his arms around her and nipped at her throat. "Gag me," He muttered.

Spike scowled at him as he let go of Buffy, "I need to go clothes shopping tonight," He told Buffy, looking down at his clothing, "If I have to spend another day in the Watcher's clothing, I'm going to stake myself."

Buffy giggled, "Yeah...tweed doesn't really scream, Spike, does it?" She teased, and Xander shuddered, "Saw Spike in tweed once...if it wasn't in a nightmare, I would have been having nightmares..."

"You dream about me wearing tweed?!"

"Um...that's not as bad as it sounded," Xander flushed, and Spike took a step away from him, "Riiighhhttt..."

"It's true...it was after we conjured up the first Slayer..."

"Honey...you're making the blood-sucking fiend uncomfortable," Anya said, taking Xander's arm and grinning at Buffy and Spike, "Now shoo...get on with the fornicating..."

Spike and Buffy exchanged a look as Dawn looked horrified, "Hey! This is a PG-13 audience, people!"

Buffy smiled as she watched Spike push a screaming Dawn through the parking lot of the grocery store in a shopping cart, shaking her head. "Children," She muttered to herself as she leaned against her mother's jeep, waiting for them to stop fooling around so they could get their shopping done.

"Buuufffffyyyy!" Dawn screamed as they passed her, and Spike was grinning as he let go of the cart, and Dawn hunched down, screeching before he caught it again.

Buffy rolled her eyes as she caught up with them, and took the cart from Spike, "You, out, and you, grow up."

"Don' wanna," Spike stuck his tongue out at her as he swung Dawn onto his back, and she wrapped her legs around his waist and arms around his neck. "Yeah, Buffy...stop being such a stiff."

"He's the stiff, I just want to eat sometime this century."

"Again with the dead jokes...really, pet...I'm wounded."

"Keep it up, and you really will be," She warned him, and Spike looked over his shoulder at Dawn, "I think she's just mad because she didn't get a turn in the cart."

Buffy rolled her eyes, but she couldn't keep from smiling. "Oh, shut up, and do what you do best."

Spike raised an eyebrow, then purred seductively, "And that would be...?"

"Buying stuff for us," She grinned at his disappointed look, "And the rest is strictly between me and you."

Dawn rolled her eyes, "Gawd! You two are worse then Anya!"

"Shall we fornicate later, Slayer?" Spike asked with a cheeky grin, and Buffy laughed, "Yes...we must participate in the human ritual of sweaty intercourse..."

A old lady stopped to stare at them, and Buffy blushed as Spike coughed uncomfortably, "Um...evening, ma'am..."

"Oh...come on, Spike! At least take this opportunity to join the rest of us in the year 2000!"

"Slayer, when I changed my wardrobe last time, you didn't say a bloody word...you lost your chance," Spike told her, holding several pairs of silk, red shirts to his chest protectively, trying to fend off her attempts at clothing him, "And I was in khakis...me! Khakis, for Chrissakes!"

"Oh...please?" She held up a blue silk shirt, "It brings out your eyes!"

"No, it doesn't...it's a nancy-boy color, and I'm not wearing it..."

"What? And red isn't?"

"Nothing's wrong with red," He said indiginitly, "I like red. Red is a good color to wear...and you're not dressing me up like Rainbow-bloody-Bright!"

"Fine...what about green? You look good in green..."

"Slayer..."

"You wore green the day you said you loved me," Buffy pouted, "Remember? And that brown leather jacket..."

"Yeah? And then you brutally rejected me...hmm...yes, let's bring up reminders of that night!"

"Dawn, help me out here..."

"Dawn, go look at the magazines!"

Dawn looked at them, and rolled her eyes, "I'll be in the CD section when you Wal-Mart queens finish." The girl wisely beat a hasty retreat, leaving the two blonds glaring at each other.

"It's my bloody money and I'm not spending it on that!"

"Please, pretty please? With Buffy on top?"

"Put the shirt down and slowly back away from the rack."

Buffy pouted, and started to do just that, "Fine...but you look ultra-sexy in blue..."

"Don't even..."

She turned to face him, her pout deepening, "You know...if you bought that shirt, it would make me very, very, very happy, and when I'm very, very, very happy, Spike gets a very, very, very happy...catching my drift here, baby?"

Spike's eyes widened slightly as she leaned against him, and cupped his hard-on through his jeans, "And I'm sure little Spike will appreciate it later..."

Spike glared at her, grabbing a blue and green shirt and tossed them in the basket, "I hate you."

