As Spike reached the front door, he heard her soft voice. “Please, no.
Please don’t leave me.”

Turning back to the woman on the floor, Spike seemed to remember what
he needed to do. Dropping to his knees, he gathered Buffy into his arms
and stood up, heading upstairs to her bedroom. Entering the room, he
carefully deposited her on the bed before walking to the bathroom and quickly
filling up the tub with steaming water and bubbles. Upon re-entering the room,
Spike felt his heart break at the muffled sobs coming from the bed. Carefully
approaching her, he slowly ran a hand down her back, only to pull it away when he saw her flinch.

“Pet, I’ve got you a bath all ready to go. Come on, baby, you need to get up.”

Buffy allowed Spike to help her into the bathroom, cringing as he stripped away
her remaining clothes. He noticed as she covered her body,
ashamed of the damage that had been inflicted to it.

“Don’t, sweetheart. You did nothing wrong,” he said, taking a hand and
helping her into the tub. Buffy seemed to relax as she became immersed
in the bubbles, slowly leaning back and closing her eyes.

“I’ll be right back, pet.”

Buffy’s eyes snapped open in panic. “Don’t leave.”

“I’m not going to leave, baby. I’ve just gotta make a phone call.”

Buffy nodded and watched with some trepidation as Spike left the room.

Safely out of hearing distance, Spike whipped out his cell phone and
dialed Gunn’s number.

“Hey, man, everything okay?”

“No,” he ground out.

Gunn immediately sat up straighter at the tone of voice. “What happened?”

“He raped her, Gunn.”

“What!?! That bastard!”

“I need you to call your friend at the Sunnydale PD and tell them they
need to get a warrant ready to arrest Riley Finn. And they better hope to
find him before I do.”

“Alright, man, I’ll call right now, but you do know you’ll have to get
her to a hospital so they can evaluate her, right?”

“I’ll get her there.”

“Spike, how’s she doing?”

“Not too good, mate. Flinches at every move I make…nearly took my head
off when I was checking her over. She’s a strong woman, but this is bad.”

“Yeah, I’ll call in a few favors and keep an eye on Caitlyn. Tell
Buffy she’s in safe hands.”

“I will. Thanks, Gunn.”

Spike entered the bathroom again and was pleased to see a soft smile
grace her lips when she saw him.

“Baby, I’ll need to take you to a hospital, let them check you out.”

Before the full sentence was out of his mouth, Buffy began vigorously
shaking her head. “No, I-I don’t wanna go.”

“Buffy, pet, I know you don’t want to, but you’re going to have to report this. That wanker can’t get away with doing something like this, and if the police don’t get him, then I’m going to have to go after him.”

Buffy seemed to study him long and hard, realizing he was serious. She gave a slight nod. “Okay.”

Spike went to lay out some clean clothes for her as she got out of the
tub. He jumped a little when he felt a pair of small arms wrap around his
waist. Spike smiled as he felt her lay her head down on his back and relax.
Bringing his own hands up to carefully rub her arms, he turned around slowly and embraced her. Spike planted gentle kisses on top of her head as she held onto him and didn’t dare move until she was ready.

“Thank you for being here,” he heard her whisper.

“Wish I was here when I was needed,” he murmured, unconsciously
gripping her a little tighter.

“You’re needed now.”

“I know, pet, but you know what I mean.”

“It would have happened anyway. There’s nothing you could have done.”

“Oh, there’s plenty I could have done, luv,” he said with hatred evident in his voice.

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah,” he said, giving her head another kiss. “You should probably get dressed.”

Spike stopped before leaving the room. “Gunn said to tell you Caitlyn’s safe. He’s keeping an eye on things.”

“Tell him thank you the next time you talk to him.”

“I will,” Spike said, turning again to leave the room, only to stop when she softly called his name.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what, pet?”

“For everything. For not trusting you enough in the beginning. For not
listening when you first told me about Gunn. Most of all, for not having the
strength to do anything about Riley.”

“Buffy, you have nothing to be sorry about. You did nothing wrong,” he
said compassionately. “Now, get dressed. I’ll be here.” He gestured toward
the hallway and left the room.

* * * * *

Spike held Buffy’s hand through the entire examination. As the police
officers asked her questions regarding her relationship with Riley, Spike
felt himself tense slightly at hearing a detailed description of the rape,
upset at himself for leaving her alone. As Buffy was led into a different
room for her injuries to be photographed and catalogued, Spike made his
way over to a group of police officers, discreetly listening in on their
conversation. Smiling after a moment when he heard that Riley had been
picked up and was arrested, the smile broadened when he heard that he
was in rough shape.

“The girl looks bad, but from what I hear, she inflicted a helluva lot on
the guy,” said one of the officers.

“Yeah, I heard he had a broken nose, sprained wrist, and an array of
bruises of his own,” said another. “She’s definitely a survivor.”

Spike turned and headed back to wait for Buffy. He was proud of her
despite the horrible circumstances.

While he was waiting, Spike grabbed Buffy’s bag and looked through it until
he located her cell phone. Scrolling through the phone book, he found an
L.A. number for Joyce Summers and dialed it.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Summers?”

“Yes, who is this?”

“My name is Will Hawthorne,” he said, deciding it was better to use his
given name. “I’m a friend of Buffy’s.”

“Will Hawthorne? Aren’t you an actor?”

“Yes, I usually go by Spike. I met your daughter when she made her recent
trip to L.A.”

“Why are you calling? Is something wrong with Buffy?”

“First and foremost, Buffy is just in the next room, but we are in a
hospital. Joyce…I’m afraid your daughter has been raped.”

Spike listened to her sharp intake of breath as she tried to come to
terms with it. “My baby girl! How is she?”

“She’s strong, Joyce. The doctors just examined her, and a policeman is
with her right now. I thought she would want you to know.”

“Of course, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Who did….Riley.”

“Yes. I just heard that he was arrested a few minutes ago."

“I knew something like this was going to happen. I should have said
something.”

“There’s nothing you could have done, but I understand how you feel.”

“What about Caitlyn?” she asked with fear in her voice.

“She’s fine. She’s been staying with her daycare teacher. I have a friend
of mine watching the house to make sure she stays safe.”

“Thank you, Mr. Hawthorne.”

“It’s Spike,” he said, and then as an afterthought, “or Will.”

“Thank you, Spike. I’m glad my daughter has a friend like you. Will
you tell Buffy I’ll be there in a few hours?”

“Of course. I’ll see you soon.”

Spike hung up the phone as the door swung open, revealing a slightly
more relaxed Buffy.

“Ready to go, luv?”

She nodded and reached for him. Spike immediately drew her into his
arms, wrapping his coat around her shivering body. He smiled at the
sympathetic hospital staff and officers who were watching the touching display, and led
her out of the hospital.

Around midnight, Spike tucked Buffy into the bed in his hotel room.
Buffy had talked to Joyce for a few minutes, and it was decided that she
would go pick up Caitlyn while Spike took Buffy to rest in the hotel. Nobody
wanted the little girl to see her mother in such a terrible condition. Spike
had called Gunn, who, surprisingly, was watching a movie with Fred and the
two little girls and let him know what was going on. He found out Buffy
had called Fred and told her about the arrangement, so Fred, being the
sweet individual that she was, had walked outside and promptly introduced
herself to him. The two hit it off and had been enjoying the two girls
re-enact “The Little Mermaid” as it was playing on the VCR.

