Chapter Twenty-six

"I want to tell Mom and Dad," Spike told Buffy later that night as they set the table for dinner.

Joyce, having been so happy to have her family under one roof again, thought it would be a wonderful idea to have them start having family dinners in the event they were all home at dinner.

Thankfully, it didn't happen often. Buffy didn't think she'd be able to
stomach much more Brady Bunch type family dinners. Especially since she
and Spike were not of the Greg and Marcia persuasion anymore. Not unless
it was them off camera that is.

Buffy stared at him," What? Like now?"

He nodded, looking nervous.

"Spike, I thought you wanted to wait a while."

"We have waited a while, Buffy," he told her as if waiting had been her idea
the whole time in the first place. That was a tad infuriating.

"What happened at therapy today?"

He gave her a look, "Look, I think now is a good time to tell them."

"Are you sure? You don't want to wait a little longer? Another week?"

"You're the one who wanted to tell them when they got home. Now you
want to wait. What's up with that?"

"Why are you getting so defensive?"

"Why are you?"

"I'm—" she took a deep breath, calming herself. "I just want to make sure
you're really ready. Not just high after a good session or whatever."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

She shifted uncomfortably on her feet. "Just something that Doyle told me
about. He's studying psychology and—"

"I forgot, Doyle knows everything," Spike said dryly, shaking his head and
whipping open the silverware drawer.

"Hey you have somebody to talk to; it's only fair that I should too. He might
not be licensed yet, but he's good at it. He's even already putting my bill
together for when he is licensed. He said he's giving me a discount, but I'm
not buying it—"

"Buffy!"

"Sorry. Look, does it really bother you that I talk to Doyle about stuff? He's
my best friend Spike. I need someone to talk to too," she said, putting her
hand on his arm gently. She looked up at him pleadingly.

He sighed, "I'm sorry Buffy. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just tense is
all. It's like now that I feel brave enough to tell them about us, I just want
to do it and get it over with."

"Then by all means, get it over with."

Buffy felt the floor drop out from under her and she felt as if she were
moving in slow motion as she turned her head to see Joyce standing across
the counter from them with her hands on her hips. Joyce did not look
happy.

"Mom," Buffy started and then stopped because she didn't know how to
proceed.

Joyce started tapping her feet, her eyebrows raising. "Yes?"

"I . . . don't know how to start," Buffy finished honestly.

"Let me help you out then. There's something that you want to tell me and
your father about the two of you. From the sound of it—"

"Buffy and I are in love. We're together," Spike blurted out.

"That's one way to do it," Buffy muttered.

Joyce stood, frozen, staring at them. The tapping ceased and her face froze.
"What?"

"Mom, don't freak," Buffy said and started to round the counter to comfort
her mother.

She halted when Joyce held up her hands to stop her. Buffy skidded to a
stop.

"You're WHAT? Please tell me this is some kind of practical joke you two
cooked up," Joyce said, almost pleading.

Buffy shook her head. Spike made no movement, no sound.

"Mom—" Buffy began.

"GILES!" Joyce shouted at the top of her lungs.

Spike started muttering something softly while Joyce stormed out of the
kitchen to find her husband. Buffy glided over to Spike to hear what he was
muttering.

"I love Buffy and it's not wrong," he kept saying, his gaze fixed straight
ahead, his hand gripping a fork.

Buffy took hold of his hand and eased the fork out his hand. He seemed to
come out of his stupor somewhat. He looked down at her. Cupping the side
of his face, Buffy told him. "And I love you. And it's NOT wrong. I need you
to be strong now Spike."

He nodded, scratching the back of his head, "I – yeah, yeah, I know."

"Spike, stay with me please," Buffy pleaded. "Don't flake on me now."

"Yeah, yeah, I w-won't."

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Giles bellowed, storming into the
kitchen, followed by a distraught Joyce who was wringing her hands.

"Giles, it's not a bad thing—" Buffy started.

"He's your BROTHER!" Giles yelled. He turned his focus to Spike. "What
the hell is wrong with you? Where is your head?"

"Don't yell at him!" Buffy shouted at Giles. "He didn't do anything wrong."
She slipped her arm through Spike's and felt him trembling.

She put her hand back on his face, making him look at her. "Spike, it's not
wrong."

"Yes, it is. You're brother and sister for Christ's sake!" Giles yelled. "It's
sick. What have you done?" he demanded of Spike.

Buffy moved so that she stood in front of Spike, shielding him. "It is NOT
sick. It's NOT wrong. We're NOT really related. There's no blood between
us—"

"You were raised as brother and sister," Giles argued.

"Not our whole lives," Buffy countered.

"Are you telling me--?" Giles looked horrified and Joyce started wailing,
looking ready to pass out.

"No!" Buffy exclaimed. "We didn't – not THEN. It didn't happen until Spike
came back."

"Your marriage falls apart so you prey on Buffy? Your SISTER?" Giles said
angrily, turning red.

"I – I can't do this," Spike stammered, inching away.

Buffy grabbed his arm, "Spike, don't run out on me now. We're in this
together, remember?"

"I'm sorry Buffy," he whispered, his face starting to crumble.

"Spike, please," Buffy pleaded, but he was pulling away.

He shook his head, "I'm sorry," he said to her and then to their parents.
"I'm a bad man," he whispered and ran out the door.

Buffy spun to Giles and Joyce, the rage pouring off her in waves. "You
couldn't just let us explain. You had to come in here and accuse and make
him feel dirty. You couldn't just listen and TRY to understand. Do you have
any idea what he's gone through?" she shook her head at them and ran out
the door after him. His car was still there, wherever he was, he was on foot.
He couldn't have gone far.

Running to the end of the driveway, she shouted his name. Giles and Joyce were calling after her, their voices coming closer.

She spun to them, "If anything happens to him, it's all your fault!" she yelled at them before tearing off down the street after her beloved.


 

Chapter Twenty –seven

Buffy's feet pounded the pavement as she ran as hard and as fast as she could. She didn't even know if she was going in the right direction to find Spike. She just needed to get away from their parents.

Stopping to catch her breath, she hunched over, gasping for air. She took deep breaths, the kind they taught her in track in high school so that she could run farther. As she started to catch her breath, the tears came and she let loose. Sobs wracked her body and anger doubled up with fear for Spike and what he was going through; and for what they had just gone through. She was a block and half away from Doyle's. To top it all off, her calf was cramping up. Hobbling down the street while trying to get herself under control, Buffy called out Spike's name which came out more like a whimper. Doyle had a car; he'd help her find him.

She couldn't remember a time when she'd been so angry with her parents.
Giles had been downright cruel to Spike. It was uncalled for—and why had
he attacked his son like that? Why didn't they put any blame her way? Not
that there was anything or anyone to ‘blame'. But if they were looking for
someone to blame, they were BOTH in the relationship so why just target
Spike? Course, thinking back, Giles had always been hard on Spike. And,
most of the time, Spike had warranted Giles riding his ass. He'd been quite
the rebel growing up and perhaps it was just a throwback to those days.
Something went wrong, so Giles blamed Spike. Except this wasn't wrong.
For all the steps he'd taken forward in therapy, he'd just taken all of them
back.

She knew it was just too soon.

Knocking on Doyle's door, she took several deep breaths and wiped her
tears away, in case his parents were home. She wasn't up to freaking them
out and having to explain.

Thankfully, however, the door flew open and there stood Doyle. He took
one look at her and knew something was up. "All right, what happened?" he
asked as he ushered her in.Buffy held her breath, trying not to cry again.
Just seeing Doyle made her want to give in to the tears again.

"Buffy, it's okay. Tell me what happened," Doyle said calmly, ushering her
up the stairs to his room. "We've got the house to ourselves for a while, so
let it all out. Did you and Spike have a fight?"

"No," she started her voice shaking. "Worse."

"Start at the top."

Buffy spilled it all from her conversation with Spike in the kitchen to how
Joyce had overheard to how she ended up on his doorstep. She left nothing
out; and her anger bubbled forth and spewed out, along with her worry
over Spike.

"Does he know anyone in this area? Does he have a favorite place he likes
to go to?" Doyle asked, handing her tissues.

Blowing her nose loudly, she shook her head. "No. Oh, wait! Xander. He
could have gone to Xander's."

"Didn't you tell me Xander had been skeeved out by your relationship with
Spike?" Doyle asked, scratching his head.

Buffy narrowed her eyes, "Yeah, the big jerk."

"Hey, hey. You're talking to the future Mr. Harris."

Buffy gave him a look.

"You're right. He's a jerk. Just wait till I work with him, all right? There's a
reason he's so uptight and repressed."

"Doyle, normally, I am all on board for discussing your ‘men', but right now
I have one of my own to find."

"Sorry. You're absolutely right. I say we pop in on Mr. Harris
first."

"Doyle—"

"Just a hunch. Go with me on it, please?"

"Fine," she grumbled.

"All right, let's go," Doyle chirped and started out of his room.

"Uh, don't we need to look up where he lives?" Buffy started as she
followed him.

Doyle stopped and turned to look at her, eyebrow raised.

"Of course you looked him up. I should have known." Buffy shook her head.

"How many driveby's have you done?"

"Oh shut up."

"A lot huh?"

"You're going to be riding in the trunk you keep it up."

"My lips are sealed."

Fifteen minutes later, Doyle and Buffy were climbing the steps to Xander's
second story apartment.

"These are pretty nice from the outside," Doyle observed. "We'll be happy
here for a while until we move into a ginormous house."

