Buffy walked out of the bathroom and  bumped into a blonde haired, blue eyed vampire that loved nothing better than startling her.

 

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

 

Spike planted his hands on either side of the doorjamb, preventing her escape.

 

"I haven't had a chance to tell you happy birthday yet," he said, smiling at her.

 

"Yes, you did. You said it when you came in," Buffy replied, placing her hands on  his chest and pushing.

 

He refused to be budged. "I mean privately," he said, leaning down to kiss

her.

 

"Spike..."  Her words were cut off by the pressure of his mouth on hers, and for a moment she gave in.  Her hands slipped down to his waist as she let her head drop back.

 

Her skin shivered with pleasure when she felt his mouth leave hers and trail gently over her cheek.

 

"Did I tell you how pretty you look tonight?" he asked. whispering in her ear.

 

Buffy's head was spinning pleasantly, her eyes drifting closed as Spike nuzzled her throat. "No...no, you didn't," she said in a breathy little voice.

 

He smiled against her skin. "Well, you do. You look absolutely..." He bit down gently on her ear lobe. "...delicious."

 

She released a tiny, helpless whimper. "Mm, thank you."

 

Spike pulled back and smiled at her, an affectionate smile, not the cocky smirk he usually wore. "I have something for you, but you're not gonna want to open it out there," he said, gesturing towards the living room where her friends were sitting and talking.

 

Buffy gave him a look. "Something for me?  You're referring to a birthday present, right? Not what's behind your zipper?"

 

He chuckled. "Well, that's for you as well, but yeah, I'm referring to a birthday present."

 

"Am I gonna like it?" Her voice was light, with a hint of flirtation in it.

 

"Mm-hmm," he nodded.

 

She moistened her lips with her tongue, drawing his attention to her mouth.

 

"Do you know that it drives me crazy when you do that?" he asked quietly.

 

She gave him a devils smile. "Why do you think I do it?" she teased, wiggling against

him.

 

Rolling his eyes as though praying for strength, he placed his hands on her hips. "Because," he said, lowering his head to kiss her, "You're a very..naughty..girl."

 

The instant before their lips met, there was a sudden burst of laughter from the living room.

 

Buffy started a little in his hands. "I should get back in there," she said, pushing him away. "Someone's liable to come looking for me."

 

Spike stepped back immediately. "Well, we can't have that, can we?" he asked, his voice tinged with sarcasm.

 

Buffy looked at him imploringly, "Spike, you know that I don't..."

 

He cut her off. "Yeah. Whatever," he muttered, waving her away with one  hand.   "Go on. I'll talk to you later."

 

She remained where she was, irresolute.

 

Spike was irritated with her, and she knew why. It had been months since they'd  begun sleeping together, but she continued to refuse to bring things out in the open by telling her closest friends about it.

 

<Sleeping together? You're not sleeping

 

As good as it was though, Buffy knew perfectly well that it was far more than a mere sexual liaison. There were feelings between them, although they weren't prepared to classify them as 'love'.

 

No, strike that. SHE wasn't prepared to classify it as love. Spike already had.

 

He had declared his love over and over again, both in words and in deeds.

 

She remembered all too clearly the first time he'd said it.

 

<Okay...so he didn't exactly go about

 

Deep down, Buffy truly believed that Spike had seen his actions as the only way he could make her stand still and listen to him.

 

But, like most of his hastily conceived plans, this one had exploded in his face.

 

The face she had punched right smack  into with her fist.

 

But even after she'd done that, Spike hadn't given in. He had followed her home, determined to make her see that there was something between them.

 

No amount of shouting at him to stay the hell away from her had deterred him. He'd stayed right on her heels, with a constant barrage of words, right up until the moment he'd tried to cross the threshold of her  house, only to berepelled by the barrier that Willow had reconstructed.

 

Although she had been careful not to show it, the expression on his face and the hurt bewilderment in his eyes had almost made her feel guilty.

 

Only after she was in bed had she acknowledged that small amount of feeling that he'd begged for. Not love, but a grudging  respect for the amount of courage he'd had to summon up.