“I’ll check on you soon, luv,“ Spike said as he stared at the blonde
woman in his bed and tenderly kissed her forehead before turning and heading
to the living room of the suite. Spike looked up a few minutes later at the
soft knock on the door. Checking the peephole before opening, he greeted
Gunn, standing on the other side.

“You done for the night?” Spike asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Nah, just stopped by for a change of clothes, wanted to check on her.
How is she?”

“She’s dealing. Did you meet Joyce?”

“Yeah, nice lady. Told me I’m not allowed to sleep in the car. She’s got
the couch all made up for me. These are some hospitable people in this
town.”

Spike smiled. “I’ll say. Especially since you hit it off with the daycare teacher.”

“Yeah, I guess any friend of Buffy’s friend is their friend.” Both men
stopped to think about what Gunn said before each shrugged.

“Gunn, can you do me a favor and stay with her for a while?”

“Sure thing, I’ll see-“

Spike looked at Gunn, confused at his abrupt stop, before he heard a soft
voice. “Spike?”

Whirling around, he saw Buffy standing in the doorway, her blue satin
pajamas barely protecting her from the drafty room. She stood hugging her arms
to her chest and staring at the two men by the front door.

“You shouldn’t be up, pet,” he said, walking toward her.

“I heard voices. Not in the weird way, though. I heard you talking to
someone.”

Spike smiled. For a moment, the Buffy he’d first met had emerged.

“Sorry about that,” Gunn said. “Didn’t mean to wake you, I just wanted
to check and see how you were doing.”

Buffy looked at him puzzled for a moment before turning her gaze on Spike.

“Oh, sorry. Buffy, this is Charles Gunn.”

Understanding dawned on her as she stepped forward, offering her hand.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“That’s alright,” he replied, shaking her hand. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of
more help to you.”

“You’re making sure my baby is safe. You couldn’t possibly be doing
anything more important than that.”

“Speaking of that, luv, Gunn is going to stay with you for a little bit.”

Buffy looked at Spike in confusion. “Where are you going?”

“Just have to run out for a few minutes, pet. I’ll be back before you know
it,” he said. With a quick kiss to her forehead, Spike grabbed his coat.
“You’re in safe hands, Buffy.”

Buffy nodded, hugging her arms around her frail body as she watched him go.

“If you don’t feel comfortable, I can wait outside,” Gunn said, looking
uneasy.

Buffy gave him a reassuring smile and shook her head. “That’s really not
necessary. Spike trusts you, so there’s no reason I shouldn’t. I am kind of
tired, though. I’m gonna head back to bed. Feel free to watch TV or
something.”

“Okay,” Gunn said with a nod and a friendly smile. “I’ll be quiet.”

Buffy smiled and headed back to the bedroom, gently shutting the door behind
her.

* * * * *

Spike leaned against the wall in an observation room of the Sunnydale police
station, watching for the door to open. It was amazing the things that
could be accomplished when you threw money at the right people. Spike
watched as the door swung open, and two uniformed officers tossed in a
hand-cuffed offender.

“Riley Finn,” Spike said with deadly intent in his voice.

Riley glared at the man in front of him. “What the hell do you want?”

“I seem to remember telling you something at our last meeting,” Spike said,
pushing away from the wall. “And that was for you to stay the hell away
from my girls. And guess what?” he asked, standing toe to toe with the
larger man. “You didn’t listen.”

The last word was barely out of Spike’s mouth as he let his fist fly,
connecting solidly with Finn’s nose. Not being able to properly defend
himself, Riley tried to fend off the attack, but Spike continued pummeling
him. As Spike’s punches began to diminish, his knee came up to firmly
connect with Riley’s groin. Spike watched with a satisfied look as Riley
groaned, clutching himself as he slid to the floor.

Spike stepped away from the injured man as he lit a cigarette. Staring up
at the ceiling for a few moments, Spike fixed his gaze on the bleeding man
on the floor. Crouching down on one knee, Spike leaned close to him.

“Now, you pillock,” he whispered in a menacing voice. “There would be
nothing that would give me more pleasure on this earth than for you to know
exactly how you made her feel. Unfortunately, I can’t, but rest assured,
you’ll find a nice boyfriend in prison who will remind you daily of what you
did to be there.”

Spike dropped the lit cigarette on top of Riley as he strolled to the door.
“Don’t mess with me and mine again, Finn. You’ll regret it.”

Spike noticed the smiles of the officers working as he left the station. He
knew that, had any of them been in his place, any one of them would have
gladly shown Finn what it feels like to be a victim. As the night air hit
his face, Spike made his way back to the hotel.


A/N Most of this chapter, originally, didn't exist. It was added for the people who wanted a confrontation. Hope you liked it! I've also got a new AU story on the Spuffy Archives.

As Spike walked in the hotel room he gave a nod to Gunn, letting him know it was okay to leave. Heading for the bedroom, Spike slowly opened the door and checked on Buffy. Seeing her laying on the bed, he turned to head back to the couch for the night.

“Spike?”

Spike turned to at the softly spoken word, but she spoke before he could. “Will you stay with me?”

“I’m here, luv.”

“No…I mean, just hold me tonight.”

Spike nodded in understanding and led her back to bed. Slowly, so as not to
startle her, Spike took off his shoes and shirt before lying down on the bed. Buffy immediately curled up into him.

“Is this okay?” he asked.

Buffy nodded. “Much better. You make me feel safe just being close by.”

Spike gently ran his fingers through her silky hair as she traced erratic patterns on his chest.

“You’re not going back to work are you, luv?”

“No, I’ve got my friend Anya running everything. She pretty much
figured out what happened and told me to take as long as I needed.”

“That’s good,” he said as they lapsed into another comfortable silence.

“Thank you for staying with me, Spike,” she said a minute later.

“Wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else, Buffy.”

Softly kissing her forehead, they both drifted off to sleep, content in each other’s arms.

* * * * *

The next morning, Buffy was feeling more like her old self. She went
about her usual activities of preparing for the day, trying to avoid the huge
mirror in the bathroom. When she finally looked in it, she realized she was
starting to recognize the woman again. Right after the rape, Buffy felt like it wasn’t even her who was living in her own body. Now, as some of the bruises began to fade to a harsh yellow and the swelling had receded, Buffy was slowly looking like she used to.

“This won’t happen again,” she said softly to the mirror.

“Glad to hear that, luv.”

Buffy spun around to the doorway and saw Spike leaning against it,
watching her, before continuing. “Although, I heard you gave Mr. Finn a good
thrashing yourself.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t take getting raped lightly.”

Spike had to suppress a smile at the strong tone of her voice. If it wasn’t
for the dire circumstances, he would thoroughly enjoy this side of Buffy.

“The carnival’s in town. I thought maybe we’d take Caitlyn tonight, if
you’re feeling up to it.”

Buffy nodded. “Yeah, I want to put this past me, and I miss Caity.”