Buffy rolled her eyes, trying not to dwell on her heart hammering in her
chest. What if Spike turned her away?

"Okay, here we are. 2C." Poising her hand over Xander's door, she
hesitated for a second before Doyle jumped in and knocked.

"Don't get weak on me now," Doyle admonished her.

"Weak? I'm not—"

The door opened, halting Buffy's imminent tirade. Xander stood there,
looking surprised to find them.

"Uh, Buffy—" he started, looking over his shoulder.

"So, he's here, huh?" Doyle asked dryly.

Xander snapped his attention to Doyle. Buffy's eyes popped in surprise to
see Xander blushing at her best friend. Perhaps Doyle was right all along
about him. His eyes darted back to Buffy. "Buffy, I don't know that he
wants to see anyone right now." Xander told her, coming out on the porch
and closing the door behind him.

"Did he say that?" Buffy demanded.

"Yes."

"That includes me?"

"I think so," Xander said, uncertainly.

"Let's find out for sure, shall we?" Buffy said harshly and practically shoved
Xander out of the way and stormed into his apartment. Her eyes had to
adjust a minute to the minimal light in what appeared to be his kitchen.

"Spike Giles, get your ass out here now!" She bellowed across the
apartment, not bothering to play nice and sympathetic anymore. She didn't
like being avoided; she didn't like being run away from. He was supposed to
stay by her side through this and he'd left her. He'd promised not to and he
did.

Spike came into sight, standing in an archway a second later. He looked
awful. He'd been crying a lot as his eyes were red and puffy.

Buffy's anger fled her a bit but she refused to move. If he wanted her, he
needed to tell her so. If he was avoiding her . . . well, he was getting her
anyway.

"Buffy, I'm sorry," he whimpered and opened his arms. She flew into them
and he wrapped his arms around her desperately. She clung to him just as
desperately.

"You promised not to leave me," she told him, though the edge in her voice
had fled.

"I know, I just . . . when Dad started yelling I felt as if the walls were closing
in on me and Mom was so upset. I just . . . I just couldn't take the looks on
their faces, the disapproval and the anger."

"It was probably knee jerk reaction," Doyle jumped in. "I don't mean to
interrupt this moment here. Just trying to help. Hey Xander, want to show
me your bedroom?"

"I, uh—"

"Let's go! I want to see just how deep your closet really is."

Despite themselves, the couple could not help but start to giggle at that.

"Spike, we can't run away from this or hide. It makes it look as if we did
something wrong and we haven't."

"Buffy," Spike started, pulling away from her. "Maybe we should lay low for
a while. Xander's gonna let me stay here and –"

"Lay low?"

"I think it might be best I not come around the house for a little while."

"Hold on a second here. How long is a little while? TYou drop a can of
worms like that and expect me to pick up the pieces for you? No, that's not
how this works," she shook her head, her anger coming back in full force,
coupled with frustration.

"Stay at Doyle's for a few days and we'll come up with a plan—"

"What you mean is, I'll come up with the plan and you'll just bail on me
again when it gets rough again," Buffy snapped.

"I've already got a plan somewhat."

"Oh?"

"I'm going to move out. WE'RE going to move out. Together."

"Spike, I'm all for that, but not as a way to—"

"And maybe we can just move to a different city. Travel. You wanted to
drive cross country with me, maybe now's the time to do it."

"I'm in school and you have a job—"

"Jobs are a dime a dozen and we can find a place for you to finish school."

Buffy stared at him, hurt and angry. She shook her head. "No, I refuse."

"Why? It'll be fun. We'll be together."

"I'm your dirty secret. You want to run away like you did before. You want
to hide. Remember how well it turned out last night you did that? It got
worse, didn't it? You ended with Dru. I'm not going to be your dirty secret
and I'm not going to allow you to run away."

"Buffy, you're not my dirty secret—"

"Yes, I am. You're treating me like one! Despite everything we've been
through, you are letting them win. You STILL think this is wrong. You
agree with them and you agree with Dru. I'm not going to live like that. I
love you Spike and all I want is to be free to be with you. Out in the open
with no guilt. Well, fine. I'm done being your dirty little secret, Spike. I
obviously make you feel ‘dirty' and ‘wrong', so I'll just put an end to it now."

He reached for her as she backed away. "Buffy—"

"DOYLE! I'm leaving."

"Buffy—" he reached for her again just as Doyle came rushing around the
corner for her.

"Take me out of here, please," she said to Doyle softly and turned away
from Spike.

"Buffy, please, don't go," Spike begged her.

"You want to lay low for tonight, that's fine. But tell me we'll go see Mom
and Giles tomorrow and I'll stay. Tell me we're not going to run away and
I'll stay."

He didn't say a word and Buffy's heart broke. Doyle took her hand and led
her away from Spike and out the door while Buffy prayed that she didn't
cry before she walked out the door.

"Buffy, honey, what happened?"

"It's over Doyle, it's all over."

 

Chapter Twenty-eight

"Buffy, do you think it's possible this is one of those shoot first, apologize later moments?" Doyle asked when they had returned to his home.

Without looking at him from her spot on his bed, and instead focusing on
the ceiling, she said "For?"

"Both of you."

"In regards to our parents?" she asked.

"That and his wanting to leave. You in turn leaving him with an
ultimatum."

"I didn't leave him with an ultimatum—"she paused, "Okay, maybe I did. I
was hoping . . . I was just hoping."

"That he'd come after you and tell you he was ready to go in there and face
the firing sqaud that are your parents right now?"

"Yes."

"He's scared Buffy. He's lived with this for years, thinking it's wrong and he
was dirty. Weren't you the one who told me how Giles trumped up the
whole family thing to him? And then there was Dru—"

"All right! I get it!" Buffy sat up and exclaimed. "I'm wrong. I was too hard
on him, I expected more than he could give. I'm a horrible girlfriend and I
probably set him back rather than trying to push him forward. I should just
be docile and passive!"

Doyle stared at her. "I didn't say that."

She glared at him, "I suppose now you'll say that I'm projecting right?"

"I think you just said it."

"Listen, maybe I was too hard on him, but . . Goddammit Doyle he wanted
to run away. Again!"

"I know. And I think you are right. Running away is not the answer. But I
think with Spike that too was a knee jerk reaction. I also think that it does
look as if he is keeping your relationship a secret because he's still in that
place of thinking it's wrong. You can't just uncondition years of conditioning
in the span of a few weeks."

"So I have to wait years now for him to be okay with it?"

"To uncondition him? Maybe. For him to be okay with it and in a place
where he won't feel the need to run? I think it'll take parental approval."

"And if they never give it?"

"Then Spike has to get to a place where he feels comfortable in his own
skin. It doesn't have to take years to get him to that place, Buffy. He has no
confidence in himself right now. He wants to be a good man and I truly
believe that he does love with everything he is. He's just . . . lost. He needs
to find himself."

"And what do I do in the meantime?"

"I think what you both need is some space right now. You're hurt and
angry, he's hurt and feeling lost. Your parents are in shock and it made
them react horribly. All of you have all these emotions inside you and
trying to reach out and grab onto something to get through it, but none of
you are sure HOW to get through it yet. You all need some time to collect
yourselves and take a step back. All of you need to gain your footing. Ever

hear of fight or flight?"

"Yes."

"Your reaction was to fight; Spike's reaction was flight. Your parents just. . .
reacted. Hopefully, and I mean HOPEFULLY, given some time, they'll talk
about this calmly instead of flinging accusations."

"So I wasn't horribly wrong about being so hard on him?" she asked
meekly.

"No, honey, you weren't horribly wrong. It was human. You have a leg to
stand on in this case. He did need to know that he was making you feel as if
you were his dirty secret. He needed to see that running away is not the
thing to do."

"So I gave him ‘tough love'?"

"Yes."

She sighed heavily. "I feel guilty."

"I know."

"I pushed him to tell and then I didn't want him to."

"It's okay to have a change of heart Buffy."

"I just saw him start to have confidence in himself, in us, and I thought
maybe if he had just a little bit more time, he'd be able to handle it that
much better. I was wrong in wanting to push him right away." She draped
an arm across her eyes.

"You weren't wrong. You were anxious. Stop beating yourself up," Doyle
reprimanded her.

"If I'm beating myself up and I know it's not wrong for us to be together,
what is Spike doing to himself right now?" Buffy questioned worriedly.



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Spike sat huddled on the floor of Xander's guest bedroom, rocking back and forth. His tears were still wet on his face, but no more leaked from his eyes. All he kept thinking was ‘Buffy left me'.

Xander came in and sat down on the bed. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

"Do you still want to take off?"

Spike looked up at him, anger filling him quickly. "Do you want me to leave
you in peace? Am I crimping your style here? Afraid I might find out you're
gay?"

Xander turned red in the face and stood, towering over Spike. "What the
fuck, man? That wasn't cool. You know, my life was pretty normal until you
brought your incestual ass in it. So why don't you—"

Spike jumped up from where he sat, hauled off and decked Xander,
knocking him to the floor.

"It's NOT incest!" Spike roared at him.

Xander looked up at him, eyes narrowing. "Get the fuck out."

"Happy to."

"You better be at work tomorrow," Xander snapped.

Without a word, Spike walked out the door. Now where?



