Buffy woke up in a strange bed and for a moment she couldn't remember what had happened, then the memories came flooding back. She'd finally told Spike she was in love with him and he'd felt the same. After all this time they'd finally found a way to love each other the way they should and it had been glorious to be with him and fall asleep in his arms afterwards. That was when Buffy realised there were no arms around her now, only the bed clothes - had it all been a dream?

Tentatively she opened an eye and looked across the pillows. Spike was there, so maybe it had been real after all. He was gazing at her, with a look that proved just how much he loved her. For some unknown reason she felt quite shy.

"Hey" she said softly, shattering the silence of the bedroom.

"Hello, pet" he answered her and she frowned as she realised the problem with their situation, what was different from when she went to sleep.

"Why are you all the way over there?" she asked, noticing he was so close to the other edge of the bed he was almost falling out "We went to sleep closer than this, I remember"

"No reason" he shrugged, turning to stare up at the ceiling, and a pain shot through the Slayer's heart.

"Spike, I know you too well" she began, she could always tell when he was lying "do you regret it?" she asked with a crack in her voice "did you change your mind about us?" she hated to think it but he was acting so strangely and she had to know, had she left it too long for him to really care anymore?

"No, baby" he assured her, "don't ever think that" he told her, reaching a hand across to wipe away the lone tear that spilt down her cheek "I just, I don't..." Spike sighed as he pulled away from her again "what we did, it was different, for me"

"I don't understand" Buffy shook her head, momentarily catching sight of the clock on the table. It was just four hours since they'd been as close as they could be and now he barely wanted to touch her "I mean, it's not like we never did it before. Lots of different times, and lots of different ways..." she reminded him, sounding scarily like the Buffy-bot, but he didn't seem to notice as he interrupted her.

"No, before it was sex" he said sharply as if it were obvious what he meant, but Buffy couldn't for the life of her work it out.

"I'm sorry" she said, sitting up and pulling the covers around her naked body "but unless they changed it since the last time, I'm pretty sure there was sex have-age just now" she told him, getting a little aggravated about it now. It had meant so much to her and now he was acting like this...

"No-one ever..." Spike began, still not looking at her. He just couldn't verbalise what he was feeling, it was beyond him "When you kissed me, after you said you loved me" he started over, glancing over at her but not really looking "it was different, it felt different...no-one ever touched me that way before, not even you, and I never felt..." he looked over at her then and saw her bite her lip, convinced she was trying not to laugh he lost his temper.

"Oh, this is soddin' ridiculous" he yelled, throwing the covers aside and turning to sit on the edge of the bed. It didn't matter to him that he wasn't wearing anything, he just couldn't face looking at her if she was going to make fun of how he felt.

Finally Buffy had realised what this was all about, and she thought she would cry at how sweet it was, hence the lip bite-age. She scrambled across the bed until she was half sitting, half lying by his back.

"It's not ridiculous" she told him, putting a hand on his shoulder "and I think I know what you're trying to say now" she said as she pulled on his arm and made him turn to look at her "This might not have been the first time we did 'it'" she would've laughed at herself for being such a child if the moment weren't so serious "but...it was the first time we really made love. Is that it?" she asked him, relieved when he nodded in reply.

"Yeah, that's exactly it" he agreed, running a hand through the strands of hair that fell over her shoulder "You think I'm some lame joke of a poofter now, right?" he winced at the very idea his status as 'a real man' had been dented.

"How could I?" Buffy smiled slightly, as she pulled herself up beside him "You mean so much to me" she told him as she kissed his face "and y'know, I felt it too"

As soon as she'd said it, his lips were on hers, a kiss full of passion and love. She understood him like no-one else could, but she'd never understood his love for her. Now she loved him, truly and completely, and it was all he'd ever wanted.

"I've never loved anyone the way I love you" he told her as the kiss finally ended and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her body tight to his "and nobody ever loved me the way you do, and...it terrifies me"

"It doesn't have to be terrifying" she told him, pulling back until she could see his face again "You weren't terrified before, were you?"

"No" he admitted "but I can't be scared when we're..." he trailed off.

"Making love?" Buffy supplied, knowing the term seemed foreign to him, loving the fact she could make him go all embarrassed that way. The Big Bad reduced to a bashful young man at her words and her touch - that was some power to have.

"Yeah, when we're making love" he agreed with a slight smile, knowing he'd be blushing bright red if he were able. She smiled too, but just for a moment before she kissed him and they were serious again.

"So stop being scared" she said softly, pulling him closer and leaning back until they were lying together again, their bodies entwined. Their hands began to roam once more, the sensation of his cool skin against hers was exhilarating and she knew he felt something similar as they kissed, caressed, and loved each other.

