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Giles circled Willow, a small bundle of burning herbs in his hand. His face was lined in concentration, focusing on the book he held in his other hand. As he ended the the spell, the Watcher said."Let the demon depart!" He scrutinized Willow, looking for evidence that the spell worked. There was small surge of energy that went through the young redhead, an magickal electric charge crackled in the air and then it fizzled. Nothing.

Willow rolled her eyes. This was rapidly becoming one of the worst days of her life. First, she woke up to find she’d married a demon. Without being asked! Not that Spike was bad as far as demons go. Actually being with the blond, blue-eyed vampire for the rest of eternity sounded wonderful. . . but she would’ve liked to know about the ceremony before hand. Then, they’d had a hellacious fight. Though, that was Spike’s fault too. Then, her best friend had dragged her here to Dr. Van Helsing’s house for a little lecture followed by an exorcism. Add all this to the fact that she hadn’t even had coffee or breakfast yet made for a very grumpy Willow. "For the fortieth time, Giles, I am not under a spell. Nor have I ever been possessed by a demon. Unlike some people in this room." She glared pointedly at the Watcher aka Ripper.

Buffy and Giles stared at her dubiously. They had been horrified to learn that she had been dating Spike and incensed about the bite mark on her neck. Giles had even made that weird ‘clucking’ sound with his tongue. Willow had been forced to hide a wicked smile when they had remarked on her bite. If they only knew about the ones on her inner thigh, her shoulder, and. . .er, other places! Goddess, they’d be splashing her with holy water and have a priest come to the house!

Giles strode across the floor, looking a professor addressing his pupils. "Some people aren’t even aware they were being controlled. Clever demons may take over a body and masquerade as their human host." He whirled to face her with a ‘gotcha’ expression on his face as if he expected her to turn into a big, scaly demon.

Willow had reached her boiling point. It was time to completely honest. No matter how painful it was. "Look, I’m sleeping with Spike, okay? Let’s try to-"

"You’re sleeping with Spike, too? Ewww! " Buffy visibly shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. " God, I hope you mean that the two of you were really sleeping. Y’know, snoring while in the same bed. . . and fully clothed. With a wall of pillows in between you! Because if you mean that you two-"

"Yes, Buffy we had SEX." She was getting sick of this, she was a grown woman and if she wanted to sleep with a vampire she would! "And it was good!" Both Giles and Buffy looked like they were going to be violently ill. Giles was blushing, mentally stammering for an appropriate response. Willow cut him off before he could speak. He looked relieved. "I can understand Giles’ reaction but what are you acting all grossed out about? " She focused on Buffy. " You slept with Angel and he’s a vampire!" The Slayer started to protest. "Don’t give me the ‘he’s different because he’s got a soul defense,’ a vampire is a vampire is a vampire. They all drink blood, they’re all cold, and these two particular vampires are even related. And I’m not even a vampire slayer!" She took a deep breath to calm down. "Let’s just get past this, please? I need some coffee and I need some help here people!"

"Yes, I was just thinking that you need some help." Giles said, with his a raised eyebrow and his usual drollness. The Watcher was obviously referring to psychological help.

She tapped her foot impatiently."I mean about the binding ceremony he did."

"Willow, he bound you two together?" Giles took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He could feel a migraine coming on. " This is more serious than I thought. Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?"

"Because you were too busy shoving stinky herbs in my face and chanting?" Giles made the clucking sound again.

"She’s bound to him?" Buffy shrieked, grabbing a stake from the table and gesturing with it for emphasis. "I’m going to KILL him! Stake him into a million dust particles. . .maybe I’ll beat him up first. Yeah, really kick his-"

"No! Leave him alone, Buffy! I lov-like him, okay? He’s not that bad. Just give him a chance."

"A chance? Willow, he’s a murderer! He’s what? At least a hundred years old? That means every night for the past one hundred years he’s killed someone to survive. Do you know how many people that is?" Willow shook her head, Buffy didn’t know either. Math sucks. But that wasn’t the point! " What were you thinking!"

"No, he’s only eating bad people right now. Killers and rapists, who-"

"Get him for a judge, jury, and executioner? They have souls, Willow. Even though they do terrible, horrible things. They deserve at least a chance at redemption. "

Willow’s eyes filled with tears. These were a few home truths about Spike that she had allowed herself to avoid. He was a killer but she still wanted to be with him. In truth, she found his very dangerousness exciting. How sick is that? Unbidden, the specter of Vamp Willow floated through her mind. Maybe she wasn’t that different from her vampire counterpart. Should she give Spike up ? Probably. Yet, when she thought of living without the blond vampire she felt empty. Incomplete. It was all too much for her to process. "What am I going to do?" She whispered, ringing her hands.