“Okay. I’ve got to call my agent and rearrange a few things, and then I
thought we could grab some breakfast. Do you want to order in?”

Buffy looked at her reflection for a long time before turning back from
Spike. “I think that would be best. I’ll spend the day getting better.”

Spike walked over and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be finished with my work in no time, pet.”

“I’m not keeping you from anything, am I?”

Spike turned back to her with a smile. “No, nothing important.”

“Spike,” she said with a warning tone. “You can’t drop everything to stay
here with me. You have a job. A job which pays a lot of money, and you
shouldn’t miss it.”

“Buffy,” he said soothingly. “I’m not missing work. Just some interviews
and press junkets. You are more important than some reporters. I’m already
taking some time off until the beginning of next year. I need a break, so
don’t worry about what I might be missing.”

Buffy nodded with a heavy sigh as Spike turned and headed out the door.

* * * * *

Later that night, Buffy dressed in her favorite jeans and a black
V-neck fleece sweater. She applied some foundation over the fading bruises
and a heavy lip gloss to cover her split lip. When she was finished, Buffy
stared at her reflection. She was wearing more make-up than she usually did,
but it didn’t appear to be caked on, so she gave a shrug and ran a brush through
her already smooth hair. She was starting to feel better, though she
refused to talk to a counselor. Just telling the police officers the details had been painful, but she felt better letting someone else know.

Spike stood in the doorway, watching Buffy, as she finished putting on
her shoes. She did look better. He knew the darkest bruises were layered
on her body, but her face didn’t look nearly as bad. Since the make-up she was
wearing was covering the worst of it, Buffy looked almost like her old self.
He knew going out at night would camouflage her injuries even more.

“Ready to go, luv?”

“Yeah. Did you call my mom?”

“Yep, she’s going to have Caitlyn ready.”

“Did she want to go?”

“She said she’d meet us there.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

A few minutes later, Spike’s Navigator was pulling into Buffy’s driveway. Spike saw Gunn loading some things into his car and went over to talk to him while Buffy rounded up her daughter.

“Hey, man,” Gunn said, turning to face his friend. “Anything you need me to
do tonight?”

“Actually, that’s why I came over. You’ve been working hard since you
got here, and I think you should have the night off.”

“Hey, sounds good to me.”

“Okay,” Spike said, turning to face the house. “Looks like my girls are ready to go.”

Gunn tried to hide his smile at the possessive quality in Spike’s voice. “Yeah, have fun tonight. You all deserve it.”

* * * * *

Spike was dragged from the parking lot to the fairgrounds by a skipping
little girl who had a death grip on his hand.

“Come on, Uncle Spike, come on!” she said urgently.

Spike laughed at the frantic tone of her voice and turned to see Buffy.
He was met with a bright smile at the display they were making. Once they
had paid the admission and entered the fair, Caitlyn froze. She stood
still for a full minute, taking in the lights and sounds of the area. Spike had
to smile at the look of wonderment on her face before scooping her up and
leading her to the first of many booths.

An hour later, Caitlyn was still going strong as a result of the cotton
candy and frozen lemonade that she had consumed. Buffy was holding on
to the goldfish, teddy bear, and stuffed Winnie the Pooh that Caitlyn and Spike
had won through a few team efforts.

“Uncle Spike, will you take me on the carousel?”

Spike got a panicked look on his face as he glanced at Buffy. “I think
maybe your mommy would rather take you on that one, Little Bit.”

“No, that’s okay, you’re more than welcome to take her,” Buffy said,
trying to suppress a laugh at the horrified expression on his face. Caitlyn
was tugging him toward the ride, and Buffy couldn’t hold back a laugh
anymore as she heard mumbled expressions of “poofters” and “silly spinning
horses.”

Looking around, Buffy searched for an available bench or picnic table to
deposit the prizes while she took a much needed rest. The night was
wearing her out more than she dared to admit. After wandering for a minute,
Buffy found a bench on the edge of the fair, close enough to the carousel to
see when the ride had ended. Sitting her daughter’s treasures on the cold
wood, Buffy gingerly lowered herself to a sitting position.

* * * * *

Spike looked up from his position on one of the benches as a chill ran
down his spine. He had convinced Caitlyn to not make him ride one of the
horses and instead kept an eye on her as she giggled and kicked her legs
playfully against each side of the horse in front of him. Spike spotted Joyce in
the crowd and waved to her as the ride started. Catching his eye, she
smiled in relief at finding them and waved back.

Spike was exploring the grounds, trying to find where Buffy had headed
off to, when his cell phone rang.

“Hello.”

“Spike, it’s Gunn. Listen, I just got some bad news. It seems Finn made
bail earlier today, and nobody knows where he is.”

Spike felt his blood run cold, and he stood up from his seat as he frantically searched the area he last spotted Buffy. He could see Joyce waiting for them at the exit but had no idea where Buffy was.

“Spike? Are you there? Did you hear me?”

“Yeah, mate, I heard you, and I can’t find Buffy.”

“What do you mean you can’t find her?”

“I mean what it sounds like. Caitlyn and I left her standing at the
entrance of a ride, and now I can’t find her,” he said quietly so as not
to alert Caitlyn to his conversation. The ride slowly came to a stop just
as Spike saw it. An empty bench with Caitlyn’s prizes sitting on it.
Without thinking, Spike hung up the phone and grabbed the little girl. As he
ran from the ride, he quickly handed her to her grandmother as he passed a
worried-looking Joyce.

“Spike, what’s going on?”

Spike ignored her and took off for the bench. Quickly scanning the
surrounding area, he didn’t see her anywhere.

Buffy slowly shook her head as her eyes tried to focus. Looking around,
she saw that she was in a heavily wooded area, propped up against a tree.
As she tried to move her arms, she quickly realized they were tied behind
her back. Trying to open her mouth to yell for help, she realized that it, too, had something tied in it to gag her.

“Well, there she is.”

Buffy turned her wide eyes to face Riley Finn, and immediately, hatred
seemed to fill her body.

“I didn’t mean to knock you out, but it was just a little tap. You were
only out for about a minute, which really served to help me out since I
didn’t have to deal with your temper while I tied you up.”

‘He really is insane,’ she thought as he circled her.

“You know,” he continued. “I would have thought you’d learned your
lesson after the last time. I mean, at first, I thought I was too rough on
you, but at least I was kind enough to give you a little treat to remember our
time together.”

Buffy visibly had to stop herself from heaving as she felt her stomach
revolt against his words.

“It wasn’t quite as good as when we were together, but I’ll give you
points for effort. You know, maybe your new guy just isn’t the man that I am.”

This time, Buffy didn’t stop the gag that overtook her.

“You know, I could let you talk, but I have to tell you, if you scream...” He pulled out a sharp hunting knife. “...I’ll be forced to silence you.”

Buffy gulped as he drew closer to her, discreetly trying to work on untying her hands. As he drew nearer to her, she shrank away from his touch as the knife got closer to her face.

“Stop moving, we wouldn’t want an accident, now would we?” he asked as
he removed the gag. Buffy worked her jaw, trying to get the soreness out
of it before fixing him with a cold glare.