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Spike couldn't sleep. All he could do was stare off into space. He itched and ached to call Buffy. The hotel room was comfortable enough, but musty and he didn't really want to wager a guess as to if it had actually been given a thorough cleaning. He closed his eyes and pictured Buffy's face. The way she looked when Joyce started wringing her hands and Giles started throwing accusations.

The way she'd stood in front of him and yelled at Giles to leave him alone.

His eyes welled up in tears. No, he wasn't going to think of that. That wasn't
going to keep him warm right then.

Instead, he thought about how she felt in his arms. How she tasted and
moaned. How she called his name and the sound of her laugh. Happy
thoughts of her had sustained him through one dark time in his life. Now,
he had more to sustain him through.

Spike rolled onto his back and closed his eyes.

He had to get her back.



 

Chapter Twenty nine

"Oh Spike, I'm so sorry that happened," Tara said sympathetically and reached out to hold his hand. She squeezed it. "That was unfair treatment and I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"How do I fix it?" Spike asked, pleading in his tone.

"I think giving it time to settle with your parents—"

"Not with them. With Buffy."

Tara sighed. "I think the same goes for her. A lot of hurt feelings and anger
has been passed around. From what you've told me of Buffy, I don't believe
you've lost her Spike. Your first priority is righting things inside yourself.
Once that is done, everything else will fall into place. Did you believe it was
the right time to tell them when you did?"

"Buffy asked me the same thing just before," he murmured. He shook his
head to clear it, "I thought it was what she wanted."

"Did you want to do it for her?"

"I . . . I think part of me did, yes."

"Sometimes after a session, there's a high when there's a breakthrough.
You had a breakthrough, Spike. However, a breakthrough does not mean
all is cured and that you can slay every demon and dragon that comes
along. You have to build your strength up still. Having a breakthrough is
like a toddler taking its first step. It's a start, but it still takes practice and
more steps before you're actually walking."

"Why didn't you tell me that before?" Spike exclaimed, jumping up from his
spot. "I've lost everything now. My family, my Buffy—"

Tara shook her head, "You haven't lost anything Spike. You're hurt and
you're scared, but you haven't lost anything. Things can be put back
together."

"How?" he asked mournfully. "My parents hate me right now. They think
I'm… they think I'm disgusting."

"They were stunned."

"So I fucked up—"

"You did NOT fuck up. Mistakes happen. It's the way you deal with it after
that makes up for it. Your first step is to stop blaming yourself for everything that happens. You are not in control of their reaction to you and Buffy. THEY are in control of it. They responded poorly, Spike, and that is not a reflection on you. They owe you an apology for it.
What happened with you and Xander was a breakthrough Spike and I don't think you're even aware of it."

He blinked at her, "What? Slugging him was a breakthrough?"

Tara chuckled, "Yes, it was. Of sorts. He attacked you. He attacked your relationship with Buffy, the same way your parents did. However, instead of letting him attack you and make you feel that it was wrong and that you were dirty, you slugged him. You told him quite firmly that it was NOT incest."

"Are you saying I should go home and slug my father?"

Tara shook her head and smiled, "No. But you should talk to them with that same mindset that you had with Xander. You do know that it is not wrong, but you let them dictate to you how you should feel about it. They think it's wrong, therefore, they superimpose it on you that it is and you let them, thereby turning your love for Buffy into something dirty and wrong, ergo, you feel guilty.
You know in your heart that what you have with Buffy is special. Yet you let others dictate to you that it is wrong. Drusilla preyed on your insecurity and led you to believe that you were responsible for her sickness. You were not."

"I was the catalyst. She loved me and I—"

"Anything could have been the catalyst. She would have found something, Spike. She was sick. I am not condoning what happened for to be in love with one woman and marry another can tear up the soul and is unfair for both parties involved. I am saying that I UNDERSTAND why you did it."

"Did I handle that mistake correctly?" Spike asked softly.

"Yes. You got her the help she needed. And now you are. I believe that love is a strength. It takes great courage to love so thoroughly. You have to stop making love your weakness, and instead make it your strength.
I'm not just talking about Buffy here, Spike. I'm talking about you. Once you learn to start loving yourself and getting rid of those destructive thought patters you've gotten into, you'll be able to stop blaming yourself for how the world around you reacts to your choices. Right now you let others dictate to you what is right and what is wrong even though you are fully aware of what is right and what is wrong.
Instead of thinking your father is right about your love for Buffy being wrong, and how Drusilla had every right to play head games with you, you'll see that instead you should be taking the stand similar to the one you took with Xander. You should be angry. I'm not talking about being angry at every person that disagrees with you or letting anger infest itself inside you, letting it take you over so that all you feel is that anger for your father or Drusilla, or whomever else comes around. I'm talking about a healthy dose of anger. The kind of anger that lets you know you've been wronged. Once you understand it and know how to work with it constructively, you'll be able to stop turning it into yourself and instead stand up for yourself."

Spike sat down across from Tara, leaning close. "I did feel so much anger at Xander . . . and I knew he was just angry with me and lashing out, but it made me so angry to hear him say that about me and Buffy. And I knew what he was saying wasn't true. It's not incest. Incest is wrong and it is dirty, but what I feel for Buffy is not like that at all."

Tara nodded, "That was a good first step. I don't condone violence and from I hear about Xander, perhaps he's got some of his own anger turned inwards that he's dealing with which is why he lashed out so poorly to you.
You will have to talk to your parents sooner or later. The key is in how you approach them —with Buffy at your side."

"How do I do it? I don't even know where to start."

"Yes, you do."

Spike fell into thoughtful silence for a long time and when he spoke it was with conviction he hadn't come in with. "Yes, you're right. I do. Would you help me with it?"

"Of course."

***************************************************************
Buffy was pacing outside Tara's building, waiting for Spike to emerge. She'd gone to his work site and Xander had told he'd left early for a doctor's appointment. When she'd noticed the black eye he was sporting, she'd asked him what had happened. Xander shook his head and simply said, "We were both out of line." That concerned her, but Xander was not about to delve into it. She had to assume that he was the one that had suffered the brunt of them both being ‘out of line'.

She'd taken the day off from classes and instead had gone home to collect some of hers and Spike's things, making sure her parents were gone first. She wasn't sure how long he was planning on staying away, but she did know he needed some things. She had wondered if it was presumptuous of her to pack his things as she did, but she also felt guilt for the way she'd attacked him the night before. She wanted him to know that if he needed time away, she understood as she was taking some time too. Doyle had been completely fine about her staying a few days with him and while part of her felt that she was running away, she also knew that when she faced her parents next, she wanted Spike by her side to do it. They had to be a team.

"Buffy?"

She spun to see Spike standing there, staring at her a bit disoriented. Her eyes prickled with tears, and she wanted to run to him; however she was unsure if he wanted her to.

"H—hi," she said finally.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I went to your work site. Xander told me you had a doctor's appointment.
I wagered a guess until I saw your car in the parking lot."

He moved closer to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I um, I came down here for a couple reasons. One was to bring you some
of your stuff," she gestured towards a nearby bench in which she had a
green duffel back packed full of his things. Next to it was a baby blue duffel
bag, which was hers.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I figured you didn't want to come home for a little while to, you
know, get your head on straight and stuff," she explained, fidgeting.

"And you're condoning that?" he asked, slightly bitter.

That surprised her, but she nodded, "Yes. That was the other reason why
I came down here."

"To tell me that you give me your blessing for wanting to lay low?" More
bitterness.

That got her back up and she narrowed her eyes. "Listen, there's a big
difference between running away and laying low for a while. You were
ready to run last night, so fuck you. All I came down here to do was give
you some of your stuff and let you know that I was sorry for yelling at you
the way I did last night. I still don't think running away is the key, but I
understand why you wanted to do that. That's all I wanted to do, and now
I'll be out of your hair," and she started for her own bag.

Spike grabbed her arm and brought her back to him. "Buffy, wait."

"What?" she said, pursing her lips together.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you like that. You were right last night. Running
away wasn't the best way to deal with things. Your reaction was to fight,
mine was to flee."

She blinked, thinking of what Doyle had said.

"I don't want to run away any longer. That feeling passed. It was just . . .
When Mom and Dad started yelling, I shut down inside. I shouldn't have
left you to deal with them the way I did—"

"No, but I get it, okay? I don't have to like it, but I get it"

"I know you do, Buffy," he whispered and kissed her forehead.

"And I shouldn't have pushed you before to tell them. You were right in
waiting and then when you were ready, I wanted you to wait. That wasn't
fair of me either. I just . . . I just saw a change in you while you were going
to therapy and I realized that you were right in wanting to wait and last
night I thought if we waited just a bit longer, you'd be completely strong.
I was angry with you last night because you wanted to run and then I left
you instead of staying and fighting—"

"Buffy, stop. Look, last night was . . . it was a mess. We were all flying high
on a bunch of emotion. None of us were thinking clearly and everything
came out wrong."

She smiled weakly, "Listen to you."

"What?"

"You sound so wise."

"Do I?"

She nodded and her eyes welled up. "I'm sorry."

Spike brought her closer and wrapped his arms around her, burying his nose in her hair. "Ssshhh….it's okay. It's over. We just gotta work from here."

She held him tightly. "I told you I was new at this," she cried against him.

"I know, baby. So am I. You were right, we have to stick together you and I. Can we do that from now on, Buffy? Give me another chance?"

She nodded and looked up at him. "I'll try not to be such a bitch."

He chuckled, "Yeah right. That's like asking the sun not to shine."

She swatted him lightly, "Jerk," but she laughed a little.

