Chapter 10 – All’s Well… (c. Decisions and Dates)

Buffy tried to concentrate on the paperwork in front of her, but her mind was too preoccupied with the happenings of the previous day to really take in what she was reading. She looked over at the two Wiccans sitting across the table from her and was sure they were equally distracted. So far there was nothing on any of the pieces of paper to give them any clue as to their adversaries’ next course of action.

Willow was about to start checking out the stuff on the computer disks. Buffy stifled a yawn and pushed aside the papers in front of her.

"Research hurts my brain. I think I’m going to go swing past Spike’s crypt and see how he’s getting on with that translation. I might go straight out on patrol afterwards. If you need me Spike’s phone number is on the bit of paper in the front of the address book."

"Spike has a phone?" Willow asked amazed.

"Yeah. He’s been holding out on us. Something about not being totally on a leash, except that wasn’t quite how he put it...See you later. If Dawn’s looking for something to do when she gets back from Janice’s tell her to check round the house and the garden to make sure there aren’t any more cameras."

Buffy grabbed the tranquilliser rifle from where it had been left in the hall, wrapping it in a blanket and bouncing down the steps to go to see a peroxide pest.

Buffy hovered indecisively outside the crypt door, uncertain whether she could or should go through with what she had planned. She rapped her knuckles against the solid door and waited a few moments for a reply. The door swung slowly open in front of her, like the door of a horror-movie house and her steps faltered as she entered the mausoleum.

"Come on, slayer. You know I only bite when you want me to. Hurry up and get in so I can shut out Mr Sunshine." The familiar English accent sounded from behind the door.

Buffy shook her head, banishing the imaginary corpse lurking round the corner, and made do with moving out of the way so that the real walking, talking one could shut the door behind her.

"I brought a peace offering, sort of semi-permanent loan idea. I was thinking after you left last night and I figured, this way, the next time someone comes in making unfounded accusations you might at least have a chance to defend yourself." Buffy’s voice was hesitant her gaze trained on the vampire’s neck, knowing she would never get through this if she had to look into his eyes.

She gently laid down the bundle containing the tranquilliser gun on top of the television. "I also wanted to apologise for not giving you a chance to explain about the eggs. I don’t know if they were really what we were looking for or not, but even if they were I should have given you the chance to explain how you got them.

I’m sorry about that night in the alley. God, I’m so sorry." She stole a glance at his face, love puzzlement and concern clear from the tilt of his head and the luminosity of his ultramarine eyes as he moved toward her. "I just can’t believe… I look back at the things I’ve done, at the way I’ve treated you and it’s almost like a stranger did them. I just can’t make… I thought I was this person. I was supposed to be some kind of hero, some sort of ideal but coming back there’s been all this anger, and frustration and loneliness and helplessness and I’ve just lashed out at you. I’ve used you as a whipping boy for everything that’s gone wrong since I’ve come back… and I’m just so sorry."

She drew in a deep breath that was almost a sob and inhaled the fragrance of tobacco, copper and spices. Startled, she realised that she was almost resting against her former lover’s chest and that his hands were running up and down her arms making soothing motions while he murmured soft phrases of comfort.

"And it’s not just that. It’s everything that every guy I’ve dated has ever done to hurt me. Every bad thing that’s happened was just hanging over our heads like the Sword of Damocles because I couldn’t accept that you were different."

She took a step backwards, pulling away from his caresses but looking into his eyes once more. "I just have so much I have to say and if I stay that close to you… my brain’ll just give up."

"Would that be a bad thing, love?" She forced herself another step back as the ocean of emotions in his eyes threatened to pull her under.

"It would be, if we want things to be right between us, and I don’t know if we can make things right, and even if we manage to make things right that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll be together." Most of the words in her reply ran into one another as she rushed to still any premature hopes that the vampire might get.

"Can you forgive me for all the things I’ve done and said?"

"Love, they were forgiven without you even having to ask." She nodded her head gently and his eyes were drawn to where she held her lower lip between her teeth.

"Okay, here’s a question and I need you to really think it through before you answer." She caught and held his gaze. "You always talk about how we’re both creatures of darkness. You say that I belong in the dark with you. What happens if I can’t accept that? If I don’t like the person I can feel myself becoming? What happens if I ask you to come down off the balcony and be with me on the dance-floor?"

She could see him resist the urge to answer the second she finished. Instead he let a few seconds pass before he replied.

"Buffy, you’ve been inside me, you’ve felt what I feel. Don’t you know I’d do whatever it takes to be with you."

"Spike, I know you’d die for me, I’m prepared to believe you would die without me. I’m asking something of you that’s going to be far harder. If there’s going to be a chance for us to be together you are going to have to live a life that goes even more against your nature than how you’re living now.

I don’t even know exactly how you get the money you spend, so I don’t know if you could even afford your blood out of what you make honestly, never mind cigarettes, alcohol or anything else, but that’s what I would need for you to do, even if it meant getting a job."

"How am I supposed to watch your back on patrol if I’m stuck behind a bar somewhere or something?"

"You can’t. But how can I even try to break Dawn of her bad habits if I’m condoning the same habits in you. You need to be purer than the driven snow. I need to be able to tell myself and anybody else who thinks they’re going to mouth off about my taste in men, that, yeah, Spike was everything you say, but he changed… right down to stealing power and cable." She glanced over at the television where Passions played on, totally unheeded by the vampire who had put it on.

"You’ve been thinking about this real hard, haven’t you, pet?"

"Yeah, and I know the little things are almost so stupid they’re hardly worth the effort, but the thing is, I want to trust you but it’s really hard. All my slayer instincts say that I shouldn’t but if you give me a basis to build that trust on, then I’ll try my best to ignore what those instincts tell me, but if you tell me you’ll do this and then I catch you out in something, that’s it. If there ever comes a point where you prove that I can’t trust you, if you even so much as shoplift a can of coke, then we part ways."

"And if in theory I agree to all this where do we go from there?"

"Well, we try to go back to being friends like we were before we kissed. We go back to patrolling together, when it’s mutually convenient. We get motorbike rides, videos and pizza, and I get someone else’s cooking if I’m working late. We date. Out in the open not hiding it from people, but don’t count on us being alone much because I can’t cut back on my time with Dawn.

Dawn is my responsibility. You want to be a big brother figure, fine, but I’m the parent. I get to have the final word… but I’m open to advice.

