samhain@uniserve.com.

Devils and Angels - Evenstar

Chapter 1

She massaged the back of his scalp with long drawn out caresses, relishing in the silkiness of his curls between her fingers. He rubbed his nose and cheek under her chin like a cat that had come in from too much time out in the sun. Meanwhile his hand covered a plump breast that was hidden under her blouse and bra. His other arm was curled under him as he lay behind her on the couch. He inhaled a deep breath, filling his lungs with the intoxicating feminine scent of berries, jasmine and vanilla. The hand moved from her breast to slowly undo the buttons of her black cotton blouse, one at a time. The hand that wasn't still tangled in his hair moved in to help him, reaching inside to open the front clasp of her baby blue satin bra.

"Mmmmm..." Spike groaned as he turned into her, pulling her under him and nuzzling between her breasts as he cupped each one and pushed them together. His lips and mouth were cool, but not cold, sucking and tasting her flesh,"Mmm, Buffy." One of her legs was rubbing between his, giving a coarse friction against the hardness of his confined erection. The other was raised over his hips, cradling him to her.

"Don't stop," she breathed out, abandoning herself to his touch, his lust, his love,"Can I feel it again?" With the snarl that accompanied the transformation, he changed his features to the demon's. The rough ridges of his distorted face sent new thrills of pleasure through the Slayer. She let out tiny, sharp gasps when his fangs scraped on her tight, pebbled nipples.

"Like that?"

"Love that, love you." A haughty rumble rose from down deep in his chest. It was pride, lust, fulfillment, joy, most of all it was love requited.

"Tell me again."

"I love you." With those words of encouragement he turned the heat up a few notches, hungrily kissing all over her chest, breasts and stomach.

"Marry me..." Halt. Suddenly Spike found that his head was being held up his bleached roots, staring into the fiery eyes of his beloved. He couldn't tell if she was furious or just overcome with a love so wild and pure it made angels weep.

"What?!"

"Sorry, I take it back then."

"You can't take it back! Spike, you just proposed!"

"And you turned me down..."

"I did not turn you down."

"Is that a yes?"

"Are you serious?"

"Don't I look serious?"

"Spike?"

"What?"

"Are you serious or is this the recently averted apocalypse euphoria fueling your need to merge?"

"Not sure. I know I love you with reckless abandon and you are the brightest light of my soul; that I would do anything to ensure your unending happiness and security; I am partial to the sex...but now that you mention it, I suppose it could be the fact that we all didn't die again and the planet isn't a meatball in a hell sauce that's having me desire to make an honest woman of you. Huh, well, nevermind then."

"No! No neverminding!"

"Is that a yes?"

"It's an emphatic yes!!!"

"All settled then...." That tumultuous storm weathered to his satisfaction, the vampire's lumpy face once again buried itself between the world's most succulent tits."Mrs. The Bloody."

"Buffy Summers Bloody? I don't think so babe, William Summers is nice though." He bit into her, not enough to break the skin, but enough to elicit a little yelp.

"It's Chippinghurst." She burst out laughing, but soon noticed he wasn't laughing with her. He sighed and snuggled against her, toying with the tip of one nipple, twisting and flicking it for his own amusement."Sad but true."

"Chip...Chippinghurst. Um, I can...fine, it's fine. Perfectly fine."

"Very magnanimous of you, pet."

"It's not your fault, I'm sure it's a perfectly solid, proper English name. Giles would like it." He moved up her body and planted a firm kiss on her lips.

"You'll be Mrs. Chippinghurst and you'll love it." She maneuvered her leg out from under him and locked it with the other around his waist.

"Maybe it's the recently averted apocalypse euphoria talking, but I think I will." He smiled, fangs and all, and dove down for her throat, covering her in hot wet kisses,"I know I will!"

The sound of the front door opening went unheard by the couple making out on the couch, but they soon became aware that they'd gathered an audience when the younger Summers cleared her throat. Like two teenagers caught by the parents instead of the seventeen year old, Spike and Buffy inadvertently rolled off the couch, hitting the floor will a dull thud and scrambling to right their clothing."It takes 15 minutes to drive to the pizza place and back!" Dawn exclaimed,"Did you really think you had enough time to have sex? On the couch? Which, by the way you are so not allowed to do!"

"Sorry, Bit," Spike apologized, pulling his t-shirt back on as Buffy hurriedly buttoned up her shirt. After Dawn, in walked the others, Xander who rolled his eyes at the pair and headed towards the kitchen with the boxes, then Willow and Anya with the liters of pop under their arms and faces painted with knowing smiles, lastly Giles - the provider of the cheese laden feast.

"Honestly you two are worse than the majority of Sunnydale High," the Watcher admonished. Buffy snaked her arms around her fiancée's waist and cuddled him close.

"I can't resist his sinister charms," the Slayer supplied, looking fondly up at her boyfriend,"Besides the hero of the night deserves a reward."

"Yes, but I was thinking more along the lines of a case of Boddington's for him rather than....than..."

"Slayer shaggin'," said Spike, his hand giving Buffy's rear a squeeze, making her jump up.

"I didn't hear that, I've seen nothing tonight, it doesn't exist."

"Keep tellin' yourself that Watcher, we're engaged."

"Bloody hell."

"There pepperoni on those pies?"

Chapter 2

"Ahh...ahh...aaachooo!" Buffy sneezed. Spike's eyes rolled into the back of his head and all motion stopped.

"Fuck, pet, do it again!" he begged, his hips and cock cradled between her delicious thighs. Everything had been fireworks and fucking until she's sneezed and Spike had had his definition of ecstasy revised. Heralded by an 'achoo', her entire body had tensed so tightly around the flesh he'd buried inside her, for a moment he'd wished for death. Now he just wanted her to sneeze twenty times in a row.

Buffy on the other hand was lying perfectly still under him, thoroughly pounded into the mattress of their bed, a tickle in her sinuses. She was waiting for it, she'd never felt anything like it...it was amazing! This had her wondering about the old wives' tale that if a woman sneezed enough times in a row she'd give herself an orgasm. Funny the tale didn't mention a thing about abnormally well endowed vampires being in the mix,"Another one coming."

"Oh god, please yes!" She held her hand over her face, not that he cared if she sprayed him again."Hold on, love, you're not getting sick are you?"

"I dunno...I...I...ACHOO!!"

"Ohhhh Buuuuffy!!" That was more than enough, Spike climaxed, emptying himself within her in one long stream, followed by a hard groan.

"Achoo!" She followed him into bliss, never having come so intensely, the contractions of her inner muscles wringing his cock empty,"Spike......ohhhhhhhh." He went dead on her, the pair of them boneless and spent. The vampire was panting hard, neglectful of the fact that he didn't actually need to breathe, but having adapted to a few once lost human traits. Eating half a pepperoni pizza earlier that night for example,"Spike, honey, you're heavy."

"Huh? Oh, sorry, pet." He rolled off, his softening flesh slipping out of her. He lay next to her, enfolding her warm, sweat dewed body in his arms. She kissed his chest and sniffled,"Are you sure you feel alright? Can't have my girl gettin' all sickly." He pulled the covers over their shoulders and held her close.

"It's nothing, I'm sure, just a bit of dust up my nose." She sniffled once more and hugged him,"You were amazing, lover."

"Love, that was enough to last me a week."

***

Famous last words, that was the litany playin' over in the vampire's mind when he wakened to find himself in bed with a girl other than the one he'd gone to sleep with. Sitting up next to him, the beast, had bedraggled hair that looked like a rat's nest, its eyes were a red like blood in thin milk, its nose glowed an unseemly color and the short, angry snarls that emanated from its throat was enough to put the fear of god into any minion of Hell. The creature was surrounded by it's own disciples, odd animals that resembled wadded up pieces of kleenex.

"Aw, love," Spike cajoled, but not daring to make physical contact until he knew if it was safe to be around. One could never tell on sight alone.

"I'm sick!" she wailed, then sneezed. Then sneezed again. Then made this snorted inhale, the phlegmy sound of which made Spike's skin crawl. He tentatively patted her now pajama clad shoulder, trying to sympathathize, but by virtue of the fact he hadn't had a cold in over 100 and something years he could only vaguely remember.

"There, there, pet, I'll see to you." Stealthily he slipped out of bed and crossed over to the chair where his jeans lay. Pulling them on, he glanced back over at his lady love and shuddered. She looked like she was in agony, not to mention she looked more attractive covered in blood and bruises than snot and sweat."You stay where you are, keep warm, I'll go and fetch you a glass of orange juice."

"Thank you." She looked like she was about to cry, he honestly felt quite sorry for her. Darting first into the en suite, he retrieved the waste bin and set it next to the bed. Dutifully he gathered up the used tissues and deposited them in the trash. As she crashed back to the pillow, he touched a cool hand to her forehead. She had a temperature, quite high judging against his own climatized levels.

"You're burning up, my heart, but fear not, Spike'll take proper care of his Slayer."

"Aspirin."

"With your juice, coming right up." Exiting their bedroom, Spike pulled the door closed, breathing a sigh of relief. Which of course was the moment Dawn chose to walked out of her room, nearly pushing him over as she bumped right into him."Where's the fire?"

"Sorry, no fire, just gotta go..."

"Right, right. You're sister's sick, caught herself a cold."

"Oh no!"

"I know, my poor dear."

"No Spike you don't understand, you've never been around Buffy when she's sick. Remember those Pluthor demons you fought a few days ago? The ones that exploded with blue goo when you punched them?"

"Yeah, bloody well ruined our clothes!"

"Well that was a picnic, those were the glory days. Buffy with a cold is nothing short of Armageddon. She will whine, she will demand, she will cry and she will bitch, oh by the gods will she bitch." She patted his arm,"But that's your problem now, isn't it?"

"Bit, be nice, it's your sister!"

"Now is the winter of your discontent..." With those parting comments Dawn slipped into the bathroom and left him alone in the hallway to contemplate his fate.

"Shakespeare? It's as bad as Shakespeare?"

"Spiiiiike??" the patient called from her cave,"Where's my juice? And don't forget the aspirin!" Then she snorted.

"Coming, dearest."

Chapter 3

He felt rather queasy as he ascended the stairs, perhaps it was the mug of blood he'd swallowed cold in an effort to return quicker to his charge with her orange juice. Spike denied the truth, Dawn's words echoing in his head, that a sick Buffy equaled Hell on Earth for her family. When he entered the room she was sitting up in bed again. Her head was back, her mouth gaped open and her fingers pinched the bridge of her nose. Her breathing was labored and wheezing and her skin flush from the fever. She really did look just god awful.

"Brought your juice, pet, I'll get you some pills in a moment," he explained, setting the juice on the bedside table before going in search of her aspirin. While rummaging around in the medicine cabinet, he heard her blowing her nose. Searching his memory he finally found and apt comparison, African Juinan Demons. Small beasties that ate primarily birds and small children. Its mating call was precisely the same sound."Bloody great, I'm engaged to a demonic critter from Uganda," he grumbled. Shaking two aspirin from the bottle, the vampire returned to the bedside."Here, drink 'em down." She obeyed, then flopped boneless to the pillows. Blindly snatching two more kleenex from the box, she wadded them up at her nose to catch the dribbles.

"You're so good to me," she spoke through the buffer of tissues,"I promise I won't be any trouble."

"It's no trouble whatsoever, treasure, you just rest. Go back to sleep and at noon I'll come bearing chicken noodle soup."

"With crackers."

"With crackers and ginger ale. Yes, pet." She smiled and he could see the upturned corners of her mouth on either side of the tissues. Feeling a swell of pathos the vampire smoothed out her hair and leaned down to bestow a kiss on her warm brow,"I love you Buffy."

"Love...ah...ah..achoo!! too."

***

"Care there fang face, you're branching out into healthy foods, what would the spicy buffalo wings think of this betrayal?" Xander mocked, having just let himself in through the front door as Spike was just about to bring his mistress her lunch.

"Shut yer gob, whelp, it's for Buffy, she's sickly."

"Nice knowin' yah, see yah..." Xander was half way out the door before Spike, artfully balancing the tray, reached him and delivered a firm stomp to the back of the human's knee. Xander picked himself up off the ground, scowling at his somewhat friend.

"Et tu Xander? She's your best friend and you're goin' bloody turncoat at the first sign of trouble. The love of my unlife is suffering - show some compassion!"

"I give you two a week tops, then you'll be shining up the motorcycle for a speed down the highway out of SunnyD. You've never seen the Slayer when she's sick."

"Dawn already gave me the gory details, thank you very much. I don't know what you're all afraid of, she's weakened and in need of my tender loving care."

"She's going to turn into the dark side of a Fyarl demon." Suddenly Spike winced,"Something wrong?"

"She's awake. I can feel it."

"Feel it as in the vampire senses..."

"As in she and I are perfectly tuned to each other."

"Un huh."

"Don't give me that look, mine and Buffy's is a great love, a true and noble love." There was a pause,"Scatter my dust in Restview Cemetery, I've always like the trees there."

"It's a deal. Listen, can I come with? We've got Slayer business to discuss." They took each step up the stairs like French aristocracy to the guillotine. Quiet as mice, the two men entered the lair of the dragon. Their apprehension was all for naught, she was laying on her side, waiting for him with love in her bloodshot eyes. Spike set the tray down on his side of the bed, smiling down at her.

"Feeling better?" She sniffed and sat herself up, reaching for a hair scrunchy with which to tie the hair back from her face.

"A little, hey Xander."

"Buff, looking good," her friend offered.

"Liar, but thank you. Babe, the soup looks wonderful, I'm starving."

"Opened the can and microwaved it myself," the vampire replied proudly, helping her by putting pillows behind her back,"Harris says we've got trouble. Slayer kind." Buffy got started on the soup while it was still hot and Xander began his story.

"You guys remember Riley..."

"Unfortunately," the couple replied in unison.

"What I mean is, Riley and his fetish for getting suck jobs from vampire whores? Spike allow me - wanker - okay, it seems we've got another nest. Couple of guys on my crew have been acting weird for the past couple of weeks, this morning I saw the bite marks. Took a little work, but they spilled. Looks like the old Sunnydale Brothel is back in business."

"Sunnydale has a brothel?" Buffy exclaimed.

"Oh sure," Spike began,"It's on the outskirts..." he realized what he was about to admit to knowing,"Woah! Sunnydale has a brothel?!"

Chapter 4

"I really think you ought to have stayed home in bed, sweetness, you're quite ill," Spike cautioned as he wrapped a strong arm around Buffy's shoulders. She straightened from her slouch of self-pity, flipping her pony tale and held in a sneeze.

"I'm perfectly capable, darling," she replied, trying too obviously to sound right when clearly she should be back in bed,"This is my responsibility, we can't have these vampires using the people of this town."

"What you mean to say, precious, is you want to stick it to the ball-faced wankers who might be cheatin' on their supposedly significant others and teach these two-bit skanks a lesson."

"Same difference." He pulled another tissue out of the inside of his denim jacket and passed it too her, taking the used one and tossing on to the lawn."That's littering."

"It's biodegradable, doesn't count." The trio rounded the corner from where they'd left the DeSoto and came upon the turn of the century mansion that for nearly the past seventy odd years had been rumored to be a house of ill repute. It was in rather good condition as near as they could tell in the early evening darkness."Well, well, well..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Xander inquired.

"Nothin', just sounded appropriate in m' head."

"George and Mike said that men usually start to show up around eight o'clock. Right now the, uh, ladies are just getting out of their coffins and ready for their guests."

"So we headin' in now or waitin' to catch some poor bloke with his pants down - or sleeve up as the case may be?."

"Here's a plan," Buffy interjected,"You two go knock on the door and pretend you're customers, I'll hang back until you've got them distracted, then I'll rush in with stakes a blazin'!"

"Pet, let's not go all Jet Li on them. Besides, most of these girls are just tryin' to make a living, you know, grew up on the wrong side of the graveyard...." Buffy gave him a pointed look, as in the end of Mr. Pointy,"Fine. May I take my testicles with or would you like to keep them?"

"Move it." To punctuate her order, she slapped his ass. Spike paused, then continued walking, Xander at his side.

"What are you smilin' at Harris?" They were almost to the door, Spike noting the sign on the door that all visitors were welcome, negating the need for an invitation from the house's owner.

"She really loves you, that's all. It's nice to see her finally happy. And hey there is always the plus of her bossin' around your pansy British ass and you being totally whipped."

"My arse is not pansy, git. Your words won't chink my armor. The Slayer does it mostly for show, but when we're alone, Spike's the boss."

"That a fact?" Xander wasn't quite buying it.

"Oh absolutely," Spike knew he had to lay it on thick,"Especially in the bedroom, she loves it when I tie her to the bedpost. Loves it when I work her slowly, just a touch here, a lick there, deny her until she begs for it."

"Really?" Xander was suddenly a little too curious. Spike decided to play.

"Totally, but then I still don't give in, play with her like it's a game of cat n' mouse, slap, tickle, tease her till she's just about dying she wants me so bad she..." Spike leaned in and whispered the shocking truth in the other man's ear.

"Woah."

"A Slayer is all aggression and claws in a fight, but she's a kitten between the sheets." Leaving the gullible Xander to run his own dirty reel inside his head, Spike knocked on the front door. A few moments later the door opened slowly to reveal a tall, slim brunette in a slinky emerald green nightie with breasts full and pert and lips painted as red as a cherry."Evening miss, my mate here and I were wonderin' if we might speak to the lady of the house?"

"Come in," she replied in a hoarse, anonymous phone sex voice,"My name is Vivienne."

"Charmed, Viv. I'm Spike, this here's Xander."

"Pleased to meet you. You both seem like strong, healthy boys. Though, if you don't mind me saying, Spike, you are, shall we say, of a different breed of strong and healthy. Can I get a sneak preview?"

"Sorry pet, I've reserved the lumpies n' fangs for beddy byes." She lead them inside, then closed the door, turning into Spike and running her finger down his torso.

"Maybe, once we get your friend settled in, you can show me in private." Xander cleared his throat."I'll be right back, Madame rises soon." With a sway to her hips that could rock a boat, Vivienne disappeared up the grand staircase.

"These three minutes alone are gonna cost me, if Buffy knows I flirted..."

"Thought you said you were the boss?" Xander questioned.

"Oh, right...um, what I mean to say is..."

"Oh my god! Spikey!!!" shouted a high female voice,"I mean...Spike." Eyes wide as the Gobi desert, Spike and Xander looked up to spy the notorious owner of the brothel.

"Bloody hell! Harmony!" And that was when the Slayer made her move. The front door was kicked off its hinges and the deadliest woman on the Hellmouth came crashing through, stake in hand, eyes fixed on the voluptuous blond coming down the stairs. Harmony had morphed into her demon face and looked ready for a fight, dressed in a skin tight red leather catsuit. Spike took action and held back his lady,"Buffy, wait, you can't! She has a soul!"