"No, you don't," Buffy answered cheerfully, "You love me more then unlife itself."

"Yeah...so? You're still using sex against me, you manipulative little chit," Spike muttered, then groaned as she passed the black jeans and headed for the khakis, "And that, folks, is the bloody start of a friggin' bad trend..."

Buffy snuggled against Spike as they sat on the floor in front of the fireplace, and she smiled to herself as she looked at the mantle, where the one picture of her mother that she had managed to save from her home sat.

Spike glanced at her before nuzzling her throat, "Quarter for your thoughts, luv..."

"That's penny," She corrected, and he chuckled, "Yeah, but nothing about you is cheap, pet...believe me, I know that first hand."

She smacked his arm playfully, then cuddled deeper into his embrace as his fingers slowly stroked her arm. "I don't know...I was just thinking...about everything..."

"That's a lot of ground to cover," He pointed out, and she sighed, "I was thinking about mom, mostly..."

"Oh..." He lapsed into silence for a few moments, "Want to talk about it?"

She shrugged slightly, "I don't know...ever since...she died...I felt like it was wrong to laugh or to go on with my life again..."

"You shouldn't feel like that, luv," He kissed her cheek lovingly, "It's not wrong to move on with your life."

"I know, I know," Buffy sighed again, "But in the old...house...it was...hard, you know? Because everything reminded me of her...it didn't feel like...a home anymore...there was no more...real laughter or happiness...because, in the back of my mind, I felt like it was wrong to feel like that..."

Spike nodded slowly, waiting for her to elaborate.

"You know...after mom died, I didn't hear Dawn laugh till you showed up? What is it about you that made us a family?"

Spike tightened his grip on her, smiling happily, "Don't know, luv...maybe you just needed someone to be there...someone who would listen and not try to tell you everything would be fine...that tomorrow is another day...stupid shit like that, when we both knew that it wasn't going to be like that..."

Buffy nodded, "Yeah...I guess you were like that," She said softly, "But even after...everything still seemed...difficult...more hard to handle..." She looked around their new home, shaking her head slightly. Dawn's schoolbooks were laying on the couch where she had left them, and there were still dishes in the sink from dinner. Buffy's shoes lay in the foyer next to Spike's boots, and there were stakes sitting in a bag by the door.

"Maybe we needed this..."

"Needed what?"

"A...I don't know...a new beginning...starting fresh...a new place with new memories...a place that we could fill with laughter and happiness and tears without worrying about misplacing the old ones. Some place...that was just our own..."

Spike smiled, resting his head on her shoulder, "Maybe you did," He agreed, brushing a strand of golden hair out of her eyes, "I'm just glad I could give it too you..."

"You did more then that, Spike," She closed her eyes as she leaned against him, "You helped me make it...to get past the pain and the grief...'course, you gave up your one good day for it..."

"Buffy," She immediately turned her full attention to him. She loved it when he said her name. "Everyday that you're here...with me...is my good day...if you're ever...feeling the pull of your deathwish...tell me...and then I'll beat some sense into you."

Buffy giggled, "That was sweet...up to the threat of a beating," She told him, and Spike brushed his lips across hers, "I mean it, luv...you're my everything...I couldn't live..." he held up his hand before she could interrupt him, "Or unlive without you..."

She smiled as she leaned back against his chest, closing her eyes, "Same here," She whispered softly, "I love you, Spike..."

"Love you more," He muttered, and she sighed, "It isn't a competition...besides...I love you infinity..."

"Infinity plus one..."

"There's no such thing as infinity plus one!"

Spike chuckled, and she shrieked happily as he stood, scooping her into his arms, "There is now," He argued as he carried her towards the staircase, and Buffy giggled, "Prove it..."

"Oh, I intend too, Slayer...I'll prove it till you can't walk anymore..."

"Promise?" Buffy's voice had gone quiet suddenly, and Spike smiled as he kissed her forehead, "I'll prove it over and over again till you're old and decripit...and just can't shag anymore...then I'll change your depends for you and remind you what your friends' names are."

"Wow...that went from sweet...to kinda distrubing..."

"Luv, think about the way I tried to woo you...and this is a surprise?"

"Good point..." Buffy grinned wickedly, "Still got those chains, lover..."

Spike nearly dropped her in surprise, and she giggled, slipping out of his arms and darting for their bedroom. Spike growled, and she screamed as he gave chase, the apartment filling with laughter.

The End

Next in Series: Happy Unbirthday