We can spar in the training room at the Magic Box, but outside of that we never hit each other again. Dawn never sees another bruise on either of us that was intentionally caused by the other. The handcuffs and all your other toys stay here, but the only time I’ll be spending the night is when Dawn isn’t at home. You can stay nights at the house, maybe a couple of times a week, but no more than that because I don’t want trouble with Social Services-"

Buffy’s exposition was halted by Spike’s finger on her lips.

"I think I’ve got the general idea, love, you can draw up a list of do’s and don’ts later. You know what my answer’s going to be."

"I could make an informed guess."

"So is it okay to kiss you yet, or do I have to disconnect the electricity and the cable feed first?"

Buffy pretended to give this due consideration. "I think if you get rid of the cable feed I can take that as a gesture of good faith and let you off on the electricity until you can get yourself a generator or something. I wouldn’t want your blood or your eggs to go off, if that seems fair to you?"

Spike opened the coffin he used as a weapons chest and drew out an axe. Striding to the far side of the room he brought it down on the aerial cable for the TV. "You’ll have to wait till after dark if you want to make sure I take the dish down…but I’m sure I could keep you entertained if you want to wait."

Spike dropped the axe on the floor behind him and came over to take Buffy’s shoulders in a gentle grip.

"I’m sure you could but Dawn’ll be getting back from Janice’s soon. I could justify hanging out here till it’s time to patrol if you had lots of interesting translations for me to read but since you’ve been watching tacky soap operas… which are still running. Why’s your TV still playing Passions if you just cut the cable?"

"Because, it’s on video, because I was at The Magic Box checking up on some background to that passage I translated when it aired. Course, if you want to know what I found out, I’m still waiting for that kiss."

"Blackmai-" Buffy’s accusation was cut off in surprise as Spike’s lips gently brushed against her own. Her arms wound their way around his neck and she stood balanced on the toes of her left foot her right foot instinctively raised a few inches off the floor. She had been expecting a bruising forceful assault and was blind-sided by his gentle caresses grazing against her hypersensitive skin. Her body came to rest against his and she strained upward to deepen the kiss. His tongue made it’s way behind her parted lips tracing a slow trail along her gum-line before stroking softly against her own. The kiss had none of the urgency of their normal interactions. It was slow, sensuous and tantalising and it held the promise of lovemaking that would take hours to reach its peak.

Buffy’s eyes flicked open as he pulled his head back, her cheeks flushed and her pupils dilated. She drank in the stark alabaster planes and angles of her lover’s jaw and cheekbones before she registered the contented glow she had never seen before in his cobalt eyes. Aware of her gaze his lips curved gently upward.

"You haven’t lost interest in what our friends have been reading up on, have you? Not after me staying up half last night working on it?"

She shook her head to clear the lassitude engendered by his efforts. "No, I just got a little distracted. Do tell."

Spike led her over to the "comfy" chair and once he was seated he pulled her into his lap so that her back rested against one chair arm and her knees hung over the other. As he spoke one hand played idly with her hair whilst the fingers of his other had traced soft patterns on the fabric of her jeans.

"It looks like Warren and his mates have decided to become the Sunnydale equivalent of Indiana Jones…" Spike explained to Buffy about the Nezzla demons who lived in some of the deepest caves under Sunnydale and the magical treasure which they guarded.

When he had finished there was still an hour or so to go before sundown and Buffy looked regretfully at the daylight filtering through the crypt’s windows. "I should go back and see Dawn’s okay before I come back out on patrol."

"But you don’t want to…" Spike finished for her in a soft voice.

Buffy shook her head.

"Well, how about this for a different idea. You go home, see little sis, make sure she’s done all her homework. If she has I’ll come over and escort you both to the Bronze. We can always patrol once the Niblet’s safely tucked up in bed and it seems to me we’ve got reason to celebrate. You could always ask the Wiccas as well if you want, if they don’t want to take advantage of having the house to themselves, that is… does that sound better?"

"You mean like a date?"

"Well, sort of like a date with an extra woman or three."

"Way to pander to your ego, walk in the Bronze with four women on your arm…"

"And every one a looker, too." Spike replied with a smug smirk.

"You’re on. Give me that phone that you’ve been hiding."

Spike pushed Buffy up off his lap and retrieved the phone from the corner near the refrigerator where it was charging and threw it to Buffy. "Just press down the number two key and hold it for a while."

"Hey, Will, it’s me. Has Dawn come home yet? …Do you know if she’s finished all her homework? …Let me know if she finds any… Look, the reason I ask is that we’ve all been invited out for the evening… To quote a wise man there is no good time to have fun on the Hellmouth… No, don’t worry about it. He said it was like a date but with three extra women. That means he gets to pay for all of us, doesn’t it." Spike rolled his eyes when he realised what he’d been suckered into. Buffy covered the bottom half of the receiver and whispered, "that is okay isn’t it?"

Spike couldn’t help himself. She had a sparkle in her eye. "As long as you don’t plan on drinking a bottle and a half of tequila each it should be fine." He settled back into the chair and Buffy perched in his lap again.

"Okay, Will, I’ll be back in half-, make that three-quarters of an hour and tell Dawn if she wants to use the shower to do it now before I get back." Buffy flipped the phone shut and passed it back to Spike. "Dawn has apparently been going round her room and the bathroom with a fine-toothed comb to check for cameras in case The Nerd Herd have been watching her when she’s not dressed."

"They’re dead men if she finds any."

"True, but you won’t be the one dealing with them, Chip Boy." Buffy’s tone softened when she saw his expression. "It’s hard for you to rely on someone else to look after your womenfolk, isn’t it?"

"Hey, Victorian male here, what do you think?"

"I think compared with when Will did her will be done spell you’ve made definite progress. It’s part of what makes me want this to work. You’re the only guy that I know who lets me be whatever I need to be rather than trying to make me fit with their perception of who I am.

Riley never got it. No, that’s unfair, maybe he did, but he couldn’t be who I needed him to be.

With Angel it was like he was always protecting me, except when he was stalking me, even when he left he said it was to protect me. I was such the little schoolgirl when we were together. Angel would never be able to cope with who I am now. He had to play the hero. I think that’s why he never used to show up except with dire warnings of impending doom."

She brought a hand up to brush his cheek, turning his head slightly so she could stare him straight in the eye.

"You know I’m counting on you to be the long-haul guy, don’t you?"