Giles noted her movements and the ring on her finger."Did he give you that ring?" Willow nodded, holding out her hand to show him. He slipped it off her finger and retrieved an enormous book from the shelf. "There should be something about the ring in here. I hope its not what I think it is." Willow rubbed her bare hand, it felt naked without the ring.

Spike paced his bedroom furiously. He’d really screwed this up. What if he lost her forever this time? Everything had been going so well. They were bonded now, Willow would live forever just as he would. They could be mates for eternity. He just hadn’t anticipated this reaction from her. In truth, he had thought she would be so caught up in their lovemaking that she wouldn’t notice the words he murmured to bind them together. Spike viciously kicked the bed post. He should have know his Red would be paying attention. She never missed a anything.

"Spiiike, I’m hungry."

Spike cringed, only one person whined like that. "What do you want, Harm?"

"I’m hungry, I didn’t get a chance to feed last night."

"Really? That’s too bad, poor chit. . .oh, wait a minute. I DON’T CARE! Do I look like friggin’ blood bank to you?" Spike snarled, vamping out. "Today isn’t a good day to test me, Harm."

Harmony backed way. She’d never seen Spike in this much of a rage. "I’m sorry. I’ll go now!"

Spike sighed, it wasn’t this daft chit’s fault. There was only one person to blame here. . .Spike. He lit a cigarette, sitting down on the bed. He needed to talk. Spike knew it wasn’t demonly, but women had a way of helping him sort out things. Even an idiot like Harmony. "Have a seat."

Harmony sat down on the floor in front of him. She really did look concerned. "What’s wrong?"

Spike inhaled deeply, could still smell Willow. Her scent wafted up to him from the sheets. "I really messed up things with Willow."

"Oh, with Willow." Harmony repeated, nodding.

"Yeah." Spike frowned. "Didn’t you two go to school together?" He took a drag from his cigarette.

Harmony flinched. Had Willow told him how mean she and the other Cordettes were to her? "Uh-huh."

"Hmmm. Then you know her. Listen very carefully, I’m going to tell you everything that happened."

Harmony relaxed as he began to speak, he didn’t know. Good.

Giles was busily reading, muttering every once in a while. "Did you find anything?" Buffy said, looking at Willow with concern. The redhead had pulled her knees to her chin and was rocking back and forth on the couch.

"No, some vague references but nothing concrete."

Buffy crossed over to Willow and put her arms around the young witch. "It’s going to be alright."

" I love him, Buffy." Willow confided. She rubbed the ring on her finger, Giles had just given it back to her. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Buffy felt like crying for her. She hadn’t been able to look at Angelus with complete hatred. She knew that he was no longer her benevolent boyfriend but it was still his body. There was something there, some piece of Angel that lingered that she had held to. It was true that she had never fell for the demonic portions of Angel, but she could see where Willow might like that aspect Spike. The blond vampire was no where near as awful as Angelus. In fact, he had a tender streak in him for Drusilla. Now, it seemed that the tenderness was aimed at Willow.

Xander looked up from where he’d been sitting, studying a book. "Don’t worry, Buffy, we’ll get her out of this." He looked at Willow with sad eyes. Something was whirling in his mind, forgotten knowledge. "Wills?"

She looked up at him, wide-eyed. "What?"

"This thing with Spike, when did it start?"

Willow lowered her eyes. No point in lying now. "The night he kidnapped us."

Xander pounded the table. "I knew it!" His expression gentled. " Did he. . .did he. . .rape you that night?"

Buffy clutched her stake. "Why didn’t you tell us, Wills?"

Willow flushed. "I couldn’t, Buffy! He didn’t rape me. . .not exactly. At first he kind of made me. . .but by the end-" She stopped herself. "I can’t talk about his with you guys, I’m sorry."

Xander put his head in his hands. "I should have done something. I was there, I should have stopped him."

"It’s has nothing to do with you, Xand." Willow’s eyes welled with tears. Xander reluctantly nodded, but he still felt guilty.

"Oh, dear God." Giles said.

"I really hate it when you say that." Buffy said, coming to her feet. She spoke in a low tone, so Willow wouldn’t hear."What is it?"

Giles lowered his voice too."He’s made Willow immortal. She will live as long as he does."

"If I kill him, she dies?"

"Yes, in sixty or so years."

"Oh, so she lives her life out as mortal then. Is there any way to break this bond without killing him?" She didn’t want to hurt Willow by killing the vampire if she didn’t have to, fearing what kind of damage it would do to their friendship.

"That’s the only way to break it."

Buffy sighed."Well, I guess I know which one that will be."