"Make love to me again, William" she whispered in his ear, unable to stop herself from gasping as he began to do just that.

This is how it was supposed to be, they both felt it, they both knew. This was love - true, real, beautiful. Nothing had ever felt this wonderful, and nothing ever could.

- - - - - - - - - -

As the next morning dawned, Spike realised he had hardly slept at all, and yet he wasn't in the least bit tired. Last night, for the first time in his existence he had made love with a woman he adored. Where they went from here, it didn't really matter, all there was in his world right now was his love for Buffy and hers for him.

He looked down at her lying beside him and revelled at the feel of her in his arms. She'd been there before, willingly on no less than three occasions, and they'd been intimate more times than he could count, but there'd never been a night when they'd truly made love, and definitely not a time when they'd held each other like this afterwards, not until now.

"Hey, you" she smiled as she opened her eyes at last, so pleased he was still holding her this time, so elated after the nights events.

"Mornin' pet" he smiled back, kissing her briefly, "You sleep okay?" he asked, knowing she must've since he'd been watching her for hours.

"Better than I have in a long time" she told him solemnly, "but I was afraid to wake up" she admitted, "in case I'd dreamt it all"

He kissed her again with some passion.

"That felt real to me" he grinned and she did the same.

"To me too" she agreed, "but maybe we should just check" she added, leaning in again. As their tongues did battle, his hand slid from her shoulder right down the length of her body making her shiver in a delightful way. She pulled away a little, still smiling.

"If we carry on this way, we're never going to get up" she pointed out, holding him as arms length and giggling as he tried to kiss her again.

"I can assure you pet, I'm already 'up" he smirked and she gave him a look that said that wasn't what she meant.

"Does it matter if we don't get out of bed right now?" he asked as her resistance crumbled and his lips found hers again, making her go weak against him.

"I guess not" she agreed between kisses as she reciprocated, ironically making him feel more alive than he ever had before.

- - - - - - - - - -

It was several hours later when the Slayer and the vampire finally emerged from her room, holding hands and smiling widely. Fred was a little surprised to see them as she rounded the corner and literally walked straight into Spike.

"Oh hey Spike..and Buffy, how come you're still here?" she asked.

"Well, it all started with Connor..." the Slayer began and Fred frowned as she asked who he was. Spike rolled his eyes at Buffy, reminding he that no-one else's memories had returned so talking about Angel's son was pointless.

"That doesn't matter right now, pet" he told his Texan friend, "the fact is, Buffy didn't leave last night and...I didn't exactly use my own bed" he smirked as he raised the hand that held Buffy's so Fred could see.

"Oh my God" Fred was so thrilled for her friends but also a little embarrassed that she'd just been told they slept together. Her hands went to her face as she gasped from the surprise, but as soon as the shock passed she launched herself at Spike and hugged him tight. He was a little surprised but pleasantly so.

"Congratulations" Fred bounced on her toes as she squeezed him, "I'm so happy for you"

"Thanks, luv" the vampire laughed as Fred moved on to hugging Buffy.

The commotion alerted Gunn and Wesley who were in the latters office just a few feet away. They emerged and asked what was going on, but didn't require an answer as Gunn figured it out for himself.

"Given the fact we still have a Slayer in the building, and she and the vamp here both look like they slept with hangers in their mouths, I'm guessing love is in the air after all?" he grinned.

"Too bloody right" Spike agreed, causing everyone to smile.

These two deserved some happiness after all they'd been through, and if they could find that happiness together then so much the better.

"So does this mean you're staying here Buffy?" Fred piped up after a while. Buffy shared a look with Spike and frowned momentarily.

"I don't know whats gonna happen next" she shrugged, "I just know that I'm in love"

Spike moved to kiss her then but didn't quite make contact with her lips when she gasped.

"Oh my God! The gang are expecting me back in England!" she said worriedly, "Giles is probably at the airport right now going crazy cos I'm not there!"

Wesley checked his watch.

"No, not yet" he assured her, "With the length of the flight and the time difference, they wouldn't be expecting you for a couple more hours. If you were to go and telephone them now I'm sure they'd still be at the Centre"

"Then we should go call them" Buffy said urgently, grabbing hold of Spike's hand and darting towards he elevator.

"I'll see you guys later" Spike called over his shoulder as he was happily dragged back to the Slayers room. He loved that she loved him, and if she wanted to drag him around all day then so be it, he'd follow her anywhere.

They had the elevator to themselves and took full advantage of the fact they had to go up more than twenty floors, by the time they got to the top they barely noticed the doors had opened.