Chapter 5

"I get insanity, torment, guilt, brainwashed and tortured by the First Evil and she get entrepreneurial skills!" Spike whinged, sitting lowly on the stairs, shoulders slumped and hands buried in his face. Buffy had saddled up next to him and was lovingly stroking his hair. The scene had gone down in a rare and rapid fury. After shouts of "SOUL!?!" from the Slayer and Xander, the vampiress' confirmation of her undead, but redeemed status and a call for a temporary truce, Spike had let the profundity of the situation overcome him and he'd sunk to the ground in shock.

"I'm sure you have great entrepreneurial skills too, baby, you've just never applied yourself," Buffy tried to soothe. By now the other ladies of the night employed under Madame Harmony Kendall had joined them in the foyer. The lady in question had disappeared for a moment, but returned with a glass of water, shoving it under Spike's nose. He took it gratefully and had three large gulps before returning to brooding.

"Buffy, you're looking the same as ever. You know there are products that can help with that," Harmony snarked, her long blond curls shining in the soft amber lights that lit up the bordello's entrance hall.

"I'm still the one with the stake here," Buffy shot back, inching closer to Spike until their bodies were touching as she continued to pet him.

"And you're the one trespassing on private property!"

"It's a brothel Harmony! Last I checked prostitution was illegal in California, not to mention the fact that it's just tacky."

"It's a gentleman's club, thank you very much and we aren't doing anything wrong and it's not prostitution!"

"Yeah, the teddies and nighties were a dead give away."

"Undead. We provide a lonely fella with the company of a lady for a short while. In return he pays a tidy sum."

"How many of these fellas have been drained dry?"

"Not one I'll have you know, I have a reputation to uphold."

"That the same rep you had in high school? 'Cause running a whore house? Not really improving it."

"Bitch!"

"Cow!"

"Okay ladies, back in your corners!" Spike ordered, rousing himself from his moment of self-pity and getting in between the two women. He turned to Buffy,"I think it's best that we go," Then he looked to his ex-girlfriend,"But we'll be back." Then to Xander, only there was no Xander,"Where'd Harris go?" The last third of the raiding party was found in the lounge after a few minutes of searching, he was not alone."Let the boy go, Viv."

***

"Soul my ass," Buffy grumbled as she stomped back to the car,"Who's soul did she get? Charles Manson's?!"

"Charlie still lives, pet," Spike corrected, following behind with Xander, who seemed mildly happy and soporific after his private encounter with Vivienne.

"Whatever!"

"You shouldn't let her get to you, love, she has a soul, but she's still the same old Harm. She knows how to push buttons - it's her gift."

"Well, death is my gift and I'm gonna deal her some."

"Shouldn't we go about this a little less psychotically? Find out how on god's green earth she got her soul back? And more importantly why?"

"She probably annoyed a band of gypsies." Spike chuckled to himself."Harmony! Of all people! Woah..." The Slayer stopped walking, swayed a little, then swooned. Luckily Spike was there in a split second, catching her before she hit the sidewalk, scooping her up into his arms.

"See now look what you've done! You've worked yourself up and gone all corset-wearing on me. You're sick, Buffy, you should be in bed." As gormless as a sack of flour, she went heavy in his arms, snuggling up close to him."Are you trying to burrow inside, love?"

"I think I'm going to throw up."

***

After pausing briefly to detail the night's events to the younger Summers, Spike set about caring for his depleted fiancé. He spoon fed her tomato soup and aspirin, brushed out her hair and tucked her into bed. All the while she mumbled to herself about Harmony, how immoral brothels were, how crappy she felt. But towards the end, as he wrapped her up in blankets, she began the quietly sniffle and whimper as she went into full on sicky Buffy mode, just as Dawn had predicted.

"You've mummified me," she complained. There was serious pout being worked. She couldn't move any of her limbs, not that she had the strength to do much beyond blink. He turned off the lights and sighed, then went about getting ready for bed. Buffy watched with half interest as his sleak, pale body was slowly unveiled as each article of clothing was removed. She cursed being too sick to make a serious go for him, there was nothing more perfect in the world than a naked, well hung, bleached blond vampire. Her body ached with both desire and a deficient immunity from cold and fever, muscles sore and body stiff, a migraine threatening to present itself if she moved from her cocoon. Spike slipped in between the sheets and lay down next to her, face snuggled at her side."I can't sleep."

"You haven't tried."

"I'm too hot."

"Because you have a fever."

"I want comfort sex."

"You're too sick for sex - we'll both hate it, and despite what you might think, that snorty phlegmy sound you're making in your throat isn't turning me on."

"Are you thinking about her?"

"Hmm?"

"Harmony, your vampire ex-girlfriend who just happens to be the third vampire in history to get a soul."

"No, I'm not thinking about her. I want to get a few hours of sleep in before I go on patrol later, you need your rest. All I want is a quiet lie next to you." She closed her eyes and frowned. Spike on the other hand couldn't have been farther from sleep if he was in the mosh pit at a concert. The second he'd seen his former he'd know she wasn't the same vampire who'd left him with an arrow in his back. She was radiant, she glowed with it. She was like him, a vampire with a soul.

Chapter 6

He'd left a weakened, wheezing Slayer shortly after midnight. She was barely resting in her fitful sleep. His heart was pained for being away from her when she was so vulnerable and needy. When Buffy was in pain, he felt every bit of it. It wasn't just pathos, it was tangible in his blood, in his soul. Yet here he was standing on the curb in front of The Sunnydale Brothel, looking up at silhouettes in the windows of sultry vampire seductresses moving about, servicing their customers. He could understand why the situation put Buffy off, but this was after all the oldest profession in history, just now with a twist.

The front door opened and a slice of light shone down over the porch and to the street. There was a figure there, with highlights of red and gold coming out from the shadows. Tentatively, Spike made his way towards the woman that had once occupied his bed, a woman who once loved him with all her unbeating heart."Hello, Spike," Harmony spoke in a hushed voice, capturing his hand and drawing him inside. He closed the door behind him and shut out the night.

***

"Dawn?" Buffy called, having climbed out of bed and made her way out of her room. She'd wakened to find that she was alone, a strange feeling gnawing at her, something was off."Are you there?"

"Downstairs!!" her sister shouted back. With a quilt enveloping her, Buffy wearily made her way to the living room where her sister sat watching a late night talk show on television.

"Where's Spike?"

"I dunno, out on patrol I guess. Keep back, I don't want to get sick."

"How long has he been gone?" Dawn shrugged her shoulders."That's not an answer."

"Don't get your panties in a twist, a couple of hours. He grabbed a stake and went out. Go back to bed."

"I don't feel right." Dawn was about to lose her patience when she sensed the worry in her sister, maybe something was off.

"Buffy, it's Spike, he's fine." Buffy furrowed her brow, easing down on to the bottom step. Sensing she needed a distraction, Dawn looked around for a pad of paper and a pen.

"Hey, I have an idea." Buffy looked up, her face worn and tired, tears threatening to spill."Let's talk wedding. Come on, think about it - flowers, dresses, cake?"

"Well, it can't be a church wedding."

***

Spike knew he had no reason to feel guilty, but somehow being in a vampire bordello made him feel a little bit dirty. However there was something compelling him to seek out Harmony, he had to know. He'd wakened only a couple of hours after falling asleep with Buffy, kissed her fevered brow and snuck out. He had done the ritual sweep of a few cemeteries, but soon found he'd walked all the way back to the mansion.

Harmony was getting them something to drink. She appeared extremely happy he'd returned and was alone. He sat in the lounge, surrounded by neo-Victorian lamps and nick knacks. Harmony had certainly done a number on the place, spending what was probably a small fortune on every detail, including burgundy velvet patterned wallpaper. She kept the lights dim, soft yellows, setting the mood for seduction. Spike shifted nervously in his seat, the leather underneath him creaking loudly. His thoughts had wandered back to the Slayer, specifically to three weeks ago, just before the most recent apocalyptic battle had begun to really heat up. They'd been laying naked on the bed, having just made love for the first time since she'd declared her love for him. With his head resting on her breast, tongue tasting and curling around an erect nipple, she'd read him poetry from a book. Erotic poetry.

There was wine glass in front of his face, full of thick dark blood,"I think a toast is in order, don't you?" she purred, sitting on the arm of the chair and leaning into him. Spike scooted away as far as he could, giving only one more inch in between them.

"Sure...sure...to what?"

"To us, silly, you and me, the only two vampires in the world with our own souls back....man and woman..."

"Angel, Harm, Angel still has his soul as far as we know."

"Whatever, he's got his own thing going on. Now, back to us..." She clinked their glasses together,"Drink up." Reluctantly he took a sip, then became seriously perturbed.

"Harmony, this is human!" He rose from his chair, hurriedly putting down the glass on an end table.

"Well, duh, it's not supposed to be tomato juice."

"Why are you drinking human blood?" She scrunched her face up in confusion.

"Vampire?"

"What's wrong with pig's blood?"

"Eww, it's pig, do you have any idea how much fat there is on a pig?"

"You shouldn't still be drinking human blood, it's wrong."

"When did you lose your cool, blondie bear? And where's the coat? The was your cool."

"I'm, I'm still cool!!" Harmony eased down into the chair across from him, crossing her legs and taking a long drink from her own wine glass. She shook her head in disappointment,"How can you have a soul and not realize that drinking human blood is not alright!?"

"Spike." She put her glass down and clasped her hands together as if she were a teacher about to administer a lesson."Spike, Spike, Spike. Drinking human blood is how a vampire survives, it keeps our skin pink and our hair its shiniest. Animal blood leaves us..." She studied him closely,"Sallow, bleak, malnourished. I have a client who works in Sunnydale General, he acquires the blood we need."

"So you yourself don't drink from humans?"

"No, eww! Hello? Do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone clean and hot enough for me put my lips on them? I'd be all Callista inside of week! Hey, there's an idea!" Spike was about to present a moral argument about consuming their fellow man, but realized it would be easier to nail jello to a tree than get Harmony to wrap her brain around the concept.

"So, um, Harm, can I ask you something? How did you get the soul?"

"Oh it was totally easy! Just went to Paris."

Chapter 7

Buffy liked freesias, but she also really loved lilies of the valley, they'd been her mother's favorite. She liked pale pink and dark chocolate together, but there was something appealing about red and black too. She wondered if Spike would like to see her in white, or in black leather. She'd made the list of bridesmaids - Dawn, Willow and Anya, she also figured she could talk Spike into allowing Xander as a groomsman, Giles or Clem would likely serve as best man. Inviting her father had a big question mark next to it. Spike had never even met the elusive Hank Summers, neither had Dawn for that matter. A secret, darker spot inside the Slayer wanted her father very much to meet her vampire husband to be, let the two of them bond over blood and beers. Let Spike tell her dear, abandoning father just what he and his Victorian morals thought of Hank's lack of financial and emotional support over the years. The thought did Buffy a little good, one of her ears popped and for 30 seconds she was in heaven before the cold clogged it up again. Damn.

After another flurry of sneezes and a dizzy spell, Buffy put down her list. Dawn had fallen asleep on the couch and again Buffy was alone, and the gnawing feeling in her gut that wasn't part of the cold returned. If Spike were home there'd be nothing to worry about. When she and her mate were in the same space, everything was hearts and roses. When he wasn't, she felt unhinged. It wasn't always this way, but ever since the events back in the early part of the year, there was this little voice in the back of her head, along with a television and instant replay of his killing against his will, his torture, his chip malfunctions, the thing with Principal Wood. He was strong, and brave and beautiful and the truth of it was she was so terrified of losing him that it was becoming a problem.

She sighed, resigned to the fact that until she and Spike were under the same roof tonight, she couldn't rest.

***

"Scarab? Up your nose?" Spike nodded and Harmony made a disgusted face."Can I just say ick!!"

"Not like I had a bloody choice in the matter, Harm, I was already knee deep in it. No way I could've gotten out of there except to fight to the last. But I'd never have given up, I wanted my soul, for Buffy."

"Can't say I think she deserves it, Bitchy the Vampire Layer."

"Hey now, show a little respect, she is the one with the stake and my soon to be wedded wife!" Harmony simply rolled her eyes.

"You should've just gone to Ed."

"Well I didn't bloody know about Edouard the Quickener! Did I?? I'd only heard of this bloke in Africa, not some git in Paris who runs a chic salon who just also happens to have the uncanny ability to capture a vampire's human soul from the ether and infuse it back in his body! All for a nominal fee of a hundred quid!"

"Wasn't like it was a big secret either, Spikey."

"I know that now...but then, when I made the decision and what I went through in Africa, it was right. I deserved every moment of torment I've gotten since then." He was becoming pensive now, remembering."Now, in hindsight, it was worth every second of pain. The Slayer trusts me, the Slayer loves me and we're making a life together. It's brilliant." Harmony smirked, somewhat annoyed.

"So you're really happy with her?" Spike smiled inwardly and Harmony nearly gagged at watching a wellspring of fondness to the petite menace overcome him.

"Every moment with her is bliss, she is the greatest..."

"Spike, she's a bitch."

"She is indeed, and I love it."

"She still beating you up?" He shook his head, then smiled again,"What?"

"Sometimes...we have this little game you see, I'm a bad bad vampire and she's got to spank my..." He stopped short, Harmony arched her eyebrow and he suddenly realized what a complete idiot he was to be telling bedroom secrets that Buffy would stake him for revealing."Right, um...I ought to get going, it's nearly sun up and my lady's a bit under the weather and...." Harmony stood in front of him, hands submissively behind her back.

"Meet me for a drink tomorrow? There's a nice place downtown, Savio's, we can talk some more." Spike hesitated,"Buffy can come."

"Al..alright...about 8 o'clock?"

"Sounds puuurrfect."

***

Buffy blew her nose one last time, then stuffed the tissue in her coat pocket with all the others. She felt like death warmed up and wondered deftly if this was what it was like to be a zombie. She pulled her collar up high and pushed the hair off her her sweaty face before grabbing a stake and walking outside. The night air was a cooling balm on her fevered skin, but she was swaying, every step an effort. She knew in her head that she shouldn't have gotten out of bed, but the pangs of worry over Spike's where abouts had her more than just on edge. It was almost dawn and he should've been back beside her hours ago.

She made it half way across the yard before she felt faint. When she came to her nose was pressed against something soft on the outside, but hard on the inside. Chest of Spike. Too bad she was too sick to appreciate the fact. With her bundled up in his arms for the second time that night, he carried her up the stairs, mumbling to himself,"Stupid bloody bint! Stupid girl thinks she can go on a bleedin' patrol, can't even stand upright..."

"Went looking for you," she grumbled.

"Buffy? Oh sweet love, you're lucky I came home when I did, found you splayed out on the lawn. You're burning up, got half a mind to take you into the ER."

"No hospitals."

"Then bloody well stay in bed before I thump you one. You're vulnerable, any beastie could come along and...just do as I ask for once, please?"

"I missed you, sun's almost up. Dusty fiances, bad."

"Missing me is not a good enough reason for going out when you're hardly strong enough to hold a stake let alone defend yourself with it. I'm nearly 150, I know when the sun's about to rise. I was all but home." She shivered against him, slipping out of consciousness. He stopped being angry with her. It had been coming from his own sense of worry.

Upstairs he helped her take off her clothes and change into a pair of flannel pajamas. After laying her in their bed, he undid the first two buttons of her shirt, while Buffy mindlessly batted his hands away, scrunching her face up in protest. He left her only for a moment, but returned with a balm of menthol which he gently rubbed into her chest and throat, hoping it would loosen up her bronchi a little. When he was done, he buttoned her up again and pulled the covers up to her chin. Her breathing was still labored and ragged and he knew her fever had gone up. He'd never been around her when she'd been sick, never been around any human. He wasn't sure if this was normal. Nothing about this seemed normal, seeing his girl weak and half delirious with fever. There was a pang inside that could've been mistaken in his dead body for a heart beat. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead, cringing at how overly hot her skin was. "Sleep well, love, I'll take the best care of you."

Chapter 8

"What you doing up so early?" Dawn asked as she entered the kitchen the next morning, more than ready to get the last day of school over with,"That psychotic sister of mine turn you into her slave?" Spike was sitting at the island, writing on a piece of paper. Dawn examined him, his face looked gaunt and his eyes sunken, dark circles forming underneath. He looked up from his page, slipping it off from the counter and passing it to her.

"Pick these up on your way home," he spoke. He took up his wallet next and gave her a fifty dollar bill."That should cover it."

"Spike! You're nuts, there's enough cold and flu medicine on this list to down an elephant!" Spike seemed offended.

"Just do it."

"God, she really has you wrapped around her finger doesn't she?"

"It's not her who's doing the asking, are you gonna get the bloody stuff or not?!"

"Woah, take it down a few notches there, it's just a cold."

"Just a cold? In my day a person could die from just a cold!" His outburst gave the younger Summers pause. She looked him over again, the tell tale signs were there.

"You haven't slept at all have you? Or had any blood?" Spike looked down at his hands, feeling bereft and helpless.

"I can't seem to do anything right...she's in pain and I can't do anything." Dawn sighed and inched closer to her would-be brother in law. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"She likes ice cold ginger ale too, I'll get some more. Meanwhile, just make her comfy. She's had colds before, we all have, it's perfectly normal, there's nothing to worry about."

"Doesn't feel normal." His instincts had made him certain of that.

"Well it is, give her a couple of days of being down for the count and she'll be back to herself in no time, bossing you around and slappin' your ass like she always does." Spike have a weak smile and a nod.

"Yeah...she sure does like my bum..." Dawn gave a sour look and Spike changed the subject,"You'll get her the stuff?"

"Yes, Spike, I'll come home right after school with it."

"Thanks, bit."

Some time later after Dawn had gone off to school, Spike braved being in his love's presence again. He mentally chastised himself for being a weak arsed ninny, so freaked by a simple head cold and fever that he was becoming a right git. Freshly squeezed orange juice in one hand and a pack of ice in the other he entered their bedroom. When she wasn't in bed his stomach gave a lurch of panic, but a moment later she emerged from the bathroom.

"You ought to stay in bed!" he barked.

"A girl's gotta pee," Buffy replied, flopping back down on the mattress,"Gimme juice." He passed it too her and she took a few grateful sips before setting it aside. Twisting his lips around as if in deep thought, Spike tentatively took at seat next to her.

"How are you feeling this morning?" She sniffed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Same, stuffed, achy. Not a happy Buffy." He smiled at her pouting, then slipped the ice back under her hair and on her neck. She moaned in appreciation, going limp,"That's nice." He was pleased, he felt slightly less useless."You always take such good care of me, even when I'm an uber-bitch."