Spike watched Rupert Giles’ door carefully. So this is where the Slayer’s Watcher lived. Hmmm. It was time to end this. He fingered the Gem of Amarra on his hand and smiled at the bright sunshine streaming down. He put himself in the shadows surrounding his entryway and knocked on the door. This ought to be a lot of bleedin’ fun.

It was swung open by the Watcher himself. "Spike." Giles’ voice was calm. Deadly.

"Watcher." Spike retorted. "Where’s my Red?"

"Spike!" Willow jumped up from the couch, anxious that they were might hurt him. Buffy laid a hand on her shoulder.

Giles glared at the vampire, angry as any father would be. "What are you doing here? Haven’t you hurt her enough?"

"Hurt her? I love her!" He said, looking over his shoulder at Willow. "I love you, pet."

"Love her?" Giles said skeptically. "You forced yourself on an innocent young girl. Then you performed a ritual on her that would bind you to her for eternity without asking her!"

Buffy came up behind Giles, putting a hand on his shoulder, backing him up. "Leave, Spike. Don’t ever come back again or I’ll kill you."

Spike didn’t even acknowledge the Slayer. His eyes captured Willow’s green orbs. " I love her, I want her with me for all time. I’d die without her." The red haired witch smiled tremulously.

"You’re right about the dying part." Lighting-fast Giles withdrew a stake from his jacket and plunged it through Spike’s heart.

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Willow screamed, running for the door, she squeezed past Giles and Buffy. She rushed to Spike, wrapping her arms around the blond vampire. She held him tight as she glared accusingly at Giles. "How could you?!? " She looked at Spike’s wound, it wasn’t bleeding. She could literally see the tissues repairing.

"Why aren’t you dead?" Giles gasped.

Spike smiled. "Wouldn’t you like to know?" He grasped Red by the shoulders, triumphant. "I’m so sorry, luv. I love you so much that I couldn’t stand losing you, I did what I had to, so you would stay with me forever. I’m sorry I didn’t ask you first. Forgive me?"

She had almost lost him. Could refuse him nothing. For better or for worse, right or wrong, she loved Spike. "Yes, I forgive you." She kissed him soundly.

"Let’s get out of here, pet." He pulled her from the door and stood in the sunlight. The Watcher stared at him openmouthed. Spike wasn’t about to let him know about the Gem of Amarra. No reason to tempt fate, but it was nice to be able to perform parlor tricks for the stupefied masses.

Willow looked back at her friends. Her past. Then she looked at her ‘husband’, Spike. Her future. It was an easy choice.

One month later. . .

"You’re a bad influence on me, luv." Spike said, touching his packet of blood or ‘lunch’ as Willow called it. He frowned at the seagull flying overhead.

"I know." She grinned. "You’ve corrupted me, too."

Spike had agreed to modify his liquid diet in order to please her. Willow had to come to terms with his killing. She knew that was married to a demon but she couldn’t deal with innocent deaths on her conscience. She told him she would stay only if he ate those who had no hope of redemption. All he killed now were mass murderers or serial killers. And he only did that occasionally. The rest of the time it was bagged blood. Or animal blood. Or Willow’s blood.

She’d found a spell to replenish her blood after he drank. He was always fearful that he would hurt her when he fed off of her. Now, that she could replace what he took, he drank from her more often. Spike said that he preferred her blood to anyone else’s. Willow thought that was a vampire compliment.

"Buffy says ‘hi’."

Spike looked up sharply, Willow was busily typing on her laptop. She had kept in touch with the Scoobies. They were starting to become friendly again but it would take time. He was happy for her, though he still didn’t like them much. Especially Giles. "Tell her I said ‘hi, back.’" Willow raised an eyebrow but obligingly typed it. That wasn’t what he wanted to say and she knew it.

The Scoobies didn’t know about the Gem of Amarra either and Spike wanted to keep it that way. Willow loved being able to go out in daylight with him and he enjoyed the newfound freedom as well. It gave them more time together. "You about done, pet?"

She finished typing. "Yep." She closed the computer and looked at him expectantly. He was wearing his all too familiar sinful grin.

"Fancy a swim?"

"I could be persuaded." He scooped her up into his arms, tossing his sunglasses onto the beach towel and ran into the pounding surf with her. "I can’t believe you’re still pale." She marveled. He had been sunbathing for weeks. Maybe the gem’s protective qualities prevented him from being burned by the sun too. Not that she cared much at this moment.

He dunked them both in the water. He relished the feel of the cool water, the hot sun, and warm Willow. Spike pulled her into his arms and kissed her upturned mouth. "Any regrets, Mrs. Spike?"