"There's time for that later" Buffy giggled as she pulled herself away and they went into the apartment. They sat down on the sofa together and Buffy pulled the phone on the table over towards herself, punching in the number for the Slayer Training Centre in London. Spike clicked the button for speaker phone and began to attack his girlfriend with kisses to her neck until someone picked up the line.

"Slayer Training Centre, this is Andrew speaking, how may I help you?"

Spike looked at the phone in horror as the geeks voice penetrated the room. Buffy laughed at his expression.

"Andrew, it's Buffy" she said, seriously as she could, "Is Giles around?"

"Oh sure, just a sec" he told her, before yelling 'Mr Giles!' at the top of his voice. Both Buffy and Spike heard the Englishman complain at having his name screamed across the building before he finally took hold of the phone and said hello.

"Hey Giles, it's Buffy" she told him, "I'm still in LA, I kinda missed my plane"

"Oh Buffy, I'm so sorry about Angel" he said, making her stop giggling immediately. She'd been having such a wonderful loved-filled time with Spike these passed few hours, now she felt horribly guilty for not spending enough time grieving, "As you know there was no love lost between him and myself" Giles continued, "but I know how much you cared for him"

"I did" she agreed, a crack in her voice, "very much"

"And I hear that another vampire is not as dead as we assumed" the ex-Watcher commented, waiting for Buffy's reaction. Instead he heard Spike's voice.

"You heard right, Rupes" he smirked, "How are you, you old git?"

Buffy laughed as she playfully hit him across the chest.

"I'm sorry Giles I should have warned you, you were on speaker phone" she said, "and also that Spike is sitting right next to me"

"Indeed" came his answer and Buffy took a deep breath, gripping Spike's hand before she spoke again.

"Giles, I know you have a lot of questions, I'm sure everybody does, but right now I don't even think I know the answers, all I do know is that I'm so glad Spike is back. I've realised I'm in love with him Giles and we are going to be together"

There was silence on the other end of the line and Spike felt bad. Giles had never approved of his love for Buffy and now she'd told him they were going to be together no matter what, he worried what the Slayer's father figure would say.

"Giles?" Buffy prompted, looking afraid, but she needn't have done.

"I'm very happy for you Buffy" he said eventually and she sighed with pure relief.

"You're happy that me and the Slayer are loved up and shagging again?" Spike gasped in disbelief. Obviously he was very pleased that Buffy wasn't going to lose her 'family' over this but it surprised him greatly.

"Perhaps that was slightly more information than I required" Giles admitted, uncomfortably, "but I know Buffy was never the same after you...left. She sounds so happy now, how can I not be equally so on her behalf"

"Thankyou, Giles" the Slayer grinned, tears of joy and relief falling from her eyes as Spike hugged her close, "That means so much to me"

"Hey Watcher" the vampire called, "could you stick the Bit on the line, I need a word with her, but don't tell her who it is"

"Oh, yes indeed" Rupert stammered as he translated the sentence into plain English and realised Spike wanted to speak to Dawn. A few moments later she took the phone from him and cautiously asked who was there.

"Hello, Little Bit" Spike said with a smile, so pleased to hear her voice again.

"Spike!" she screeched, "Oh my God! It's so great to hear you!" she enthused, "When Buffy said you weren't really gone, I could hardly believe it but...I missed you so much" she sounded and felt like the kid she'd been five years ago when she'd lost him. Despite all that had occurred between him and Buffy, Dawn couldn't help but feel affection for the vampire.

"Missed you too pet" Spike assured her, feeling stupid that he had to blink hard in order to keep the tears in his eyes from falling. Dawn was somewhere between a sister and a daughter to him and he loved her as much as he loved Buffy, though obviously not in the same way.

They chatted a while longer, and then Willow and Xander got their turn on the phone. When Buffy suddenly realised the size of the phone bill she must be causing she hung up, promising to call again soon and let them know as soon as she knew when she'd be coming home.

The whole thing had got Buffy thinking about the future and where they would go from here. She couldn't just assume that Spike would want to come back to England with her, and she wasn't sure that she wanted to stay in LA.

"Spike?" she tried to get his attention off her body for five seconds and onto her words, "Spike will you stop and listen to me" she laughed as he finally stopped kissing her and moved so they were both sitting upright on the sofa, still she remained in his arms.

"What happens next?" she asked him seriously.

"Well" he began "we kiss some more, I find the zip on this bloody dress of yours and we head for the bedroom, then..."