“You really are psychotic, you know that?”

“Now, Buff, name-calling isn’t nice. You wouldn’t want me to lose my temper
and go find my daughter and take her away somewhere, would you?”

“You son of a bitch,” she ground out between clenched teeth. “You are
NOT her father. Angel is, and you were his friend. What would he say if he
could see you now?”

“Oh, I think he’d be proud with how I watched out for his family. More
so than your actor who’s been using you.”

“Caitlyn’s happier with Spike than she ever was with you, so don’t try
and play the doting father act. It’s not becoming to you, Riley.”

This seemed to anger him as she watched his hand grip the knife a little tighter.

“You little bitch. You think you’re a good mother? Get knocked up at 17 and
can’t even keep the father of your child alive? Yeah, I know you blame
yourself for Angel’s death, and guess what? I do, too. But guess what?
It wasn’t you. I feel comfortable telling you this since you won’t be
alive much longer- you remember when I left for a while a few years ago?”

Buffy raised an eyebrow. “To tell you the truth, Riley, I couldn’t have cared
less about you, so my answer is no. I don’t remember you at all.”

Riley drew back and backhanded Buffy for her insolence. Taking a deep
breath, she smiled against the pain and turned back to stare him in the
eye.

“You know, I think I’m going to miss that about you the most, Buff. The way
that no matter how much you’re punished, you always manage to put on a
brave face.”

Buffy didn’t say anything as she felt a give in the ropes and began
speeding up her attempts at freeing herself.

“You see, Angel always had everything I wanted. Growing up, he had all
the better toys, all the better clothes, and the older we got, all the better
girlfriends,” he said, looking at Buffy. “I began to resent him for that,
and after a while, I just got fed up, so I left town. Didn’t really know why
at the time- just up and left. Eventually, I realized what was wrong with my
own life. It wasn’t me, it was him. So I started discreetly asking around.
Anyway, to make a long story short, Angel’s accident was no accident that
night.”

Buffy froze as she looked up into Riley’s wild eyes.

“Yeah, you see, I had this guy, and he was more than happy to help me.
Plowed into your fiancée’s car, going about 60 miles an hour, and left
the scene. Didn’t you ever wonder why they never caught the guy, Buff?
Why they just ruled it out as a drunk driver and shut the case?”

Buffy felt the tears pooling in her eyes as she tried to comprehend what he
was telling her.

“After that, it was easy to find myself a place in your life. The grieving
lover who needed a father for her daughter. It was perfect. I gave you a
few months so it wouldn’t look intentional and then found myself calmly
imbedded in your life. The only problem with this little scenario, Buffy,
was that you never fully embraced me. You never loved me the way I
loved you. Too busy grieving over your poor boyfriend to give me much of a
thought. Eventually, I just got fed up with you, and by the time you
told me I couldn’t be Caitlyn’s father, well, let’s just say you got everything you
ever deserved.”

Buffy cringed at the sound of his voice. Her mind rapidly recalling all of
the beatings that she had to deal with, and she felt anger fill her.

“So, Riley, what you’re telling me is you’re a pathetic nobody, who couldn’t
even get a girlfriend, so he felt it easier to pay to have his best friend
killed and then worm into the lives of a grieving family? Yeah, you’re a real man.”

Buffy felt the rope pull free as he stared at her in shock for
disrespecting him in such a way. Buffy quickly lashed out with a strong
kick to his knee and felt a brief sense of satisfaction at the crack and
resounding cry it brought out of him. Jumping to her feet, Buffy tried
to look for any light coming through the thick trees and gasped as she was
tackled to the ground. Rolling over in the leaves, she felt herself pinned
down by the larger man, and the memories of the other night came back to
her as panic seized her body.

“You wanna play again, Buff?” he asked, thrusting the bulge in his
pants against her body.

“That’s it,” she said, lashing out with a hand and clawing at his face.
Riley screamed out in pain as he pulled back to hit her. Buffy quickly
rolled out of his way just as his hand connected with the hard earth.
Rapidly trying to get away from him on her hands and knees, she pushed
herself to her feet as she heard him stand behind her.

“Oh, Buffy,” he said.

She glanced over her shoulder and felt the blinding pain of a knife splitting the skin on her upper arm. Her left hand flew up to the injury as Riley pulled back to thrust the knife into her. Spinning away, she kicked out with her foot and watched as he fell to the ground. Buffy backed away and watched him for a moment. When he didn’t move, she felt herself getting closer to him of her own volition. Nudging him lightly with the toe
of her shoe, she took a step back when he didn’t move. She paused when she saw
the pool of blood, spreading and staining the dry leaves on the ground. Stepping forward, she froze, this time at hearing her name. Still holding her arm, she spun and looked through the shadows of the woods.

“Buffy!”

“I’m here!”

A few seconds later, Spike broke into the small clearing and ran over
to grab her in his arms. “I was so worried.”

“I’m okay,” she whispered, burying her head in his shoulder, enjoying
the warmth he brought her as she melted into his body.

Spike looked over her shoulder and saw Riley lying on the ground.
Slowly pulling Buffy protectively behind him, Spike edged closer to the man
and roughly kicked him over. Buffy gasped as he rolled, seeing the knife
sticking at an angle out of his rib cage. Spike quickly moved to cover her
eyes and led her away before returning and checking his pulse.

“Damn,” he said softly, so Buffy couldn’t hear. “I was almost hoping you
were alive so I could have a go, you pillock.”

Standing, Spike called Gunn, briefly telling him what happened, before
turning and leading Buffy out of the clearing.

* * * * *

When Spike and Buffy emerged from the woods, she saw her mother and
daughter running over to them. Buffy pulled Joyce away and told her what
happened, asking her to take Caitlyn home. Joyce nodded, hugging her daughter,
before taking the little girl by the hand and leading her away. Buffy felt
the shock begin to settle in as Spike slowly rolled up her sleeve to examine her cut.

After a few minutes, Buffy heard sirens in the distance and saw the swarm of
police officers heading toward her.

“Miss Summers?” Buffy turned to face an attractive brunette with a
friendly smile. “I’m Cordelia Chase. I work for the Sunnydale PD and was
wondering if I could ask you a few questions?”

Buffy nodded solemnly and began telling Cordelia everything that had
transpired in the last hour as a medical technician began bandaging
her arm. A few minutes later, the officer was called away to talk to one
of her co-workers before returning.

“Miss Summers, they found the body, and it’s clear that it was self-defense,
so you don’t have to worry about anything, okay?”

Buffy nodded as Cordelia turned to Spike. “Spike Hawthorne, right?”
Spike nodded and shook her hand as she continued. “Tell your friend Charles
Gunn thanks for the call.”

Realization dawned on Spike’s face as he stared at the other woman.
“You’re the friend inside the police department.”

“Yep, that’s me. I’ve been trying to get a solid case against this guy
ever since the first complaint came in.” Turning back to Buffy, she offered
her another smile. “Go home and get some rest. I’ll be in touch if I need
anything else.”

“Thank you,” she said softly.

Cordelia turned to Spike and spoke in a soft voice. “She’s been through
a lot- make sure she’s okay.”