 

Spike had taken a calculated risk that night, when for all he knew, she could have lied about her feelings to gain her release, then turned around and staked him at the first opportunity.

 

But it wasn't until Glory had gotten her hands on him that Buffy really began to  believe that he loved her.

 

She believed because she couldn't see how ANYONE, no matter how strong they were, could stand the hours of torture that Spike had endured rather than betray her and Dawn.

 

After that, she had started letting him into her life. Not just to help her with Glory, but as a friend and a confidant.

 

She could talk to Spike about anything, could tell him all the things she couldn't unload on the others.

 

All her pain over the loss of her mother, all her fears that she'd be an inadequate parental substitute to Dawn, and the cold terror that came in the middle of the night, when she'd wake up with a barely muffled scream from a nightmare about her upcoming confrontation with Glory.

 

Spike always listened. He never tried to tell her what she should do, or pep-talk her out of her fears, or fill her with false hope and the assurance that she could defeat Glory with one hand tied behind her back.

 

He simply listened, then told her that whatever happened, he'd be right there beside her.  Whatever she decided to do, he'd back her up, doing anything she asked of him.

 

Gradually, as the days flew by and they had all been gearing up for their final bout with the hell God, Buffy had begun to care for him.

 

She worried when he was late, afraid that one of the demons he had made an enemy  of by befriending her, had finally gotten hold of him.

 

When she was expecting him, she found herself going out of her way to look nice. Spike noticed things like that...a new  blouse or that she was wearing her hair differently...and he always commented on it, when there was no one else around.

 

He developed a knack for discovering things that pleased her. 

 

He'd show up unexpectedly with a gallon of her favorite ice cream and challenge her to a contest for who could polish more off in the shortest amount of time.

 

Sometimes, after they would patrol together, he'd coax her onto the back of the motorcycle he'd appropriated from a demon they'd killed, and drive her to the beach.

 

They would sit together at the end of the pier, talking for hours.  Sometimes they would get so lost in conversation that they wouldn't notice the time passing and would have to race back to her house, barely beating the sunrise.

 

Which, of course, meant that he'd have to spend the day there.

 

After he'd stretched out on the sofa, Buffy would watch him sleep for a few minutes, then go upstairs to lie in bed and stare at the ceiling, trying not to form a mental picture of how he would look in her bed...with  her.

 

Once THAT started happening, Buffy finally admitted to herself that her feelings for Spike had done a complete 180 degree turn around.

 

She'd had to concede the attraction that he'd once warned her was there.

 

To be totally honest, though, that attraction had been her guilty secret from the moment she saw him.

 

Over the course of the next few years, she had beat the crap out of Spike on a regular basis, and every time she did, she wondered if he'd be as passionate in bed as he was in battle.

 

Not wanting to acknowledge those feelings, she had started dating Riley Finn, one of the teaching assistants.

 

She had liked Riley well enough, but she'd only gone out with him three times before she began finding him a little..bland..for her taste, and had stopped seeing him.

 

After that, the attraction she'd felt for Spike had simmered, but never boiled over.

 

Until the night it finally did...

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

They had gone to her house to arm themselves with anything they thought might do them some good against Glory.

 

Buffy watched with a heavy heart as he gathered up weapons, fighting a sadness that came from knowing that this might be their last night in this world, and there were things that needed to be said.

 

After securing his promise that he would do everything in his power to protect Dawn, Buffy stared up into his eyes, then brought one hand up to touch his cheek.

 

Spike dropped everything he was carrying and brought his own hand up, pressing it down firmly over hers.

 

A glance at the living room clock told her that they had just a little over two hours before everyone regrouped at the Magic Box.

 

A little over two hours, maybe, until they died.

 

Without a word, she took his hand and led him up the stairs.

 

In her bedroom, she opened the curtains, flooding the room with moon glow.

 

Wondering if she would ever see the stars from this particular viewpoint again, she stood and gazed out the window.