"Spike!" she snapped as his hand wandered across her body, "I didn't mean that! I think we proved last night that we know how that works!" she laughed lightly, "I mean, what happens next with us?" she wanted to know, "Do I stay here? Do you want to come back to England?"

"I don't care Slayer" he told her, "So long as I'm with you, I just don't care"

"You'd give up your life here in LA, move all the way to London and work at the Centre, you'd do all that for me?" she asked, a little surprised.

Spike ran his fingers down her cheek and smiled.

"Buffy, I've fought for you, taken torture for you, I've even died for you. Moving half way across the world is the least of my worries"

She smiled too then, knowing it was true and wishing she'd realised her feelings for him sooner, maybe then neither of them would have had to suffer so much.

"I love you" she said with certainty, "You do know that, don't you?"

"I know it" he assured her, "And I love you too, okay?"

"Okay" she nodded, kissing him once again. It seemed that was going to be one of the main activities of the day, but no-one was complaining about that!

"Hello mate" Spike greeted as he and Buffy walked, hand in hand, into the conference room where Connor had been asked to wait.

"Hi, Spike" he replied, smiling, which the vampire took to be a good sign. After Angel's stories about the boy a small part of him had been fretting about running into the pointy end of a stake too soon.

"Connor, I hope you don't mind that Spike brought me along" Buffy smiled good-naturedly at the young man, "He told me all about you and...well, I can leave if you want to talk to him alone"
"No, it's fine" Connor assured her as all three of them sat down.

There was silence for a while til Buffy shot Spike a look telling him to say something, anything, to the poor kid on the other side of the table.

"Er, so, you okay?" he asked awkwardly and the Slayer fought the urge to laugh at how bad he was at this, but he got points for effort at least.

"I'm fine" Connor nodded, "actually better than fine, but I have something to tell you and I'm not entirely sure you'll like it"

"Try us and see" Buffy offered, pretty certain that she'd heard worse things than he was about to tell her, she'd heard, seen, and fought just about all the worst things there were before she was twenty-five!

Connor sighed as she stood up and turned to look out of the window.

"I'm different" he announced as if it weren't obvious, "I always knew there was something but I never knew what...it's like my mom, the woman I call mom, she says it's like when you go out and think you left the iron on or something"

"I hate that!" Buffy commented on the analogy, not thinking about the fact she was interrupting something important until Spike shot her a look and she mouthed an apology to him. Connor, it seemed, didn't notice at all.

"Anyway, when I had the dreams and the memories came back, then I knew why I was different, and it was like this missing piece fell into place. I know where I really come from now" he continued, turning back to face his audience, "I know why I felt different, even though I'm not so different anymore"

"Okay, now you've lost me, mate" Spike admitted with a shake of his head.

"I don't have powers anymore" Connor said simply, "No strength or speed or extra-special hearing, I know that I used to have them before but now I'm just me, I'm human"

"Wow" Buffy commented, not intentionally aloud, "A little surprising" she admitted.

"No, it's not" Spike smirked at her and then a gaping Connor.

"You knew" the boy realised - it was a statement and not a question.

"Of course I bloody knew" Spike rolled his eyes, "Vampire here, remember?" he gestured towards himself with his hand, "I may have the soul and all that rot but I'm still a demon, if you had a trace of your demon self left I'd feel that too"

"Yeah, I guess I would too" Buffy considered, "Being a Slayer and all"

"And you don't get any...'vibes' off me" the boy air-quoted, unsure which was the best term to use.

"There's something" Spike admitted, "Somethin' in the scent, but that's pretty much a blood thing, what with my grand-sire being your Dad and all that..." he rambled on but Buffy interrupted, noticing how quiet and still Connor had become.

"Are you okay?" she asked, getting up from her seat and moving to stand by his chair instead, "I mean, with the whole non-special deal" she checked, reaching out a had to his arm.

"I'm okay" he promised looking up at her and placing his hand over hers, "I have another life now, people who care about me and love me...I needed to know where I came from, but I'm happy with the existence I have now"

"I get that" the Slayer nodded, as the two shared a smile. Spike cleared his throat unnecessarily loudly.

"I hate to break up the touchy-feelies" he said when he got both their attention, "but you happen to have your hands on my woman" he announced, only slightly joking.

Buffy rolled her eyes as she walked around the table and smacked him playfully across the shoulder as she sat down beside him again.

"You two are...dating?" Connor looked puzzled, this was a vampire and a Slayer after all, although it was no different to his Dad dating Buffy all those years ago.

"It's a little more that just 'dating'" Spike snapped, almost annoyed by the accusation that it was not a completely serious eternal-love type deal between him and his Slayer.