Spike nodded and wrapped an arm around Buffy to lead her to his car.

“I killed him, Spike.”

“I know that, pet.”

“He was going to kill me.”

“I know that, too.”

“He killed Angel.”

Spike stayed silent as she seemed to be absorbing the information for
the first time. Leading her to his car, he helped her in and began the
drive home. Once they were safely in the Summers’ driveway, Spike turned to
face her. “Well, I gotta hand it to you, Goldilocks. You most definitely
know how to take care of yourself.”

Buffy gave him a soft smile and allowed herself to be led into the
house.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N Well, there's the chapter most of you have been waiting for. I know a lot of you wanted Spike to come to the rescue, but ultimately Buffy is a strong woman and I wanted to show that. Hope everyone liked it.

The weeks passed, and life slowly returned to normal. Spike had thrown
Caitlyn a wonderful birthday party at the local pizza place and invited all of
her friends from the center. Gunn had also shown up, though he was there
as more of Fred’s date than Spike’s friend. Willow and Xander had also
showed up, even though they had decided they were better as friends. Willow
had gone on a few dates with a musician in a band, and Buffy introduced
Xander to Anya at the party. The two had immediately hit it off, though Anya
seemed to scare him a little at her frequent mention of a woman’s right to the
perfect orgasm.

It was now a few days after the party, and Spike was getting ready to
leave for the night as Buffy caught his hand.

“Stay,” she whispered.

“You sure, Buffy?”

“I’m sure, just stay with me. We’ve waited so long, and with everything
that’s happened…I’m ready to put the past behind me.”

Not giving him a chance to reply, Buffy softly kissed him. Spike’s
hands went up to her silky hair and threaded his fingers through it as he
deepened the kiss. They had waited a long time, Buffy feeling uncomfortable
with intimacy and Spike scared that he would hurt her. Now, as their tongues
met, tangling with each other, Spike lifted her into his arms and carried her up to her
bedroom, his mouth never leaving hers.

Shutting the door softly behind them, he laid Buffy down on the bed and
slowly began undressing her as she worked on the buttons of his shirt.

“I’ve missed you, Spike,” she whispered, trailing kisses down his muscled chest.

Spike felt his breath catch in his throat as he focused on her gentle
touches. “I’ve missed you, too, baby.”

Both successfully undressed, Spike edged up the length of her body, leaving
teasing kisses on her soft skin in his path. Reaching her lips, he became
more frantic and demanding, wondering how he had lived without the feel
of this woman for so long.

“Spike…stop,” she whispered.

The second the request was processed in his brain, Spike was off of
her. “Did I hurt you?”

“No,” she said with a gentle smile. “Can I be on top? It’s just…I’ll
feel better with more control.”

Spike smiled, grabbing her hips and pulling her to him as she giggled.
“Your wish is my command.”

Buffy giggled again as she leaned forward to give him a searing
kiss. Before Spike knew what was happening, he moaned as he felt himself
penetrate her hot passage. Buffy gave an answering moan as she began
moving slowly on top of him. Spike grabbed her hips, trying to think of
anything to keep his mind off the climax that was building. He felt like a
schoolboy again as Buffy’s pace picked up.

“Something wrong?” she whispered, never stopping her movements.

“No…just trying to hold off, is all.”

Buffy smiled as Spike opened his eyes. “And I think you’re enjoying my
problem a little too much.”

Buffy didn’t respond, just slid up the length of his shaft and arched her body
back onto it, throwing her head back with a moan. Spike felt his eyes roll
back at the vision before using her hips as leverage and pulling himself up
into a sitting position. Buffy gasped at the new angle and met his eyes,
leaning forward and kissing him frantically as her movements became more
irregular.

Spike pulled her to him roughly until he was fully sheathed inside of her again. Holding her in
place, he began to move as he kissed a trail down her jaw. Buffy
gasped as he released one hand and traced it upward until he was gently outlining
her nipple. As the kisses drew lower to the valley between her breasts, Spike used his other hand to extend
over her back, pulling her firmly against him as his lips found the other
nipple. Buffy frantically began to move her hips up and down as he quickened
his ministrations.

“Spike…I need you…I need…please…”

Spike abandoned his work to latch onto her hips again. “I know what you
need, luv. You need me…filling you.”

Buffy tossed her head back as she felt the tightening in her body begin
to unravel. “Spike!” The word was so frantic, Spike knew she was almost
there. Quickening his pace even more, he pulled her onto him even harder as
he thrust up to meet her. Reaching a hand up to cover her mouth a second
before she screamed her release as her body felt like she was exploding, Spike felt his own pleasure overtake
him as he pulsed deep inside of her.

Releasing his hold on her mouth, Spike moved a few more times, each time
enjoying the blissful aftershocks of their orgasms. Buffy slowly moved to his
side, collapsing against the pillows as Spike lay down next to her.

“That was…”

She trailed off as Spike watched her, a smile playing on his lips as his
hand snaked down to her legs.

“What’re you doing?”

“Well, since I didn’t even get a response, I figured I’d do this,” he
said, circling the little bundle of nerve endings and gently flicking it with
a finger.

“I can’t…it’s…it’s too much…” she whispered frantically.

“Just let it go, pet,” he whispered, nibbling seductively on her neck.
Buffy gasped as a long finger slipped inside her folds, arching her back at
the new sensations.

“Spike-“

“Let it go, baby.” Fusing his lips to hers, he smiled as she once again
began bucking wildly against his hand.

Breaking away after a moment, Spike looked at her expectantly.

“It was okay,” she said breathlessly with a little shrug. Spike raised
one eyebrow at her. “Well,” she said, grabbing onto his hardening
erection. “I just figured you can do even better the next time.”

With a smile, Spike rotated until he was on top of her, swiftly entering again.

“I think it’s going to be a long night, pet,” he said, moving with deep
thrusts and smiling as the woman beneath him visibly began to lose
control again.

“I’ll call you when it’s over, okay?”

“Okay,” Buffy said from the other end of the phone. It had been a week
since that first night of reconnecting. A week of nights spent making
love and waking up satisfied and happy. Now Spike was back in L.A. for the
premiere of his new movie. Initially, he’d wanted Buffy to attend with
him and then decided against it when he realized the paparazzi would start
stalking her house. It would happen eventually, but Spike felt it best to hold
off for a while.

“I’ve gotta go, I’m almost there, but I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”

“Okay.”

After they hung up, Buffy began making dinner. An hour later, she was
sitting at the island in the kitchen, reading a magazine, waiting for
her casserole to finish baking when she heard Caitlyn.

“Mommy, mommy! Uncle Spike’s on TV!”

Buffy ran into the living room and smiled at the man on the screen. He
was dressed in an expensive tux and waving to his adoring fans from his
position on the red carpet. Buffy turned up the volume to hear the reporter’s
commentary and felt the smile drop from her lips as she went to sit
next to her daughter.

“It seems that after a self-imposed hiatus, Spike Hawthorne is once
again mainstream news as it looks like he and co-star Drusilla Bennett are
getting hot and heavy both on and off the screen.”