 

She  closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of the white star jasmine climbing the trellis on the outer wall.

 

Spike  crossed the room to stand behind her, but she didn't open her eyes until she felt his hands on her waist. "Buffy?"

 

He spoke softly, and she turned to look up at him.

 

Sliding her hands up his chest, she  slipped them beneath the shoulders of his jacket, easing it down his arms.

 

Meeting his surprised gaze, she smiled at him.

 

"I want you to know that I'm not doing this out of gratitude or pity, but because this might be our last night together...our last chance to BE together."

 

He  tried to speak, but she  silenced him by pressing one finger against his lips.

 

"Too much time has already gotten away from us," she  told him. "We can't waste anymore."

 

Placing her hand behind his neck, she pulled him down until their lips almost touched.

 

"Please," she  whispered. "Make me forget...just for a little while."

 

"How?" he  asked.

 

"Make love to me. Make me yours."

 

With no more hesitation, Spike kissed her. They  both released soft moans from  their throats as their mouths moved against each others in a sensuous dance.

 

In need of air, Buffy was the first to pull back.

 

She  cupped his face in her hands and closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against the side of his neck.

 

"I love the way you kiss," she  whispered, sighing softly. "I've missed it."

 

"You have?" he  asked, turning his head to nuzzle the palm of her hand.

 

"Yes," she nodded. "Do you remember when Willow did that spell and we got engaged?"

 

"Mm-hmm."

 

"Well, I have a secret," she confessed. "I didn't hate it as much as I said I did."

 

He  chuckled. "I have a secret too...neither did I."

 

Her laugh was cut short when he reached for the hem of her sweater and tugged it over her head.

 

He pulled the elastic band from around her ponytail and her hair  tumbled down around her shoulders.  It hadn't been cut in months, and it hung halfway to her waist.

 

Spike  buried his face in it, taking in the scent..

 

"So beautiful," he murmured. "I love your hair."

 

"Just my hair?" she teased.

 

He  smiled as he threaded his fingers through the soft tresses.

 

"No, sweetheart..not JUST your hair. I love absolutely all of you."

 

"Mmm...tell me more," she purred.

 

And he did, punctuating his words with kisses.

 

"I love your hair...I love your soft skin...I love your pretty mouth...I love your beautiful eyes that seem to change color with your moods...I love your small hands, the way they look so helpless when they're really

very strong."

 

He gazed intently into her eyes. "And I love your courage...your sense of humor.. your determination.. and your loyalty."

 

Buffy's eyes  misted over with tears. She had never heard Spike sound so serious.

 

"But, most of all," he continued. "I love your gentle heart.  Your heart sees me as more than I am...more than I can ever be."

 

"Spike..."

 

"Shhh," he hushed her. "Buffy...you have the strongest and truest heart that I've ever known."

 

A tear  spilled down one cheek, and he kissed it away.

 

"You take care of everyone you love. You're strong for them because you think you have to be...that it's all your responsibility. And I know that you sometimes feel all alone in

that."

 

Buffy  swallowed hard, trying to fend off a crying jag, afraid that once it started, it would never stop.

 

Spike  wound his arms around her  waist and pulled her closer.

 

She  hid her face against his  shoulder, and he brought up one hand to stroke her hair.

 

"But you're not alone, Buffy. And it's time for someone to take care of you, to be  strong for you."

 

Tightening his embrace, he  added, "Let me be strong for you."

 

The love they  made that night was infinitely sweet and satisfying.

 

Spike  handled her body gently, as if trying to show her that not everything he  did had it's roots in violence, that he was capable of tenderness.

 

He stripped his clothes off quickly, then began undressing her, lingering over every part of her, kissing every inch of skin he exposed.

 

When he had her completely naked, he  moved her onto the bed, urging her to lie down.

 

Crawling up her body, he hovered over her, propping himself up on his hands and knees.

 

Starting at her hairline, he  kissed and nuzzled a path down the column of her throat.