"You're not an uber-bitch, and when you are being a bitch, your skin flushes with this glow that makes my knees weak."

"Don't flirt with me when I'm snotty, it's not fair."

"I'll be flirting with you when you're fifty, sweetness. Now lay back and go to sleep."

"Will you stay?"

"Of course, pet, we're practically glued to the hip." He eased down next to her, careful not to be too close as to make her aching body uncomfortable.

"Except last night...where were you?"

"Oh, that...um."

"If you went to see Harmony..."

"I didn't set out too, but I..."

"You had to know what happened?"

"Yeah." She moved her hand over his, giving it a firm squeeze."

"I'm not upset, I trust you. Don't trust her past the business of Mr. Pointy, but you I trust completely." He took up that hand and kissed it.

"We talked, if you can believe in Harm holding a real conversation and not handling it like one of her porcelain unicorns. There were no trials, there was no torture or blood or pain...." His voice cracked, remembering the ordeal that he'd gone through less than a year ago,"No suffering....there's a mystic in Paris, pay him a little money and he gets you your soul. Harmony always wanted me to take her to Paris..."

"But you stayed in Sunnydale instead."

"Well, the Initiative nabbed me, love, didn't have too much of a choice there."

"You still could've left."

"I was kinda sweet on you then, you know, 'cause of hating you so much."

"Mutual, I'm sorry you had to go through so much badness. I hope I can be worth it." He snuggled in close to her, kissing her flannel covered shoulder.

"You've said you'll be my wife, Buffy I'd do it all again in a flash just for this moment." She turned over and he gazed upon her, eyes bloodshot, nose scaly and running, lips chapped and skin flush and shiny - she was the most beautiful creature in the world to him.

"No more pain and suffering for my guy. I might smell like menthol and have more snot than a Chaos Demon, but imagine this is my sexy voice telling you that you're the love of my life and that the soul you fought for, for me, is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done and I hold it close to my heart, just as I hold you there too, and I love you Spike. Stop crying, don't need you all sniffly too." He scowled and wiped the unbidden tears from his eyes.

"Then stop being so perfect."

"No, you stop."

"You stop."

"Shut up."

"You shut up."

"No you shut up!"

"I'll shut you up..." Then he kissed her, realizing why Dru had found that bloke in South America so appealing.

Chapter 9

Buffy slept, her condition fairly the same, but by now Spike was more at ease. Buffy told him he was acting like a parent when their baby caught their first cold and that she'd be fine and to go to his meeting with Harmony. One girl in all the world, chosen to stand alone against the vampires and the demons and this particular vampire was in a tizzy over a simple little cold.

From her dozy place on the bed, Buffy had earlier told him about how she'd often passed by Savio's on the way home from patrol, and like street urchin with his nose pressed to the glass, lamented that no one would ever escort her to dinner there. Spike of course promised to spend an exorbitant amount of money on taking her there. She'd off handily, but innocently asked him, what money? At that moment a few things had occurred to him that never quite seemed to make it to the forefront of his mind in the past. Where would he get money? He'd passed Dawn fifty bucks earlier, but for the life of him he couldn't remember where he'd gotten it from. Then the memory came back to him and it stung like a whip, Buffy coming home after work at the school with an armful of groceries, she'd passed him the left over cash.

He'd asked her to marry him, but he couldn't afford to ever buy her a ring. He lived in her house, ate her food and wore clothing she'd bought for him. He realized that he was a kept man, and not much of a man to his Victorian sensibilities if he couldn't even support his family. During these moments of guilt and revulsion of his character, Buffy had been speaking to him.

"Spike? Spike? Are you even listening to me?" she demanded before she made a sound like she was bringing up a lung.

"Yes, pet, sorry. Something about a tie?"

"Savio's requires a suit and tie. Call Giles and ask if you can borrow something of his." He came over and made her lay back down, then tucked her in.

"I can get a suit."

"How? Day time, darling, and we're a little tight on cash right now, it's the end of the month." He held up a hand to shush her.

"I'll figure something out. Now, you've had enough cold medicine to drop a 600lbs Charrago, why aren't you sleeping?"

"'Cause my vampire honey is being all bossy and not doing that nice thing where he presses his nice naked cool body against mine to combat fever." He sat down on the bed and put a finger to her lips.

"Don't use the pout Buffy, that weapon is too dangerous to wield at this time, save it for when you really need it. Sleep. Now."

"Don't wanna."

"Buffy! Sleep!"

"Mean vampire." He kissed the pouty lips and left the room, going off to swallow his pride and call Giles.

An hour after he left his finally sleeping beauty, Spike was being poured a glass of brandy, half way dressed in one of Giles' less tweedy suits."This isn't right, Giles," Spike spoke solemnly, looking into the depths of his glass,"I'm a welching sod, hardly worthy of her."

"Spike..." Giles began, removing his glasses and cleaning them with his handkerchief. Trying to comfort a vampire's ego and insecurities, especially Spike's, was not in his repertoire,"Spike, if I may..."

"Beneath her. A worthless underling, not fit to walk the same earth..."

"Spike! For heaven's sakes do shut the bloody hell up! If wasn't for your strength, bravery and quick thinking we'd all be dead now! The fact that you don't have a regular nine to five daytime job is irrelevant to Buffy. She only cares that you're on the side of good and though I loathe to utter the that words are about to spill from my lips, that you love her as best you can every second you're together. There. Good enough?" Spike's shoulders sagged.

"No."

"What then?"

"I've asked her to be my wife and I can't ever get her a ring."

"Buffy wouldn't want a ring..."

"Are we talking about the same ooooooo shiny! girl? If she had a ring she'd show it off and you bloody well know it!"

"Alright then, I can lend you money."

"I'm not taking any handouts!"

"I said lend you prat. Get a job then, it's what the rest of the world does."

"As what? Night watchman at the morgue?."

"And why not? Or a bartender, or anything else that occurs after hours. Just because you haven't done a responsible thing since Victoria was Queen, it doesn't mean it's out of your realm of possibilities."

"I suppose, but I'm needed on patrol, I don't just tag along." Giles nodded, acknowledging how valuable Spike was to the team, not just as Buffy's boyfriend.

"Then have a sit down with yourself and figure out what you're good at."

"Beatin' stuff up." Giles rolled his eyes and huffed, exasperated.

"I know for a fact that you can read both Latin and Greek, you insufferable git. Not to mention Fyarl and a few other demon tongues. You also have exceptional fighting skills and knowledge of the demon world, you're incredibly perseverant, brave and when it comes to Buffy, utterly unselfish. I dare say, mate, that if you wanted to you could accomplish nearly anything you set your mind to. There, is that pep talk enough for you?" Spike gave a mock shiver.

"By the gods that was inspiring Rupert."

"You are by far the most irritating thorn in my side."

"Been that way for six years, Ripper, don't fancy it's going to change." Spike got up to leave, taking the tie and suit jacket with him,"Thanks for the loan, even if the suit's a little roomy - sit ups are a demon you might want to consider trying to tackle."

"Please get out."

Chapter 10

Savio's was the one place in Sunnydale Spike could honestly label as posh, a real cut above every where else. Fact of the matter was the owner was Pylean and those folks certainly knew how to run a joint. The decor was authentic art deco in shades of silver, black and earth, well lit with fluted standing lamps. Spike felt like he was walking into snob central, which wasn't far from the truth. Fortunately his non-designer suit earned only a sneer of disgust from the maitredee and not an insult, otherwise Spike would have been tempted to act on his compulsion to sucker punch the little troll.

Harmony was waiting for him at a table, sipping on a glass of champagne. The blond girl was dressed to the nines in a strapless black mini dress, long curly tendrils of hair cascading down her bare back and over her shoulders. Spike had to admit that Harmony Kendall was a beautiful woman, always had been, but he'd never been in love with her. There was a pang of regret inside him, surely from the soul. He had treated her so horribly and there was little, he thought, that a mere apology could put right. He sighed and approached her,"Hello Harm," he spoke as he arrived. She looked up at him, breathing in deeply to deliberately push up her ample chest for his perusal.

"I see she let you off your leash long enough to join me," the vampiress replied with a wry smile. Spike mentally counted to ten before taking a seat across from her.

"Buffy has a very bad cold Harmony, otherwise she'd be here."

"Oh no doubt, I'm just surprised she allowed you out of the house."

"Don't start things off like that, you don't know a bloody thing about mine and Buffy's relationship." He waved a waiter over and ordered a scotch, neat, before he could continue talking with his former lover."Harmony, there's something you need to realize, I'm not the same vamp I was back when we were together."

"Oh? Were we together? I thought I was just a wind up sex toy." That stung.

"Okay, I deserved that."

"You think?" The waiter brought Spike his drink and the vampire downed it in one shot, ordering another on the spot.

"Harmony? Can we start this night over? I'm sorry I was such a bleedin' bastard to you." Harmony sipped her champagne and gave him a look,"And....and...and...sorry I ever handled you roughly...."

"Sometimes I liked it rough, Spikey." She leaned forwards, and the white orbs of the top of her chest threatened to spill from the confines of the dress. Spike gulped, his Adam's apple feeling like a stone in his throat. The waiter was taking far too long to bring the second drink."Do you remember, that one time?"

"Whi...which time?" His voice came out with a squeak and he cleared his throat to mask his embarrassment.

"You know, you came in and picked me up out of my chair, tossed me over your shoulder and lay me on the bed. Handcuffs, the riding crop, the flavored whipped cream." If a vampire could blush, Spike was doing it. The waiter came at the opportune time, Spike took down the alcohol and ordered another.

"I...uh...remember..." Spike suddenly found a great deal of interest in his manicure. Buffy had been feeling lazy one night a week and a bit ago, so they'd cuddled together to watch a film. In the midst of it she got out the nail file and done his. He remembered how absorbed she'd been in doing a good job and how he loved the play of her hands and fingers with his. Though at the moment, Harmony was reminding him of the days when he'd owned the title of Big Bad. Nowadays he just remembered that he'd been an asshole.

"Are you okay? You're looking sick again, kinda gray. It's too bad she doesn't let you have any human blood. You're so toothless now, pumpkin, however did it come to this?"

"Hey! I'm not bloody toothless! Are you aware of the major apocalypse I nearly single handily defeated not but a few days ago? How I took on an army of Turok Han vamps and the First Evil and managed to come out of it the bloody winner!? Hmmm??" Harmony smiled wickedly and sighed, frustrating Spike to no end.

"Do you also remember how we met? That bar in Nevada?" Spike chuckled, it was hard to forget that night.

"Yeah, yeah, 'ere I was about to come to rescue of the fair damsel in distress from a pack of bikers, only for you to turn on the lumpies and scare the bloody livin' daylights outta them!"

"You were coming to my rescue, weren't you? My knight in shining black leather with platinum hair, you looked like such an angel! That was when I knew you were meant to be mine!" Spike's moment of happy reflection died away when he remembered what followed.

"We massacred the bloody lot, Harm."

"Oh Spike! They were like totally evil! If we didn't have the whole vamp thing going on we'd have been all dead and stuff! Deader."

"I suppose. We did have fun together, didn't we? Those first few weeks, before we came to Sunnydale."

"You hardly let me get out of bed." Spike gave a weak smile, remembering somewhat fondly how they played together, before Buffy had come back into his life and any reality of a relationship he'd cultivated with the woman across from him flew right out the window. It hadn't been fair to the young vampire. She'd fallen in love with him in an un-heartbeat, he'd just wanted some fun and a pretty girl on his arm."I was pretty innocent, Spike, and you made me love you."

"And then..."

"And then you ripped out my heart over and over again, danced the macarena on it even. You were my little lamb and you went all Hannibal Lector on me!"

"I know, pet, and I am sorry, truly. Not that it's any consolation, but I'm a good man now, I treat Buffy very well."

"You're really in love? With that tramp?"

"She's not a tramp and I'm in love with her and she's in love with me, and by the way Harm, don't forget you are running a bloody brothel!"

"Legitimate business, have a license and everything."

"And you got that license how?"

"Well, the guy at city hall really wanted a couple of girls to do this kinky quadruple fang penetration on his...okay I get the point, I'm not stupid!" He smiled at her.

"No, you're not, in fact Harmony, I think you've become quite a strong, beautiful woman."

Chapter 11

Buffy checked herself again in the bathroom mirror and frowned. She'd spent almost an hour trying to make herself look sexy, instead all she managed to achieve was a bedraggled, snotty mess in a little black dress. Her make-up looked wretched over puffy blood shot eyes and over heated, oily skin, except her nose, which was peeling from overuse of tissues. Disgusted, the Slayer tore off her clothes and washed her face clean."Great," she said to herself, looking at the streaks of red on her face where she'd scrubbed too hard,"You're a real catch there Buffy...if you're a Horak Demon."

She dressed herself in sweats and tied her hair up in a pony tail before heading downstairs for another bowl of soup and some ginger ale. Everything on her body ached and knowing that Spike was out at the best restaurant in town with his ex-girlfriend was not helping. Her curiosity was definitely getting the better of her. He hadn't called once in the time that he was gone. He never took her cell phone with him and she couldn't exactly call the restaurant and not have him feel like he was on a leash. She didn't want to embarrass him like that. But on the other hand he'd been gone for almost two hours and likely they were having more than just drinks. There might even be mochachino cake involved at this point. He probably had a nice steak for dinner, which Harmony no doubt treated him to. Buffy wondered what else the vampiress might try to treat him to. She trusted him, totally, but Harmony was devious....Harmony was... Buffy stopped herself. Harmony was an idiot. Except maybe where being a tramp was concerned and Spike always did like bad girls. Buffy mentally promised that she'd show him what a real bad girl was like as soon as she kicked this wretched cold.

After a few more minutes of weighing the pros and cons, and Spike still not calling or coming home, she surmised that there was nothing wrong with just passing by the restaurant's front window to have a peak, but respectably from across the street. Feeling strong and determined, she packed a stake in her sleeve, just in case, and made her way out into the night. Upon opening the door Buffy nearly went straight into Anya.

"Ha! I knew it! Rupert told me not be preposterous Anya, but I knew better!" the former demon exclaimed, a smile broad as the horizon across her face."God, you look terrible."

"Anya, what are you doing here?"

"Well, Spike went over to Rupert's to borrow a suit and I came over just after Spike left. Rupert told me how sick you were and that Spike was all whingy. I know tonight is Dawn and Willow's movie night and you're all alone, so I am here to give you my brand of well being to get you on the speedy road to recover. Whingy, I like that word, I plan to use it more often."

"Whingy? Spike was whingy. He was complaining about me?"

"Oh no no, it wasn't like that. I'm sure he's perfectly happy to take care of you when you're snotty and demanding. Going out?"

"No, um, I'm not."

"You're not remotely curious about how your fiancé's date is going?"

"It's not a date!"

"Xander and I never go out, I know Rupert wouldn't like it, he thinks he's too old for me and a younger man, especially one I was once having sex with. I have to remind him I've got a least a 1000 years on him and that he's a far superior lover than Xander." Buffy shivered, a sudden chill enveloping her.

"This whole you and Giles dating thing is still weird."

"Because marrying a vampire is so common." Buffy sniffed and gave up.

"Sorry."

"Wanna go spy on him?"

"Okay."

***

"And the Gem of Amara?" Harmony suggested.

"Sorry for that too, not just taking it from you, but for the staking especially."

"Oh I'm over that one, Spikey, but I am still bitter over Droodzilla - where you just cast me aside as soon as she wiggled her bony black clad behind!"

"Actually, and sorry over Dru, but technically I cast you both off for Buffy."

"So I guess she likes being chained up huh?" The amused look of remembrance on Spike's face told Harmony the answer.

"What can I say? The Slayer likes a little monster in her man, but there's a bit of a beast in the Slayer too. Speaking of which, it's time I was getting on."

"Oh! Don't go! Please?" She turned on the shy, innocent, school girl act that Spike remembered as being absolutely adorable, but Buffy won out.

"No, I should be pushing off, it's hard being apart from her, especially when she's sickly."

"Oh pffft! She's the slayer, hello? I think she can survive a little longer without her lap dog."

"Hey! Watch it!" Harmony laughed off his offense.

"How's about a little mochachino cake?"

"Well, perhaps, I do fancy something sweet. Ever since Buffy fell ill the candy store's been closed." Harmony made a face of disgust.

"Little advice there, Spikey - I don't ever want to hear about you eating the Slayer unless it's with your fangs in her neck drainin' her dead!"

***

"So just because Harmony has a soul now, does that automatically make her good?" Anya pondered as she and Buffy made their way down the street towards Savio's."Because vengeance demons are like elephants, you know?" Buffy gave the presently human a curious look."We never forget. It was her minions that got me my first injury as a human being."

"Which was this?" Buffy asked, as she fished several crumpled tissues from her pocket and blew her nose, drawing the attention from most of the other people on the street.

"You sound like a foghorn and it was my broken arm, you know, when Harmony's minions kidnapped your sister who so stupidly gave that moronic vampire and invite into your house."

"Right, forgot about that. Sorry. Willow did do a disinvite though....eventually."

"It was tonight, wasn't it? After Spike left?" Buffy frowned, unwilling to own up to the truth and seriously loathing the self-righteous, smug look on Anya's face. The Slayer's pace was quickening, forcing Anya to jog to keep up. There was something off about Buffy since they'd come out into the night, Anya had never seen her this focused and determined, except when they were heading into the final showdown with Glory. Anya, always being keenly observant, took note of the seemingly sudden change that had come over her friend. Her face was beet red, her skin shone with sweat and the woman was walking with such purpose only a herd of rhino could have more impact."Buffy! Slow down! You can't go crashing into the restaurant like this, Spike..."

"SPIKE!!?" the Slayer roared, spinning back around and pinning Anya against a building, her arm pressed at the ex-demon's throat.

"Woah! Buffy?! What's gotten into you?" The Slayer enraged, eyes wild and violent, totally out of control..

"You want him, don't you!? Ever since that one night when you plied him with liquor and seduced him!!"

"Okay, who beat you with the crazy stick? I don't see any Glarghk Guhl Kashmas'nik and I'll have you know I'm perfectly happy with Rupert!"

"You're a liar! You'll never have Spike again Anya! He's mine!!" By now a crowd had begun to gather around them, a few men stepping up to help the young woman under attack. Two men laid their hand over Buffy's arms in an attempt to pry her off of Anya, but the Slayer retaliated and sent both men flying down the street with two well placed and hard blows. The people began to back away, all very apprehensive and terrified by the obviously disturbed young woman. Anya bravely put her hand to Buffy's face, and snatched it away before the Slayer reacted.