"Is that your bag over there next to mine?"

She nodded, "I was planning on going to Doyle's. You were right about needing some time and I just don't feel right going to face Mom and Giles without you."

"How bout you come with me instead of going to Doyle's?"

"To Xander's?"

"I left Xander's last night. I'm staying at a hotel."

She squinted at him, "You leave Xander because you hit him?"

He looked at her sheepishly, "He tell you?"

"He just said that you guys got out of line."

"Yeah, I suppose we did."

"What happened?"

When Spike told her what happened, Buffy's jaw dropped. "See! Now you
just need to do that to Mom and Giles!" she exclaimed.

Spike laughed, "You want me to slug them?"

She broke out in giggles, "Well, no, but you know what I mean."

"Yes, baby, I know. So what do you say? Will you come with me?"

She nodded solemnly. "Yes. Spike?"

"Yes, kitten?"

"I love you."

He leaned in and kissed her fervently, "I know, kitten, and I love you too.
Let's go."

 

Chapter Thirty

"So you left a note for them then?" Spike asked, pressing a kiss to Buffy's shoulder. They lay in the dark in Spike's hotel room, Buffy's back against his front and his strong arm pulling her possessively against him.

She nodded, "And Doyle knows we're, plus they have my cell if they need me. Or, you know, us."

"They really did take it badly huh?" Spike mused lightly.

She giggled at his understatement. "Just a little."

"What happened after I left?"

"I yelled at them. I told them that if anything happened to you, it'd be
their fault."

"My girl defending me," Spike murmured against her skin.

She placed her arm on top of his, "Of course. I'm just so . . . ANGRY.
Aren't you?"

"Yes and no. I know the reasons why I should be mad, but . . . I was mad
at myself for the same reasons. I expected that reaction, it's just that when
I imagined it, it wasn't really happening. When they were right in front of
me . . . I went cold."

Buffy moved out of his arms with a sound of protest from Spike, and sat up
against the headboard. Spike sat up across from her. "What?"

"I'm not going to tell you how you should feel. I think too many people
have been doing that and have done that to you."

"You had to move out of my arms to tell me that?" he grinned at her.

"Yes. Because this is serious. Drusilla made you into her puppet and she
was your puppet master because she preyed on your love for me and your
guilt over it. Mom and Giles . . . I guess they still see you as the bad ass you were before. Especially Giles and . . . it pisses me off FOR you that he was
so harsh and mean to you. They didn't give us a chance to explain, they just
attacked. Then I attacked you—"

"Buffy—"

"Let me finish please?"

He nodded.

"I attacked you and put demands on you and told you that how you were
feeling was wrong and . . . it was normal. Human. I wasn't understanding to
what you were going through because I was so upset I couldn't see
anything beyond my own anger and hurt."

"We've been over this. It was human for both of us to have reacted that
way."

"I know, but. . . Spike, we're going to argue, we're going to disagree, I'm not
going to ever like when you disagree with me and you probably won't like it
when I disagree with you, but I don't ever want to control you. I don't want
to be a…saner version of Drusilla. I don't want you to by my puppet, and I
don't want to be your puppet master."

He smiled, and rolled to his knees, leaning in to kiss her. "I know that
already kitten. Thank you."

"I idolized you when were kids because you knew yourself. You did what
you wanted to do and you followed the beat of your own drummer. I
admired that. I wanted to be like that."

"You are," he whispered against her lips, cupping the side of her face with
his hand.

"You've lost some of that since then and . . . I just want to help you get it
back. I want some of that bad ass back to fight Mom and Giles. I think he
came out a little last night with Xander."

Spike chuckled, "I didn't think of it that way, but I guess he did."

"I'm glad you're seeing someone and gaining confidence in yourself again."

"Buffy," Spike breathed, sitting back on his rump and dragging her into his
arms so that she sat across his lap. "I love you so much. I'm so lucky to
have you in my life. How did I get so lucky?"

She smiled and kissed him sweetly. "You must have done something REALLY good in a past life."

****************************************************************************************************

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Xander asked the following day, coming
up to Spike as he was nailing some boards together.

Spike stopped and stared at him. "Sure."

"Let's go in the trailer," Xander said and Spike followed him, wondering if
he was about to get fired. Xander's eye had bubbled up to a nice purple, and
the edges were starting to slightly fade to yellow. He made it clear to
everyone on the site he didn't want to be asked about it and so far no one
had.

Spike closed the door behind him and braced himself. He watched as
Xander took a couple water bottles out of the fridge and tossed one to him.

Spike caught it and opened it, guzzling the cool liquid thinking about how
he was going to be able to pay for the hotel if he got canned. Buffy had given
him money toward it, but he didn't want to have to rely on his girl to –

"Spike, I was out of line the other night and I'm sorry," Xander said
finally.

Spike stared at him, stunned.

"I know that Buffy isn't really your sister and that while it's a little odd, it's
not incest. I'd like to think I can admit when I'm wrong and I was wrong."

"I was out of line too," Spike finally said. "I shouldn't have made those
comments about you being gay. Especially if you're not, I understand –"

"I am," Xander whispered.

"Come again?" Spike said, thinking Doyle was GOOD.

"I am gay. I just . . . Look, can we not make it a big deal? I'm not quite
comfortable with it yet." Xander looked as if he wanted the earth to open
and swallow him whole.

Spike nodded, "I get it. I understand. Have you ever---?"

"Dated a guy? No."

"Is there anyone you're interested in at all?" Spike asked, thinking of
Doyle. One good turn deserved another.

Xander turned bright red. "Well, yeah."

"Doyle?"

Xander turned even redder and he stared at the floor.

"I got it, mate. You don't have to say anything. But can I tell you that if you
were into, you know, getting set up, I can tell you that you're golden."

Xander's head shot up. "Really?"

"Oh yeah."

Xander smiled and then shook his head. He cleared his throat. "All right,
before we open a carton of ice cream and start sharing our feelings, let's get
back to work."

Spike laughed. "Sure thing, boss."

"Before we do . . . How are things with Buffy? Did you guys make up?"

"We did, thanks for asking."

"And the parents?"

Spike sighed, "Not made up."

"They'll come around," Xander said with such conviction that Spike almost
believed him.

"I hope you're right."


************************************************************
Buffy crawled through her bedroom window intent on just grabbing the book she'd left behind for class and then taking off to wait for Spike at their hotel room. Her heart was racing at the prospect of running into her parents.

She had her finger around her book when her mother's voice startled her
into a yelp.

"I really should have gotten that window nailed shut when you were in
high school."

"Mom! You scared the crap out of me!" Buffy exclaimed, whirling around
to face her mother who stood in the doorway, looking actually very calm.

"Well, serves you right for sneaking in the house."

Buffy shrugged. "Just came to get my book and I'll be gone," and she
picked up the book.

"Buffy, wait."

Buffy paused, setting the book back down. "What?"

Joyce came closer, looking worried. "Is William all right?"

"You mean after you denounced him in the kitchen?"

Joyce closed her eyes, "Buffy—"

"After Giles made him feel like a fucking pedophile?"

"Buffy, your language!"

"I don't care! You made him feel like shit, Mom. He was so upset . . . God,
do you know how afraid he was to tell you guys in the first place? You have
no idea what he's been through. You made his worst fear come to light."

"Where is he now?" Joyce asked, her voice trembling.

Buffy hesitated. To tell or not to tell? What the hell, if she didn't tell them,
they'd never wrap their minds around it and get used to it. "We're staying
at a hotel."

"Together?"

"Yes. Get used to it, Mom. I love him and I'm staying with him."

Joyce nodded and moved to her bed, sitting down on it. "Buffy, I'm not
upset. Not anymore. I'm . . . stunned. But I'm not upset with William. Or
you. I love you both—"

"You had a funny way of showing it. You treated him like a red headed
step child."

Joyce sighed. "It was a shock. Still is. I mean, I admit, I thought about it
once or twice."

Buffy's jaw dropped. "No way."

Joyce smiled wanly, "Yeah, just a thought that passed through my mind a
few times. You guys spent so much time together before William moved
away. He always seemed to prefer spending time with you than any of his
girlfriends. And you were always so uninterested in boys, but doted on
William. . . I guess I thought that together you two would make a perfect
couple. You always had so much fun together, laughing all the time,
bantering back and forth . . . I told myself it was wrong to think that and to
ever encourage it would be akin advocating incest." Joyce sighed heavily
and shook her head. "I reacted poorly. All I saw was ‘brother' and ‘sister'. I
forgot about how right it used to seem to me and focused only on that. It's
hard, you know. I've always thought of William as the son I never had. The
lines got blurred enough that it was easy to forget that we're not all blood
and that we haven't been together forever."

Buffy relaxed and perched her bottom on the edge of her desk. "And
Giles?"

Joyce sighed, "He's bull headed and stubborn. It's a Giles trait."

"Not just a Giles trait," Buffy grinned.

Joyce smiled, really smiled, for the first time. "Yes, us Summers women
can be quite thick headed too, can't we?"

"Definitely. It's one of the things Spike loves most about me. The weirdo."

Joyce chuckled. "I remember him being the same way."

Buffy's smile faded a bit. "Yeah, but Mom. . . a lot has happened that you
don't know about. It's not my place to tell you either, it's Spike's. I can just
tell you that what happened here the other night was bad for him. He was
ready to take off again and . . . Mom, I really love him," Buffy said, welling
up in tears at the thought of any distance between her and Spike happening
again.