 

After dipping his tongue briefly into the  hollow at it's base, he  moved farther down, licking the tender skin between her breasts.

 

Buffy inhaled sharply, arching her back when he moved his tongue lower, gliding it along the folds beneath her rounded breasts.

 

He teased her by purposely avoiding her hard rose colored nipples, until she placed one hand on the back of his neck and  guided him where she wanted him.

 

"Open your mouth," she demanded, then pushed one tender breast deeply into his mouth when he complied.

 

Pulling away for a moment, he issued a command of his own. "Put your hands on the sides of your breasts."

 

Buffy obeyed.

 

"Now," he continued hoarsely, "push them together...good..play with your nipples."

 

Buffy gasped at the erotic demand, then began squeezing and tugging her ultra-sensitive peaks.

 

"That's right," Spike praised her as he  watched. "Harder," he hissed. "Baby..that is SO sexy. Let go" he added, lowering his head. "Let me make them wet."

 

Gathering a small bit of saliva from his mouth, he spread it over her nipples with his tongue.

 

"Spike...please," Buffy panted harshly.

 

"Please what, baby?  What do you want me to do."

 

She whined with frustration. "Suck them," she begged. "Suck them hard...yes...like that...harder..."

 

He gave her what she wanted, moving back and forth from one nipple to the other, nursing at her like a hungry baby.

 

When she couldn't wait another second, she placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed down, urging him to continue.

 

"So impatient," he said with a husky laugh, though he followed her unspoken demand.

 

Moving down her body, Spike dropped soft, moist kisses on her heated skin.

 

When he finally laid his head between her thighs, Buffy's entire body was quivering.

 

He spent long, lingering moments making love to her with his mouth, building her pleasure to heights she'd never reached before.

 

By the time he was finished, there wasn't a place anywhere on Buffy's body that he hadn't explored with his tongue.

 

When she was nearly mindless with need, he pushed her thighs further apart and  moved to lie between them.

 

Entering her with shallow thrusts, he increased the pace a little at a time, until he was completely sheathed in the warm center of her body.

 

Spike waited a moment to let her adjust to his presence within her,  then began the deeper thrusts and grinding of his pelvis that would carry Buffy to the teetering edge of orgasm.

 

Stretched out on top of her, supporting his weight on his forearms, he babbled in her ear. Words of love, of devotion, and of pure, raw sex.

 

"I love you, Buffy...love you...you're my  angel..my baby..my star..never loved anyone before you..never..only THOUGHT I did..."

 

Buffy smiled up at him. "I believe you," she whispered, her hands stroking the hard muscle of his biceps, then moving up to his shoulders and down his back.

 

"I'll always love you...always...no one but you..not ever..promise...swear to you..oh, yes... Buffy... sweetheart..."

 

She sent her fingers down to curve over the firm cheeks of his ass, feeling them clench and relax with the movements of  his strokes.

 

When he felt her dig her nails in, his head jerked up and back.

 

"Ahh, Christ..it's so good..yes..harder, baby..fuck me back..little wildcat YOU are..make it tight..your sweet little pussy.. that's it...tighter...oh, God, oh, God..oh, I'm..FUCK..gonna come..gonna come gonna

do it, do it, do it..."

 

Buffy lifted her hips to meet every slam of his pelvis into hers. "Yes, do it," she whispered. "Come in me..give me everything.. I want it...I need it..."

 

The contractions of her internal muscles as she began to climax, triggered his own orgasm. With one final thrust, he ground himself into her, emptying copious amounts of semen into her willing body.

 

His arms were shaking with the effort of holding himself up, and Buffy encouraged him to lie down and relax. She didn't mind the weight of his body, she found it comforting.

 

Spike pulled back to look into her eyes.

 

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you," he vowed. "I can't lose you now..I WON'T lose you. I don't care if I have take on the devil himself..."

 

"I know...I know," she whispered soothingly, stroking and petting him.

 

"I'll take care of you, Buffy.  It's MY job now."

 

With those words, she slipped one hand behind his neck, pulling him down as she lifted her face.