Buffy watched in shock as a beautiful, tall brunette came into focus,
standing next to Spike, and he snaked an arm around her slender waist,
pulling her closer to his body. Buffy listened as the reporter kept talking.

“Ms. Bennett has always enjoyed a flirtation with her sexy co-star and
recently told me that she would love to take things to the next level,
if he was willing and able. It looks like they are.”

Buffy felt tears flood to her eyes as Spike whispered something softly in her ear, and the brunette laughed before turning and giving him a passionate kiss. Her stomach clenched, and Buffy took several deep breaths to calm her nerves.

“Mommy, why is he kissing that lady?”

“I don’t know, Caity, I think he’s just saying hello to a friend. Go
wash your hands for dinner.”

Buffy turned off the TV and headed for the kitchen as the phone rang.
Wiping away tears as she ran for it, Buffy snatched up the receiver.

“Hello.”

“Buffy, it’s Anya. We have a big problem. The guy that was supposed
to do the show at the gallery this weekend just called and said he can’t
leave New York until Friday night.”

“We have to set everything up by Saturday morning.”

“I know. He said he would send someone else with all the work, but all
his people are working on other things, and he refuses to ship it without
someone else accompanying.”

“Wonderful,” Buffy said sarcastically. “Let me call my mom and see
what I can work out. Can you work the rest of the week?”

“Sure.”

“Okay, I’ll get back to you.”

Buffy quickly hung up and fixed Caitlyn a plate for supper before grabbing the cordless and dialing her mother’s number. Explaining the situation as she ran through the house gathering clothes and bags, she arranged to drop Caitlyn off on her way to the airport. Quickly packing for herself and her daughter, Buffy called information and had them connect her to ticket sales. Booking a flight for eleven o’clock that night, she ran back
downstairs.

“Okay, Caity, you’re going to go visit Grandma while mommy goes to get
some
things for work.”

“Yay!”

“Go make sure mommy got everything, and then we need to leave.”

Buffy quickly cleaned the kitchen, made sure all the appliances were
turned off, and headed for the front door. Grabbing her cell phone, she
realized the battery was going to die and grabbed the charger for it.

‘Oh well,’ she thought. ‘Guess I won’t be talking to Spike after all.
I’m not sure I want to after that lovely show he put on with his co-star.’

Switching off the phone, Buffy threw it in her purse and grabbed her keys.
Making a quick run out to the car to load their luggage, Buffy went back in
the house.

“Come on, Caity,” she called as her daughter appeared at the top of the
stairs, clutching the teddy bear Spike had won for her at the fair.

“Who’s going to feed Goldie?”

Sighing, Buffy jogged up the stairs to get the goldfish. Coming back
down, she quickly ushered her daughter out to the car, careful not to spill
the water. She instructed Caitlyn to get in the car as she walked next door.
After making quick arrangements for her neighbor to feed the fish for
the remainder of the week, Buffy crossed the yard and hopped into the car.

“We all ready to go, baby?”

“Yep,” she said, still hanging on to the bear.


* * * * *

Buffy barely made it to the plane before take off. Now as she was
sitting in her cramped seat, sipping her coffee, she let her mind wander. The
kiss Spike had shared with his co-star had looked so adoring. She knew that
he cared for her, but what if Buffy was the other woman in the scenario?
The thought had never entered her mind since Spike stayed in Sunnydale for
so long, but now that she thought about it, it started to make more sense.
Her heart felt heavy as she ran the same situation through her mind until
she fell into a troubled sleep.


* * * * *


Buffy made her way through JFK airport after collecting her bags. She
didn’t feel one hundred percent safe at this late hour in a strange
city, but she didn’t dwell on it. After catching a cab, Buffy gave the
driver directions to the hotel her mother always stayed in. Joyce had been
kind enough to call and make a reservation for her while Buffy was making
the drive from Sunnydale to Los Angeles.

As the cab pulled up in front of the large hotel, Buffy stepped from
the car. Once she paid and gathered her luggage, she quickly made it
through the check-in process and was shown to her suite. It was a beautiful
room with a living room and kitchenette. A bedroom door was off to the left,
and straight ahead was a wall of windows, complete with a sliding door and
a huge balcony.

Buffy made her way out to the balcony and stood there, staring at the
city. She felt drained from her long night, and aside from her calm exterior,
she was an emotional wreck from seeing the man that she was falling in love
with kissing another woman. A woman Buffy felt inferior to in every way.

Buffy decided to head to her bedroom and not worry about it for the
rest of the night, even though that was easier said than done. Closing the
balcony door, she grabbed her purse and pulled out the cell phone and charger.
Once it was plugged in, Buffy decided she didn’t want it turned on. She had
enough to deal with tonight without listening to Spike’s excuses. She had
briefly told her mom what had happened, but it had been no help since
she had to run and catch her flight.

* * * * *

Spike was getting worried. He had been trying Buffy’s house and cell
for the past few hours, and there was no answer on either. Finally, he
dialed Joyce’s number and was relieved to at least hear her voice.

“Joyce, it’s Spike. Listen, I’m in town, and I told Buffy I’d call her
tonight, but I can’t get her on either phone.”

“That’s because she’s not there, Spike.”

“Well, where is she?”

“She had an emergency at work.”

“So I should try her at the gallery?”

“No, she’s not there.”

“Joyce, why won’t you tell me where she is?”

“Because, William, you hurt my baby girl.”

“And how on earth did I manage that from a different city?”

“Have you ever heard of this thing called a television? It transfers
all these pretty pictures from one place to another, and when something big
happens in the entertainment industry, it’s big news. Like for
instance, two co-stars making out in front of the cameras.”

“Bloody hell,” Spike muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Joyce,
tell me she didn’t see that.”

“Now, Spike, my daughter’s not stupid. She took what she saw at face
value, had a work emergency, and dropped Caitlyn off with me.”

“So she didn’t care?”

“Now, did I say that? No. What I said was, she took it at face value.”

“But you said Caitlyn’s with you, so she’s here.”

“Spike, I don’t think she wants you to know where she is right now,”
Joyce said with a heavy sigh.

“Joyce, please. What you saw…it-it wasn’t what it looked like. Please
tell me where she is so I can explain.”

“She’s in New York.”

“New York! What the bloody hell is she doing in New York?”

“I told you, she had a-“

“A work emergency, right,” he said, cutting her off.

“That’s right. Good night, Spike.”

Disconnecting the phone, Spike put his head in his hands. “You really
bollocksed this up, you wanker.”

Buffy woke up the next morning, feeling worse than the night before.
It had finally sunk in that she wasn’t good enough for Spike. All she had to
do now was except it. Rolling out of bed, she sighed. She would be here
until Thursday- might as well make the most of the few days she had on her
own.

After a long shower, Buffy dressed in a pair of off-white dress pants
and a long-sleeved, silky V-neck top. Drying her hair until it fell straight
and shiny, Buffy pulled on her shoes and grabbed her small cell phone to
slip into her pocket. She was going to finish her business before she took
in any of the sights or started a short shopping spree.

* * * * *

Spike nearly threw his phone against the wall in irritation. Buffy
still wasn’t answering her phone, and he couldn’t figure out where she was
staying. Suddenly an idea hit him as he picked up the phone and quickly dialed
a new number.