Joyce gazed at her in earnest. "I can see that you really do, Buffy. I'm so
glad."

"Are you? Really?"

Joyce stood and held out her arms. Buffy stepped into them immediately.
"William is a good man. I know what Drusilla did to him was horrible and it
sounds to me there's missing pieces that I don't know about. Am I right?"

Buffy nodded, wiping her tears on her mother's sweater.

"I've always known that William had a huge heart and that when he loved,
it would be with his whole self. I also knew that when he loved it would be
with one woman for eternity," Joyce pulled back just enough to brush
Buffy's tears away. "And he's found that woman in you, hasn't he?"

"He better have or I'll kick his ass."

"I'm not going to lie to you Buffy and tell you that parts of me still find it . .
. I don't want to say wrong, but maybe ‘weird' is a better word for it.
However, I know that in reality you are not blood related, you're close in
age and you've always had a special relationship. There's always been a
spark there. But I'm not going to condemn you or William for loving each
other. I'd rather it be William that you love than some . . . punk off the
street. He's one of a kind, Buffy. I always knew it would take someone truly
one of a kind to turn your head."

"Thank you Mommy," Buffy whispered. "And what about Giles?"

"Don't you worry about Giles. I'll take care of Giles. That stubborn
Summers trait, remember?" she smiled and pushed some hair away from
Buffy's face.

Buffy nodded, "Just . . . Mom, if Giles is going to talk to Spike, please don't
let him attack him. I don't want to see Spike hurt anymore than he has
been."

"Could I see him? I just want to let him know it's okay and that I don't hate
him."

"I think that's a great idea, Mom, but can I talk to him first? I don't want
to make the decision for him."

Joyce nodded and smiled. "You've grown up so much."

"I have?"

Joyce nodded.

"I'm petrified, Mom," Buffy admitted. "I've never been in love before and
God, it's scary as hell."

"It is, isn't it?"

Buffy nodded, "I've never given my heart to someone before. . . never put
my faith in someone else to not break it."

"He won't, Buffy. Not on purpose. I know it."

"I know. Sometimes I worry about me. I admit it, I can be an uber bitch."

Joyce laughed, then sobered. "I can see it Buffy. I can see it in you. I saw it
when you were defending him the other night. You won't hurt him. You'll
protect him and love with your whole being too."

"I really wanted to be able to talk to you about all this Mom," Buffy
admitted.

"Do have class right now? Need to meet William soon?"

Buffy shook her head. "I'm done with classes and he's not out of work for
another hour or so."

"Giles is working late tonight. How about you and I go out and get some
dinner? Then we can get a take out and you can bring it to William. Sound
good?"

Buffy nodded, "Perfect."

"Now you can tell me all about William. It's not everyday you fall in love. I
want to hear all about it," Joyce said and wrapped an arm around Buffy's
waist, walking her down the stairs.
 

Chapter Thirty One

“Honey, I’m home!” Buffy announced as she swung open the door to the hotel room and placed the take out carton on the table in the room.

Spike came waltzing out of the bathroom, steam following
him. Buffy gaped at him. The man wore nothing but a towel
wrapped lightly around his waist. She gulped at the sight of
him. All his perfectly sculpted glory right there before here.
And damp to boot.

“Now I know how women feel when men only
stare at their breasts,” Spike drawled.

Her eyes snapped up to his face and she felt a
blush rise immediately.

He smirked at her. “Like what you see pet?”

She smiled broadly and couldn’t help herself
from waltzing up to him sliding her hands from his belly up to
his chest and then finishing with wrapping her arms around
him. He shuddered as his arms clasped around her and he
kissed her hungrily.

“Can you be like this everytime I come home?”
she asked, when they broke for air, grinning up at him.

He grinned and kissed her again.

“I brought you food,” she said between kisses.

“I can think of something to eat that doesn’t
involve letting you out of my arms,” Spike murmured, licking
her neck.

She sighed happily. “I could feed you.”

His head shot up. “Get in that bed now.”

She giggled, “Not yet. I want to talk to you first.
And feed you real food.”

He grumbled at her and went to put on his
sweatpants before joining her at the table. He sat down and
his mouth watered when the scent of the food assailed his
nose. His stomach rumbled in response and Buffy smirked
knowingly at him before plopping herself next to him. She
opened the carton to reveal mashed potatoes covered in
gravy, sweet potatoes with brown sugar and a chicken
breast with a corn muffin.

“Damn, but that looks good,” Spike said.

“Doesn’t it? It was good. I had the same thing.”
Buffy stuck the plastic fork in the sweet potatoes and held it
up to his mouth. Spike dutifully opened and he nodded
encouragingly.

She smiled at how cute he looked, like a little
boy. Albeit a sexy boy.

“Did you go out with Doyle?” Spike asked
around a mouthful of food.

“Nope,” she took a deep breath and gathered
some chicken on the fork and then dipped it into the mashed
potatoes and gravy. She fed him a forkful and then said, “I
had dinner with Mom.”

Spike’s eyes widened and he stopped
chewing. “With mom?”

She tilted her head to the side. “Some might think
talking with your mouth full is gross, but not me. It’s almost like
art.”

He gave her a look and swallowed, “You had
dinner with Mom? Our mother?”

“No, my adoptive mother.”

“Smart ass.”

“I prefer ‘intelligent rear end’,” she said haughtily
and forked more food in his mouth.

He chewed thoughtfully and swallowed before
speaking. “So . . .she’s okay?”

“After I put the smack down, of course she
was.”

“Buffy!”

She shrugged non-chalantly and Spike shook
his head, grabbing the fork from her. “What happened? What
did she say? Did you go to see her?”

“I went home to get a book I’d forgotten after
class and snuck in my window—“

“Of course you did,” he said dryly.

“Shut up. I seem to recall that trick coming in
very handy a few times over the past few weeks.”

He grinned, “Yeah, it really has.” Then he
sobered, “Continue.”

Buffy told him about the conversation, leaving
out the bits about how frightened she was about being in
love for the first time. It would do no good; it happened every
day she imagined. All she could do was what Joyce had
suggested. Love him and hold on tight. As if she had any
choice in the matter. Her heart would be in tatters if she ever
left him.

“She really wants to see me?” Spike asked,
sounding like a lost child.

Buffy nodded, “She really does. Do you want to
see her?”

Spike nodded profusely, his eyes welling up. “I
do.”

“Maybe after dinner we could call her?”

He nodded, “I’ll do it.”

Getting up from where she was sitting, she
climbed onto Spike’s lap and wrapped her arms around
him. “Did I tell you that I love you today?” she asked.

He shook his head, grinning, “Not since this
morning.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Buffy. Oh, and have I got some
things to tell you about Xander!”



***********************************************************************



Later that evening after dinner, Spike had called
Joyce and after a brief conversation in which they made
plans to get an ice cream downtown, and Buffy made plans
to hang out with Doyle.

“So,” Doyle started proudly as they walked the
streets of Sunnydale, “Seems I was right on all accounts.”

Buffy rolled her eyes.

“The parental units are coming around AND Mr.
Harris wants me.”

“In all fairness, you didn’t guess that Xander
wanted you, you just said he was gay.”

“Whatever, semantics,” he said, waving his
hand.

“So I’m thinking you could stop by with me
tomorrow—“

“Uh, NO Buffy,” Doyle said snottily. “He’ll KNOW,
and that would be BAD.”

“Oh for Christ’s sake!”

“I’ll lay low, give it a few days, and then plant
the seed.”

“No pun intended?”

Doyle grinned, “ALL puns intended.”

“Doyle—“

“Uh oh.”

“What?”

“Whenever you say my name in that high
pitched questioning tone, I can tell you’re about to ask me
something serious. Or dirty with two r’s.” He grinned at her
and she hit him playfully.

“I’m serious.”

“Then so am I,” and his grin dropped. He looked
as he were going to a funeral.

“Doyle!” she exclaimed and he grinned again.

“What is it? Tell me. Enquiring minds want to
know.”

“Do you think it’s too soon for me to jump
Spike?” she blurted out.

“You haven’t--?”

“Don’t you think I would have told you?”

“I thought you were giving modesty a shot.”

“Please,” and she waved him off.

“Should have known better, my bad. I’m thinking
that since you’re wanting to jump him, it’s not too soon.
Before you didn’t want to go near it.”

Buffy nodded, “For him though is it too soon?”

“Buffy, I’m not the one you should be asking.”

“You’re right, I guess I’m just nervous. It’s just
that I want him and it’s not because I’m sharing a bed with him
every night—“

“Wait. I need a minute just to get that image of
lying next to Spike every night.”

She hit him again. “He’s MY boyfriend.”

He shook his head, putting her on, “Okay, sorry,
continue.”

“I want him because I love him. I want to be with
him. Carnally.”

Doyle laughed. “And I think you should say it to
him just like that. It’s hot.”

“Shut up!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Listen, if you’re ready to
have sex with Spike, then I think you should just tell him
you’re ready and see what he says. I can’t tell you what he
thinks or what he wants. If he doesn’t feel ready, then he’ll
tell you. He’s getting better at expressing himself isn’t he?”

“Much. It’s a day by day thing.”

“Then talk it out. He loves you Buffy and you
love him. You guys have been through a lot already and I
can’t imagine not being able to tell him you want to have sex
with him. I mean, yeah, it’s a little scary, but this is the man
you want forever right?”

“Definitely.”

“Then tell him you want to have sex. Just do me
one favor.”