"I had hoped that was the point of the exercise this afternoon, love, but I must admit I don’t quite get why. I was expecting you to come after me full of piss and vinegar and tell me to get out of your town when the spell went wrong like that." Spike voiced what had been troubling him earlier.

"And I might have done if it wasn’t for what I saw and felt when I was inside your head. I got to see myself through your eyes and I didn’t like all that much of what I saw. And I got to see how crazy you are; that even when this total bitch treats you like I don’t know what, all you do is love her with all your heart regardless.

You wished that I would work out what it was that I really wanted. I think at the time it was an iced mint mocha, but once I really saw inside you I knew that what I wanted was to be able to trust you enough to love you back."

"Trust’s for old-marrieds, pet."

"No, Will, trust’s what carries people through from where we are now to being old-marrieds."

"That’s a new one, pet."

"I thought I’d try it on for size. William seems a bit stuffy and dated and Spike just didn’t seem right and you’re definitely not a Bill or a Billy. Besides, if I called you Billy people would think it was a joke about the hair. You don’t mind do you?"

"Definitely better than the last time you called me William. Call me anything you want, love."

"Well, aside from potential confusion when Willow’s around, I think I like it, of course it’s not quite as catchy-." Buffy was interrupted by the ring of Spike’s phone.

"I knew giving the number to you women was a bad idea." Spike checked the caller ID and passed the phone over to Buffy without answering it. "It just flips open, love."

"Bloody residence. Buffy Summers speaking… Yeah, no problem, I’ll let him know… Poor Xander." Buffy closed the phone and passed it back to Spike before explaining.

"It looks like we’re set to be a party of seven tonight. Xander rang up about all the messages we left the other night, said that he wanted to come over, that he had an announcement to make. So Will told him we were all going to the Bronze and could he meet us there instead. Little does he know that we all know what his announcement’s going to be before we get there."

"Much as it pains me to say it we could-." Spike’s phone rang again, but this time when he checked the caller ID he took the call himself.

"Yes, pet… I should be able to manage that… yeah, see you later then. Bye, kitten." Spike closed the phone again and continued as if the phone conversation had never happened.

"…pretend that we didn’t know. Well, except for the fact that I’m a terrible liar."

"I’d never have guessed, I take it that was Anya."

"Yeah."

"So, how is it she got your phone number and I didn’t?"

"Because she was alone. She needed someone she could turn to if anything went wrong, or if she had a bad day."

Buffy remembered the protective feelings he had harboured for the woman the previous day. "You really are quite a possessive little vamp."

"Less of the little, pet, or I’ll have to make you eat your words, but possessive? You bet, and jealous too but I figure now everything’s official that I can be a bit more laid back. I might even manage to be civilised if you dance with other men tonight, as long as their hands don’t go anywhere they shouldn’t."

"I’m so glad you aren’t planning on threatening to eat anyone tonight… and besides I’m rather fond of the compact packaging. I like being able to look you in the face rather than end up staring at your nipples, which isn’t to say that your chest isn’t… I better go." She made no move to extricate herself from the vampire’s lap.

"Do you want me to bring the car tonight or would you prefer to walk."

"It looks like it should be a nice night. Let’s walk. Besides it would take hours to clean it out so that anyone could sit in the back seat."

"Check. Clean out car before taking Buffy to Make Out Point."

"You are incorrigible… except you haven’t really been that way at all today."

"That would be because I don’t want you to fall back into thinking this is all about sex. Sure, if that was all that was on offer I’d take it, but incredible as it was, it couldn’t make up for what was missing. I think I tried to tell you that once."

"So is this your way of saying you plan to withhold sex?"

"Why don’t you invite me back to your place after patrol when neither of us have to rush off anywhere and see?"

"Because I have a better plan." Buffy gave a teasing smile.

"And what plan’s this, love?"

"I invite you back to my place instead of patrol."

"Much better plan." Spike’s smile widened into a grin, a very smug, contented grin that Buffy just had to kiss right off his face.

Now that the moment was finally here Spike suddenly felt like an ancient teenager. He tried to remember the last time he had picked someone up for a date and found that he couldn’t actually remember ever having done so. He juggled the flowers he was carrying to check his hair and pop a mint in his mouth. Refusing to prevaricate any further, he rang the doorbell.

He heard the clatter of teenage feet on the stairs and then the door was pulled open by the younger Summers sister.

"She’s nearly ready, but she’s got to make an entrance," Dawn bubbled before taking the time to give him the once over. "Not bad… not bad at all. You should wear that colour more often… You’ll do."

Spike had basically gone with the new boots and jeans he’d bought for the aborted wedding but he’d teamed them with a silk shirt in a deep violet-blue and foregone his normal black T-shirt underneath. Here and there a glint of silver jewellery set off the look.

"Here," Spike pulled a bunch of purple freesias from the midst of the other flowers in his arms. "These are for you."

Half-laughing, Dawn took them. "What did you do? Buy a bunch for all of us."

"Well, yeah. Didn’t seem right getting some for Buffy and nothing for the rest of you if I’m supposed to be taking all of you out." Spike was a bit embarrassed now and wondering if the flowers had been a good idea after all.

"I can’t believe Buffy suckered you into paying for everything. You do know that you’re totally whipped, don’t you?"

"Totally, utterly and completely and not ashamed to admit it."

"Okay, I’m going to go get a vase and put these in my room. Then I’ll see if Willow and Tara have finished playing with their overgrown Barbie." She wandered in the direction of the kitchen, leaving Spike standing alone in the hall. Thanks to his better than average hearing he caught the bit she muttered under her breath as she left the living room. "As if he would care if she came downstairs in sack-cloth and ashes."

Less than five minutes later she was passing through the hall again on her way upstairs. "I would ask if you wanted to sit down," she said, " but I’m pretty certain you’re supposed to be around for the full dramatic effect of the walk downstairs. I’ll try to speed her up though."

"Don’t worry, pet, I’ve waited more than a year. I think I can manage to wait a few more minutes." He said to her retreating back. He decided to have another mint and if she hadn’t come down by the time he finished that he was going out on the front porch for a quick fag. What was taking the bint so long? He never used to take this long to get Dru dressed or at least he didn’t think he did.

He was almost about to go outside when Willow and Tara came down the stairs hand in hand. "Hey, Spike," Tara greeted him softly.

"Ladies," Spike responded with a nod in their direction, passing each of them a bunch of roses, white for Tara and a peachy shade for Willow. "Sorry they’re a bit… but I couldn’t get to a florist. Had to make do with the selection from the garage." He shrugged apologetically.