"It's kind of a love thing" Buffy grinned, picking up Spike's left hand in both of hers and kissing it to calm him down, "We were heading back to England in a couple of days but it's a good thing that you came around, Spike didn't wanna leave til he'd made sure you were okay"

"Easy Slayer" the vampire snapped indignantly, "You'll have the boy thinkin' I care or something" he couldn't help but smile slightly on the last part, giving away the fact that he did have some kind of feeling for Connor, didn't like the idea of him being alone and confused and such.

"Well, now you know I'm fine" the now normal miracle child grinned, "So you can go to England and be in love and do whatever it is that you do" he shook his head as he realised he actually had no idea.

"That was the plan" Spike told him, turning to kiss the Slayer and almost touching his lips to hers when she suddenly shouted, "Oh, Connor, you should so come to our party!" she realised, leaving Spike mid-pout with no-one to kiss, "It's kind of a bon voyage thing for us, we'd love for you to be there tonight"

"I would" Connor told her, "but it'd be awkward. Wesley and Gunn and Fred, I remember all of them but they have no idea about me"

Buffy nodded sadly that she understood, it was sort of a shame really.

"Besides" Connor looked embarrassed when he added, "I kind of have an anniversary-type date with my girlfriend anyway"

Spike opened his mouth to make some smart ass comment and Buffy took the opportunity to give him that kiss he'd seemed to want before, anything to stop him from further embarrassing the poor boy!

After that there were the goodbyes, hand-shakes, hugs, and kisses. The Slayer gave her ex-loves son a piece of paper with the address and phone number of the Slayer Training Centre on it, just in case he ever needed them and Connor wished the pair luck in whatever they did.

"Well, that went better than I thought" Spike sighed after Connor had left the room and Buffy went into his arms to hug him, "Although I still feel sort of bad, flitting off and leaving him here without anyone who knows the soddin' truth" he admitted.

Buffy reached up to kiss him soundly, smiling as they parted.

"You really are just a big softy underneath it all, aren't you?" she grinned, knowing that even as a joke that would piss him off some.

"Hey, you take that back!" he warned her, "Or I'll show you just how much of an animal I can be"

"Ooh, is that a promise" she smiled suggestively, breaking into giggles as he growled and attacked her neck with kisses, before picking her up and carrying her back up to her room. They had a couple of hours before the party, and what better way to kill time than to spend it in bed, just loving each other unconditionally.

- - - - - - - - -

"Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends" Lorne spread his arms wide as he entered his night-club, followed by Buffy whom he was addressing. She was tucked under Spike's arm, just where she liked to be, and Wes and Fred followed behind with Gunn bringing up the rear.

"It's beautiful, Lorne" the Slayer grinned, "I have no frame of reference since I sadly never saw the original" she admitted, "but this is an amazing place"

The new Caritas had been built on the site of the old one but it had been entirely re-vamped, no pun intended despite a few demonic clientele that fit the bill. The money and resources the old AI gang had acquired when taking over the LA branch of Wolfram and Hart, meant re-building the club was simply simple! Plus the access to ancient texts and books, as well as mystical people and creatures, meant finding a better protection / anti-violence spell was easy too. Caritas was truly the sanctuary for all, that it should always have been.

The party kicked off in true Lorne style as he took the stage and broke into song. The order of the night was mostly love songs, and the kareoke was put on hold for this evening so The Host's special guests could enjoy dancing to real tunes and not the garbled squawking of various guidance-seeking demons and humans alike.

There were of course drinks and Buffy took great delight in picking out weird and wonderfully named cocktails for the bar staff to concoct for her. There was no bill to pay, just pretty liquids with cherries and umbrellas to consume, or straight up spirits if you were Spike.

He was trying to encourage Buffy to have a non-alcoholic drink every now and again, but the Slayer was well past sober by then and wasn't really paying attention. The vampire didn't want her getting completely smashed but she seemed to be coping, just a lot more giggly than usual.

"Oh, look at the pretty lights" she gasped, looking up at the ceiling, tipping so far back that the barstool began to tilt too. Spike stood up behind her in a flash, setting the seat back straight and warning her that maybe she'd like to stop looking at the ceiling now.

"Do you realise how much I love you?" she said suddenly, not in the least bit giggly for that moment.

"Probably not" he smiled, pushing her hair off of her face. She'd spent so long asking 'Do you realise how much I hate you?'. As much as he believed now that she loved him and could accept it, it still surprised him when she said the words.

Buffy knew she didn't have a real answer to her question. There just weren't words for how much she really cared for Spike. It'd taken her so long to realise and now that she had, the feelings over-whelmed her.