“What?”

“Give me ALL the details. About him. Not you.”

“Perv.”

 

Chapter Thirty-two

Spike hadn't arrived ‘home' by the time Buffy arrived so she drew herself a bath and mulled over her conversation with Doyle.

"Spike, I want you," she said to the tub, "No," she said shaking her head,
"WILLIAM, I want you." She shook her head again. "How about we take
‘want' out if it? Ooh ooh, I know. Maybe, Spike—no, WILLIAM, I want to
make love to you." She leaned back in the tub, smiling to herself proudly.
Then she sighed, "Yeah, Buffy, of course it's easy to tell a friggen bath tub."

An hour later, Spike still wasn't back and Buffy was finding it hard to keep
her eyes open. Her eyes had just closed when the door opened and in came
Spike. He looked down at her. "Sleeping, kitten?"

She shook her head, "No," she said, but a yawn escaped and betrayed her.
"Okay, I had just shut my eyes."

"I'm sorry, baby," he cooed and stripped off his jacket. He kicked off his
shoes and came in to lie next to her. "You can go back to sleep if you want."

"No, I want to know how it went with Mom," she said and put her head on
his chest, wrapping an arm around his middle.

"It went great," he let out a deep breath. "It feels like a huge weight has
been lifted. I told her everything. I told her about when I started to have
feelings and why I left. I told her about Dru and about coming home."

Buffy tightened her hold on him. "And she took it well?"

"She cried. A lot. You know how she is."

"Well, Spike, these were serious things you told her. I mean, a large part of
your life was kept from her and it was hell. She loves you and she wasn't
able to help you through it all, so of course she was upset."

"I know, I just get . . . I guess I just feel weird about it. I don't want anyone
to feel pity for me or to cry for me. It makes me uncomfortable."

"We cry because we hate to see someone we love in pain. We don't like to
see them have been hurt. When you hurt, I hurt. It's the same for Mom,
but I'm guessing different. Am I making sense?"

"Perfect," he whispered and kissed the top of her head. "She's going to talk
to Dad. I told her that if when he's ready to talk, he can come to me."

"You said that?"

"Why? Should I not have?"

"No, I think that's perfect!" Buffy said and sat up. He sat up next to her.
"He SHOULD come to you. You shouldn't have to go to him like some
errant child. He was the errant child, not you."

Spike nodded, "I . . . I got angry, Buffy. I was sitting there telling Mom
about all this stuff with Dru and how hard it was when I got home and it
finally sunk in. I'm not wrong. I'm not sick for loving you . . . God, it's been
the best thing that's happened to me when I allowed myself to let go and
love you. All the stuff that happened with Dru – it was hard and fucked up
and I couldn't tell anyone about it. I FELT like I couldn't.

I come home and things with us happen so fast and it's great and I'm
getting help and . . . I try to tell them and it blows up in my face. I got
attacked. He didn't even listen before he started blaming me. It was like I
was a teenager all over again." He shook his head. "And I got angry and
thought – he has no clue what the truth is because he didn't ASK. He's still
mad and he's STILL not asking."

"Did you say any of that to Mom?"

"I did and you know what? It felt GOOD."

"She cry again?"

He nodded. "She did. Apologized again, too."

"So, will Tara be putting away Dru issues and focusing on Daddy issues
now?"

Spike chuckled and drew her against him. "I always laugh when I'm with
you, Buffy. I never laughed with Dru."

Buffy wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. "I like it when you
laugh. It's a good look on you."

"Thanks."

Worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, Buffy's heart pounded in her chest.
"Spike—"

"You tired, luv? Want to go back to sleep? I can change and—"

"Spike, I want to make love to you," she blurted out and squeezed her eyes
shut, balling his shirt under her fingers into her fists and burying her head
in his chest. She felt him freeze and tensed, waiting for the fall out.

Then he relaxed against her, but she was too far gone to notice until he
spoke. "Buffy? What are you doing?"

"Bracing myself."

"For?"

She opened her eyes and loosened her grip. "You know, I'm not really sure.
Rejection?"

She was on her back so fast with Spike on top of her that if she'd blinked
she'd have missed it. "Like I'd reject you," he said huskily, gazing at her
hotly. "Have you been paying attention at all these past few weeks?" And
he kissed her hard, passionately.

"You—you want to?" she asked, breaking away.

"What do you think?" he asked and ground his erection against her center.

She trembled, feeling heat spread through every part of her. "Spike, what
about w-waiting and—and I don't want to push you if you're not ready—"

He kissed her softly. "I'm ready Buffy," he whispered. "So much has been
about others these past few weeks and working through stuff. Let's make
tonight about us for a change. Remember when we spent that weekend
together alone?"

She nodded.

"I want that back, but even better. It's no longer a secret, there's nothing
between us anymore. Except for too many clothes maybe," he said and
grinned.

She reached up and kissed him hard.

"Tell me again. Tell me you want me, Buffy."

"I want you, Spike," she whispered, sliding her hands down his back and
tugging on his shirt, wanting to feel his skin.

He moaned, kissing her deeply, splaying his hands on her belly under her
tank. When he pulled away, he found her breathless and flushed with
desire. It was intoxicating. I did that, he thought, and it's not wrong. I love
Buffy and it's not wrong. It's perfect.

"Buffy, look at me, luv," he said huskily, inching his hand up to cup her
breasts.

"Mmm?" She murmured, opening her eyes.

"I love you," he said clearly.

"I love you too."

"It's going to hurt your first time."

"I know, I don't care. I just want you."

He smiled and kissed her sweetly. "That works out well then because I
want you too."

He slid her tank over her head with her help and peppered kisses from her
lips to her ears, down her neck, across her collarbone and nibbled his way
down to her breasts when he suckled one in his mouth, laving the nipple
until it hardened and then paid attention to the other in the same manner.
Buffy lay underneath him, moaning and gyrating her hips against him. He
licked his way down her body and when he got to her pajama bottoms, he
eased them off, taking her panties with them. He kneeled between her legs,
gazing down at her beautiful body on display before.

"God, you're beautiful," he gasped.

"You are. Come here," she said and reached for him.

"Not just yet, baby," and he slid his hands up her thighs and then laid down
on his stomach, facing her juicy quim. Or at least, he thought it was juicy—he glided his tongue along it and gathered up her juice—yep, definitely juicy. His eyes shut in ecstasy and he ground his erection into the mattress, seeing friction, seeking release . . . seeking to be inside her depths.

Soon.

He laved and rolled her clit with his tongue as he carefully stroked her on
the inside, dipping his finger in gently and simulating what his cock would
be doing soon. She came with a hoarse cry of his name, tightening around
his finger as he greedily licked up her spendings, his eyes rolling in the back
of his head at her taste. She careened into another orgasm, and sobbed his
name, reaching for him with "Please" coming from her lips in a flow.

He kissed her hard, licking his tongue across her palette and tangling his
tongue with her own.

She put her hands on the waistband of his jeans and looked up at him and
whimpered, "Please Spike."

"I know what my girl needs," he assured her. "I love you Buffy."

"I love you too," and she surprised him by toppling him and nearly tearing
off his pants. She knelt between his legs and he blinked at her.

"My little tiger cat," he purred at her.

She grinned at him and started stroking him, up, down, up down, lick and suck with her tongue.

"Oh Jesus," Spike gasped, his head lolling back onto the bed. "Buffy, I don't
want to cum in your mouth, baby. In you."

She nodded and he pulled her up to him, rolling her beneath him. He froze
in terror.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Condoms. I don't have any."

"I'm on the pill."

His eyes narrowed. "Why the bloody hell are you on the pill?"

She giggled, "To regulate my periods."

He grinned sheepishly, "Oh, sorry."

"I like it when you get growly. It's sexy," she purred and kissed him.

Sliding his hands between them, he opened her thighs for him, placing
himself between her legs. Kissing her, he glided his cock up and down her

slit, letting her feel him and coating his cock with her juice.

"Ooohh… " she breathed and jerked her hips up to him, "Spike. . . "

"Baby, are you ready? It's going to hurt."

She nodded, "We've been over this. I'm ready. I want you, I want to be
part of you."

"Oh baby, you already are," and he kissed her, gliding his cock inside her
slowly. She gasped against his mouth and tore her mouth from his. Her
eyes were glazed over with lust.

When he hit her barrier, he stilled, gasping as her walls tightened around
him. "So tight, Buffy," he murmured. "Feel so hot. . . so good. God, I can't
believe I'm inside you."

"Spike," she pleaded and he knew what she needed even if she wasn't quite
sure what it meant.

"Hold onto me, Buffy," he ordered her gently and she wrapped her arms
around him. He surged up into her, breaking her barrier and she gasped
again, louder, tears filling her eyes.

"Buffy," he whispered against her lips, "I'm sorry, baby, I'm sorry."

"I-I'm okay," and she shifted a bit, eliciting a groan from him. She met his
eyes. "Did that feel good?"

He nodded, unable to form words and she moved again and again.
Surprised eyes flew to his. "It's feeling better."

"Sure?"

She nodded and he started a slow thrusting rhythm, feeling that he wanted
to stay buried inside her forever. She was hot, tight and wet, but it wasn't
just that.

She was Buffy. She was his and he loved her and she loved him.

And it wasn't wrong.

She kissed him languidly, holding onto his biceps as he rocked inside her.
She gazed up at him. "I . . . want . . . more," she murmured. "Spike, please,"
she pleaded with him.