 

"Kiss me..."

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

She'd carried the memory of that kiss with her when she'd finally come face to face with Glory.

 

It had renewed her own determination not to die.  There were all these new feelings to explore, and she'd been damned if she was gonna let that bitch interfere before she'd had a chance to explore them.

 

And although she'd been closer to losing than she'd ever come before, she HAD won the day.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Buffy stood before Spike, bruised and a little the worse for wear.

 

"It's over," she said quietly. "I killed her."

 

Spike shrugged, as though it had been a foregone conclusion. "I knew you would."

 

The heat of the battle and the heady feeling of victory fired her blood, even after it was all over.

 

Spike could see it, recognized it for what it was...the need to celebrate life's triumph over death.

 

Buffy could see the feeling reflected back at her in his eyes. It was powerfully arousing and they had to consciously force themselves to keep their hands off each other.

 

Back at the house, Giles gave Dawn a mild sedative to help her sleep, then volunteered to take the others to their own homes so Buffy could rest as well.

 

After catching Buffy's gaze, Spike declined the Watcher's offer, with the explanation that he needed to walk off some excess energy left over from the fight.

 

He watched from the front door until Giles' car had disappeared down the block, then closed it and turned to Buffy with a predatory grin.

 

She met his gaze boldly, feeling new strength and a ferocity she hadn't acknowledged until this moment.

 

Unlike before, this wasn't a time for gentleness, for slow and tender touches.

 

This was a time for victory. She had won..THEY had won..and they needed to prove that triumph with an unbridled demonstration of life's passion, it's will to survive at any cost.

 

They came together in the middle of the room, voracious in their need.

 

In spite of the fact that there was no clock marking off their time, no axe poised to strike at their necks, their hands and mouths explored quickly and feverishly.

 

Too aroused to even try and make it up the stairs, Spike pushed Buffy up against the living room wall and yanked frantically at the buttons of her slacks, without ever losing contact with her mouth.

 

Hoping that the sedative Dawn had taken would keep her deeply asleep, Buffy yanked Spike's shirt out of the waistband of his jeans.  Her hands moved beneath it and uphis chest, leaving the marks of her nails

on his skin.

 

Moaning, Spike shoved her pants down, then began working on his own. With fingers made clumsy by the intensity of his lust, he finally managed to get the buckle of his belt undone and his fly unzipped.

 

Buffy kicked her feet free of the fabric that was preventing her from spreading her legs, then slipped one hand into the front of his pants and took hold of his steel hard erection.

 

A sudden grunt of pleasure escaped him, making his hips jerk instinctively as he forced his hardened flesh more firmly into her little hand.

 

She smiled at the effect her touch was having on him, filling her with a sense of feminine power. 

 

Just knowing that she had brought this otherworldly creature to such a state thrilled her, and inspired her to double her efforts to please him.

 

Shoving his pants down around his knees, Spike released her mouth from beneath his and  pulled her sweater off over her head, then twisted open the front clasp of her bra.

 

Pressing her more firmly against the wall, he lowered his head and found her tight nipples with the very tip of his tongue. Painting wet circles around them, he only stopped long enough to take one at a time into his mouth  and suckle them hard.

 

Spike then molded his body against hers and pushed his rigid shaft between her thighs, sliding it back and forth in the rhythm of intercourse.

 

Buffy whimpered as his erect cock rubbed her moistened labia, prompting him to move faster.  He moaned when he felt her tighten her thighs around him.

 

When she couldn't wait one more second, she made him lift his head and began to whisper in his ear, begging him to penetrate her, to do it now, do it hard and fast and deep.

 

Spike placed his hands beneath her bottom and lifted her. Buffy wrapped one arm around his neck, and sent her free hand down between them to position him.

 

Bending his head again, he took one nipple into his mouth and sucked it at the same time he plunged into the heat and the wetness, and the unbelievable tightness of her core.

 

He matched his sucking motions to the thrusts of his cock, taking hard pulls at her nipple.