"They’re lovely. It’s the thought that counts anyway." Tara smiled at him in that way that made you realise she really was beautiful. Willow gave him a soft smile and mouthed the words "Thank you."

Before they got any farther Dawn came rushing downstairs at breakneck speed. "I’ll take those and stick them in a bucket till we get back. Buffy’s coming down." She took the flowers from the two witches and rushed through to the kitchen with them, eager to get back in time to see Spike’s face when her sister appeared.

Buffy appeared on the stairs, moving down them slowly, which Spike decided was just as well since it gave him time to recover. Feathery tendrils of hair framed her face apparently bare of make-up except for dark mascara outlining her green brown eyes and crimson lipstick. Around her neck she wore the same black choker with a pink-red rose that she’d worn at her birthday party and her halter-top was the same colour as the flower. For only the second time that Spike could remember since she came back, she wore a skirt instead of trousers, this one calf-length and black. It was full enough to allow her total freedom of movement if she needed it but so lightweight that it swirled and moved against her legs as she walked. Black suede boots with a three-inch heel showed beneath the hem of the skirt and over her arm she carried her long black leather coat.

Spike instinctively moved to take her coat so that he could hold it for her to put it on and then he realised he still held her flowers in his hand. Glad that he didn’t have any circulation to give him away with a blush he held out the bouquet toward Buffy, who took it from him, smiling teasingly at him as she questioned, "Cat got your tongue?" Then her expression turned puzzled. "Don’t think I want to know where that expression comes from."

"You look beautiful, love, as always." Spike managed in a husky tone, glad that he’d left his shirt loose over the top of his jeans. He cleared his throat and continued. "I don’t know what time you’re all meant to be meeting Harris but I think if we don’t get those flowers in the bucket with Willow’s and Tara’s I’m going to be late for a meeting with a vengeance demon. So, assuming you ladies all want me in one piece, I think we should get moving."

Dawn rescued the last of the flowers and Spike held out Buffy’s coat for her in a gesture rarely seen these days outside of restaurants and hairdressers. Soon the group were on the move, Willow and Tara walking in front, Spike and Buffy ten or fifteen feet behind with Dawn rushing back and forward between them every few minutes like an over-excited puppy. Every so often when Dawn was up ahead with the Wiccas, Spike would claim a kiss from the apparently happy slayer, then the two would have to speed up to avoid trailing too far behind.

The whole thing seemed surreal. On Friday night he’d been commiserating with Anya over the state of both their love lives. Now come Sunday, he was with Buffy on his way to congratulate Anya on her wedding. He could still congratulate her on getting what she wanted, even if that was Harris, couldn’t he? Most surreal of all was the feel of Buffy’s tiny fingers intertwined with his.

Chapter 10 – All’s Well… (d. The Gang’s All Here)

Anya was keeping watch for the arrival of the rest of the Scoobies when she saw Warren, Andrew and Jonathon come into the Bronze. Xander was sitting with his back to them, for the minute unaware of their presence. In the interest of cutting down on any injuries that might have a detrimental effect on her sex life, Anya decided not to say anything unless they looked like they were going to cause trouble or leave.

"Xander, how soon are you expecting Buffy to get here. I know you said meet at eight and it’s five past now, but when do you think she’ll actually walk through the door?"

"Ahn, she’ll get here when she gets here. She probably just had a problem getting her hair to sit right or something. She’ll be here soon and if she isn’t it’ll be for a good reason, like she’s run into the Nerd Herd or something."

"Not really the most likely reason for her being late at the minute."

"Huh?" Seeing his wife’s expression he glanced over his shoulder in the direction of her gaze.

Warren looked as if he was picking a fight with a guy the best part of a foot taller than him. Two guys who looked like they could play on the same football or basketball team as Warren’s target moved up behind him.

"It looks like we might not need Buffy after all, hon." Then he spotted Andrew and Jonathon by the bar. "…But, I think I’ll just go watch the door and make sure we don’t have any unscheduled departures."

Warren’s voice could be heard over the music in the bar now. "You heard me, meathead. Take a walk. Warren started to turn toward the jock’s girlfriend ignoring him and his friends.

The jock shouted a threat in response before trying to yank Warren away from his girlfriend, but however hard he tried Warren didn’t move a fraction of an inch.

"This isn’t high school." Warren landed a blow on the youth’s chest using the palm of his hand and the jock flew backwards across the room landing in a heap at least ten feet away. Xander watched bemused until he realised what was happening. Warren had obviously built a robot which looked like him, so that it could come here and create an alibi while he was off on some nefarious mission, but were Jonathon and the other one robots too?

"Only one way to find out." Xander walked up behind Jonathon and tapped him on the shoulder. When the diminutive geek turned round Xander sucker-punched him square in the jaw. Jonathon folded quicker than the machinery at a commercial laundry, leaving Xander facing a very nervous Andrew who was holding onto his cocktail glass with both hands.

"Hey, you’re not just meant to hit us like that. You’re meant to be one of the good guys."

"You know that would have bothered me too, if it weren’t for the fact that you kidnapped one of my best friends and turned the other one invisible before you tried to frame her for murder and finally poison her. Now, I just don’t give a damn."

Xander hauled his arm back to deliver the killer blow on the blonde he felt his elbow being squeezed in a vice-like grip. Then a familiar English accent made itself heard.

"You really should let him go. It would be awfully bad manners to damage the groom before the honeymoon’s over."

"Yeah," cut in Buffy, "and you don’t want to make the bride angry."

Xander felt the grip on his arm loosen and turned to see Warren standing between Spike and the slayer. Deciding that the robot was in for an ass-kicking Xander turned to resume his discussion with Andrew only to find he was making a hasty retreat towards the door. Or he was, until Dawn kicked him in that place where Spike had trained her to kick any guy who was doing something she didn’t like. She definitely didn’t like the idea of him getting away.

"Slayer," Warren turned to face Buffy turning his back on Spike in the process, "fancy meeting you here and all prettied up in your party clothes."

Spike grasped the collar of Warren’s jacket in both hands. "You too," he replied, "but brown just isn’t your colour…" He yanked his hands apart, ripping the jacket off the head geek’s back in shreds as the material was caught in a tug of war between two beings with superhuman strength. "…Or anybody’s colour for that matter."