He thrust harder and stilled, waiting for her reaction. She nodded and he
thrust harder again and again, until he could see she was climbing to
orgasm. He was too, his balls were tightening, his breath was coming faster
and while he wanted it, he didn't want it to end. He just wanted her.

"Spike!" she called his name in ecstasy and her walls rippled around his
length as she came and he came a second later, emptying himself inside her
as he roared her name into her neck.

They held onto each other, neither willing to let go. They lay there,
touching, kissing, caressing, murmuring to each other until their lust surged
forth again and they made love languidly, rolling and giggling, kissing and talking.

"Spike?" Buffy whispered as she started to drift off when they were both spent.

"Mmm?"

"I'm glad I waited for you."

He tightened his grip on her. "I love you forever."
 

Chapter Thirty-three

"Spike?" Buffy said as she came out of the bathroom, naked, a few days later.

Spike looked up from the newspaper he had his nose buried in and
immediately his eyes darkened with lust. "Yeah?"

"I want to look for an apartment," she told him, taking the towel off her
head and letting her golden locks drop to her shoulders in wet tangles.

"Uh-huh," he murmured, watching her in a daze. His cock immediately
stirred to life. She grabbed a comb from the dresser and started to run it
through her hair, with some difficulty.

She looked at him through the mirror, "What do you think?"

He got up slowly and made his way over to her, discarding his t-shirt on
the way. She put the comb down, waiting to see what he was going to do
and recognizing the familiar glint in his eye. He came up behind her and
wrapped his arms around her, cupping her breasts in his hands.

"Did you think I'd be able to concentrate when you're like this?" he
whispered, nudging his erection in the crack of her ass.

Buffy closed her eyes in bliss, feeling her center grow wet with anticipation.
She moaned as he massaged her breasts and teased her nipples to points,
watching her lustfully.

"Watch," he whispered and her eyes fluttered open. His lips suckled on her
neck as one hand made the lazy trail from her breasts, fluttering over her
belly and sinking in between her legs. She spread them just a smidge to
give him more room. When his finger caressed her from the inside and he
pinched her clit, she shuddered in delight.

"Spike, please," she whispered, aching to feel his cock inside her, filling her
up.

Quickly, he shed his sweat pants. "Bend over a little, kitten. . . That's right,
put your hands on the dresser. . . spread just a little bit more. . . .God, yes,"
he moaned as he sank slowly inside her heat. She closed her eyes and threw
her head back in response.

He was gripping her hips as he thrust slowly in and out of her wetness sand
it wasn't enough for her. She opened her eyes and watched him, watched
the pleasure cross his face and watched the pain of holding back with it.

That wouldn't do.

She thrust back at him and tightened her inner muscles, massaging his
cock within her, a trick she'd learned just a few days ago. He grunted and
stilled and then started again.

She shook her head, feeling so very close, she just needed it harder. She
thrust back at him and tightened again.

"Buffy—"

"Do it Spike, I want you to fuck me."

"Buffy!"

"Do it!"

Gripping her hips now with bruising intensity, he pounded into her and she
stiffened her arms over the dresser to keep herself from sliding. She thrust
back at him with vigor and felt the pleasure coiling within her.

"Right there. . . " she panted. "I'm gonna. . . Oh god!" She came hard, and
he followed right behind her as she massaged him from the inside with her
fluttering walls. He roared her name and came just as hard, if not harder.
He collapsed against her back, his forehead resting damply on her spine.


"Bleedin' hell, Buffy," he panted.

"I'll say."

He lifted up, sliding out of her with a moan and twirled her around, kissing
her ravenously and shifting them towards the bed. They fell in a tangle of
limbs in the bed, Spike's body covering hers. He kissed her languidly this
time and smoothed a hand down her body, brushing the pads of his fingers
across her nipples on the way and then cupping her mound.

She opened for him and it thus it began again.

******************************************************************

"So, tell me about this apartment idea?" Spike asked later as they dressed.
Shooing her hands away from her blouse, he buttoned it up for her and she watched him with a tender smile playing on her lips. It was endearing to watch him dress her, more intimate somehow than undressing her.

"I want to get one."

"For . . . ?"

She rolled her eyes, "Us."

He blinked, "You do?"

She paused, "Do you not want to live with me?"

"Oh, no, kitten, I do. I just didn't know if you wanted to live with me."

She gave him a funny look. "Why wouldn't I want to? We lived together for
six years."

"Yeah, but, that was different."

"Well, I know all about your disgusting habits, you know about mine—"

"I have no disgusting habits."

"Tell that to the bed full of nails when you bite them in bed."

He gave her a look, "You never said anything about that before."

She grinned, "Because in some perverse way it's cute to watch you do it.
You get this little boy look on your face and it's always when we're watching
something intense or you're thinking really hard about something."

He smiled. "It must be love."

She smiled back, "Must be."

"Well, as it so happens," he told her, sitting back on the bed and leaning
back on his elbows to look up at her, "I was looking for apartments this
morning. I didn't want to presume that you'd want to live with me, but now
that I know," he grinned and reached for her, yanking her on top of him.
"Now we can look together. Have a preference kitten?"

"As long as it's cockroach free and clean, I don't care."

He kissed her chastely, "One bedroom should suffice?"

"She nodded, "Yes. Two bedrooms will only increase cost. Spike, I'm going
to get a job so I can help pay for rent."

He shook his head. "Buffy, you're not dropping out of school. I'll get
another job before I let you do that."

"I'm not going to drop out of school, Spike. I'm going to get a job in addition
to school. A part time job at least for now. Plus, I can work on campus at
the library in between classes for now too. That way, I can study and have
time for a job."

"Buffy—"

"Spike, undergrads do it all the time. It's not a big deal. Some even have
apartments off campus all on their own by doing that. It'll be fine. I only
have a couple years left anyway. The only reason why I never got a job
before was because Mom and Giles pretty much gave me what I needed,"
she wrinkled her nose, "That sounds pathetic when I say it out loud."

"Nah, they just wanted you to focus on school, that's all. You know what a
stickler Dad is about school."

"Right. Well, I think a job would be good for me. And if it's for us to live
together, then even more of an incentive, don't you think?"

Reaching up, he caressed the side of her face and gazed up at her lovingly,
"Sometimes I have a hard time believing you're really here and you love
me."

She pecked his lips quickly, "Believe it." Crawling off him to stand, she held
out her hand to help him up. "Let's go look for a place of our own, shall we?"


He smiled and stood, "Let's." Spike grabbed the paper and Buffy grabbed
her purse. "You know," he said as they walked to the door, "We can discuss
some of your disgusting habits now," and he opened the door.

The pair halted at the sight before them.

Spike stared and then cleared his throat before speaking to the man standing before them. "Hi, Dad."
 

Chapter Thirty-four

Giles straightened and looked at them. "Am I interrupting?"

"That depends," Buffy said, her defiance sparking up.

"On?" Giles asked, confused.

"If you're here to make Spike feel like shit about himself again."

"Buffy—" Spike started.

"No, son, I deserved that," Giles said, fidgeting slightly. "I'm not here to
uh—"

"Make him feel like shit?" Buffy supplied.

"Buffy, honestly," Giles sputtered. "Your language. I understand that
you're angry with me, but really."

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Fine."

"May I come in or do you wish to go out?" Giles asked the pair.

"How about out?" Spike suggested, "Get a coffee, sit down—"

"That way there will be witnesses," Buffy added dryly and Spike squeezed
her hand.

"There's a café just down the street from here. Meet there?" Spike asked.

Giles nodded, "Very well. Meet you there," and he began his trek to his
car.

Buffy started to go, but Spike held her back.

"Buffy, I know you're angry—" he started.

"Aren't you?"

"I am," Spike nodded, "But he's made the first step and I want to hear him
out. Nothing's going to be solved if we fling accusations about."

Buffy sighed, "You're right, I'm sorry."

He pecked her nose, "Don't be sorry. You love me and your willingness to
protect me is endearing."

She smiled shyly at him. "I promise to hear him out."

He smirked, "Can I scold you later if you don't?"

She smirked back, "Better be careful or I might get out of line on purpose."

"Minx."

"Brute."

He grinned and kissed her quickly. "Come on, let's go meet Dad."

***************************************************************
The trio decided in the end not to sit at the café, but to take a walk and have their chat at a nearby park, settling in on a park bench. Spike and Giles sat next to each other and Buffy sat down next to Spike, holding his hand.

"I know I reacted horribly," Giles began and Buffy tamped down the urge
to retort ‘Ya think?' to that.

Spike must have sensed that urge because he squeezed her hand. She
smiled. He knew her well.

Giles looked up at Spike and he looked sad, worried. "Son, I know I
shouldn't have attacked you the way I did. I was in a state of shock. Joyce
came to tell me what was happening and she was beside herself and I just
reacted. My reaction was poor."

"Been the story of our whole history hasn't it Dad?" Spike said, bitterly.

"Now, you have to admit you've given me a run for my money," Giles said in defense of himself.

Spike nodded abruptly, "I have."

"I know since your marriage you've been a changed man, William. You've
always been impulsive and headstrong—much like me. It's caused us to
butt heads over the years. I can't take all the responsibility for that and I
think you'd agree."

Spike stood and Buffy forced herself to sit still. Spike stared down at his
father. "You accused me of preying on her. For all the trouble I might have
given you, Dad, I didn't deserve to be accused of doing that."