* * * * *

Buffy rolled her head around on her shoulders after the long day. She had
been dealing with the irate artist and his representation for the past seven
hours, and she thought her head was going to explode. As if it was her fault
that he was too much of a jerk to ship his work to her. And God forbid that
he didn’t know she was a woman. Would a woman be able to make sure all his
art got across the country safely? Buffy nearly told him where he could
shove his sexist views and his art, but she bit her tongue. She needed this
commission, and she couldn’t let him get to her.

Walking out of the building, Buffy looked up at the sky and saw the rain
clouds rolling in.

“Great,” she muttered. “It’s a beautiful day until I set one foot outside.”

Walking into the first restaurant she saw, Buffy headed over to the
bar. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she saw several new voicemails
from Spike and decided to listen to them later. She saw that Anya had
called and quickly returned her call, telling her about the day she had and
promising to be back with the items for the show. Hanging up, Buffy ordered
a drink from the bartender and was surprised to hear a male voice speaking
to her.

“Pretty girl like you, drinking all alone? Something must be wrong.”

Buffy turned to face the man and gave him a small smile. “Rough day.”

“I hear that,” he said with a slightly Midwestern accent. “I’m Lindsey, by
the way. Lindsey McDonald.”

“Buffy Summers,” she said, shaking his offered hand.

“So, what’s a girl like you doing here without anybody? Let me guess, you
and the boyfriend have a fight?”

“Something like that.”

“Aah yes, and let me guess, he hasn’t called.”

“Actually he has…I just haven’t talked to him.”

“I thought that’s what girls did. Sit by the phone, waiting for it to ring.”

“I’m not most girls,” she replied, arching an eyebrow at him. “I just fly
across the country to get away from him and then ignore him for a while.”

“You’re serious?” he asked incredulously.

“Somewhat. I did fly across the country, but it was for business, and I am
ignoring him for the time being. Besides, he never said he was my boyfriend.”

“I’m thinking the guy’s an idiot then. So, where’d you fly from?”

“California.”

“Really? Know any stars out that way?”

Buffy laughed. “Actually, yeah. Just one.”

“Impressive.”

Buffy looked at Lindsey as his eyes widened slightly. “It’s not by any
chance Spike Hawthorne, is it?”

Buffy froze. “How did you-“

“Not good to go to a strange city alone, pet,” a seductive voice whispered
in her ear.

Buffy whirled around and faced a dripping wet Spike.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“Now, now, luv. Aren’t you gonna introduce me to your friend?” he asked,
staring daggers at Lindsey.

“Honestly, it hadn’t crossed my mind. What are you doing here?” she repeated.

“Finding you.”

“Yeah, now that you mentioned it, how did you do that?”

“A lot of effort, luv.”

“Such as…”

“Such as flying out early this morning after your mum told me you were here.
Putting in a call to Anya while I searched for you, waiting at your hotel
a few blocks away since you were out, and finally getting a phone call from
Anya a few minutes ago, telling me she just talked to you and you were
here.”

Buffy stared at him incredulously as he finished his story before she
snapped out of her daze. “Well, sorry you made the trip for nothing. See you
around.”

Buffy hopped off the barstool and turned to Lindsey with a bright smile.
“Nice meeting you.”

Leaving a ten on the bar for her drink, Buffy evaded Spike’s move to grab
her arm and headed out the door. Groaning as the rain fell from the sky,
she heard Spike approaching from behind and headed out into the storm.
Walking toward her hotel, she heard Spike jogging to catch up with her.

“Buffy…Buffy…wait up, pet.”

“Why?” she asked, spinning around and facing him. “Why should I wait for
you? It’s obvious that you don’t need me.”

“Buffy, the kiss-“

“Opened my eyes. Spike, I told you months ago that I didn’t have anything
to offer a movie star. You should have believed me then.”

“And I told you not to sell yourself short, luv.”

“Then why did you go and make out with another woman on national
television?”

“I’m sorry. It was for publicity.”

“Yeah, her tongue in your mouth was really public,” she spat back at him
before turning and heading down the street.

“It wasn’t like that, Buffy. The director wanted us to do it for the
cameras. I didn’t want to, but that’s what I’m paid a lot of money to do,”
he said, trailing her as the water pelted down on them. “I promise, if I’d
known how much it would hurt you, I wouldn’t have done it, and I’ll never do
it again. I don’t give a damn about Dru.”

Buffy stopped but didn’t turn to face him. “Then why come after me?”

“Because I’m in love with you.”

Buffy spun around to see him. His eyes looked so open, as if he was a
little boy, terrified of rejection. “You love me?”

“I’ve loved you since the night I came to your house. The night I met
Caity,” he said softly. “I knew I couldn’t live without you. Without
either of you,” he continued, slowly advancing on her. “When I heard what
you’d been through, what you were going through, I couldn’t help but want
to protect you. Everything you do, the way you are with your daughter…I
fall in love with you all over again every time I see you.”

Buffy pushed the wet hair out of her eyes as she stared up at Spike. “I love
you, too.” It was spoken so softly, Spike only stared at her for a minute
before a brilliant smile lit up his face. Buffy smiled in return as he
picked her up and swung her wildly around in circles before setting her down
in the middle of a puddle. Neither noticed as his lips met hers in an
intense kiss. Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck, holding onto him as
Spike, once again, lifted her off the ground. This time, it was for better
access to her lips. As they slowly broke apart, both looked up as they were
drenched by the rain.

“Let’s get outta here,” Buffy said. Spike put her back on the ground, and
she grabbed his hand as they ran through the streets, back to her hotel.

Spike and Buffy barely made it through the door of her hotel room before his
lips were on hers again. Frantically pulling at her shirt and unzipping her
pants, Buffy worked equally as hard to unbutton his shirt. Finally
revealing the solid muscles of his torso, Buffy scratched her nails along
the exposed skin as Spike succeeded in peeling off her pants from her soaked
body. Giggling, Buffy grabbed his hand and gave it a jerk toward the
bedroom.

Spike walked a few steps behind her, enjoying the view that the white lace
thong was allowing him of her toned backside. Instead of heading to the
bed, Buffy veered off to the bathroom. Spike followed and watched
appreciatively as Buffy leaned into the shower stall and started the water.

Turning around, Buffy eagerly licked her lips at his exposed upper body
before motioning for him to come over to her. Spike arched one eyebrow and
smirked at her as he shed the rest of his clothes. By the time he was
finished, Buffy was already in the shower, letting the stream of water slide
down her body. Spike felt his erection grow even harder as he watched her
tilt her head back to soak her hair. Looking over at him, she smiled. “What?”

“Just wondering how you can look so adorable when rain is pouring over you
but unbelievably sexy when it’s a shower.”

“Maybe because I’m naked,” she said with a playful smile.

“Maybe,” he agreed, jumping into the shower and shutting the door behind him.
Pinning her against the wall, Spike trailed hot kisses down her neck and
back up until he reached her lips again. One hand slid around to the swell
of her butt as the other glided upward to gently squeeze her breast.
Breaking away from her lips, Spike looked down at her. “You know, after my
heartfelt profession of love, this isn’t exactly the location I pictured for this happening.”