Buffy was quick to take advantage of the distraction caused by Warren’s unwilling strip tease, landing a forward kick to his jaw and following up with a palm strike to his nose and an elbow strike near his eye. "You know, Spike, just because brown’s a bit pedestrian doesn’t mean it doesn’t suit some people." The pair continued to circle around the geek using fluid motions practised and honed over months of patrolling.

"You think so, pet? Oscar Wilde said, "One should be a work of art, or wear a work of art." Warren here, just doesn’t qualify on either count. I can’t help thinking that he must have no self-image at all to want to dress up to look like a three-week old turd… But that’s just my opinion." Staying at Warren’s back, Spike drew something from his pocket and Buffy heard the click as a slim narrow blade clicked into position ready for use.

She smiled, knowing Spike had found what he was looking for. "Okay, you’re right, but now you made it so we can see more of the shirt. Can we say lost in the seventies? Or is it more sixties? Your call, Spike, you were there." Buffy feinted with a palm strike and then brought her leg arcing round in a graceful roundhouse connecting with her opponent’s temple.

"Is that all you’ve got, slayer? And what’s with the fashion commentary?" Warren didn’t even have to steady himself, he just continued to turn to face Buffy’s attacks. He seemed to think he was immune to anything Spike or anyone else might do. He just kept watching for an opportunity to go on the offensive, finally trying to land a punch on the slayer, but she twisted to one side letting it go past with minimal effort.

"I’d say seventies, love." Spikes left hand moved across from right to left in a horizontal slashing move and Buffy caught the glint of metal in his hand at the end of the stroke before the blade retracted back into the handle. His right hand grabbed at the middle of Warren’s back pushing him forward. As he began to overbalance the geek reached behind his back and Buffy stepped to one side so that as he fell over next to her she could grab the hand dislocating his shoulder as he fell the rest of the way to the floor. Xander missed that part though because he was too busy watching the lilac glow that briefly flared from Spike’s eyes.

The vampire wasted no time forcing the nerd to admit defeat. "You managing okay there, Warren? It must hurt like hell to go back to being you when for ten minutes you actually had a pair."

"Warren’s not a robot?" Xander asked confusedly. Anya appeared next to her spouse. "Are you okay, sugar bun."

"No…" answered Buffy. "Warren’s not a robot, and Spike can we find out where the others are before you do the gloating?"

"I got one." Dawn’s voice carried across the room and she pointed down to where Andrew was still writhing on the floor in agony. Her sister glared at her, obviously displeased at her participation in events. "Wha-a-t? He’s just a geek. Even I can take out a geek. It’s not like he’s dangerous or anything."

"Jonathon’s over here." Xander indicated the form slumped at his feet.

"Buffy?" The slayer turned to see what was troubling the vampire. "Now that we actually have these guys here what exactly are we planning on doing with them?"

Frustrated, the slayer stamped her foot. "I don’t know. I wish the police would just turn up with all the evidence they need to convict them of everything they’ve done, but so far they’re oblivious and I don’t know what we can do about them. Maybe those guys could press assault charges…"

"Doubt it, pet. They’re never going to stand up in court and admit to being thrown round the room by someone that much smaller than them."

Xander, reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out what he found there. "Just this once, Ahn." He pressed it into her hand.

Anya made her way to the ladies toilets and locked herself in an empty cubicle. She looked down at her necklace and put it on. "Done," she said. For an instant her face changed and then she took the necklace back off, returning to her husband’s side and slipping it back into his pocket.

Buffy and Spike were still arguing about what to do with the three of them, Spike being in favour of Buffy pounding them into enough of a pulp that they wouldn’t dare try anything in her town ever again. Since Buffy didn’t really go along with that plan, the argument was fairly pointless. Dawn, meanwhile, was making sure that Andrew wasn’t faking his disability using the simple expedient of administering further forceful kicks every couple of minutes. Jonathon still didn’t seem to have come to but Xander was keeping a watch on him just in case, while Tara and Willow did the same for Warren.

This was the point where a dozen police came through the door brandishing arrest warrants.

"Catch!" Xander caught the leather pouch Spike threw at him as if it were a bomb.

"Call it a wedding present," the vampire added.

"What, how, what, why?"

"What is it? The orbs of Nezzla Khan. How did we know you were married? Tara did a location spell when you both disappeared. Once we knew you were both in Vegas the rest was pretty easy to work out. What do they do? They’re what made Warren super strong and why give them to you? ‘Cos I reckon it must be pretty hard to be the only guy around who hasn’t got some sort of edge. And because they might help keep you alive and healthy and I’ve got at least one friend who has a vested interest in making sure you stay that way." He smiled at Anya who grinned happily back.

"So you knew Warren was human but you still got in a fight with him? You drew a knife on him? You would be locked up too if it wasn’t for the discretionary blindness of the population of Sunnydale."

"Yeah, that’s the risks you have to take."

"Your chip could have gone off."

"There was never any intention to hurt him, just strip him down till we could get at his balls. The only way it would go off was if I hurt him by accident and those things might make you strong but they won’t make you quick and they don’t give you any fighting ability. If you’re slow and your two opponents are quicker and they’re trained and you’re not... Besides I’m not sure someone using them would still detect as human."

"Just the same they could have thrown your ass in jail, south facing window…"

"They’d have to catch me and hold me first."

"Between twelve of them when you can’t hurt them. I wouldn’t be betting on those odds."

"In that case I’ll make it real simple for you. Until we got those orbs off him, Buffy was potentially out-classed. She needed back-up, so I was there. As far as consequences go, I don’t give a shit. Every time she needs help and I can help I will be there."

"Hey," the slayer interrupted before the bickering could turn into a fully-fledged argument. "You don’t have time to argue," she told the vampire. "You’ve got four thirsty women waiting for you to buy them a drink and then I seem to recall a promise involving the dance-floor."

"You’re wish is my command." Spike turned to Anya. "Congratulations, kitten. I’m happy that you’re happy."

"Did Buffy just ask Evil Dead to dance?"

"She just asked Spike or more correctly reminded him of a previous promise, but it looks to me from the way they’re holding hands like she’s decided he’s not evil any more."

"What? Not again, she can’t make us go through that again."