"Buffy, you're burning up. We should get you to the hospital."

"Come near Spike again and I'll kill you." With that threat, the Slayer stormed off - into open traffic.

"Buffy!! LOOK OUT!!!"

Chapter 12

The forkful of cherry cheesecake was about to pass Spike's lips when he suddenly dropped it on the table. Harmony looked at him, marking how he was shaking as if having a seizure,"Spike?" she asked, concerned,"What's the matter?" In a flash he was on his feet and running through the restaurant, pushing any one who was in his way careening into other patrons or tables. Out in the street people screamed when they saw the pale man with the monster's face come roaring into the night. Cars slammed on their breaks, tires screeching to a halt when he leapt in front of them in an effort to get across to the woman wandering in a daze.

Spike scooped Buffy up into his arms and rolled them away seconds before she was demolished by a pickup truck. The pair rolled over the sidewalk's concrete until they were halted by hitting the wall of a building. When the dust settled, Spike was finally able to get his wits about him and try to figure out what the hell had just happened. With the two of them still sprawled on the ground, Spike gathered the Slayer up in his arms to check she was alright. She looked up at him with a sweet smile on her face, but that was the only thing about her he recognized. Her eyes were vibrating with emotion, her skin flushed and her body tense and stressed."Buffy? Love, what's going on? Why did you..." Suddenly she grabbed his face and mashed her mouth upon his, pushing her tongue inside to curl around his for a fierce, deep kiss. When he finally pulled away, she was panting, growling lustfully and grasping at him,"Buffy, bloody hell, pet, calm down...tell me what's happening?!"

"Spike, I need you!"

"I'm right here, love, but I don't understand."

"I won't let her have you, I won't let her take you from me!"

"What on earth are you going on about?" By now Harmony had come over from the restaurant, along with many others, and Anya had finally made it to the scene also. Buffy scrambled to her feet and lunged at the other women, but fortunately Spike reacted quickly and grabbed her about the waist, restraining her against him.

"I'll kill you! If either of you come near him I'll kill you!!"

"Fuck, Buffy calm down!" She continued to struggled with him and Spike was barely able to match her adrenaline fueled strength.

"She's delirious, Spike," Anya tried to explain,"I think there's something really wrong, she has a super high fever. I think I should go get Rupert and you should take her to the hospital." Spike nodded, Buffy's still worming in his grasp. When she let out a whimpering cry that seemed to be one of pain, he eased up, trying to hug her to him.

"Just knock her head against the wall, Spikey," Harmony suggested with a sneer,"It might improve her face."

"Not helping, Harm!" Spike shot back, he then focused back on Buffy. She started to fight with him again, but she was weakening. Unsure of how to subdue her without causing more of a scene, he pressed her back to the wall, holding her hands above her head holding her there by settling his weight on her against the bricks. He tried to cajole her with brushing his lips over her face, murmuring in her ear that he was there and wasn't going to leave her. But through all his efforts, something had taken hold of the Slayer and moments later it had her in a hysteria.

"Spike...don't do this, please. Please no, no!!" she wailed, trying to get away from him,"Don't hurt me!"

"Shhh, love, I won't hurt you, I'm just trying to help." Turning on a dime, she was enraged and got the better of him, kicking out his knee and laying him flat on the sidewalk. She was upon him, throwing fist after fist down upon his face.

"You bastard! How could you do that to me? I told you NO!!" He didn't once strike back, only holding his arms up to guard his face and fend off her blows,"You said you'd never hurt me, you promised you'd never leave me!" Without warning the fighting stopped and Buffy fell heavy upon him. Spike moved quickly, urgently, to turn himself over and tend to his fiancé. She was out cold, her breathing nothing more than a faint wheeze that labored her lungs, her body feeling as if it were on fire.

"Buffy?! Oh god, Buffy? Please love, answer me!" He cradled her limp body in his arms, slapping at her face to try to rouse her,"Will somebody call a bloody ambulance!!" He had begun to panic at her lack of response, coupled with the seeming severity of her illness. Her breath caught in her throat, and then ceased altogether.

***

Spike didn't remember what had occurred between the time the paramedics had arrived on scene and the moment when Giles sat down next to him in the waiting room and placed a comforting hand on his back."I've ruined your suit, Rupert," Spike said, still staring at the same mark on the floor he had been for past half an hour.

"It's just a suit," the Watcher replied. Anya was there now too, sitting on the vampire's other side, holding on to his arm,"Tell me what happened. Anya's told me everything that occurred when she and Buffy were together." Spike tried to speak, but found he hand no words and merely wrung his trembling hands.

"She...she..."

"She was delirious," Anya provided,"She had a high fever..."

"She wasn't herself, talked, talked in nonsense, was having flashbacks to...to bad times in the p...past...then she just....nothing."

"What do you mean?"

"She passed out, she was barely breathing...then she stopped...I don't know what happened after that...people, lights...I..." He fell silent, going into himself, body shaking with pent up emotional, soul in torment and demon desperate to break into a rage."W...Willow and Dawn...they're at the movies...they should be here."

"I'll call them," Anya volunteered, moving away and getting out her cell phone. Seconds later the ER doctor who had attended to Buffy emerged from behind the closed doors of the trauma room. Giles nudged Spike to attention and the vampire was there in an instant.

"I need to see her!" he begged.

"Just a moment, Mr....?" the doctor questioned.

"It's Spike, just tell me how my wife is?!"

"She's alive, for one." Spike choked on a cry, grabbing on to Giles for a hug of mutual relief,"Her lungs were full of fluids, she nearly drowned. As it stands we have her on a ventilator as she's no longer able to breathe on her own. She's listed as critical with an irregular heartbeat, dramatic fever and very low blood pressure. Normally these signs were indicate a severe case of pneumonia, except for one thing....."

"What is it?"

"Her temperate, it's 112°."

"Is that very high?"

"Mr. Spike, any human being with a temperature that high should be dead."

Chapter 13

"I always thought you were hot stuff love, but this ridiculous," Spike whispered at Buffy's bedside in a chair holding her hand in his. She looked half dead already, hooked up to monitors and machines, barely even in this world. Over the course of a couple of days she had gone from being the valiant warrior of the people who had defeated the First Evil, to a fading, nearly lifeless shell of herself."Don't fret, Buffy, I'm not going anywhere and I'll make sure these doctors get you well. Soon as Willow comes we'll get her doing her mojo with spells n' herbs. The nibblet will come, boss you out of bed. Giles' scold you, Xander's make jokes and Anya will something horribly inappropriate."

The quiet between the two of them was blown apart by Dawn who came tearing through the ward and straight to her sister's room,"Spike?!" she cried upon finding them and the severity of her sister's situation,"Oh my god, Buffy!"

"Here, nibblet, sit with her," Spike bade, giving up his spot.

"What happened?"

"Not just a cold..." It was the only explanation he could muster. Moments later the room was full of them, down to the last Scooby, while Spike receded into the corner, simply overwhelmed. Giles noticed the vampire's despair keenly and chose to stand stoically with him.

"Buffy has proven before that she is beyond resilient, just give her time to get her bearings and she'll be on the mend. You'll see, trust Buffy," the Watcher spike. Spike forced a smile, he appreciated Giles' effort, even if it was a lie.

"This started out like a regular cold as far as any of us could tell, then it bloody went poxy on us, she was out of her mind, Giles, attacking me, sayin' things..."

"What sort of things?"

"Stuff we'd put behind us, forgiven and forgotten about. I don't think this is a normal illness."

"Perhaps not, the doctors are working on it. Let me play devil's advocate, presuming this isn't a natural human disease that's taken hold. It could be a residual effect of the battle with the First. Has she come in contact with anything strange in the past week?"

"Nothing more than your average Hellmouth lot, the only thing a little out of the ordinary were a couple of Pluthors..." Suddenly Giles gripped Spike's arm with bruising strength,"Pluthors? Giles?"

"Their blood was blue?"

"Y...yes..."

"Did any get on her skin, near any membranes - nose, eyes, mouth?"

"We were covered in the stuff, ruined our clothing...Giles, the Pluthor blood's done this?"

"God, Spike, it's a wonder she's even alive, how could you two have been so stupid, do you never remember anything you read?!"

"Are you blaming me? Watcher, I just remembered what the things looked like, never knew a soddin' thing about poisons! Fuck! Those things were notorious for eatin' little kids, so the Slayer and I killed 'em before they got the bloody chance! How do we cure it?" Giles pushed Spike into the corner with quiet panic, speaking between them in a hushed but volatile voice.

"You don't, Spike. Pluthors are all but extinct, and as it is they live no where near the Hellmouth, I can't even imagine why they were here, they stick to arid desert. How many were there?"

"Just two."

"Likely mates, they travel in familial pods."

"Then I'll find more, I'll go to the desert tonight..."

"Even if we had a sample from one to make an antidote, it would take skill and..."

"Willow, Willow did it last year when Buffy got stung by a Glarghk Guhl Kashmas'nik, give Red the chance, and I know she can do it, she'll make it work for Buffy."

"I don't see much point if there isn't a sample, you won't find a Pluthor out there Spike, it's impossible given the time Buffy doesn't have left."

"We killed them near my old crypt, about 20 feet south into the woods, we made a spectacular mess. Giles, please try." Giles nodded, pushing off from the corner.

"Xander, you're coming with me, we have work to do. Willow, Anya, we'll meet you back at Buffy's in an hour, be prepared for mixing an antidote to Pluthor demon poisoning."

"Pluthors?" Anya questioned,"But Giles..." The Watched waved off his girlfriend.

"We're going to try."

***

Some time later a Nurse came into Buffy's room pulling behind her a basin full of ice packs. Spike had been sitting away from Buffy and Dawn, letting the two sisters be together while he ran the last few days over in his mind. Before the showdown with the First, he and Buffy had gone out on a routine patrol, just to relieve a bit of tension, get away from the house full of people. The Pluthors attacked them first and in all honesty and it was a good fight. Afterwards, they'd stripped their ruined clothing off in the backyard and had more fun with the garden hose and lots of ice cold water before streaking through the house and upstairs into the shower. They'd been laughing together, touching, loving, the whole night long .

Now he watched with a pain spreading out from his heart through his entire body as the nurse pulled back the covers and placed the frozen packs around Buffy's limbs and body."Hopefully this will prevent her fever from rising," the nurse informed as she was leaving. Spike nodded absently and went back to his memories, though only briefly when Dawn left her sister and came to him.

"Don't you think Buffy would rather you sit with her, hold her hand, tell her you love her instead of sitting in the corner being sorry for her and yourself," Dawn asked, already pulling him over.

"It's not like that, bit."

"Then what is it like?" She sat him in the chair at Buffy's side, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him. The two of them were as close as ever now, friends again.

"Can't stand to see her weak....to see her suffering. I feel useless, impotent. I feel like I'm dying inside, nibblet. How can you keep it together?"

"Because I have confidence in Buffy, I know she'll be okay. Don't you?"

"She can't even bloody breathe on her own!"

"I heard breathing's overrated, you don't do it." Dawn squeezed him tighter, trying to make him accept her attempt a levity."Tell her you love her." Spike did as he was told, pressing his lips into the palm of her hand and whispering.

"I love you, Buffy."

Chapter 14

There was a faint knock at the hospital room door, rousing Spike from his silent vigil at Buffy's side."Spikey?" Harmony's voice squeaked through the crack. Dawn cast her future brother in law a hard stare and Spike gave her an apologetic look before going out into the hall.

"Harmony?" he questioned. She was still in her dress from the restaurant,"What are you doing here?"

"You looked pretty upset back there...uh...is she okay?"

"No, no, pet she's not. She's been poisoned by demons. The doctors won't be able to do anything for her, so the Scoobies are on it. But there isn't much time left...so we're waiting and watching."

"Oh, sorry to you know, hear that, 'cause I know you love her and stuff...but Buffy's gonna be fine, right?"

"'Course she is, Slayer'll be in fighting form in no time."

"Spike!" Giles hollered from the other end of the hall, rushing past orderlies, patients and doctors towards the vampires.

"Watcher?!" Spike bolted towards the other man, hoping for good news.

"Willow's working on an antidote presently, the samples were fresh enough to give her everything she needs."

"Bloody hell, thank god, I don't know how much more any of us can take..." A nurse came running past them, knocking hard into Spike's shoulder,"Oi! Watch it!" It was but a second later that Spike realized the background sounds of machinery signaling a patient's distress was coming from Buffy's room, and one second after that Dawn screamed her sister's name with such fear that he felt the air around him vibrate from it.

Giles had never seen a more rapid and surging swell of movement, like a tidal wave crashing as the the vampire moved in tandem with the emergency team to Buffy's room. As Spike neared the door, Dawn was unceremoniously pushed out and into the vampire's arms, the nurse ordering them to keep out of the way. Spike held on to the girl for dear life as she choked on her sobs and tried to explain what had suddenly happened.

Her heart had just...stopped.

The high pitched and incessant whine of the heart monitor's flatline rang in Spike ears, it travelled down his spine and out to every single last nerve in his body. His stomach felt twisted and tight and his heart ached so painfully he felt a compulsion to reach into his chest and yank it out. He passed Dawn over to Giles and braved looking in through the slit of glass on the door at the team of medics working to save her. He nearly wretched when he saw them shock her heart with the defibrillator, her entire body tensing and raising up in such a severe arc that he thought she'd snap in two. The voices of the nurses and doctors sounded out to his vampire's senses as one chaotic miasma of panic. Shock her again.

In the end, the voices faded away, but the damnable sound of the flatline remained. The nurses all filed past him, back to their regular duties now that the crisis was over. One doctor gave Spike a resigned nod as he past, then the attending physician emerged. The man inhaled a deep breath and held his hands out in abeyance, then began to speak. Spike moved past him without second glance and into the room. He approached the bed slowly, each foot fall resonating and heralding the approach of the Grim Reaper following behind, as if would snatch her away before he said goodbye.

He trembled violently, hyperventilating and blind from tears. He tried to speak, to rouse her, to bring her back, but he couldn't calm enough to take the air in. She still had the tube down her throat, and the IV still fed antibiotics into her bloodstream, there was a bruise already where the needle penetrated her. There was no blood flow to carry the medicine. His mind flashed back to when he'd come back to consciousness after his fall from Glory's tower. He'd crawled over to where the other Scoobies were standing, and then he'd seen her. He'd wept and screamed. Now he could barely move.

He buckled when he finally reached the bed, his face falling next to hers on the pillow and his hands cradling her face around the ventilator tubing. He was quaking and sobbing silently, he didn't want to scare Dawn. Her fever was gone already and she was growing cold, the body was getting cold. Just a body, not the real live girl that had single handily brought him out of the darkness and made him a man again. Where was that girl now? No heartbeat to lull him to sleep, no warmth to protect and satiate him, no laughter to make his soul sing. Just a corpse where his entire reason for existing used to be.

Chapter 15

They came for her barely 30 minutes later, he heard them all the way down the hall about how they needed the room. Thirty minutes ago the love that had changed his entire being had slipped away and now they wanted to take her from him.

Giles knew the moment he saw the orderlies from the morgue approach the room that there was going to be a confrontation. Dawn was clutching possessively to his coat, still in shock, still weeping, more frightened than he'd ever known her to be, but Dawn wasn't a vampire. There was no telling how Spike was going to react if they came to take Buffy from him. However, unable to leave the younger Summers on her own, he guided her with him as he followed the the hospital workers.

Spike was hunched over Buffy, the soft murmuring of his voice just barely audible as it was muffled against her pillow. One of the ones who'd come to take the body took the initiative to speak and in a flash he was confronted by a vampire in full game face.

"Get away from her!" Spike snarled. They stepped back, utterly terrified, but of all people it was Dawn who acted next. She eased away from Giles and came over to her sister and the vampire. Her fingers brushed lightly over Buffy's cold hand as she silently wrapped her arms around Spike's waist and walked him out of the hospital room. Outside in the hall the vampire and the girl he now loved best in the world huddled together. Giles came to be with them too, Spike allowing the Watcher to hold an arm around his shoulder. The three of them held on to each other and shook from their weeping. It was perhaps a little bit worse for the vampire, as he heard every movement and ever word spoke on the other side of the door.

Spike's panicked, hysterical breathing and crying rose in a steady crescendo and he began to struggle against Dawn and Giles holding him. He morphed into vamp face again, the tears streaming down his distorted face seemed as perverse as the vampire having a soul. The door opened and an orderly pulled a gurney behind him, followed by his co-worker. She was a slight figure under the white sheet, her face covered, just a body.

The howl that tore itself from Spike's body echoed through the emergency room, stilling every single last person. Staff and patients all around them froze, heads turning in his direction."Spike, please don't..." Dawn begged, but it was already too late. He reeled back, his demon in full power, full control, raging with every fiber over the primal knowledge his mate was lost. His fists went straight through the drywall, tearing back and demolishing one wall. Gasps of shock and fright were heard and people were moving again, rushing away,"Spike stop! Please!" He smashed his clenched hand through another, but there was a hard din as he hit a cement column that was encasing strips of rebar. He drew back his demolished, bloody hand and shoved it through the pane of glass on Buffy's room's door.

By now hospital security had been alerted, two men with guns were advancing, but Giles interceded and stepped between them,"No! You mustn't!" the Watcher implored. Spike hadn't had enough, there wasn't a shred of sanity inside him now to stop him from his rampage. In all of this someone else had been forgotten, the other vampire.

Harmony had been watching from afar as the entire drama unfolded and turned to chaos. She'd never, ever, in all the time she'd know him see him react in so out of control a manner. So volatile, so traumatized, so vulnerable. She didn't much like to slip into vamp face in front of regular people, perhaps it was because of the soul, but when she let her own demon lose she felt more self-conscious than anything. When she was with her girls it was okay and for Spike, she didn't hesitate. She pushed past every one and grabbed him, summoning her strength and tossing him to the ground. It was enough to rouse him from his delirium.

He got back up quickly enough, but she was there instantly, holding his wrists to still the violence. He looked at her, rather confused, lost. She morphed back to the angelic, often childlike human face, her pretty blue eyes glistening with tears in sympathy for his pain."Let's get out of here, okay?" she asked. He simply nodded his head and let go. He let go of Buffy.

Chapter 16

He was walking as steady as a newborn foal. Harmony had kept her arms around his waist the entire way back to her house, his arm around her shoulder, his fingers digging into her. He wasn't crying, but he wasn't emoting anything else either. He was obviously numb, still in utter shock that Buffy had died. To tell the truth, Harmony herself was scared for him. It seemed very wrong that Buffy was gone. Sure they'd despised each other in High School and they'd always been enemies, but Harmony wasn't ever expecting Buffy to not be around. It was majorly weird.