 

The pressure built fast, the need for release became their only purpose, their reason  for living.

 

There simply WAS nothing else.

 

Pressing her head against the wall, Buffy whined and panted and begged....

 

"Spike..harder..harder..yes..feels so good.. so good..give me more, baby..go faster..I  can't wait..I can't..so close..so close..unh.. unh..make me come..make me come now.."

 

In the end, she had to bite down on her lower lip to keep from screaming like the wildcat he'd called her.

 

Instantly recognizing the scent of her blood, Spike released her breast and  raised his head.  His tongue darted out to lick the crimson drops from her lip,  then he took it into his mouth and sucked the tiny wound, drawing her power into  himself.

 

The taste of her most vital fluid was all he needed to make him work at her a little harder, pushing her over the precipice of climax, then joining her in the freefall.

 

He buried his face against the side of her neck, trying to muffle the roar of pleasure he couldn't hold back.

 

When it was over, they froze in place, waiting to see if there would be the sound of footsteps pelting downstairs, bringing Dawn to see what all the noise was about.

 

After a minute, she nudged him until he pulled back from her, then looked up into his eyes...and smiled, happier than she'd been in a very long time.

 

Spike returned her smile, then bent to kiss  her sweetly and whisper the words that she'd never forget.

 

"Oh, Buffy..I love you. I love you so much."

 

He had said it before, but it had never meant as much to her as it did at that moment, and though she didn't say the words out loud, she finally admitted to herself that she truly cared for this man, and didn't want to ever lose him.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

"Are you gonna stand here all night?"

 

Dawn's voice was amused, bringing Buffy back to the present.

 

"Yes..no! Of course not."  She pasted on a cheery smile. "I'll be right there."

 

Dawn looked doubtful. "Good. It's time for cake."

 

"Would I miss cake?  Go on back in."

 

She waited until Dawn left, then glanced back at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. 

 

Smoothing her hair down, she turned off the light and returned to the living room.

 

She stood in the entryway, her eyes automatically seeking him out.  He sat slumped in the corner of the sofa, listening to the conversation going on, but not participating in it.

 

He looked depressed, almost sad, and it made her heart ache in her chest because she knew it was her fault.

 

Buffy sighed deeply.  This wasn't fair. How long could she expect him to put up with this situation? He had worked so hard and been so patient, waiting for her to return his love, and when she finally had, she'd kept it a secret.

 

Sneaking around, telling lies, hiding her feelings...all this tainted their time together, giving it the feel of a back alley, sleazy motel room type of affair.

 

And for what?  For who? And whose business was it really?

 

Happiness, she had learned the hard way, was the most elusive thing in this world. You could have it one day, then lose it the next; have it snatched away before you even realized that you had it.  How could she turn her back on it?

 

WHY...should she turn her back on it?

 

To spare her friends feelings? Keep them from judging her for wanting him, needing him...loving him?

 

Spike would do anything for her. She knew that he would keep her secret for as long as they existed in this world, and even after her passing from it, if that was what she asked of him.

 

He would hate it...but he would do it. For her.

 

Because he loved her that much. Enough to put >her feelings ahead of his own.

 

God, why was she doing this to him? Why did she care more about her friends feelings than about his...or even her own, for that matter?

 

And what if he someday decided that he couldn't continue this way.  What if he turned his back and walked out of her life...for good? What would she do then?

 

Tears misted her eyes. The thought of losing him was paralyzing.  Was she going to risk it...even for one moment?

 

The cliche of life being short was actually quite true. A person had to grab every bit of happiness and love offered to them.

 

And you absolutely could NOT allow other people's opinions to steer your course for

you.

 

So..was she going to risk it? Risk losing this man she....

 

"Hell, no," she said quietly.

 

It was time to step up to the plate.

Part two...

 

 

 

"Yay."  Buffy clapped her hands in delight. "My favorite part of the birthday party experience...

presents!"

 

"Open mine first," Dawn pleaded.  She picked up a package from the coffe table, and deposited it in Buffy's lap.