"Xander, she was the other half of Spike’s wish. If they’re together now, it’s because she’s following her heart. Can you sit here the day after we got married and say that you would deny your best friend the same opportunity you got? She might be making a mistake. Personally, I don’t think so, but either way it isn’t your place to interfere. It’s her choice and she knows him better than you do. You only have to see them fight together to know that. They fight like it’s a dance or like they can read each others minds. Trust her, Xander. If you try to interfere, the relationship that will suffer most is the friendship between you and her. I know. I’ve seen these sort of cases. I remember, one time back in the 1600’s…"

Epilogue 

Sunday Late Evening

Spike and Buffy made their way over to the prime table where the rest of the Scoobies were waiting. It had been occupied by a group of teenage boys until recently, but for some reason when they saw Dawn heading in their direction they had all decided to move. It would be cynical to say this was because they were watching when Dawn prevented Andrew’s escape by rearranging his genitalia with her foot, repeatedly. Cynical but not entirely inaccurate.

Spike deposited the two pitchers he was carrying in one hand onto the table and then passed the large glass adorned with umbrellas, straws and twizzle sticks whose contents looked suspiciously like orange juice from his right hand to Dawn. Then he fell into the last armchair at the table and shrugged off his coat. Buffy put down the armful of margarita glasses that she had been carrying and turned to pout at the vampire. He responded by pulling her into his lap, easing her arms out of her coat and planting several playful kisses on her mouth.

Tara took on the job of pouring out the drinks. Willow flinched when she asked who wanted strawberry, but Rack was soon forgotten when Tara smiled at her as she passed her the first glass from the pitcher of lime margarita. Meanwhile, Xander stared aghast at the couple opposite for several seconds. Throwing himself upward out of his chair, he pointed at the pair shouting. "Déja vu! It’s a spell. It’s exactly the same as when Willow did her will spell except Giles isn’t blind, we’re in the Bronze instead of Giles’ flat and I’ve only got one possible demon, we’re not sure. But other than that it’s exactly the same. I knew it wasn’t natural." He looked over in Willow’s direction, opened his mouth, had second thoughts and then looked at Tara instead. "Did you do that will spell?"

Tara looked over to where Spike was obviously listening to all this but not letting it distract him from Buffy, who gave no hint that she was aware of being discussed. "Actually, Spike did do the will be done spell." Xander launched himself toward the couple, but was tripped by his bride en route. "… But he reversed it last night." Xander looked backwards and forwards between Tara and Anya. Spike paused just long enough to smirk at the carpenter sitting on the floor before going back to nibbling at Buffy’s lower lip. "Then how…" Xander’s query came out almost as a whine.

Tara smiled. "He wished that Buffy would understand how he feels about her. Looks like she approves." She passed a glass of strawberry margarita to him across the table, pouring another for Buffy and lastly a lime one for Spike.

"See, cookie-face," Anya bent forward to speak to him. "I told you not to interfere. Now, sit back in your chair. You can’t stay on the floor all night,"

Spike looked around the table. Seeing that everyone now had a drink he picked his up off the table. "Once Harris is back in a chair, I’d like to propose a toast…" Xander rather self-consciously returned to his seat. "To happy couples and second chances."

"Happy couples and second chances" chorused the rest of the group as the glasses all clinked together. Buffy and Spike watched each other as they took their first sip. Willow and Tara looked into each other’s eyes. Anya watched Xander watch Buffy and Spike and then she kicked him in the shin. "Not your business!" she somehow managed to hiss at him without removing the smile from her face. Dawn looked round the table at all her friends back together, only Giles missing. She smirked when she saw Xander turn his attention back to Anya. "Round one to the vengeance demon," she thought.

"Hey, tequila tastes far better mixed in with this strawberry stuff. How come you didn’t tell me ‘bout this stuff that night you were playing poker?" Buffy teased Spike.

"I don’t think Dave could really run to mixing up margaritas, love." Spike placed a kiss on the end of Buffy’s nose. "Besides, I wouldn’t have got to see your liquor face, and that…" Another kiss on her forehead. "…Is just so cute."

He finally claimed her mouth in a deep kiss that lasted until Dawn let out a screech. "You guys get a room."

Spike looked up, eyeing Dawn over the top of her sister’s head. "Okay, Bit. We’ll give it a break." He gave her a rueful lop-sided smile. Buffy moved so that instead of sitting across his lap, she now sat facing in the same direction as he was, her arm around his shoulders.

"So, Anya, what did Xander do to get you to the altar then?" Buffy tried to start a conversation within the group.

"He asked. And this time I stayed right there with him… from the point when he asked, right up to the point where he said I do, except when I got the dress." Anya replied.

Spike literally bit his tongue to stop himself from making a comment about not giving Xander the chance to run this time. He knew the malice behind Xander’s continual bickering could prove a major stumbling block to his relationship with Buffy. He was often seen as being to blame for the confrontations between the pair but nine times out of ten it was the younger men who instigated them. There was no way he was going to cast a pall over the evening by starting anything tonight.

Now that Buffy had set the ball rolling it seemed like all the others wanted to know something about the chapel, the service, the dress, the rings or something. However, the details of someone else’s wedding weren’t of any real interest to Spike, even if it was slightly amusing that Anya point-blank refused to include the word obey in her vows.

He devoted just enough of his attention to the conversation to ensure he knew what was being said, concentrating instead on how Buffy’s fingertips were tracing the outline of his deltoid muscle through the fine silk of his shirt. His own hand rested on Buffy’s back, which was left open to his touch by the halter-top she wore, his digits tracing random soothing patterns on her skin. He knew "coming out" was stressful for her. Thankfully, Demon-Girl seemed to be keeping Harris from making too big a fool of himself about the whole thing, so far, but the night was still young.

The band reached the end of their first set and Spike smiled when he recognised the ballad the DJ put on. He removed Buffy’s empty glass from her hand, placing it on the table. "I think they’re playing our song, love."

"We have a song?" Buffy was first incredulous, then, when she recognised the voice of Michelle Branch, she too smiled. "We have a song," she said softly as she stood and took Spike’s hand to lead him to the dance-floor.

"‘Leap of faith’, huh?" she asked softly. She looked up into his face and melted when she saw the half-smile there, and the love and happiness that gave light to his lapis-blue eyes.

"Well, I’m hoping that ‘Goodbye to you’ in’t ever going to be appropriate, but I’d have settled for any of her other ones. They all remind me of that night she played here." He glanced over in the direction of the area under the stairs where they had kissed.

"Who’d have guessed that the Big Bad was such a romantic?"

"Anybody that’s ever really known me, pet."

"There haven’t been too many of those though, have there?"

"Dru, maybe Angelus, though it’s not that I wanted him or Darla to see that side of me. Dawn, and maybe you, if you give it a while… possibly Joyce."