Leaning forward she put her lips to his and kissed him passionately, almost knocking them both off their stools. Spike was only glad he didn't have to spoil the moment by stopping to breathe, unfortunately, Buffy did.

"You understand now?" she grinned as she stayed leaned into him, forehead resting against his.

"I think I'm gettin' it" he smiled back, rolling his eyes when he realised the rest of the LA gang were watching the exchange.

"You have to be the cutest couple ever" Fred blurted out. She quickly stepped further into Wesley's embrace when Spike shot her what was supposed to be an evil look, though he didn't pull them off half so well these days.

"I am not cute" he said grumpily, making Buffy laugh again, "C'mon Slayer" he urged, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet, "You know you wanna dance"

"In a minute" she promised, as he pulled on her hand and she fell into his arms, "First, I have to go..." she tilted her head to the left, and he kissed her briefly before releasing his hold on her so she could go to the ladies room. At least, that's where he assumed she'd been going. As he turned back to lean on the bar and order another drink, Buffy stepped up onto the stage and whispered in Lorne's ear...

"Good evening you bunch of beautiful people" the green demon grinned as he addressed the crowd through the microphone once again "Well, have I got a sweet treat for you? Tonight some of my very best friends are here and we're sadly saying bon voyage to two very special people as they head off to that little jewel of a place that is England" Spike turned to look up at the stage, feeling bad that Buffy was missing this, "Point is folks, these two are so in love it makes me wanna sing, but I've done quite enough of that tonight, right? So I'm gonna pass the mike on over to the girl herself cos she has a little something she wants to say to her lover-boy. Ladies and gentleman, Buffy Summers"

Spike's mouth dropped wide open as his Slayer stepped into the spot light. Lorne passed her the microphone and disappeared.

"Hello LA" she grinned, squinting slightly against the bright light that shone on her alone "Okay, now, I've never done anything like this before and I admit it did take several drinks for me to get up the courage to stand here in the pretty lights with the mike in my hand" she giggled a little before becoming completely serious again "but my being a little drunk does not mean I don't mean what I say" she said solemnly, looking over at the vampire she adored "Spike you know better than anyone how I like to make inspirational speeches, well, this is a little different" she smirked slightly as she pointed her finger at him "but you better appreciate this buster, or you know I'll kick your British ass!" he laughed at that but soon fell silent along with the rest of the club as the music started to play. A few bars of instrumental he was almost ashamed to say he recognised and then Buffy herself began to sing.

"You took the mystery and make me want it / You got a pedestal and put me on it / You made me love you out of feeling nothing / Something that you do!" she was no Diana Ross but Buffy was singing her heart out and every word meant something regarding her relationship with Spike. He had to admit, he'd never really paid attention to the lyrics of the song before, but now he was.

"And I was there not dancing with anyone / You took a little then you took me over / You set your mark on stealing my heart away / Crying, trying anything for you" he noticed the way she emphasised 'dancing' in that line, clearly remembering how he'd told her it was all they'd ever done. He still believed it was how their fights had been, beautiful dances that were never supposed to end. "I'm in the middle of a chain reaction / You give me all the after midnight action / I wanna get you where I can let you make all that love to me" she really threw herself into the chorus, smiling in an appropriately sexy fashion at the man she loved, who was still shocked but smiling at her performance. He thought they'd come to a stage in their relationship when she just couldn't surprise him anymore - seems he was wrong. "I'm on a journey for the inspiration / To anywhere and there ain't no salvation / I need you to get me nearer to you / So you can set me free" she beckoned for him to join her on stage and he shook his head in the negative. "We talk about love, love, love / We talk about love"

Somehow she managed to pout as she sang, in that way that made him feel so guilty. With a roll of his eyes he strode across the floor and hopped up on the edge of the stage.

"We talk about love, love, love / We talk about love" she continued to sing, smiling now as she leant her back against his chest and loved the feel of his arms around her waist.

"You make me tremble when your hand goes lower / You taste a little and you swallow slower" she continued, turning in his arms and running the fingers of her left hand over his face and hair as she held the mike in her right and never stopped singing for him.

"Nature has a way of yielding treasure / Pleasure made for you. / You gotta plan your future is on the run / Shine a light for the whole world over / You never find your love if you hide away / Crying, dying, all you gotta do is" she practically yelled as she broke into the next chorus and Spike turned her around to hold her back tight to him again as they moved to the rhythm. In all honesty, being pressed up against him like this was having an adverse effect on Buffy's singing, but she didn't care at all.