 

She had done a beautiful job of wrapping the  gift, a talent she'd learned from their mother.

 

Dawn knew just how to use the right color and design of paper, and how to turn straight pieces of ribbon into a curling cascade of multiple coordinating shades.

 

Buffy smiled, a little sadly, at the reminder that this was her first birthday without her mother.

 

Joyce had been one of those "This is almost too pretty to unwrap" types. She would remove the wrapping and ribbon carefully, which always puzzled Buffy, since they would hardly be using it again.

 

She, herself, was more of a "That's nice. Now let me at it" gift opener.

 

Lifting the lid of the box, she peeled back a thin sheet of tissue paper..also coordinated with the outside wrapping paper.

 

Buffy lifted a silky, sky blue peasant blouse from the box, and dutifully held it up for inspection.

 

After everyone had made the appropriate  sounds of admiration, she replaced the  blouse in the box, and set it aside.

 

"Thank you, sweetie," She gave Dawn a kiss on her cheek. "It's beautiful."

 

Dawn's face lip up. "You really like it?"

 

"I can't wait to wear it," Buffy said. "So," she looked around expectantly, "what's  next?"

 

After all the gifts had been unwrapped and displayed, Dawn looked at Spike.

 

"Where's YOUR present?" she asked pertly.

 

Buffy smiled. She had fed this line to Dawn,  and her sister delivered it right on cue, eager to help after Buffy explained what she going to do.

 

Spike shifted in his seat, glancing at Buffy, expecting her to help deflect the question.

 

But she was no help whatsoever, and just  sat there with an expectant smile on her face.

 

"Well," he began, sounding flustered. "You won't believe this but..I forgot it. I left it at my place and..."

 

His voice trailed off as he tried to convey a expression of "I'd forget my head it if weren't attached."

 

Buffy's smile widened. "But you told me that you had something for me. In the hallway?  A little while ago...remember?"

 

Now, Spike looked nervous and confused.

 

"Well...I thought I had brought it with me when I said that, but...turns out I was mistaken."

 

Dawn took his coat off the back of a chair, and dropped it in Spike's lap.

 

"Maybe you should check your pockets," she suggested, smiling beatifically.

 

Spike looked from the jacket, to Buffy's face, then back to the jacket. Running his fingers lightly over the outside of the pockets, he looked up and shrugged.

 

"Nope," he said, "nothing here."

 

Dawn snatched the jacket back before he could stop her.

 

"Are you sure?" she asked innocently. "Because I thought felt...what's this?"

 

"What's what?" Spike asked abruptly.

 

"Feels like a little box," she explained. "You want me to..."

 

"No!"  he said sharply. Yanking the coat out of Dawn's grasp, his hand delved into an inner pocket. "Oh, yeah," he mumbled. "Guess I forgot to check there."

 

He removed a small black box from the pocket, holding it in the palm of his hand as he looked at Buffy in exasperation.

 

"Ooh," Anya exclaimed. "That's gonna be a good one.  Nothing bad ever comes out of a black box."

 

Spike tossed the box to Buffy. "Be my guest," he said, meeting her eyes with a look of "Don't say I didn't warn you."

 

"Happy birthday," he added.

 

Buffy's Pepsodent smile became softer, more intimate. "Thank you," she said softly as she flipped open the lid of the box.

 

She inhaled sharply in genuine surprise when  she saw what the box contained; a delicate gold chain, with a heart shaped locket, nestling in a bed of black velvet.

 

"Told you so," Anya piped up.

 

"Spike, this is.. it's beautiful."  As she lifted the treasure from it's setting, Buffy saw the words engraved on the back of the locket; Love Never Dies.

 

The chain was very long, and Buffy knew without being told why he'd chosen it.

 

He'd made sure that the chain was long enough to be worn beneath her clothes, in a place where she could hide it.

 

Oh, God...

 

Buffy's throat tightened and she was afraid she was going to start to cry.