"Sp-… Will… There’s something I have to tell you. I should have said it a long time ago… should have told you that day with Glory, on the stairs…

Will, I… I’m not in love with you… but I do love you." She watched him through her lashes, seeing his eyes well even brighter with unshed tears. Her hands moved from where they had rested on his shoulders to gently frame his face, her thumbs stroking the razor line of his cheekbones as she drew him in for a kiss. Spike’s hands drifted down, cupping her rear and pulling her body tight against his so that she could feel the effect she had upon him.

She eased back an inch or two, returning her hands to his shoulders and spoke softly. "Hands back on waist until we’re out of sight of teenage eyes… and Xander’s. You probably just gave him a heart-attack."

Spike glanced over her shoulder at the Scoobies’ table, before returning his hands to their earlier position. "Nah, we’re safe. He’s busy watchin’ ‘is missus like he should be. ‘Bit’s keepin’ an eye on us though. You were right about that."

"You know what that means, then. No hands or anything else anywhere that would make you want to hit Dawn’s partner if she followed our example."

Spike snorted. "If you’re goin’ to use that as the standard then we shouldn’t actually be touchin’ at all, love, but point taken." He softened his voice before continuing.

"Your mates don’t seem too distraught about us bein’ together considerin’ how worried you were about them finding out."

"Well, Tara already knew and Dawn figured it out from something I said when I was hallucinating. Willow worked out bits. Tara told her others and the pair of us talked about it tonight while we were getting ready. Anya isn’t really in any position to comment. Neither’s Xander but I’m surprised he hasn’t made a bigger fuss…"

"Well, I think he might have made more of an impression if Anya hadn’t tripped him up before, and speaking of Anya, you do realise she isn’t wearing a pendant?"

"No, I hadn’t. You mean she’s still human?" Buffy asked.

"Don’t know, but after what happened the last time I would have thought she would keep it pretty close. If she really did go back to it. I didn’t want to ask in front of everybody. Specially not in the middle of all the wedding talk."

"Mmm, and you didn’t even bring up Xander running away once. Most restrained."

"Might’ve done, if Anya hadn’t been sitting there, but that sort of thing would hurt her more than him. She’s the one that got left. Besides, the two of you didn’t come out to watch me and him fight… Not that it’ll stop me if he starts something."

Buffy smiled at him. "Thank you, anyway." Her head dropped to rest on his shoulder, the silk of his violet-blue button-down shirt gently caressing her cheek.

"Pet?"

"Mmm?"

"Just exactly how long has the little blonde witch known about us?"

"Just before Katrina… I told her about the chip, and asked her to check out the resurrection spell. Then after, when she said there was nothing wrong. When she said there wasn’t any excuse for what I did… in the alley… for what we did… everything… she thought I meant you hit me… then…"

"Oh hell, love, I’m sorry. I should never have said those things that I did. I was just angry that you seemed to be tryin’ to shut me out. There’s nothing wrong with you. You are, were and will always be perfect. But that means when Pixie caught us at your party…"

"She already knew… yeah." Buffy smiled.

"Bloody wench had me squirmin’ all night, sayin’ how cute Mr Oblivious was 'n' how I should put ice on it and stuff. Wicked bint. I’ll have words with her later." Spike grinned and shook his head.

The song came to an end and after he let Buffy lead him back to their seat, Spike grabbed his coat and made the excuse of going outside for a cigarette. Really, he just wanted to wait until it was more comfortable to sit down. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to have a no touching rule whenever ‘Bit was about.

Xander watched Spike’s retreating back until he was swallowed up by the crowd around the bar. "So since when does Evil Dead care about where he smokes?"

Suddenly he was assailed from all sides. Anya administered another quick kick to his shin which actually didn’t hurt him at all thanks to the fact he had the orbs of Nezzla Kahn secreted about his person. All the other women chose to take simultaneous verbal exception.

"Grow up, Xander." Dawn’s voice was filled with the scorn that only teenagers can manage.

"Xander…" Willow, Tara and Buffy infused his name with varying degrees of anger, disappointment and warning.

Buffy decided it was time she drew a line in the sand. Then it was up to Xander to decide where he stood, and even though this was a personal matter when she spoke her voice carried the authority of the slayer. She didn’t raise her voice. Instead she exuded a quiet determination.

"Xander, it’s time you got off Spike’s case. He’s been changing for a long time now. He’s still a long way from perfect but he is a good man."

"He’s not-." Xander tried to refute Buffy’s claim, but was deterred by the glare Buffy sent his way.

"I hadn’t finished. I would say that over the last year you’ve probably spent multiple hours in our presence having your say about Spike, so how about you just listen and keep your mouth shut for five or ten minutes while I have mine?

Spike is a good man. He’s prepared to get himself dusted for your sorry ass and he doesn’t even like you, not that I blame him. Whenever he’s around you seem to think it’s okay to act like a jerk.

How often does the guy have to prove himself before you show some simple common decency? Y’know maybe if you learned how to act like a mature reasonable human being instead of a spoilt little kid there might be reasons other than consideration for my feelings as to why he’d want to keep you around. You’re always saying you need more male friends, well, newsflash, try being civil to the one other male that’s around.

Spike is not going to be going anywhere. I am not okay with the way you treat him. You may have a soul but that does not automatically make you superior. In fact, with the exception of Tara here, the most genuinely nice person I can think of is Clem. If Spike’s come so far that he wants to be good even though he doesn’t have the guilt about being bad that we would, I think that says more for him than having a soul would. Almost everything that he has done for the last year or more he has done because he loves me and Dawn. Well Xander, love conquers all.

He just had the chance to be Supervamp. He could have kept those ball thingies and he would be protected against the bulk of the injuries he picks up on patrol with me keeping this town safe for you and everyone else, day in day out, week in week out. Not just when there’s an emergency or when it fits with his social calendar. Hey, keeping those balls might even be enough to make the difference between living and dying if he’s attacked by a human, just being able to withstand someone’s attacks without taking damage, but he gave them to you.

He gave them to you because after the other night he includes Anya as one of the people who are his to protect, and Anya loves you, so you score because he doesn’t want to see her suffer if you get hurt. And the fact that anyone can see that unless something happens to change things, you two are going to end up beating the crap out of each other hasn’t escaped him. Nor has the fact that you can, on occasion, be a bitter, twisted, little… git, who’ll more likely than not use them to hurt him even more than you already could. And still he puts his feelings for Anya first, because he still doesn’t realise the man he’s become.