She led him into her private study, encouraging him to sit on her antique chaise lounge. He did so autonomically, letting her put his feet up on the leather."Uh...can I get you something?" He looked over at her, acknowledging her for the first time since the hospital."No?" Still nothing more than having his eyes fixated on her."I'll get you some water? Okay?" Quickly she scampered out of the room to the kitchen, returning less than a minute after. She held it out for him, but he merely stared at it. She sighed, becoming a little uneasy and put the water down on a table."Spike, come on, say something."

"Say what?" he whispered hoarsely.

"Are you gonna go all fangy and break stuff? I don't want my stuff broken. I like my stuff." He shook his head, sniffing, tensing his jaw. She could feel his demon was close to the surface, the rage was tangible in the air between them. Harmony didn't understand much about what Spike was really like when he was unhinged like this. She'd been with him only a few months, and certainly she'd seen his temper flare into violence and ranting, but this was so different. She couldn't read him in the least."So. So what are you gonna do tomorrow?" She tried to break the tension with a silly question, smiling, but not realizing how preposterous it was to ask. He couldn't fathom a tomorrow.

"What should I do Harm? Maybe take in a movie? There's a pipe leaking our basement, should I try and fix it? Or maybe..." He sprang to his feet and went to her liquor cabinet and tore it open, grabbing whatever looked the most like whiskey, splashing it into a glass and gulping it down. It burned his throat like it was acid."Or maybe...." He threw the glass across the room and it flew into a million shards. Harmony cried out, frightened and shielded herself from the destruction,"Maybe I should walk out into the bloody sun and get the hell out of this fucking cruel world?!"

"You said you weren't going to break my stuff," Harmony cried, tears coming down her pretty cheeks. Spike saw how he'd frightened her and dropped the decanter of alcohol to the floor. He went to her, taking her by her wrists and taking her back to the chaise.

"M' sorry." She shrugged, trying to act nonplused by his outburst.

"I'm not sure how I can help, but I'm trying."

"I...I know, pet, but there's nothing that, that can be done. Buffy...she's..." He broke again, his entire body wracked by a seizure of sobs,"Oh god, Buffy's dead....Buffy...my Buffy." He lowered his face and covered his mouth with his hands and muffled a scream that made the girl beside him recoil. He was in so much pain. Since she'd bought back her soul, the young vampiress hadn't felt much different than when she didn't have one. That however didn't speak to much as she hadn't really changed when she'd lost it in the first place. There were twinges of genuine guilt for the fact that she'd killed many people, but there wasn't anything to be done about them. But not until now did thoughts to the grief of their families slowly begin to surface. She'd always preferred shopping and hanging with her girls than killing anyways. The soul had been a whim, she'd liked how people treated Angel because he'd had one. Angel had friends and people who loved him. That's all Harmony ever really wanted.

But the reality of what it truly meant to possess the guiding compass of light inside her was amplified by a swell of tenderness and empathy to the man that had never treated her like he should have. She'd always loved him and craved his affection in return, and now they were alone and he was hurting badly and vulnerable. She understood, then, that when you loved someone with your soul and not just your heart or your body, that seeing them in pain was infinitely worse than if it were your own.

She touched his back, rubbing back and forth and trying to offer him comfort,"You're strong, Spike, you've always been really strong. I...I know how much you loved her and...and I bet she loved you just as much....I'm sorry she's gone." He looked up, sickly and timid, so scared and falling apart right before her eyes.

"Who's going to love me now? Harmony? Who will ever love me like she did?" Tears streamed down his face, he was wounded with loss and grief and so desperate for someone to assure him that he was not alone. She leaned in closer, her trembling fingers wiping away his tears.

"Oh Spike..." She closed her eyes and tried not to cry herself.

Chapter 17

"Harmony?" Spike's voice whispered. His tears came on stronger, he'd almost just asked her to please stake him now. He remembered that Dawn wouldn't probably be able to survive his death too, he didn't think he could bare his little bit being in pain like this again. God, how would Dawn ever get over Buffy? He tried to stop crying, but it only made the waves of anguish come on stronger. Harmony was uncertain what to do to help, but learned soon enough, that it was enough to just be there with him.

Eventually he did stop crying, they still sat side by side."She's the only one who called me William and meant it," he spoke up suddenly,"She didn't mind that I was a sentimental, timid man sometimes, like when I was human, she loved me for it."

"I liked it when you were sweet, too."

"I know, pet, I know, but it wasn't who I was, not really. The soul, it's made me a whole person and I can be sweet for her and not be ashamed. She's taught me so much this past month about real love. I'm immortal, I want more than one month of happiness with her. I deserve more than one month."

"I think so too, Spikey." He nodded, thanking her for her compassion."I think you deserve to be happy and I'm so sorry you hurt now, and...and I'm sorry for what happened to Buffy." Harmony wished she could stop from repeating how sorry she was, but having never been needed like she was now, words failed her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, I'm not sure if I'm helping."

"You're doing just fine, pet, but nothing's gonna really help. Nothing's ever going to be right." Harmony watched him quietly break down again. If this was what it meant to have a soul, to hurt and cry down through your blood and into your bones for someone other than yourself, Ed could take the damn thing back.

***

It was a kind of cold that one can only truly compare to spending months rotting away underground in a box. There was a difference however, the earth was alive, things moved all around on the outside of your coffin. There was no life here. Just cold and metal. Buffy woke up crying. She couldn't put tangible definitions to her sadness, but she knew it was something to do with Spike. Spike was in pain, she simply knew it in every cell in her body.

"Spike?" she called out, her voice barely raising a whisper. She gingerly tried to sit up, only to hit her head on something. She felt above her, and the frozen metal stung her fingertips as if it burned. She tried to turn over, but was met with resistance on both sides. She tried to kick, but her limbs where shocked with contact at a solid and ungiving wall."Spike?!"

Behind her head was less cold, less hard, so she hit it. There was a little give, and she got fierce with it, pounding and pushing with all her strength. Finally the hinges on the door broke and it fell to the tiled floor below. She dragged her body along the smooth surface, then regretfully slipped once her torso emerged and crashed to the floor as a nude, wounded, trembling heap.

The morgue was no warmer outside of the body slot she'd wakened in. Cold and naked on the floor she whimpered, and called out again for Spike. She tried to get to her feet, but in her weakened state, she toppled more than once before she managed to grasp on to an examination table and gave her muscles time to recover. She took a few more steps, teetering like a child on their first steps until she got to the door.

The corridor was empty, save for a laundry cart from which she had the presence of mind to steal a hospital gown to cover herself with, though it did leave her back and rear end somewhat exposed. Making the choice between heading up the long corridor back to the hospital, or out the side exit, Buffy went into the night in search of her vampire.

Chapter 18

A good deal of time after Harmony had brought Spike to her home, he finally allowed himself to curl up on her couch and drift off to sleep. He was emotionally exhausted as well as physically from all his crying and mourning. Harmony slipped out of the room after than and went to her own boudoir to change out of her dress. Nothing she owned, she realized, was somber enough to wear in a time of mourning. Not that she was missing Buffy or upset herself. But seeing Spike in agony like that, her once Boo Boo, had her overwhelmed with a duty to be respectful. She put on a tailored black pantsuit and tied her hair back. The suit was tailored to show her curves and cleavage, but it would have to do. She hadn't seen her reflection for almost four years and for the first time she was glad of it because then, she herself began to cry.

It must have been late at night, Buffy reasoned as best she could in her dulled state. Her head felt as it were full of cotton batting, her vision foggy and each step was a grueling effort. She was no better than before, only now instead of feeling as if her skin were on fire, she was sure it must have been -40° outside. It certainly didn't help matters that she was barely clothed. She'd been wandering the backroads and neighborhoods of Sunnydale, unaware of the passing of time.

She was aware of the cool dew under her feet as she walked across someone's front lawn when ahead of her she saw a speck of glowing red break through the night. It was the striking of a match, too delirious still to remember that he had quit smoking again. "Spike!" she gasped to herself, astonished and suddenly full of joy. She tried to run for him, but her limbs were overcome with a heavy lassitude and she could only stagger. The man was gone by the time she reached the spot where she'd first seen him. From the ground she picked up a matchbook.

See looked up and remembered the house, Harmony's brothel. A darkness crept over her then. Had he gone inside? To be with her? Her mate, her vampire, her lover had betrayed her. The matchbook in her hand seemed hot against her cold hands, with the recent brush of the match across the cover. The rose bushes that lined around the perimeter of the house were past their first bloom. The leaves were dry, as were the branches.

Buffy's presence of mind was absent as she came before the house and struck the first match. The leaves caught flame quickly enough, spitting and crackling the drops of dew that had settled. The flames spread, engulfing a branch, then slowly weeping down until the first bush was beginning to properly burn. She backed away suddenly, the flames licking at her flimsy clothing and almost burned her. She stumbled and fell on to the ground. A displaced panic rose inside her and Buffy scrambled away. She turned back at the end of the walk way to witness the house beginning to burn as the fire spread from bush to bush and up the old wooden frame towards the roof. The entire house would be ablaze in a matter of minutes. Let it burn, let them all burn.

***

Spike was jarred from his sleep with a foreign ache in his guts. It was as if all his senses flared at once and the outside world came to him in one massive assault. His body jolted and he gave a little cry, staggering to his feet. He gave his head a shake, vaguely recognizing where he was. It took a few moments, but the horror of what happened earlier in the night returned. He clutched his arms around himself, trying not to cry and scream again. He had to pull himself together and go find Dawn and the others.

It was then he noticed the scent of smoke, different than a cigarette's, heavier, woody. He focused himself and walked over to the door, before he even touched it he knew there was danger on the other side, heat. His hand burned on the door knob when he turned it, but he managed and opened it to reveal the front foyer in a spectacular blaze. The walls were black and there were parts of the ceiling falling.

The fire was everywhere, having already totally engulfed the front entrance and one side of the house. He was lucky it hadn't spread to where he'd been sleeping and burned him to ash already. There were screams from upstairs as the rest of the household realized what was occurring. He couldn't leave them. Moments later a few of the girls came running down the stairs, followed by their clients. Spike acted instantaneously, covering his face with his jacket and rushing through the flames to them.

"Back up the stairs!!" he ordered,"There's no bloody was we're getting out this way! Get out through the windows!" The girls began to squeal and panic,"You're vampires, grab hold of your guys and bloody fucking jump or you'll go up in smoke! MOVE!!" They reacted and he helped each of them out before going through to check for others. The only one unaccounted for was Harmony.

"HARM!?" he shouted, smoke filling his lungs and making him cough. He quickly remembered he didn't need to breathe."Harmony!!?" She never answered, but Spike found her eventually. She was in her bedroom, sitting on the floor."Harmony, bloody hell, we have to get out of here." She looked up at him and he was shocked to see that she was crying.

"I can't take it back." They didn't have time for this, but Spike came down to her nonetheless.

"What, pet?"

"I killed alot of people, Spike."

"Yeah, Harm, you did. So have I."

"And what about my mom and dad?"

"Did you kill them too?" She shook her head and sniffled.

"But they must think I ran away, or I'm dead...and...and...how do you live with it?" He sighed, then took her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"You just do, accept the pain and the guilt and realize that life can be beautiful, if only for a short moments at a time." She nodded and hugged him.

"Spike?"

"Yes, love?"

"Do I smell smoke?"

Chapter 19

"Okay, these heels are so not made for jumping from second story windows!" Harmony complained and she and Spike stood on the roof. Spike rolled his eyes and took her hand and they leapt. He landed first, almost crumpling to his knees after impact but managing to stay upright, Harmony however landing gracefully on said heels. They went to gather with the others, most of the girls huddling together. The fire department had arrived finally and were already gearing up to control the fire. The house however was a clear loss."Oh my poor house!"

"Sorry, pet, truly, but we're alive," Spike said to comfort her."Alive..." Now that the crisis had passed his thoughts returned to Buffy. He walked away from the group, unaware that Harmony was watching him. With the glow of the raging fire behind him, he walked down the street, feeling as empty and bereft as ever. Silken streams of tears fell over his cheeks again as he tried to recapture every memory he had of his golden girl, his lost Slayer. He recalled her laugh, her voice, her touch, her scent. The memory of her scent permeated his brain as strongly as if she were here with him now.

He opened his eyes, suddenly overcome with a quizzical sensation. He inhaled deeply, again, and once more. It couldn't be? It wasn't her perfume or her shampoo that could be mistaken on any girl, it was her sweat, her skin, her sweet juices, her blood. It was Buffy. She'd been in this very spot moments ago. Frantically he scanned the street for her, too excited to deny his hope that it were true. He ran off.

Harmony came to the same spot he'd been and came to the same conclusion,"God my karma sucks."

***

He tried to control himself, but he was manic in searching for her. Running around like a mad hare. Sure enough, his instincts did not fail him and he saw her small, shadowed figure at the dark end of the street, walking slowly. He took off in a sprint, determined to swoop her up in his arms, but instead he stopped short. There was uncertainty.

"Buffy?" he croaked out, reaching out, but not quite touching her. She turned around, teetering a little and holding her arms out to balance herself. Quickly he steadied her, taking her hands in his. He laughed a sound of pure joy, she was real. She wasn't a zombie, or some walking undead, it was the really real Buffy and she was so cold he felt himself warming her.

"Th...there y...you...are..." she whispered, teeth chattering,"B...been looking f..for you..."

"God, oh Lord, what gift are you giving me?" She smiled at him, looking rather dopey and sweet. He wrapped his arms around her and sobbed into her neck. He slid down her body to his knees and buried his face at her belly, kissing and crying. His hands were all over her, desperate to touch every inch of perfect Buffy he never thought he hold again. It was then he noticed that she was all but naked. He pulled back and realized that she wore only a scrap of material and her skin was like gooseflesh. He stripped off Giles' suit jacket and put it around her shoulders, then proceeded to roughly rub her calves and thighs to get her circulation stimulated. She put her hands on his shoulders and leaned forward.

"Where have you been?"

"Don't you remember?" She shook her head, her sweet face scrunching up, confusion plaguing her.

"Anya and I were gonna come find you. I needed you." He didn't have a reply for her then, there'd be time enough to explain, to figure it out later, but for right now, he just let himself be purely happy. He stood up and held her tightly to him again and this time she held him back.

"I'm always, always here with you, I'm never anywhere else. Even when we're apart, no matter how short or long a time, my soul, love, is wrapped around yours." She giggled and snuggled up closer.

"I'm sleepy. I wanna go home." He agreed wholeheartedly and took her up in his arms, carrying her towards home, every moment thanking the Powers for the grace of a miracle.

Chapter 20

Buffy clung to Spike's shirt as they neared the house. She thought her cold was finally gone, she could certainly breathe easier and her head felt increasingly clearer. She yawned and wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzling her nose under his chin, her cheek to his throat. He held her up high, with his two arms trying to blanket her completely. He was breathing hard, shaky, wanting so much to scream and cry at her for letting him believe she was dead, but of course he knew that she had nothing to do with it, she'd been severely poisoned and may not be out of the woods yet. He quickened his pace, perhaps Willow had managed to complete the antidote before news of Buffy's supposed death hit home.

"Spike?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, sweetheart? We're almost home, less than a block."

"Okay. I just wanted to tell you that I loved you."

"I love you too, my heart."

"I love all your little nicknames for me too. Pet, love, sweetheart, goldilocks..." She giggled again. It was sweet, but Spike knew she wasn't quite herself yet, that this coquettish behavior was a sign of abnormality."And you're my Big Bad, my vampire, my peroxide prince."

"Yeah, darlin', that's me." He had to take a moment before going inside the house, there would be questions, shock, joy, fright. None of that was more important than the fact that a couple of hours ago she was dead, and now she wasn't. He carefully held her while he opened the door, slipping inside as quietly as possible. He wasn't about to shout the news out followed by 76 bloody trombones. He nudged the door behind him with his foot until he heard it click shut. He kissed the top of her head,"We're home, Buffy."

"Yahoo...bed please, so tired."

"Not yet, soon though." Willow emerged from the kitchen, thinking she'd heard something. When she saw them, her hands flew up to cover her mouth to hold in her exclamation as she came closer.

"Spike!" the witch whispered hoarsely,"You stole her body?!"

Buffy turned her face and smiled, giving her best friend a little wave. "Willow, the antidote to the Pluthor poison, have you got it?" Spike asked. Willow, still in shock, nodded her head enthusiastically."Go on then, you silly bint!" Willow bolted back to the kitchen and Spike sighed, any second now there would be a stampede.

Sure enough, there was.

Giles was the first, having to lean against the wall as he was overcome at the sight of Buffy's third resurrection. She didn't seem particularly interested, she was lulled against Spike, just gazing over at her pseudo-father. Dawn followed next, almost seemingly afraid to touch Buffy."Pet, gonna put you down now, alright?" She shook her head and glommed on more fiercely to him,"It'll be alright, darlin', I'm right here. Don't you wanna say hello to your friends? Your lil' sis." Reluctantly she found her footing, leaning back against Spike for both support and contact. The others had come too and before Buffy knew what was happening, she was consumed into a huge group hug. Spike hung back and let the reunions take place, even though Buffy still seemed absent from it, trying to talk to them, but still seeming a little lost. The Pluthor poisoning was an enigma to begin with, how the disease was running its course was still a mystery. For all they knew there could be serious residual effects or complications. Hopefully Willow's antidote would help determine the outcome.

On cue, the witch return with a tumbler of thin, brownish liquid. It looked like tea, but it certainly didn't smell like it. Spike took it from Willow and approached the Slayer,"Buffy, love, you need to drink this please."

Buffy immediately turned her nose up at it, scrunching her face up in obvious disgust,"Not on your unlife," she whined.

"Slayer, either you drink it down right now or you know I'll bloody well force it down your gullet," Spike countered, starring deep into her eyes. She grabbed it from him and scowled.

"You're so mean to me." She chugged it down, gagging and screwing her face up like a unblooming rose. Spike smiled, feeling another swell of admiration and love rise up. He was thankful that vampires didn't blush, intense emotions always turned his face bright red when he'd been human. "Blehhh!!" She stuck her tongue out and gave her head a shake. The same melodious, beautiful sound as whenever they'd done whiskey shots together.

The change was immediately perceptible, especially to Spike. Her body temperature evened out, the hazy slope to her gaze brightened and focus, her hair even seemed to regain a certain sheen. She breathed in a full breath and let it out, blinking rapidly, then relaxing into Spike as if finally coming home at journey's end."Hmm, headache's gone," she mumbled, rubbing her face.