 

Although she had set these events in motion herself, planning to force his hand into giving her the gift now so she could open it, and then thank him for it properly, in front of everyone, she hadn't expected anything so deeply romantic...such an obvious display of love.

 

Without a word, Buffy left her chair and crossed

the room to kneel beside him on the sofa.

 

Everyone in the room fell silent as they watched this new episode of the Spike and Buffy show.

 

Placing one gentle hand on the side of his face, she smiled tenderly. "I love it. Thank you."

 

"You're welcome," he answered, closing his eyes as she lowered her head.. and kissed him.

 

When they finally pulled apart, Buffy was almost trembling from expelling the emotions  she'd kept bottled up inside of her for so long.

 

Staring into Spike's eyes, she felt the oppressive weight of so many months trying to hide the life they'd been leading,  slough off like a  discarded lizard skin.

 

For the first time in so long, she felt completely right about what she was doing.

 

Spike placed his hands on her upper arms, holding her where she was. "Why?"

 

"Because it's time," Buffy said, her voice firm and sure. "It's past time. I shouldn't have let it go this long...and I'm sorry."

 

"Buffy.."

 

"Hold that thought," she said quickly, placing one finger against his lips.

 

With a smile, and a brief widening of her eyes,  Buffy turned and confronted her audience.

 

"Okay...the floor is open for questions." She settled herself on Spike's lap and looked at him. "Just don't get too personal...some things aren't meant for sharing," she said softly.

 

Returning her smile, Spike tightened his arms around her waist. "But the best things are."

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

"That was weird."  Buffy draped the gold chain over her head and stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

 

Spike stood in the doorway, leaning  against the frame with his arms folded across his chest, watching her.

 

"How's that, love?"

 

Taking one last look, she turned out the light and left the bathroom.

 

"Well...it's just that...I don't know..it wasn't the big shock fest I was expecting. They took the news pretty well."

 

Spike followed her to the bedroom.

 

"In fact," she went on, "they didn't  really seem all that surprised. What do you think THAT means?"

 

He shrugged, closing the bedroom door.

 

"That we're not as sneaky as we think we are?" 

 

Buffy sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled off her shoes. "I guess not," she said.  "Still...I'm glad its out in the open now."

 

She stood up and peeled off her pantihose.

 

"Buffy..why now?  After all this time. Why tonight?"

 

Back on the bed again, she motioned for him to sit next to her.

 

"Because.." She cleared her throat. "Because it was hurting you.  And I don't want to do that anymore."

 

Taking his hand, she brushed a kiss  against the back of it. "Because I love you," she finished simply.

 

Spike stared into her eyes intently, looking for the truth behind her words.

 

"I mean it." She hastened to assure him of her sincerity. "I love you. I'm not just saying it."

 

His silence unnerved her.

 

"Please say you believe me."

 

With slightly narrowed eyes and that slow smile that always turned her innards to jell-o, he answered her.

 

"Convince me."

 

"Okay."  She placed one hand on his chest and pushed him flat on his back.

 

Climbing on top of him, she straddled his hips.

 

"Will you come and live here...with me?"

 

She nearly laughed at the dumbfounded look on his face.

 

"Please," she added, teasing him. "Pretty please...pretty please with sugar on top..pretty..."

 

"Buffy! Stop!" He reversed their positions on the bed. "Do you mean this?" he asked. "Because if you're just gonna change..."

 

"Pretty please with..."

 

"Don't you DARE start that up again!" he warned her.

 

"Then answer the question!"

 

He smiled. "What was the question again?"

 

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Bloody hell," she muttered under her breath, copying his most over used choice of phrases, with a smart ass grin.

 

Spike growled and lunged at her, covering her face and throat with wildly extravagant kisses.

 

Buffy giggled. "Does that mean yes?"

 

"Hell YES that means yes!" He kissed her soundly on the mouth.

 

"Love you," he said when he pulled back.

 

"Love you more," she retorted.

 

"Loved you FIRST!"

 

"Love you...oh, never mind. You win."

 

"What did I win?" he asked.

 

"Take off my clothes and I'll show you."