He still thinks of himself as one of the damned and worth less than any of the rest of us because of it. But I’m telling you now that you had better take a good look in the mirror and sort out whatever issues you have about vampires or about me with vampires. As your ex once told me "spank your inner moppet"; embrace the pain, do whatever you have to do to get over it. Just do it soon because if you try anything to split us up, or harm him, or even just harass him, I am not going to just let you get away with it like I let you get away with your part in the Acathla incident."

Seeing blank looks on the faces of the others, Buffy turned to Willow before she continued.

"Oh, right, I forgot Xander and me are the only ones who know what I mean by his part in the Acathla incident.

Yeah, Will, you know you asked Xander to tell me to try to stall the ritual until you could restore Angel’s soul? Well it turns out that, translated into Xander-speak, it came out as "Willow said to give him hell" or something like that."

Willow’s jaw dropped and she stared at her lifelong friend, her face filled with shock and disappointment.

Buffy continued on. "Angel spent half a millennium being tortured in hell because Xander decided your wishes, Jenny Calendar’s and mine were less important than his perverted satisfaction."

The slayer returned her attention to Xander. "You gambled with my life and the fate of the entire world. I was forced to send the man I loved to hell seconds after he regained his soul.

Yeah, I know you thought that had escaped everyone’s attention, Xander, but it hadn’t. By the time I worked out what had happened there was so much water under the bridge. It took so much effort to get back to where we were after the time I spent in LA recovering from what you forced me to do and I didn’t want to disillusion Will, so I left it. You got off free with that till now.

Just like you got away with summoning that demon for his little song and dance routine. He would have incinerated me if Spike hadn’t stopped it. He did make several people burn alive while we spent days researching something you already knew all about. You didn’t even own up to summoning him when the life-size puppet said that was why they’d taken Dawn. …Right up to the point where Giles worked out it had to be one of us, you thought if you just kept quiet you wouldn’t have to accept any responsibility, even if that meant he took Dawn or me. People almost certainly died because you chose to pretend ignorance and it doesn’t seem to bother you in the slightest. You haven’t shown the least hint of remorse. It’s like, oh- they died, but I didn’t know that would happen so it’s not my fault.

Spike? He blames himself for me dying and for every bad thing that’s happened to me since. When I’ve been a total bitch, he blames himself because if he hadn’t let me die I’d not have changed. He took a knife through the gut and a fall off a hundred-foot tower that broke half the bones in his body and still he tortures himself every night with things he could have done differently to protect Dawn and me on that tower.

If you didn’t know one was a soulless vampire and one human which one would you say was evil from the descriptions, Xander?"

Xander, fidgeted and avoided Buffy’s gaze, as most of the others at the table looked on stunned.

"He deserves some respect for the things he’s done and for how he’s changed. For too long I let you poison my mind rather than trust my own instincts, or Dawn’s. I screwed up this thing between us first time round because I let you make me feel ashamed of someone I should have been proud of. He’s the one who’s been there to support me whenever I’ve needed it this past year. He’s the only one who’s made it his business to notice when I need help without me asking. Don’t force me to choose between you. And don’t you dare let me hear you call him Evil anything ever again."

Buffy finally seemed to have reached the conclusion of her speech. She waited to see if Xander had any response to make, but whilst he was still contemplating the carpeting someone else decided to act.

Dawn moved to stand beside her sister. "What she said, except for the bits about going out with him. Spike’s been one of the good guys for a while now. Last summer no one had a problem with him. As soon as Buffy came back you and Giles both start treating him like shit again. Buffy doesn’t need you or want you to protect her. Especially when your version of being protective is just plain being a jerk." The younger Summers expressed her support. Both girls stood arms crossed in front of them, legs slightly apart most of their weight on their right leg and their left foot held heel down as if about to start tapping it in irritation. They made a formidable sight.

"Until you opened your big mouth, it seemed to me like Buffy was having a good time tonight and she hasn’t had too many of those in the last year. If you were really her friend maybe you would have taken the time to notice that and possibly even put two and two together as to why.

Right. I’m done. Are you done, Buffy?"

"I’m good."

"Wanna dance with your little sister?"

"Sure."

Anya looked over at her husband who now looked thoroughly miserable and sighed. "Didn’t I tell you if you pushed it, then it would be the relationship between you and Buffy that would suffer."

Shortly after, Spike dropped off another round of drinks at the table before heading onto the dance-floor to look for his women. He found them talking rather than dancing behind a staircase on the far side of the club. He came up behind Dawn putting his arms loosely around her waist and standing on tip-toe to kiss the top of her head before resting his chin on her shoulder to get a proper look at her sister and gauge how her confrontation had affected her.

"Are you two okay?" He pulled a travel pack of tissues from his coat pocket and passed it across to Buffy, who had been dabbing at her slightly pink eyes with her fingertips.

It was Dawn who answered rather than Buffy. "She kinda had a row with Xander."

"I know, pet, I heard some of it. I was on the way back to the table when I noticed. I figured it would only make things worse if I turned up in the middle of it. Thought Harris would take it worse if he thought I was standing gloating, so I made a detour to the bar, but I could still hear… and thank you, both of you, for the nice things you said about me." He reached across to Buffy gently using a knuckle under her chin to raise her head until she was looking at him. "It means a lot to me that you would do that."

"I’m kinda not sure that I should have," sniffled Buffy. "At least I think I overreacted a bit. I meant what I said but the middle of a group night out for Xander’s wedding probably wasn’t the best time or place. I feel like I should apologise… but I meant it all. And now I’ve spoiled the night for everybody."

"Pet, I couldn’t get you people to stop talking to each other when I was trying to. If I’ve done it when I’m not trying I’ll be bloody well cheesed off. Now dry your eyes, love. Say a big thank you to whoever invented waterproof mascara and both of you come dance for a bit before we all go face the music. If things are too bad when we go back to the table we can bugger off home or go find a table somewhere else. It’s all up to you."

Spike took the so far unused pack of tissues from the slayer and pulled one out. He dabbed gently below her eyes until he was satisfied. "You ready to come dance, pet?" he whispered next to her ear before brushing his lips across her cheek.

She smiled weakly over at him. "That’s all we ever do, isn’t it?"

"That it is, love. That it is."

Spike took her hand and followed Dawn onto the dance-floor.

The end.