"Good, love, real good," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. The others shared smiles, and Buffy let the fragments of memories from this long horrible night piece themselves together. The the still incomplete picture had her standing here with her mate embracing her. Everything was almost as it should be, her few lost memories couldn't be that important. Though vaguely she recalled something to do with matches. She remembered waking in the morgue clearly enough and shuddered. There was only one cure for wiggins so major. She touched Spike's hand in such a way that the message was clear."If you'll pardon us, the Slayer and I must attend to something."

Chapter 21

Once inside the bedroom, Spike walked on past her."Oh thank god we're alone, you ever get that need when you just want forget the entire world exists except you and your significant other?" Buffy asked,"All night I just kept thinking I needed to be with you. I didn't know much else, but I knew that once I was in your arms, you'd see that everything would be okay." At first Spike couldn't bare not having constant contact with her, now he seemed somewhat nervous. She closed and locked the bedroom door and sighed. He turned around, a gamut of emotions paining his face. "Spike, are you alright?" Buffy moved close to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and looking up at his down cast face. He choked on a sob, tears suddenly falling down his sharp cheeks.

"No, no, not at all, not a bloody bit," he cried, gripping her shoulders,"I can't stop playing that moment over and over again in my head, the doctor coming out of your hospital room, about to tell me you were dead."

"Oh, baby...I didn't realize. But I'm right here, aren't I? I wasn't dead, I couldn't have been." She took his hand and put it over her heart,"Still here, still alive." He pressed his palm more firmly against her chest, relishing in the rhythmic thumping of her heart and the warmth of her body."Spike, I'm still gonna be Mrs. William Chippinghurst, aren't I?" He coughed out a laugh and marveled at how wonderful she was.

"That's a bloody horrible name to give the woman I love."

"It's growing on me."

"Like a fungus no doubt."

"No you twit, like I'm going to be proud to be your wife. Now, I think we both deserve a little TLC, don't you? First, I'd really like a bath, because morgues are less sterile than you'd think, and you know, to wash that deadness right outta my hair." He sighed and tried to relax, she was making jokes to make him feel better. He couldn't imagine how horrible a memory it was for her to have woken up among the dead - again. She massaged at the small of his back,"Afterwards, I want us to curl up in bed together, and come what may. Why don't you go get me my robe?"

"Alright, pet...don't go anywhere."

"Never." He was gone only a few seconds, taking her hand and bestowing a kiss upon it before giving her the cotton bathrobe."Make the water nice an hot." Spike emerged from the bathroom again soon, with the sound of the water still running in the tub. He eased up to her, looked intensely down into her eyes, then dropped to the ground in front of her. She held in a fit of giggles when he began to French kiss her knees,"Honey, that tickles!" Suddenly his hand were under her robe and gliding up her thighs. The drapes of fabric were pulled open and Spike buried his face at her mound, inhaling deeply, lips and tongue voracious at the soft gathering of curls, delving in between the edges of her slit."Oh god, Spike what are you gonna do to me?"

"Need...need to know you're really here..." He squeezed her bottom and resumed his attentions on her sex. He encouraged her to open her legs a little wider as he dipped his face a bit under her for better access. He flexed out his tongue and ran it from one end of her moistening lips until it passed over her clit and she moaned heatedly, grabbing on to his shoulders to steady herself. He repeated the action, again and again, devouring her, loving her. He took up one of her legs and put it over his shoulder, then moved his mouth under her in order to push his tongue inside. He consumed her, lost himself in the heat and taste of her, groaning every time her body offered him another rush of her nectar.

She threaded her fingers in his hair and pushed him against her and she moved her hips back and forth with the stabbing actions of his tongue. As both their motions rose to a frenzy, Spike brought his demon to the surface, adding his facial ridges and fangs to his love making. With these new sensations rubbing against her delicate skin, coupled with his inherent aptitude, Buffy was catapulted to orgasm.

"Spike...Spike! Spike!" she cried, feeling herself melt over him, her Slayer muscles spasming and her entire body thrumming with sexual vibrations. Suddenly unable to support herself, Buffy collapsed over him, falling down into his arms, his mouth now moving over her stomach and breasts,"I love you...I love you."

"Buffy...Buffy...my love..." he chanted, his face syroped with her release and her sweat, his hands mauling and caressing every inch of her. Buffy was reaching for the zipper on his pants when unexpectedly she was unceremoniously tossed on the floor with a dull thud and the vampire was scurrying away.

"Honey? Spike, babe? Whatcha doing?" He came running back out from the bathroom and scooped her up.

"Sorry, pet, I left the water running."

"Oh. Didn't overflow did it?"

"Nope, it's all nice and warm for me and my girl."

"The two of us? Oh I like that, I can give you a hand job in tub." Spike nearly dropped her from hearing those words.

"Buffy!"

"What? You just pleasured me orally while I was standing up, not to mention still being all morgue-y. I think I'm allowed to touch your penis whilst we soak in the tub. And later I wanna spank you, I just love doing that!"

"Don't have to ask twice, love, do....do anything you like." His eased her into the water, the Slayer giving off a moan of satisfaction as the hot water enveloped her body.

"Mmmm...heaven." She watched in lust as Spike disrobed, every time that sleak white canvas of hard muscles and taut skin was unveiled, her abdomen ached with desire."You're beautiful, you know? I don't think I tell you that enough." He gave her a shy, almost embarrassed smile before getting into the bath with her. He settled down and she maneuvered herself to his side until they fit together comfortably in the small space.

"You really think that?" She had the bar of soap in her hand and busied herself with sliding it back and forth over his stomach.

"You have one of the most illuminated, kindest souls I've ever known. Then there's this lean, catlike body, full of strength and grace. You have scars, but they make you beautiful too. You have that bleached out hair that makes you both childlike and fiendishly dangerous...and then..." She let the soap go and wrapped her hand around his semi-erect cock as best she could,"There's this beautiful, long, thick cock that I can't even fit in my hands." She circled her thumb around one bulging vein in particular and, adding a special kind of pressure. He shuddered and shifted and Buffy continued with her actions until he was fully erect in her hand."I'm a small girl, but any woman would find this....too much. She gave it a squeeze and slid her hand up to the swollen head. She glided her fings over the top, gathering the pearly drops of precum, then slid back down under the water.

Spike closed his eyes and groaned against her throat, starting to pant as Buffy continued to massage him up and down for serveral long minutes."Buffy...I'm..."

"You're close?"

"Yeah...yeah, love..."

"Kiss me." She turned her face down to his, finding his lips and drawing his own tongue into her mouth. She intensified her working on him, tightening her grasp, pumping faster. He groaned into her mouth and came in heavy spurts over her hand and in the water. Long after he had calmed back down, she continued to kiss him, letting them both sink down into the bath. The warm water blanketed the lovers, soothingly lapping at their necks where they weren't submerged. Buffy moved her lips from his, sweetly kissing over his cheeks , eyelids, nose and forehead."My beautiful man..."

Chapter 22

"So, we continue with the pampering of the dead and resurrected for a third time Buffy?" the Slayer asked, once again being carried by her vampire lover. He put her down on the bed and kissed her on the tip of her nose. He smiled, then went over to the dresser to retrieve her undergarments and fresh clothes for them both.

"We do indeed, sweetheart, down to the kitchen we go and I'll make you anything you'd like for dinner. Or call for delivery because I'm not sure if I can cook much beyond microwaving blood. But I'll try." He brought her the clothes and continued on with dressing himself.

"Actually, do we have any pineapple? I have an insane craving for pineapple chunks in plain yogurt."

"You're so weird."

"What? It's nummy."

"It's breakfast for waifish supermodels with eating disorders. If you want breakfast I can make eggs and bacon and potatoes."

"Spike healthy food doesn't equal bad, your kind of breakfast will make my heart explode."

"Balders, it's good English living."

"An oxymoron if ever I heard one. Fine, pineapple on my pizza please."

"And a pound of cheese is healthy? You're a damned insufferable chit...but I love you and I wouldn't change anything about you." He took her hand and pulled her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close,"Don't ever scare me like that again, you hear me?"

"I'll do my best, and don't you ever get dusty."

"Do my best."

"Food now please."

"Yes dear."

***

"Come to momma cheesy goodness," Buffy moaned as the slice of gooey, topping laden pizza was brought to her mouth. She took a large bite, stuffing her face full."Mmmm mmmmm!!" Spike watched, bemused at his lady love indulging in the pleasure of food. He'd always thought she ate too little, was too thin. He'd love a nice plump Slayer more than he thought was safe to tell a woman. Before Buffy had finished her first piece of pizza, Spike had taken another two from the box and put them on her plate. He wondered if Willow had added a little something extra to the Pluthor antidote, he'd never seen Buffy consume food quite so ravenously.

"Thought I might pop down to the store n' get us some chocolate ice cream if there's none in the freezer, sound good to you, pet?" She nodded her head enthusiastically, happily digging into the second piece. I nice curvy Slayer with a round bottom and succulent breasts. Lovely, he thought. The smell of pizza must have triggered the hunger of the rest of the household as the others made their way from various rooms into the dining room.

"How come you didn't tell us there was pizza?" Dawn asked, a little stricken. Spike snatched away the box before the teenager to get a piece.

"'Cause it's Buffy's I'm not dead for a third time celebratory pizza!" the vampire protested.

"Spike, you practically kidnapped my sister to the upstairs when you knew we all wanted to share in the so glad you're not dead again love fest, we deserve pizza!" Spike sighed, and caught a smirk from the Slayer, her cheeks stuffed full like a chipmunk's.

"Order whatever you like, bit."

"I thank you, and the raging pride of lions in my stomach thank you also." She went bounding towards the kitchen to call in her order to the all night pizza place, but Spike spoke again.

"Are you happy, nibblet?" Buffy was too busy stuffing her face to notice the the subtle conversation passing between her sister and her vampire. Dawn looked at them both and nodded her head before wiping away a tear. All this time the others had been slowly gathering around the edges of the dining room, just observing Buffy - pigging out. The Slayer had torn a fearsome swath through the pizza, devouring nearly all of it. Spike smiled at seeing Giles with his arm around Anya, watching Buffy with almost parental pride, Xander and Willow too stood close, friends forever. He turned back to Buffy and swiped away a dollop of tomato sauce from the corner of her mouth before tasting it off his finger.

"What do we have for dessert? Is there ice cream? Did someone check yet?" she asked around the the cheese.

"Are you sure you'll have room, pet?" Spike reached out again rubbed the side of her cheek with the back of his knuckles. She smiled and stuffed the crust into her mouth, nodding happily.

"Can I eat it off your washboard abs?" Spike burst out laughing, but even more so he was pleased to know she wasn't kidding,"Or, banana split?"

"And I'm the banana?"

"Okay, okay, I realize you two are like atypical sex fiends for each other, but does everything always have to be about Spike's penis?!" Xander burst out. The others stared at the young man, blank, somewhat shocked looks on their faces. Spike inched his chair closer to Buffy.

"I swear I had nothing to do with this one," Willow protested,"If someone gayed him up, it wasn't me."

"Xander, I appreciate....no, perhaps I don't appreciate...oh bloody hell, Harris, I'm strictly butter side up," Spike blathered, his hand resting high up on Buffy's inner thigh, just to stake a claim to his manliness,"So...so..."

"God, what is wrong with you people?!" Xander shouted,"This was about them, being all over each other! Buffy's just come back from the dead, again, and we're all happy and grateful, and he's all over her and....and...I give up."

"Good, because you'll never win m'heart, it belongs to Buffy. Sure, you're a fine strapping young lad and if I were a different kind of vamp, possibly named Angel, I'm sure you'd be prime bite material but..."

"Spike, honey, go get me that ice cream or you and can Xander go find a nice cozy crypt..." Buffy interjected.

"I'm not gay!" Xander proclaimed, again,"And even if I was..."

"It's okay Xander, I remember how you liked to tie me up in your basement..." Spike countered,"But honestly, you've been putting out the come ons for years now, I'm sorry, mate, I just swing from different vines than you."

"What? You can't be serious...I'm not..." Mercifully the doorbell rang and Xander bolted,"I got that!" He left the others in his wake, laughing their asses off.

Xander opened the door to reveal the unexpected visitor that was Harmony. She stood there with a mightily pissed off look on her face, hands on her hips and foot tapping the Declaration of Independence in Morse code. Madame's entire entourage stood behind her in full vamp face and lingerie.

"She burned down my house!" Harmony declared.

"Buffy!!! It's for you!!" Xander hollered. The entire household came running.

"Oh crap," said Buffy.

Chapter 23

"Okay, Vivienne, Tammy, Connie, you three are in Dawn's room, Dawnie and Willow and Anya are bunking together in Willow's room. Giles, Xander, sorry, basement. Cindy, Nadia, Jessica, and finally, Harmony, you may share the living room," Buffy explained, delegating sleeping spaces. Anya raised her hand,"Yes Anya?"

"Why don't Rupert and I just go back to my place? Or his? Wouldn't that make more sense? The Hellmouth's closed, the First was defeated and honestly, I'm getting sick of the whole bunch of you. Besides, why would I subject my Rupie to these wanton hussies and their fangs, not to mention my own vulnerable person. No offense." The ladies rolled their eyes and tutted their tongues on the roofs of their mouths.

"Forgot, okay, fine." Xander raised his hand next."What?"

"I've got an apartment."

"Whatever." Spike came up behind his frustrated intended bride and placed comforting hands on the back of her shoulders, kneading her tired muscles, he'd have to take special care of her tonight.

"Here's another good suggestion, Buffy," Harmony added,"Why don't you go with him!"

"Oh sure thing Harmony and leave my fiancé all alone in our big comfy bed in a house full of vamp hos, yeah, that'll go over like a house on fire." Harmony gasped.

"You bitch! This is your fault you know, if you hadn't gotten so pyro happy none of us would be here in your low rent white trash hovel!" Now it was Buffy's turned to act shocked, she'd had a delusional fever afterall. The muscles in her entire body strung themselves so tight they felt like stone under Spike's hands.

"You're lucky I don't stake you here and now."

"Oh I'd like to see you try, little miss Slutty the Vampire Layer - there's a few crusty minions in the south cemetery you haven't banged yet, why don't you go out and follow your true calling?"

"Hey!" Spike interjected, getting more than a little angry himself,"None of that, Harmony! What happened was an accident."

"Oh pffft!"

"Slayer..." Spike's voice softened as he came to stand in front of her,"Let's you and me get out of here, what do you say?"

"I can't believe you put your dick in that woman!" Buffy shouted. Spike cringed.

"Precious, please..."

"Don't precious me! I'm only letting them stay here because of you!"

"Because of me? Why the bloody hell because of me!?"

"'Cause you're all good Spike, all noble and you'd want to help and...and...because it is all my fault."

"Fuck, Buffy. It's not your fault and I'm not the bloody Poof." Why was she suddenly getting weepy? Her lower lip was trembling and everything.

"Why do you want to marry me?" Where did that come from?

"Do enlighten us, Spikey," Harmony added, enjoying the Slayer's vulnerability, ever the bitch. Spike ran his hand through his hair, all eyes upon him. He saw a tear slip down her cheek and she started to come unhinged.

"Uh..." he stammered.

"You don't know?" Buffy gasped. The dam was about to burst.

"BLOODY HELL! That's it!! This is the bloody end!!" Much to the amazement of all those present, Spike vamped out and grabbed for the Slayer. He tossed her over his shoulder as if he were a fireman carrying a victim out of a burning house. Seemed to be a metaphor with them tonight.

"Spike!? What are you doing? Put me down!"

"Not a chance, my heart." He walked over to the desk in the living room and retrieve something from the drawer and stuffed it in his jeans pocket, then headed for the door."Where are you taking me?"

"Out. Ta, ladies and gents!" With that they were out the door and took to the street.

"Spike?!" With one spread hand and a firm palm he smacked her hard across the bottom,"HEY!!!" He laughed out loud and gave her another, prancing down the street like a caveman taking his mate back to the cave for a good shag. Buffy decided it was time to play hard. The vampire was stalled dead in his tracks when her own hand landed on his backside with a hard thwack. In turn he gave her another, and so on back and forth all the way downtown.

By the time their reached their destinations, their bums were stinging with each step. Their assaults on each other however had long since turned into play rather than punishment. Spike finally set her down outside the Sunnydale Courthouse. He was smiling so sweetly at her she couldn't get mad at him no matter how much her brain was telling her she should be. Her heart was telling her to kiss that sweet mouth of his. He beat her to it, bending down ever so slightly to brush his lips across hers."My arse is killing me, pet," he whispered. She smiled.

"Your own fault and I can betcha mine's pinker than a lobster's."

"I'll see to it later. But right now we've more important matters to attend to."

"Such as?"

"Our wedding."

"Huh?"

Chapter 24

"Sunnydale Night Court part 232 is now in session, the honorable Judge Adam Pierson presiding." The Judge entered from his chambers and took his seat and the gavel in his hand.

"You may be seated," he ordered with the lowering of the gavel,"Jenkins, who's up first on the docket?" The bailiff was about to speak when a lovely young lady hand in hand with a man with frighteningly pale skin and bleached hair pushed their way through the prostitutes, thieves and gang memebers all waiting their evening's processing. Spike took Buffy to his side and wormed their way between the counselors and slapped the piece of paper from his pocket down in front of the judge.

"Time's a wastin' your honorable," Spike mused, a broad smile painted on his face, a definite light dancing in his eyes. For her part, Buffy was struck dumb, but happily going along with her crazy vampire.

"Young man you're interrupting court proceedings...for..." He read the paper in front of him,"This is a marriage license."

"I know what it bloody is and here's you groom and his stunning bride." He made a mental note to have and explanation ready for Buffy when she asked on on Earth he actually acquired a legal marriaged license.

"You want me to marry you?"

"No you pillock, I want to marry Buffy."

"No, I meant..." Just then Buffy stepped up, leaning into the judge.

"It'll be faster if you don't argue with him, do this for us? Please?" Buffy asked, batting her eyelashes.

"You two really want to get married, here, now?"

"I can't wait another moment," Spike declared,"I must make this angel mine forever."

"You better hurry," Buffy continued,"Or he'll start spouting poetry and you so don't want that."

***

Ten minutes later, the cheers of the Sunnydale's small time criminals behind them, Mr. and Mrs. Chippinghurst sat on the steps out front. Spike held his wife's ringless hand in between his two, staring down at her running shoes. There was no wedding band on his finger either. He sighed and slouched.

"So, um, pet..." he began.

"So..."

"How do you feel?" She shrugged, then leaned into him, resting her cheek on his shoulder.

"We're married."

"We are indeed."

"Not quite how I imagined it."

"Me neither. You didn't answer my question." She looked up at him, her glum look mirroring his sullen one.

"Cheated."

"Me too. Sad."

"Me too."

"This was a mistake."

"Too late now."