“Oh come on, it’s a tradition,” she said, kissing his throat.

“Tradition?”

“Yep,” she said, jumping up to allow him to grab her thighs and pin her to
the side of the shower. “Every time something big happens, you end
up taking me against a wall.”

Spike smiled at the memory of his first time and then moaned as he felt
himself slip inside her warm depths. “You know, luv, you could give me a
little warning before you do that.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” she asked, moving in a slow rhythm.

“Won’t be much fun if it’s over before it starts,” he said breathlessly.

Buffy moaned as Spike began grinding against her, rapidly picking up the
pace. Holding onto his shoulders for leverage, Buffy pushed against him and
began to move more rapidly as he held onto her hips. After several long
minutes, Spike felt his climax approaching and frantically began pumping
himself into her body. Buffy felt as if she was shattering as she let out a
scream that sent Spike over the edge as well.

Coming down from their respective climaxes, Spike tightened his arms around
Buffy’s waist and held her against the wall with his forehead against her
shoulder.

“I love you, baby,” he whispered.

“I love you, too.”

Later that night, as they were lying in bed together, Spike was lazily
tracing patterns on her skin.

“You know, luv, you didn’t have to leave the state and try and get away from
me.”

Buffy laughed. “If that was my intention, it wouldn’t have worked. You
obviously would have found me anyway.”

Spike pulled her up to give her a soft kiss before pressing his forehead to
hers. “If I was blind, I’d see you.”

Buffy kissed him again and straddled his waist. “Up for round two?”

“You know it, baby,” he replied, arching an eyebrow.

Eighteen Months Later


Buffy sat in front of the vanity, staring at her reflection as her mother
placed the veil on her head. Smiling at the happy woman she saw there,
Buffy got up and looked out the window at the small crowd milling around the
grass.

Willow and her boyfriend Oz were engaged, and Buffy had arranged for Oz and
his band to play at the reception later that day. The stage was set off to
the side of the pool at the country club, giving plenty of room for dancing.
Spike had firmly vetoed nearly all of Buffy’s ideas for the wedding. She
always thought it was the woman’s job to do the planning, but Spike clearly
disagreed. He had wanted a big, flashy ordeal, which was met with a
resounding ‘No’ from Buffy.

After many long talks and lots of compromises, it was decided they would get
married at the Sunnydale Country Club with fresh arrangements of spring
flowers on every surface. White folding chairs lined the lawn, facing a
brilliant floral archway that Spike and Buffy were to be married under.
Both the bride and groom had decided to forego the numerous attendants.
Instead, Caitlyn was to walk down the aisle with her variety of brightly
colored flowers and stand next to her parents. It was decided that they
would live in Sunnydale with Spike commuting to L.A. to do one movie a
year. He was a millionaire and didn’t need the money, but he enjoyed the
work. Buffy and Caitlyn would travel with him in the summer to any shoots
he may have to do.

Buffy smiled as she remembered Christmas Eve. It was their second Christmas
together, and everything had been mostly smooth sailing for the couple,
excluding a few minor disagreements they had over inconsequential things.
They had all been staying up, watching the twinkling lights of the Christmas
tree, when Caitlyn had turned to Spike and asked him if she could call him
her daddy. Spike had immediately pulled the little girl into his arms with
tears in his eyes and told her he would love to be her daddy. After a few
minutes, he had whispered something to Caitlyn, and she had gone to get a
present from under the tree. Sitting the box in front of Buffy, she had
resumed her seat on her new daddy’s lap.

Buffy had looked at them both quizzically before she unwrapped the present
to reveal another slightly smaller wrapped box inside the larger one.
Opening that one, there had been another smaller box, and another, and another,
until Buffy was finally left with a tiny box, wrapped in silver with a white
ribbon. When she opened it, she nearly fainted at the large emerald cut
diamond set in platinum that was displayed on the black velvet. Spike had
immediately knelt on one knee, asking her to marry him, and she had jumped
into his arms in response, giving him a thorough kiss with Caitlyn giggling
in the background.

The biggest shock of that Christmas wasn’t Spike and Buffy’s engagement,
which was inevitable, but the fact that they had later found out Xander and
Anya had run off to Las Vegas the day after Christmas and gotten married at
an all-night chapel.

Now, several months later, Buffy stood in the doorway in her elegant silk
strapless dress, taking deep breaths as her mother walked up to tell her it
was time. Making her way to the outdoor ceremony, Buffy smiled as she saw
Spike fidgeting at the end of the aisle. Noticing Buffy being escorted by
her mother, Spike visibly relaxed as the woman he loved seemed to float
toward him. As Joyce gave her daughter away, Spike took Buffy’s hand, giving
it a loving kiss before they turned to face the minister.

When the vows were exchanged and the cake was cut, Buffy stepped up on the
makeshift stage to address the crowd.

“A lot of you don’t know this, but when Spike first approached me, I wanted
nothing to do with him. Or at least that’s what I told him,” she said with
a smile as the crowd laughed softly. “Looking back, that was the night that
changed my life. I fell in love with a man who was more compassionate than
I first gave him credit for. And now, I trust him with my life, but more
importantly, I trust him with the life of my daughter. Caitlyn and I had a
long talk, and now, she has a little gift for you.”

Spike looked down at the little girl tugging on his coat and holding out an
envelope. Smiling at her, he bent down to her level and opened it. Staring
at it for a minute, he looked from Caitlyn to Buffy disbelievingly. “Adoption papers?”

The crowd buzzed as Buffy smiled at him. “You’re already her daddy. I
figured you might want to be her father.”

Spike looked at Caitlyn, who was smiling brightly at him, looking like a
mini-replica of her mother. Spike planted a gentle kiss on the top of her
head and looked into her eyes. “I love you, Little Bit. You know that,
right?”

Caitlyn smiled at him. “Of course I know that, Daddy. You’re silly. Go tell
Mommy.”

Spike smiled and took off for his new bride, grabbing her around the waist
and pulling her from the stage to give her an adoring kiss as the crowd
cheered for the family. Pulling away, Spike spent a minute looking deeply
into Buffy’s eyes.

“You’re sure, luv?”

“Well, I figured since you’re about to be a new daddy, you should officially
be Caity’s.”

Spike stared at her as confusion, shock, and finally excitement flashed
across his features. “But, you were…”

“Yeah, I know. Seems like when I had the stomach flu a few months ago, the
pills didn’t want to stay in my system.”

“We’re going to have a baby?” he asked in disbelief.

Buffy nodded as he smiled. “We’re going to have a baby!”

Pulling her close to him again, Spike kissed her lovingly. Pulling away
after a minute to Caity once again tugging on his coat, Spike swung her up
in his arms.

“I love my girls.”

“We love you, too, daddy,” Caitlyn said, planting a kiss on his cheek as
Buffy watched with tears in her eyes before nodding.

“Yes, we do.”



THE END


A/N Okay, another huge thank you to my beta, Allison! If she hadn’t liked this story, it probably would have never been posted, so thank you so much for the support! Also, thank you to all the reviewers and readers-I’m glad you liked it. Please read my other stories!