"Get in the middle of the chain reaction / You get a medal when you're lost in action / I wanna get your love already for sweet sensation / Instant radiation / You let me hold you for the first explosion / We get a picture of our love in motion / My arms will cover, my lips will smother you / With no more left to say..." Buffy really couldn't manage another word as Spikes lips attacked her neck, kissing and pretending to bite. She took the mike away from her face as she collapsed into uncontrollably giggles in his arms. She knew she'd just made such a fool of herself but she just wanted to do something special, and the song fitted them so well.

The backing vocals played on by themselves as other patrons of the club clapped and cheered at the performance, only growing louder when the Slayer turned in her lovers arms and kissed him soundly, letting the microphone drop to the floor as she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close.

"I love you" she told him breathlessly.

"'Love you too, pet" he promised, "but y'know" he whispered in her ear, "Anything you can do..." he trailed off as he let go of her and walked towards Lorne who'd just come back onto the stage.

"Oh God" Buffy gasped, still laughing as she realised what he meant - anything you can do, I can do better! Was he really going to sing? He held his hand over the mike and whispered in Lorne's ear before they both grinned and the vampire headed back towards the Slayer.

"I thought you were gonna sing?" she frowned a little, kind of disappointed. She remembered he had a good voice from when he'd sung to her under Sweet's spell and those couple of times she'd heard him in the shower at her house in the months before the fall of Sunnydale...

"Don't be daft, pet" he smirked, grabbing her hand and leading her off the stage. As they reached the dancefloor he pulled her impossibly close and whispered to her; "Not when I could be dancing with you"

The lights in the whole place dimmed on Lorne's signal and two spotlights shone through the dark, one on the demon himself and one of the couple in the centre of the floor.

"What's going on?" Buffy asked, suddenly a little embarrassed as so many eyes watched her, and feeling slightly faint from the intensity of the love she could see in Spike's eyes.

He didn't answer her question, merely smiled as the music started up again and Lorne's voice reached their ears.

"It must have been cold there in my shadow, to never have sunlight on your face..."

Buffy smiled shakily as tears rolled from her eyes. This was their song, her and Spikes. He'd remembered way back over eight years ago now, to that spell Willow had cast and they'd gotten engaged. The love had been less real then but ever since declaring this should be the melody of the first dance at their wedding, Buffy could not hear it without remembering the wonderful feeling of being in love with Spike. Now they loved each other deeply and it was so real and beautiful.

"I love you Spike" Buffy told him, burying her tear-stained face in his shoulder and gripping him tightly as if he might disappear, "I was so lost without you"

He moved until he could see her face again and brought up a hand to remove the water from her cheeks.

"You don't have to be without me anymore" he assured her, moving her hair off of her face "that's what this is about, the song and everything. It's to say that I love you more than un-life itself. It's my promise to never leave you again. I swear, Slayer, by your side is where I belong and it's where I'm always going to be"

Buffy had no more words to say. What could she say to follow such a declaration? She wanted him to know she felt the same but to say it didn't seem enough somehow. Instead she reached up and kissed him, showing him just what he meant to her.

"Did you ever know that you're my hero, and everything I would like to be. Now I can fly higher than an eagle, cos you are the wind beneath my wings"

When the kiss ended they held each other close, swaying gently to the music and Buffy had a thought.

"Y'know it's kind of a shame this song isn't literal" she mused, reminding Spike that for all her seriousness before she was still a little drunk, "It'd save a whole lot of plane fuel when we head back to England"

Spike laughed lightly and kissed the top of her head.

"I do love you, Slayer" he smiled in amusement at her words, truly meaning that he adored every aspect of her. He only hoped things could stay this way when they did head back to her new home. The Scoobies weren't exactly his biggest fans. Would it all turn out as Buffy thought it would? Spike resigned himself to think of it no more tonight. He could worry about tomorrow when it came along. For now, he would just enjoy holding Buffy in his arms, loving and being loved, unconditionally.

"Well, that's the last of it" Spike sighed as he put the final couple of items into his suitcase. It amazed Buffy that a man who'd seen more than a century pass had so few belongings to show for it. Just one semi-large suitcase, that was everything, and here she was with enough luggage to sink a battle cruiser for just a few days stay!

"You're gonna miss it, aren't you?" Buffy realised as she went to his side and hugged him, "Wolfram & Hart and the gang"

"S'pose so" he agreed wrapping his arms around her too and kissing the top of her head, "but not half as much as I'd miss you if I lost you again"

"You won't ever" she promised, kissing him to seal the deal, "but it's gonna be crazy when we get back to England"

"There's going to be some people who aren't so pleased to see me y'know" he said sadly, "Not that the Watcher or the Whelp ever really bothered me but...I don't want there to be anymore conflict in your life than there has to be, luv" he told her, playing with her hair.