"Yeah." He tilted his head and kissed her temple."I apologize. I wasn't thinking, I just wanted to be your husband more than anything in the world, I didn't mean for our wedding to be...the sodding disaster it was."

"I went along with it too, your enthusiasm was infectious. I'm overjoyed that we're married, William, but..."

"I wanted you in a long white gown with flowers in your golden hair and tears in your eyes. I wanted to savor those minutes of you slowly approaching me, holding your eyes with my own, then declaring our love in front of your friends and family. Knowing that I was your one, above all others. I wanted our moment." She moved from beside him to sit on his lap, arms linked around his neck, cheek against cheek.

"I wanted it too."

"So, we agree, we won't tell anyone we're hitched and get down to planning a proper wedding. I know just where we'll have it too."

"Where's that?"

"The church where I told you of my soul. That was our new beginning, I think."

"I finally realized you were not just a vampire, that you are a man. Are you sure, a church? Even one as special as ours?"

"I'm a man with a demon inside...not the other way around. I want God's blessing."

"That's beautiful. I love you so much."

"And I love you, Buffy Anne Chippinghurst." She rolled her eyes and smiled."Now, my beautiful bride. I might not have given you the wedding of your dreams, but I promise you, our wedding night will be....special, perfect."

"I know it will be, because it's you...and oh my god I'm a Chippinghurst!!"

Chapter 25

Agreeing that they didn't particularly want to explain themselves to their houseguests, nor whoever the remaining Scoobies that were in the house, sneaking in through the bedroom window seemed the best course of action. Unfortunately, since Buffy had switched into the master bedroom, there was no longer a large oak to climb. Spike surprised her then, certainly not the first time in their years of knowing each other, by gracefully scaling the entire side of the house like a spider upon his web. He dashed inside as if made of mist and seconds later the rope that she stashed in her closet was lowered for her to bring herself up to the bedroom.

Once inside she expected to be swept off her feet, but found that her new husband was busying himself with other matters. He'd already turned down the bed and was presently gathering in his arms what candles they had and arranging them on the bedside tables and lighting them. Buffy watched with awe and anticipation, at her husband. Her husband.

She felt her heartbeat quicken as he pulled his t-shirt over his head. He made sure to lock the door before taking off his boots and trousers as well. She was still by the window, watching his naked form move under the shadows of the flickering candles. He approached her slowly, silently as a ghost, eyes boring into hers. Buffy gasped and breathed in a ragged breath, her heart thumping hard in her chest. When he suddenly vamped out, it startled her and she jumped a little. He was suddenly behind her, growling at a near purr in her ear. He hadn't touched her yet, but already she was aroused to the point of feeling herself flowing down between her legs. She parted her lips and closed her eyes when he began to speak,"Will you let me have you?" She knew that it was the demon part of him asking the question. She leaned back and tilted her head to one side, baring her neck to his bite.

"Yes." Instead of the expected penetration of his fangs, he kissed her throat.

"I believe, pet, that the way this is supposed to go is that you're to disappear into the other room to slip into some sexy little thing whilst I lay in wait for you." He laved his tongue behind her ear, kissing her once more as he lovingly pet her hair,"Buffy, I love you, darling."

"I don't have anything to put on."

"You have many lovely things, you won't be wearing it for very long anyhow. I just want...our moment."

"I'll find something." She went to move from him, but he caught her left hand and brought it to his lips. There was something wholly erotic about him being so docile and gentle while still wearing the demon's face.

"I promise we'll get you a ring as soon as possible."

"If you buy me a diamond I'll punch you in the nose."

"Sorry, pet?"

"Just a band, a gold band for each of us."

"But..."

"I mean it, William. Go get into bed." He gave up, for now and sulked over to their bed, tossing himself on it and burying his face in the pillow. Meanwhile Buffy searched her lingerie drawer for something appropriate. She settled on one, one he probably had never seen, one she bought with him in mind the day after her one and only date with Principal Wood. In the bathroom she washed her face clean of makeup and brushed out her hair. She applied a sheen of gloss to her lips and stood in front of the mirror for a moment, hoping this was what he was looking for tonight.

She didn't know why she was nervous, this was Spike after all, but on the other hand this night together was six years in the making. She calmed herself and turned out the light before opening the door and stepping into the bedroom. He was laying on his side and facing her, head on the pillow, one hand underneath, the other laying out in front where her spot was. She wasn't sure she could fully read the look on his human face, lust, love and awe all churning together as one. She nervously fidgeted with the fitted lacy white camisole that covered her breasts and stomach, a hint of the matching panties peeking out underneath.

"Pet, you're frightened, aren't you?" She gave him a weak smile and sort of shrugged her shoulders.

"Blushing bride on her wedding night, I guess." She gave a little laugh. He held out his hand and she took it, letting him draw her down next to him. He ran his hand up her thigh, caressing, kneading.

"Then I shall pretend this is your first time, that you've known no other man....my beautiful virgin in white." She was blushing, he could sense the blood rushing to her cheeks.

"I wish I was, for you." He had a lamentful smile on his face. Part of him wished it were so, but on the other hand, to already know how perfect this would be gave him a great sense of anticipation. He moved slightly and dropped his head to her stomach, pushing the fabric up a little with his nose and pressing his lips to her bellybutton. He loved how she shivered with his touch. He shifted again and caught the strap of her camisole with his teeth, pulling it off her shoulder while his hand went to the other. Though the garment was a little tight, he managed to work it down until her plump breasts were exposed. With his hand now resting securely on her flat tummy, he descended to arouse her further.

He lightly kissed each nipple over and over, relishing the sensation of her areole creasing and tightening under the skin of his lips. She was making little sounds of pleasure, little gasps and mews and it was making him overtly aroused, his erection lengthening against the outside of her thigh. He paid long attentions to her breasts, rubbing his nose and cheek around the soft mounds, suckling upon her nipples, biting them, until she nearly came from his touch.

Sensing her more urgent needs, Spike moved from her and aided in divesting her of her lovely garments, leaving the Slayer with her legs spread invitingly. He paused above her, head cocked to one side, sharing a gaze of love drenched in lust, before she placed her hand on the back of his head and guided it down. The pheromone heavy scent of her arousal brought his demon forth and he watched her center quiver just as he went to take her.

She moaned just a little bit too loudly when he began pleasure her with tongue and fangs. He was steady and purposeful with nudging her sex with the ridges of his face and the prick points of his fangs, while his tongue laved her with hungry, hard licks, delving as deep up inside as he could manage. He alternated with the action inside her and laps over her too eager clit. Each time she shook, flooding his devouring mouth. The vampire knew every nerve of hers to excite, every place on her body that would bring her pleasure. Moreso, he knew how to love her.

Buffy was certain the bedsheets had caught on fire. She'd definitely taken leave of her senses, immersed in her husband's lovemaking. She felt herself beginning to climax and it was at that moment when just one more sweep of his tongue would send her over the edge, that he stopped.

Chapter 26

He closed the window and shut the curtains and snuffed out the candles. She heard his movements around the room, the brief sound of water running in the bathroom, and then his return. Buffy whimpered and writhed, begging him to come to her,"Spike? Where are you? I can't see you." Suddenly his hands were gliding up her legs as he moved in between them.

"But you can feel me, can't you?" He was over her,"The demon's had his fun, now let a man make love to his wife." His head bent down to press his lips to her shoulder, then again closer to her throat, then under her chin. When he claimed her mouth, he slipped inside her sex. Buffy moaned and her entire body seemed to melt into the mattress, Spike laying his weight down upon her as he sunk in to the fullest inside his wife. The continued to kiss slowly, rolling tongues together through smiles and moments of euphoria at the culmination of so many years of strife and struggle. The vampire and Slayer had wed. And they loved.

They threaded their fingers together and held their hands above their head as their bodies undulated. From the intense attention he'd already gifted upon, Buffy felt herself approaching her first climax fast. He was slow and sensual with shallow, pushing thrusts, grinding gently down upon her clitoris with the hilt of his cock. When the first waves rushed over her, urgent sobs filling their locked mouths, he stilled and reveled in the intense pulsing of her body around him.

Once she relaxed again, he resumed his easy, passive thrusts, the effort greater for him now as she'd nearly wrung an orgasm out of him with her own, but he'd wanted this to go on all night. He angle his stroke just so, eliciting shocking gasps and moans, knowing full well he was sliding against that perfect sweet spot. He always did.

Tears pricked the corner of her eyes, but she couldn't bear to look away from his face and the eyes that were again human and blue, and his steeled determination to exist only for her pleasure. Even as her breathing turned to wanton panting and her body arched up to meet his thrusts and gain more stimulation, she wanted to make certain that he too had a memorable wedding night. She moved her hands to his shoulders and wrapped her legs around the backs of his thighs, opening herself to him fully. He smiled down at her, obviously enjoying the deeper penetration.

"You've....ooh....n..never bitten me, god Spike...before."

"No, no, love, never will...never hurt you." His movement back and forth in her body were increasing steadily in urgency, she knew he was close to coming, as was she. Synchronicity. Their perfect moment.

"Do you know what this is like for...for me? Just unending moments of pure happiness? I love you and I want you to realize how....how...ooooohhh!.....Spike...how much. I want to...to...mmmm...hurry...take....take my blood..." She was surging up against him harder and faster, only able to keep her climax at bay a few moments longer. He hesitated and she took control, forcing his head down to her throat with one hand, while the other grasped hard to his rear end, digging her nails into the flesh.

Instantly his fangs were piercing her skin and tapping into the artery, drinking deep. Sex with Spike was nothing short of phenomenal, always had been, but this was beyond sex. The feeling of perfect completion when they were joined had become one of the most valuable aspects of their renewed relationship. But this was supernatural.

Their bodies exploded simultaneous in orgasm, violent, hard, ecstatic. Buffy felt it in her brain, in her blood, in her womb, but her soul was another matter. Spike felt it in his cells, in his undead heart, cock milked for its cool essence, but his soul was somewhere else. It was almost as if they were taken to another place, a woman tangled in passionate embrace with both a man and a demon. The three of them fucking as well as making love until the moment came when the trinity melted into one.

Buffy's first conscious recognition was of Spike's tongue lapping contentedly at the puncture wounds he'd made in her throat, her Slayer healing already working to close the wounds. He was still snug inside her, cradled between her thighs, rocking gently. Buffy exhaled and tightened her limbs around him, biting at his ear lobe.

"You felt it too didn't you?" she asked at his ear,"You're inside me, I'm inside you. Our souls, and the demon's." He turned to face her, still in the guise of the vampire. She craned her neck to reach his face, her tongue licking up his salty tears, running wet over the ridges of his brow. Her hands were at his backside again, pushing him harder into her, squeezing him with her hands and the muscles that clung to his spent cock. Spike bent his head down and took the nipple of one breast into his mouth and sucked voraciously, fangs cutting into the flesh of her breast and the blood filling his mouth again. He continued until he was hard again and drunk on her blood. He released the breast and cleaned it with his tongue. The demon face receded and he looked into her eyes with blue ones as he started the lovemaking over again.

He growled with a sly grin, one hand sliding under her bottom and lifting her hips off the mattress. She gave him an ecstatic giggle, laughed out Chippinghurst! and kissed him.

Chapter 27

After nearly an hour of sitting astride the dishonorable Mr. Chippinghurst, happily bouncing herself up and down his impressively sized and remarkably still rigid cock, the disheveled Mrs. Chippinghurst achieved her eleventh orgasm of the wedding night, also her third multiple. She collapsed as if she were merely a wet, sweaty blanket atop her well shagged beyond rotten husband, face smushed into his cheek. He gave her arse a hard smack and she squealed in his ear."You're a right randy bitch, Mrs." She reached behind her and gave his balls a good squeeze, earning her another strike."Cruel, wanton mistress."

"Mr. Chippinghurst is a scoundrel....a very bad man." He rained kisses over her neck and shoulders. His ran his fingers through the long golden tendrils of her hair and let himself rest, reveling in their closeness, but the emotional pain from earlier that night was still stinging like a whip. It was nearly sun up and the house likely wasn't likely to rise soon given that the majority of its occupants were vampires. Buffy noticed that their witty parlay had suddenly vanished and she looked down on his saddened face, knowing of what he was thinking. She slipped their bodies apart and lay down next to him, guiding his head to pillow at her breasts. He turned his face into them, breathing shaky breaths in an effort not to cry again."Do you feel me inside, William? Feel how our souls are connected? We'll never be separated, not even by death. I'm here, baby." He nodded and wrapped both arms around her waist.

"When...when you died, the other time, I knew it would be okay because you'd saved the world, died a hero, as a Slayer should. This time I died right along with you, the demon, the soul, we were broken and destroyed. If the Bit weren't here, if I'd nothing left of you in this world I would have gone to that bluff over the ocean and waited for the sun. I would have done it." She couldn't stop herself from crying at his remembrance of his grief.

"Don't ever....I would have found my way back to you...I promise I'll always find you."

"I promise you...Buffy, let's not be sad, ever. I'll try very hard not to."

"How can I be anything else but truly happy, with you for a husband? Love you."

"I love you too sweetheart. Pet, there's something I need to tell you, it's about Harmony." He could feel the pouting beginning already. He kissed the valley between her breasts and settled in,"She surprised me tonight."

"She didn't take advantage of the fact that I was dead?"

"No, love, not at all. I went into a rage...scaring everyone, but she stepped up and stopped me. She took me back to her house and held me while I cried. If it wasn't for her I think I might have hurt myself, or someone else. Ever since I found out she had a soul I've been looking for proof that she'd changed for the better and I saw that she had."

"Damn."

"Why's that?"

"Well now I have to not hate her." The sensation of him laughing against her chest gave her shivers, it was so wonderful to be holding him."She was a bitch to me in High School."

"High School? Sweetness, let it go."

"No. Don't wanna." His kissed her skin and yanked her down with him, pulling the covers over their heads. His kissed the tip of her nose and her pout melted away into a lovely peal of laughter.

"Hate her all you want, but she did good."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah...change the subject."

"You smell glorious, all hot, sweaty, sweet and salty."

"I smell like you, dummy...I've covered in, uh, Spike."

"Mmm, that you are, love, that you are."

"And you're all Slayered."

"Good n' proper. Say something nice to Harm tomorrow for me?"

"Whatever." He reached down and dipped a pair of fingers inside her warm center, massaging firmly against the top of her passage.

"At least promise to be civil?"

"Dream on." He pressed more urgently and she bit on her bottom lip to hold in a squeal of pleasure.

"Don't stake her, 'cause you know she'll be a cow to you in the morning." He bent his head to suck again upon the puncture wounds he'd made earlier.

"Fine."

Chapter 28

It wasn't until late afternoon that Buffy peeled her face off Spike's stomach. They were a tangle of limbs and sheets. Spike moaned and rolled over, his cheek landing on her thigh."G'Mornin' Mrs," he mumbled, kissing her leg.

"Hey," she smiled sweetly, stretching herself out and slowly rolling out of bed."This is definitely the best morning of my life!" Spike sat up and gave his head a shake, yawning.

"I think it's afternoon, pet."

"You know what I mean." He reached out and caught her hand, pulling her to him. He kissed her tummy and looked up at her.

"You know, nearly 150 years on this earth and right here and now I'm the happiest I've ever been too."

"We have to face the music sooner or later."

"Yeah, but after a shag in the shower, alright?"

"You're on. Xander was right."

"Beg pardon?"

"It's all about your penis." He feigned looking offended and she laughed, pulling him with her towards the bathroom.

***

"What the hell is this?!" Buffy demanded upon stepping off the bottom step. Spike inadvertently bumped into her, not noticing yet why she'd stopped. He looked around and his jaw dropped in shock.

"Bloody hell," he muttered, more than a little dumbstruck.

"Harmony you are not turning my home into Skank House 2!!" Strewn across the house were boxes of clothing, shoes and jewelry, delivery people were coming and going from the front door with more. Harmony was signing whatever bills or delivery slips were presented to her, whilst laughing with her girls and pointing out which clothing looked best with which accessories and shoes and on which girl. Willow and Dawn were in the mix also.

"From what we all heard going on last night, I'd say this was the original!" Harmony shot back,"And my god Buffy could you have been any louder? I realize, from my own experience, that sex with Spike is out of this world, but geez, where's a woman's dignity I'd like to know?" The Slayer went from outraged to enraged in .3 seconds. In about two seconds Harmony was going to get her lights knocked out. Buffy was on the move and Spike had to act fast.

"Uh...uh..." Spike sputtered, then exclaimed,"Buffy and I got married last night!!" That did it. Dead silence. Each and every single last one of them, Buffy included, dropped their jaws simultaneously. Bugger. Spike clamped his hand over his mouth, he could virtually see the invisible stakes Buffy was shooting at him with her eyes. Her small, beautiful yet deadly hands that had been doing beautiful yet deadly things all over his body the night before, balled themselves into tight fists. He felt an overwhelming urge to punch himself in the face.

"Buffy how could you?! I was supposed to be a bridesmaid!" Dawn cried before taking off up the stairs in tears. Spike made a motion to go after her, but Willow waved him off and went up instead. He looked around the room, Harmony's girls all smiling devilishly at the foolish foolish man. Harm seemed wickedly amused and Buffy...Buffy....Buffy was approaching him. He closed his eyes and cringed, trying to make himself seem very small. He wished he still had old William's spectacles, perhaps the Slayer wouldn't hit a poor poet with glasses.

No blows came to his body, only a secure, all encompassing hug. His eyes flickered open and Buffy was smiling at him,"You're so cute," she said, giving his chin a quick kiss.

"You're not being violent," he stated.

"I'm not hitting you ever again, I thought you'd realized that by now. Spike, sweetheart, you're a real dummy sometimes, but I love you and what do I care if people know we eloped? We're still going to have a real wedding, right?"

"'Course, love, absolutely." Spike straightened up, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. He looked over Buffy's shoulder at Harmony who rolled her eyes and turned around to accept a package that had come in from Bloomingdale's in New York.

"How's about some breakfast?"

***

Typical of Harmony, Buffy thought, a scowl marring her face, her lips pursed in a very unattractive manner as Spike helped carry boxes out to the giant pink bus that blocked the Summers driveway and most of the street."What is this, Harmony, Queen of the freakin' Desert?" Buffy grumbled to herself. She crossed her arms in front of her and glared from her position on the porch. After the cavalcade of vamp hos and their junk were piled on the bus, Buffy endured each of them giving Spike a hug or kiss, or gratuitous grope in gratitude for his saving them from the fire.