Giles hung his head and Spike continued. "Then you told me it was sick and
wrong. God, you don't even know the issues I was having with that whole
thing. You don't know it's the reason why I left, the reason why Dru . . . " he
trailed off.

Giles' head popped up. "No, Son, that was not your problem."

"You don't know—"

"Joyce told me."

Spike's eyes widened and Buffy shot up. "Jesus, what the hell?" she hissed.


"Buffy, calm down," Giles said firmly, "She told me because she wanted to
get me to come out here and talk to you. She was very upset with me. The
thing she didn't realize though was that I--" he took a deep breath and looked up at Spike. "You're a better man than I William. You can admit
your follies, where as I still have trouble. You're stronger than you realize. It took me so long to come and see you after all that mess because I felt
guilty. I felt horrid for how I'd treated you and I didn't know how to make it
right. I was sure I'd ruined you and that the last thing you needed to see
was me."

Buffy bit her lip to keep from speaking out. Spike stared down at his father. "The one person that could have made it all better for me was you, Dad," he said softly.

"I'm not going to lie to either of you and tell you that the thought, even
after I'd come to terms with it, made me feel that it was in someway wrong.
That doesn't mean however, that I'm going to stop you or keep you from
being together." Giles sighed, "Will, when I introduced you to Buffy and
Joyce, I saw the chance for you to have a normal family again. It broke my
heart when your mother died. You loved her so much and then she was
taken from you; from us.
When I met and fell in love with Joyce it was like I was able to do right by
you and give you a family. I gave you a mother and a sister." He looked
over at Buffy, "In you, I found someone who I could be a father to. In your
mother, I found a mate for life." He looked back up at Spike, "When you
told me you were together, I thought I'd failed somewhere."

"It has nothing to do with you, Dad."

Giles nodded, "I realize that now."

"I love her Dad. I always have. It wasn't something I ever acted upon
when we were kids. I couldn't do that and I thought that just by feeling this
way I was doing wrong by you, by Joyce, by Buffy. . . I thought I was sick.
When you attacked me that night I felt that my fear had been confirmed.
Dru had told me I was wrong and then you just confirmed it. You wouldn't
even listen to me."

Giles stood, "William, you're not wrong. You're not sick. My God," he shook
his head, "I'm sorry for what I did."

"So you accept us?" Spike asked.

"Son, I would never turn you away, never. If I hadn't been so bull headed.
Maybe we can help each other you and I? You can teach me some patience
and I'll . . . I'll do anything to help you feel better about yourself, William."

"I'm getting there, Dad. It hasn't just been therapy that's helped me, but
it's been Buffy, Dad. She loves me like no other has or ever could."

Giles looked over at Buffy and smiled. "I always thought she had such a big
heart." He smiled, "She always did have a soft spot for you."

"Would you guys hug already?" Buffy exclaimed, welling up in happy tears.

The men chuckled and embraced, Giles doing something Buffy had never
seen him do: Cry. She knew he must have before when his wife died, but
she'd never seen it in all the ten years he'd been her father.

Separating, Spike reached for Buffy and she jumped at his side, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Buffy, might I say that you've picked a great man," Giles told her. Buffy
smiled and jumped at Giles, giving him an impulsive hug.

"I know."

"You never really were much interested in dating and I always worried
when the day would come you'd start. Now I don't have to worry about
liking the bloke."

Buffy smiled and went back to Spike's arms. "Yeah, I think I'll hold on to
this one for quite a while."

Spike smiled down at her, relief evident on his features.

"Would you come back home, now?" Giles asked, "I'm not going to say that
I'm all right with uh. . . certain relations under my roof, but rest assured I
would have issue no matter whom you were with. Perhaps it's time for you
to find a place of your own, William?"

Spike smiled, "One step ahead of you Dad. Buffy and I were about to look
for a place when you showed up."

Giles drew back, startled, "Really? Both of you living together? So soon?"

"We have lived together before," Buffy pointed out.

"And we know all about each other's disgusting habits," Spike added.

Buffy grinned up at him and he grinned back at her.

"For the time being, do you think you could come home? No sense in
wasting your money by staying in a hotel." Giles said.

"Yes, Dad."

"Yes, Giles."

Giles grinned. "Cheeky group we have here huh? Come now, let's get your
things and go home."
 

Epilogue

“I marvel at your complaining since you carry heavy objects and build shit for a living,” Doyle said to Xander as they wrestled a kitchen table in Buffy and Spike’s new apartment.

Xander looked at him petulantly, “Which is exactly why I’m complaining. Why do I want to do this on my day off?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because they’re your friends?” Doyle retorted.

“I’m here aren’t I?” Xander said and they set the table down.

Doyle rolled his eyes and looked over at Buffy who was opening a box, trying to figure out exactly what she’d put into it. She was trying not to laugh at Xander and Doyle at the same time. They were just so funny together. She just hoped that her dear friend didn’t get hurt by the unsure Mr. Harris. He still had a long, winding road to get through before he was fully comfortable with his sexuality and his feelings for Doyle. He was who Doyle wanted however, and she had learned from Spike that the heart wants what it wants; and Doyle’s heart wanted Xander.

Spike came through the door with Giles, the two of them hefting up the chairs.

“How come they got the easy job?” Xander said, gesturing to Spike and Giles.

“That’s because I like to see you sweat, honey,” Doyle grinned and Xander blushed. “Though if I knew some whine with that sweat, I might not have bothered.”

Xander scowled and Doyle smiled cheekily.

“Honestly boys, I do not see you’ve fared better. These chairs are atrociously heavy and you had help,” Giles pointed out between panting breaths.

“You didn’t ding the chairs, did you?” Joyce asked, coming in after them carrying a basket of towels.

“No, Mum. No dinging,” Spike told her after he set his chair down and kissed her cheek.

“Flatterer. If Buffy is anything like me—“

“And she is,” Spike chimed in. Buffy stuck her tongue out at him and he grinned unrepentantly.

“Then she likes her things looking nice,” Joyce finished.

Buffy shrugged, “Nice is good.”

“So, is that all of it then?” Giles asked, taking out a handkerchief and wiping the sweat from his face. “Dear God, tell me that’s it.” He sat down wearily on the chair he’d just brought up.

Spike chuckled. “That’s it, Dad,” he assured him and patted his back.

“Thank you,” Giles said wearily.

“You poor dear,” Joyce cooed and came over to him, perching herself on his lap. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a small kiss.

“Oh, come on guys!” Buffy complained. “Do we really need to see this?”

Giles looked at her warily, “As if we haven’t been subjected to the both of you and, what is it you call it? PDA’s?”

“You’re gonna make my girl blush,” Spike scolded them lightly.

“Oh please. You’re the one that’s going to blush,” Buffy retorted and giggled when Spike lunged at her, tickling her sides.

“Here we go,” Doyle muttered and Xander nudged him with his shoulder. Doyle looked up at him and grinned.

“Why don’t we order a pizza?” Joyce suggested. “Buffy and I can set up the kitchen a little bit and the boys can put the bed together and the TV and all that. Then, we can eat.”


Three hours later, Buffy and Spike were nestled in their own living on their own couch, cuddling.

“I think we should get a tree for Christmas,” Buffy told Spike. “A Charlie Brown Christmas tree.”

”I think it can have a little more life than that, Buffy.”

She nodded, “And we can invite Doyle and Xander over. And of course Mom and Giles. I think that would be the perfect apartment warming, don’t you think?”

“You’re hoping Mom and Giles will give us more money,” Spike teased.

Buffy grinned, “Or at least that bathroom set I was wanting.”

“You’re spoiled.”

”Not my fault. You do your fair share of spoiling me too, you know.”

Spike smiled and kissed her sweetly, “Guilty as charged.”

“It wasn’t so bad living with Mom and Giles for the past month, was it?” Buffy mused, running her hands through Spike’s curls idly.

“Nope, it wasn’t. But I did want to get out on our own. It’s funny how quickly you can grow out of something when you’re wanting to start fresh.”

“You think Tara would come to a house warming or is that crossing a patient-therapist boundary?”

“That might be crossing a boundary, luv.”

“Too bad. I like her.”

“So do I.”

“But you like me, more right?”

Spike leaned in and kissed her, licking his tongue inside her mouth. “What do you think?” he asked when he broke apart.

“Let’s make some more plans. What do you want for Christmas?”

Spike maneuvered himself so that he was on top of Buffy, grinning mischievously down at her. “You. Under the tree in red underwear. Maybe with that fuzzy fake white fur?”

Buffy giggled, “Only if you’re wearing a matching hat.”

“On which head?” he asked and waggled his eyebrows.

Buffy exploded into giggles and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so happy you came back home.”

“Me too.”

“Do you wish you’d never left?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I’d stayed, and then at times I think none of this would have happened if I had. It’s like I had to go on the journey to get in this good place you know?”

Buffy nodded.

”I have another plan.”

“Mmm?” Buffy murmured burying her face in his neck.

“How would you feel about getting engaged?”

She froze and looked up at him. “Really?”

He nodded, looking almost fearful.

She caressed the side of his face, smiling at him tenderly. “Don’t look so afraid. You should know I’ll say yes.”

“That does take the pressure off.”

”Was there ever any doubt?”

“Well, you know, you’re young, independent—“

“And I love you and you’re the only one I want to be with. Forever.”

“Forever, I like the sound of that,” he said huskily and nuzzled her cheek.

“So do I. Think it’d be weird if Doyle was my Maid of Honor?”

The End.