She sighed, wrapping her arms around him. "None. What about you, Mr. Spike? Miss the minions? Or all the killing?" They had left the minions in Sunnydale when they had left for Florida for a long honeymoon. They had been married by a Justice of the Peace three weeks ago. She was legally Mrs. William Spike. She had her picture taken with him in their wedding finery with their digital camera and emailed it to the Scoobies and her parents. Her parents had sent her a gift certificate and a congratulations card, they were on sabbatical in Nepal. They hadn’t even protested that she had gotten married without them. Or asked to meet the groom.Spike had been furious on her behalf, but promised that he would be her family now.

"Killing? Nah, though the torture was nice." She pinched his side and he smirked. "The minions? Absolutely not. The Harmony chit nearly drove me batty." he looked down at her. "I never did get the whole story on you two. She never did talk much about the time you spent as school chums."

"We weren’t chums. She used to be really mean to me."

Spike growled. "I’ll stake her when we get home."

"Aren’t you her boss now?"

"Yeah."

"As your wife, I’d be her boss too, right?" He nodded, seeing which way her mind would run with that information. "Don’t stake her then. Payback might be fun. Can I tell her what to wear?"

He nodded, delighted with her devious little mind. "What did you have in mind, pet?"

"One word, Spike. Tweed." He threw back his head and laughed. She smiled back and then lowered herself in the water, looking at the emptied beach. Most people had gone home for dinner. Hmm. . .perfect timing.

Willow began to swim deeper into the water, till it reached just below her breasts. She soon stopped and Spike watched her curiously. Willow sucked on her bottom lip as she deftly slid her green once-piece swim suit off and lifted it in one hand. Spike’s eyes widened at the sight of her, like a mermaid sprung from the deep. She tossed the suit at him and he caught it.

Two could play at this game. In the waist deep water, he slid off his black swim trunks. Using his vampiric strength, he threw both of their suits to the beach where they landed in the wet sand. "Whatcha gonna do now, Red?" He was willing to play her game, but they would play it his way. He disappeared beneath the waves.

Willow bit her lip in anticipation. A pale, blond-haired predator was stalking her right now. More dangerous than any shark. Spike didn’t need to breath. He gave off no air bubbles that would signal his location. He could be anywhere. She felt something brush past her knee. She shrieked, but then she felt a familiar cool hand on her right calf. Spike. The hand slid up her leg, pausing at her inner thigh to stroke her softly. She stood perfectly still. Another hand touched her other thigh, he spread her legs apart and held them open.

Then she felt his fingers brush along the slickened lips of her sex. She widened her stance. Urging him to touch her. He stroked the length of her, his touch cooler than the water. Delicious. He delved inside her velvety folds, teasing her with gentle fingers. She squirmed in his embrace. His finger teased her clitoris before slipping inside her. She moaned.

She couldn’t take this anymore. She reached beneath the water and pulled him up her body. Two laughing blue eyes emerged from the deep. "Are we impatient, pet?" He loved it when she was like this, matching his hunger.

"Yes." She muttered, before she kissed him hungrily. He tasked of sea salt and tobacco. She broke from his mouth before kissing his jaw and then down his neck, she playfully bit at him there. Not hard enough to break the skin, but hard enough that he could feel it. He groaned. She licked a path down his chest, sucking the salt droplets from his skin. Then her hand slid down his chest below the water to wrap around his stiffened flesh.

Spike closed his eyes as her warm hand pumped him. She stroked him slowly, building his arousal with her clever fingers. When he couldn’t stand anymore, he reached waist. She released him and brought her legs around his hips. He slid inside her tight heat and nearly came then. She was so hot compared to the coolness of the water and his own body. "Willow." He moaned, sliding her up and down his shaft.

She flexed her hips and moved against him as well, grinding against his pelvic bone. "Spike." She said, looking him in the eyes. They stayed like that, churning in the water. Two bodies made one, eyes locked on one another. Spike morphed as he came first, crying out. He sank his fangs into her right breast. Willow howled at the pleasure/pain and followed him in his release.

Spike brought them both to shore, they were both nearly boneless. Exhausted by their lovemaking and being in the water. "I love you, Willow." Spike said, eyes shining.

"I love you, too." Always will. She thought silently. He tossed her a towel and they both dried off, mindful of their surroundings in case some beachgoers came upon them. Willow looked down at the soggy, wet sand between her toes and then back up to Spike’s avid eyes. "Spike, how do you feel about wet sand?"

Spike licked lips and slid his arms around his sea siren, never a dull moment around her. Spike could only imagine all of the wonderful, weird, or wicked things he would be doing with his witch for years to come. "Whatever tickles your fancy, pet."

*~End of Series~*
 

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