Before Harmony had her turn, Buffy sprinted from the porch to Spike's side. Harmony sighed and took a step back before she could touch the Slayer's vamp."Bye Harmony, nice to have seen you," Buffy said as she shooed the vampiress away,"Watch out for speedbumps or giant crevices or open Hellmouths. It's been just like a Wes Craven movie, tootles!" Harmony ignored her and Spike smiled, taking Buffy's hand in his.

"Goodbye, Harm. Thanks, thanks for everything," Spike said softly. Harmony gave Buffy a smirk, then grabbed Spike, she dipped him in classic movie style and gave his tonsils a surprise cleaning. She released him slowly, pulling his bottom lip into her mouth for a languorous suck. Spike was too shocked for his brain to react sufficiently. Buffy however still held his hand and yanked it hard, dislodging her vampire from the bombshell macking on him. Harmony gave them a wink and sashayed away, wiggling her bottom to and fro. Spike was still a little woozy.

"You're going to make it up to me later, darling," Buffy spoke through grit teeth.

"Yes, dear," he replied. Just as Harmony reached the pink monstrosity she'd ordered to come and whisk them off to apparently Las Vegas, she turned back around.

"You should've checked, it was a his n' hers set! And it didn't go with any of my new outfits! Consider it a wedding present Spikey!! " Something glinted in the porch light as it flew through the air. Spike caught it in his hand. He gave her a quizzical look and she dashed away into the bus. A moment later, Harmony Kendall was leaving Sunnydale.

"Okay, I'll bite, what is it?" Buffy inquired, not quite ready to not be in a snit over what had just transpired. Spike held the small piece of jewelry in his open palm and was staring at it,"A ring? I don't get it." It was small, made for a woman, but would likely fit his pinky with no problem, the band was gold that formed into a pattern under which a green jewel was secured. It was a lovely ring, but not unlike thousands of others.

"A...Amara, Buffy....another Gem of Amara."

Chapter 29

Spike sat in the kitchen at the island some four weeks later, pretending to read the morning paper. He'd read the same sports bi-line three times already, seemingly having forgotten that he didn't give a damn about baseball. The blood in his mug, which Buffy had very lovingly prepared for him with burba weed before she'd gone out, had gone cold. Every morning was like this, Buffy would leave to run errands, or go to her summer classes at the university, and he'd be left alone with this gnawing ache in his stomach like he was being eaten from the inside out. Most of the time she didn't seem to be suffering from any after effects of the Pluthor demon poisoning, but every now and again it would make itself known.

Some mornings she'd wake up worse off than when she'd gone to sleep, she'd rush to the bathroom and throw up. She'd fainted twice and was hardly able to concentrate in the afternoon. Whenever he tried to get her to discuss it, or suggest she go to the hospital, she became irritable. Generally, later at night, she'd apologize and do all sorts of wonderful things to make it up to him. He was worried, worried that she'd suffer a relapse and this time, not come back.

Dawn had come barreling down the stairs, come into the kitchen and grabbed a banana for breakfast, kissed him on the cheek and announced she was off to the beach for the day with her friends. Leaving Spike alone in the house to fret over the future.

***

"Lay it on me, Watcher," said Buffy said, flopping down into the cushions on Giles couch.

"You're spending entirely too much time with that vampire," Giles replied, setting down the tray with the tea and digestive biscuits on the coffee table,"Do call me by my proper name." Buffy smiled and snatched a cookie for herself.

"I'll call you by your proper name, Giles, when you acknowledge me as Mrs. William Chippinghurst. I'm in the best mood of my life, nothing can bring me down. Unless you tell me what I don't want to hear. I wanna hear this, right? You've done the whole researchy thing and gone over my tests from the hospital?"

"From what I've been able to deduce, essentially what occurred was your fever reanimated Spike's....er...ah..."

"DNA sample?"

"Right, and thank you for using the most scientific term. Reanimated his part of what was needed to create your child."

"I was gonna say Spike spunk...."

"Buffy, please!" She took another cookie for herself, giving her stomach a pat.

"So you're sure it's not some wacky Pluthor osmosis thing?"

"Yes, dear, your pregnancy is perfectly normal. Normal as can be considering the father's been dead for 120-some years."

"Undead, and very handsome." Giles smiled, a little wistfully, then went back to his notes.

"What else? The my being dead thing?" He poured them their tea and handed a cup to Buffy, along with another cookie.

"Not dead, obviously, a very deep coma, which would have taken you to death without the embryo's presence. I suppose the baby's a miracle in more ways than one. By all rights, the Pluthor poisoning really should have finished you. Even as the Slayer, a human's body is not equipped with any sort of immunity. The child's conception occurred at a very opportune time. The presence of supernatural DNA in your bloodstream, due to the implanted embryo, was sufficient enough non-human cells to counter the effects of the poison. Willow's potion of course brought you the rest of the way around much quicker. But essentially, Spike having gotten you pregnant saved your life."

"Gee, you sure do make it sound so romantic." Her tone was decidedly sarcastic,"Sort of a reverse catch-22 huh? I couldn't have gotten pregnant without the Pluthor poisoning, but I would've died from the same poison if I hadn't gotten pregnant. God, they're right, it really is the Power That Like to Screw With You. So you're saying the baby's part vamp? It's a good thing the Council's all dead."

"Indeed. I cannot say for certain that he'll be entirely human, but I don't think he'll have fangs."

"But it's okay if he does...except with the breastfeeding...ouch." Giles rolled his eyes."And I'm so not looking forward to the birth part, have you seen the size of Spike's head? Enormous thing on such a non beefy guy."

"And what about Spike?" Buffy slouched, nibbling on her biscuit.

"I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm sick again, or still. I didn't really think the morning sickness was what it was until a couple of days ago. He's tried to get me into the hospital....I think the truth is going to be more scary. He's a vampire, I think it's gonna mess with him that this has happened."

"You don't think he'll be pleased? I'll be honest and say that I've always found Spike to have a very nurturing soul. I dare say he'll make an admirable, caring father..."

"Giles, he's gonna cry his eyes out with joy, you know it. But then he's gonna get scared, protective, he's gonna miss all the happy because he's so worried something's gonna take it from him."

"Ah, I see." Giles paused, pensive, then passed Buffy another digestive."Perhaps he'll surprise you. He's always lived life to the fullest. Now that he has the second Gem of Amara he won't feel quite so inadequate a mate for you, he'll be able to do all the normal things a parent does."

"You're right, I know, but Spike's a special case - in everything. I just hope he's happy with this. I mean, I know he'll be happy, but..."

"Buffy, what does your heart tell you?" She put down her snack and looked to her still perfectly flat stomach. She certainly didn't look like she was pregnant, but she definitely felt it. And it was Spike's.

"I think I need to go home right away." She grabbed her things and made for the door, then turned around and came back to give Giles a kiss on the cheek. Before she could exit, she was compelled to turn around again. With a handy bit of foresight, Giles had his hand extended, offering her another cookie from the box. The Slayer took the box.

***

She found him sitting on the couch, basking in the sunshine and reading a book. He always sat in the sun. He put down what he was reading the moment he heard her key in the lock. She came around and motioned for him to stay seated, there was a solemn look on her face. She put down her purse and kicked off her shoes before coming down to his level. She stood before him, and could see how he tried to hide his emotions, and how his eyes betrayed his efforts. She held out her hand and he took it, lacing their fingers together.

"Love?" he asked, voice clearly wavering.

"We need to have a talk," Buffy began,"I went to the doctor's yesterday, and Giles' just now....it's...it's pretty big..." He pressed his lips together and tried not to let the tears come, believing all his worse fear were about to be confirmed. Buffy eased down and sat in his lap, while Spike wrapped his arms around her.

"I'll never leave you," he spoke up,"No matter how hard it gets, even if there's times you want to give up, I'll never leave. I'll love you always, always think you beautiful...." He voice cracked and he clung to her desperately,"God, Buffy...don't leave me again...I beg you..." Oh no, Buffy thought to herself, this wasn't going how she planned at all, he wasn't supposed to fall apart like this. She forced him to look at her and her smile confused him. She kissed him then, pressed her soft warm mouth to his and held them together for a long passing of time. When they finally parted, she sighed contentedly.

"I'm not sick, Spike. Not at all." He let out a slight cry of relief.

"Then what is it? Love, you've been ill...."

"No..." She took his hand and laid it over her stomach,"I've been pregnant." He acted like he hadn't heard her, still just staring at her,"Um, okay, say something. Giles did research, long story short, Pluthor fever got your little Spikes all animated and stuff. Spike, honey, I just told you I'm having your baby and you've gone all...all....frozen. Spike?" Trembling now, and at a loss for words, he bent his head under her chin and closed himself around her, his tears drenching her flimsy summer shirt."Don't cry, baby. It'll be okay. It'll be so good, William, you'll see....you're gonna be a daddy."

Chapter 30

"No more candy days for Spike once a month, damn shame that." It had only taken her half an hour to get him to speak again, once the news of his impending fatherhood had settled in. His crying at her breast broke by kisses over her skin, moving upwards until he could capture her mouth in a deep, passionate kiss. When the kiss ended he let out a whoop of joy. At some point they'd ventured upstairs to the bedroom, the two of them reclining on the mattress. Now he wouldn't shut up.

"Honey, feel free to give me oral pleasure daily, it'll just have to be vanilla instead of strawberry." He nuzzled behind her ear, nipping at the spot where her neck and shoulder met, sending shivers through her entire body.

"I like vanilla." He gave a growl and climbed half over her, his hand cupping a breast and giving it a firm squeeze, but he let go when she gave a hiss of pain,"What's wrong?"

"Sorry, they're starting to get sensitive." A look of confusion pained his face and she caressed his cheek with the back of her hand and brought his hand back to her breast."Part of the changes, I'm just getting used to them myself. Just be gentle."

"I'm already half afraid I'll bloody break you!"

"Don't worry, Slayer's don't break easily, neither do their babies. We'll both be perfectly fine with you taking care of us. Now..." She reached over and undid the top button on his shirt, making her way down his torso,"I think we should celebrate, don't you?" Her hand was against his bare chest, stroking and pressing just enough to make him purr. Instinctually, his own hand came to rest on her stomach.

"You're having my baby."

"Yup."

"This isn't just a yup, love, this is the most monumental occurrence of 150 years of existence! This is a bloody great miracle!" Her hand now rested on his heart, her eyes cast downwards.

"I'm really scared..." In moments she was crying, clutching to him desperately and burying her face to his chest.

"Shhh, sweet pet, don't need to be scared, not while I'm here. I'll keep you and our littlest bit safe and happy and I can't have his mum all upset, tell me why you're scared." She pulled back from him and used his shirt to wipe her tears and drippy nose, he disregarded the poor use of his clothing. He lovingly cupped her face in his palms, guiding her lips to his for a careful, slight kiss,"Tell me why you're scared."

"That I'll be a terrible mother. I've never even baby-sat! And mom did everything so perfectly, especially when we were on our own after dad left. But, Spike, I'm even more scared that he won't even be born! I've never been pregnant before and so many things could go wrong! I could miscarry. I won't be slaying, I can promise you that, but I could just be out and trouble could find me like it always does and one wrong punch or kick from some demon and it could just be all over! And...and if the Slayer's not out there night after night, Sunnydale's going to suffer, the world could end!" There was another breach of tears and an anguished sob. He wanted to tell her he had the same fears, but not now. He guided her to rest comfortably in his arms. He pulled the covers over them and let her have her cry in the safety of his embrace. She quieted soon enough, sniffling and hiccuping.

"Feel better?" She shook her head.

"Nauseous now."

"Here, pet, lay back, close your eyes." He moved away from her, rising from the bed and disappearing into the bathroom. He returned with a cool, wet washcloth and lay it on her forehead."How's that?"

"Okay, thank you. You always take such good care of me, even when I'm an insane bitch."

"I do, especially when you're an insane arsonist bitch. But you're my insane arsonist bitch and I love you very very much." He lay down next to her, making sure to give her space in case she needed to make a break for the bathroom.

"Sorry 'bout the break down just a minute ago, I don't know what came over me."

"Buffy, love, you're newly with child, this is only the barest beginning of what no doubt will prove to be the ultimate test of my patience and devotion."

"Be nice, Spikey, or Harmony can have you." That seemed to shut him up. To counter act the shiver of dread that ran through his body, Spike decided to focus on the miracle at hand.

He made a gesture towards her middle,"May I?" The smile that softened her face his head spin. Buffy tossed off the covers and lifted up her top and tugged down the waist of her pants, exposing her flat belly. Keeping an eye on her, he lay his head against her, listening, hoping.

"You're not going to be able to hear anything, the baby's the size of a grain of rice."

"But he's in there, I can feel it, feel your blood flowing to him, feel your body making him." She threaded her hands in the soft down of his hair and caressed him, feeling tears slide down the edges of her temples.

"C'mere, Spike." He moved up her body to be welcomed to lay his head upon her breasts, she showed no signs of discomfort.

"The baby's going to be so lucky to have you for a daddy, because I know you'll protect him and love him better than any man I've ever known."

"I promise I will, Buffy, he'll never want for anything, and neither will you. There's something I want to tell you, an idea I've had."

"What is it?"

"Harmony had me thinking you see."

"Sounds dangerous." Her tone was decidedly sarcastic, but interested nonetheless.

"I don't want to be welching off you anymore, especially with the little one on the way. I want to be my own man and to do what I need to provide for my family. I've already talked to Rupert and Anya and both are willing to help me with the business end of things, legal stuff that a vamp could never be bothered to learn, as for the money, turns out Harm's rolling in it."

"Come again?"

"The caves, where I got the original Gem of Amara, the not so stupid bint went back and cleaned out the treasure, girl's got bloody millions! The brothel was just a silly whim because she watched some bloody movie about Texas and whorehouses."

"And she's giving you some? Wow she must really have a soul if she's giving up the potential of buying even more trashy clothes."

"Be nice, pet, she's given me more than enough, on loan mind you - I insisted, to buy myself a space and set myself up, set us up. I'm thinking a club or a bar. With the ring I can be out in the day, but the night's still my time and can go on patrol before and after hours. What do you think?"

"Oh! Can I waitress?"

"No Lucy, you cannot be in the show. You will stay home with our bambino."

"We'll see about that. This is such a good, honey, I'm proud of you."

"Yeah? Even if I'm getting my start from borrowing money from my ex? You're proud? "

"Of course I am."

"Thank you, love, it means a lot." With the last waves of nausea passed, Buffy put the damp wash cloth aside and took hold of him, pulling him to her for a kiss."I want you to understand something. You're being the Slayer, it's a calling, I get that, but...."

"I said already, I won't put myself in danger if I can help it."

"Faith's taken the Slayers in waiting under her wing, we can ask them to come back and watch over Sunnydale. Even if the Hellmouth is closed permanently like we hope, there's still evil out there. We need to plan, be careful, build a real life for ourselves, for the baby."

"Can we do it tomorrow though? Because the nausea's passed and I'm feeling a spectacular hormone surge!" To illustrate, she rolled herself on top of him.

Chapter 31

"Give him here!" Buffy demanded reaching out again in a last ditched effort to reclaim her newborn son from his father. Spike darted away, circumventing her and maneuvering to the other side of the bedroom.

"Uh-huh, mine!" Spike whined, tucking the baby's downy head under his chin and tightening his hold on the bundled up child ever so slightly. Buffy stomped her foot and stormed after the vampire.

"Mine too! Now hand him over." Buffy stood her ground and with a whimper of discontent, then a rough growl of angst, Spike placed the bright eyed baby in his mother's arms. Satisfied, Buffy took her infant son with her to the queen sized bed, relaxing back against pillows and headboard before opening her robe and latching his darling little mouth on to her nipple.

"But Buffy, I wasn't done snuggling him!" The vampire looked horribly put out. Buffy patted the spot on the bed next to her and Spike made a fuss, but relented and came down next to her and their suckling son.

"Until you start lactating I get first dibs."

"Not fair, stupid sodding breasts!"

"Nothing can defeat the breast. You can have him back when he's done. Your boy does have to eat, Spike, he can't live on cuddles."

"But he loves them."

"Of course he does, honey, you're his daddy, he loves you. What's that look for?" She caught Spike with this odd visage of total awe. It wasn't as if in the past two weeks he hadn't been present for each and every feeding, not to mention every other moment of his son's new life.

"I am his daddy, aren't I?"

"Was it these cheekbones, this chin, or these big beautiful blue eyes that gave you that idea?" Buffy stroked her finger over their son's cheek and he bashfully snuggled in close, his hand absently resting on the fullness of his mother's breast as he fed."Oh that's just too sweet. He does that same look you do when you're embarrassed." Spike kissed her cheek and she held back a few tears that very much wanted to come."I love you both so much."

"Nothing but love from us too, you're everything to both of us, Buffy. This boy, this child you and I created, he's the most powerful thing you've ever done. Stop a thousand apocalypses and it'll never compare to this." After a while they noticed the baby had fallen asleep and quietly stopped his suckling. Carefully, Buffy took his mouth away from her breast, his little lips white, and gently lay him in his father's arms once more. After she righted her clothing, she snuggled up to her husband and together the two of them simply watched their son sleeping.

"I love you, Spike...but our son, it's different, I can't explain..."

"You love him more than anything else that's ever come before, and more than anything that'll ever come after. I understand, I feel the same. We've made him, he's grown inside you. Everything we love about each other lives in him. I can't imagine, even when he's a rebellious teenager telling us to leave him the bloody hell alone, that I won't thank the Powers for him."

"Rebel? With us as parents? I don't think it's going to be drag racing and fights for our boy. I predict books."

"And naturally inherited Kung Fu fighting skills, demon hunting."

"But a poet's heart, and good man's kindness, like his father."

"Fierce and strong, like his mother." In his sleep, the baby blew little milk bubbles and snuggled into Spike's hold. Spike held him up and kissed his little lips and let Buffy do the same."We've been awarded our fair share of miracles, but this boy, he's more than Willow bringing you back, more than me winning my soul. I'm making a promise to you both that you'll never be in want, never be afraid, never be in danger...I promise it, I swear it..." She concluded his proclamation with a kiss.

"You know you can't really promise, none of us can predict the future. Hearing those words, though, gives me more hope for our future than anything else. You're a good, noble, beautiful man, William Chippinghurst and I'm proud to be the mother of your son." They kissed once more and Spike lay the baby on his chest. In that moment, Spike felt pure completion. Everything in his world was perfect. Well, 'cept for one thing.

"Pet, there's something I've been meaning to say."

"What's that, honey?"

"Keep in mind that our darling's ears are a mite sensitive, so keep your voice down." He covered his son's little ears nonetheless." My last name....it's not really Chippinghurst."

"WHAT?!"

"Just kidding." As his parents exchanged what he'd come to learn in years were playful chides, growls and kisses, the youngest Chippinghurst always thought them very strange.

THE END