"You don't have to worry about me" she smiled, actually loving that he did, "Everyone's grown up a lot these past five years, even Xander...even Wood"

Spike laughed a little at that.

"I still can't believe he's managed to tame the wild Slayer" he chuckled, "Her type aren't usually so easily domesticated. Evil and all that"

"You changed" she pointed out, "Got a soul and everything"

"For you" he reminded her, "That's the only way to really make a change like that, you have to have something real to do it for. I guess Faith's got it bad enough for the Educator she'd found her way. My love for you was what saved me"

"Y'know for a guy who used to suck at poetry" Buffy smiled up at him, "You says some beautiful things some times"

He smiled back at her, before they both leaned in and kissed again.

"Seems to me we should get going, before I change my mind and drag you back to bed" Spike told her as they pulled apart at last.

"Let's go" she laughed as he picked up his bag and took one last look at the room before leaving, hand in hand with his Slayer.

They rode the elevator down to Wesley's office where the gang had congregated. Buffy moved down the line, hugging them all as they wished her luck and promised to visit sometime. Then Spike stepped up to say goodbye to the make-shift family he'd been with for the past five years.

"Goodbye Spike" Wesley smiled at the vampire, holding out his hand to shake. Spike took hold of the hand and pulled the ex-Watcher into a manly hug. The bloke had been a good mate to him when he had no reason to want to be. He'd never forget that, though he'd also never admit as long as he existed that he'd just voluntarily hugged a fellow male! Next he hugged Fred, thanking both her and Wes for their friendship and wishing them all the happiness in the world together. She cried a few tears as she told him how much she would miss him and how cute he and Buffy were together.

"Silly bint" Spike joked, hugging her one last time before moving down the line and being pulled into an uncomfortable hug by Lorne.

"Leave off, you silly bugger" he cried, not really as annoyed as he seemed, as he pulled away and straightened his coat, "Don't want you wrinkling the leather" he winked.

Spike was a marvel to Lorne. He never needed to be singing for the empath to get a clear reading. He wore his heart on his sleeve, his emotions clear to anyone who bothered to look. Lorne knew without a doubt that Spike and Buffy were made for each other and that they'd be happy together for a long time to come.

Spike moved on to shake hands with Gunn, who also wished him luck for the future.

"And y'know I'm gonna be taking my vacations where you're at" he grinned, "A whole huge building full of mighty fine, incredibly flexible, extra tough women? Who wouldn't wanna be there?" he said sincerely, making the girls frown a little and the guys try not to react to the pleasing imagery.

"I think it's time we were leaving" Buffy realised, checking her watch, "You ready?" she asked Spike as he came to stand by her side once again.

"Never been more so, pet" he told her with a smile. He had come to like his life here in LA, but it was never going to be home. He only felt truly at peace when Buffy was by his side, and now she would be, always.

- - - - - - - - - -

Buffy slept for most of the flight back to England, it was already dark when they'd left Los Angeles and she was tired before they even started their journey. Spike was glad that the windows of the W&H private jet were made of the same protective glass as the windows in the office block, letting him travel without the risk of frying half way across the Atlantic. He himself couldn't sleep, there were too many thoughts filling his head.

What would all the Scoobies be like now? Would they look different or act differently, it'd been five years after all, and Buffy had said they'd grown up. Would they treat him differently now? Accept him more? All the questions made the vampire's head spin so he tried to put them out of his mind, instead concentrating on all the definite positives of this trip.

He was going to be with Buffy, forever it seemed since they were both so in love with each other. He would be working and fighting by her side again, with the added bonuses of being her friend and her lover.

She was sleeping on the seat beside him, her head resting on his shoulder and his arm around her back. After so many hours he was glad he didn't have circulation since he was certain she'd be cutting it off by now. She looked like an angel, bathed in the moonlight from the window, and leaning over he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Comparing her to a heavenly body reminded him of the grand-sire that bore the name. It was still weird and sort of strangely painful to know the Poof was dust, and seemingly for good this time. Still, death was a part of life, even for the living dead like them. There is a time to be born and a time to die, and eventually it came to everyone.

Spike looked down at Buffy and then back out at the sky. If there was one thing he'd learnt in his long existence, both vampire and man, it was that you had to take a chance. Grab what you want with both hands and don't ever let it go.

Now he had Buffy here in his grasp, and he wasn't ever going to let her go. He hoped she'd still feel the same about him when they arrived back in London and had to face her friends.

"Buffy, luv" Spike nudged her awake as the pilot told him they were about to land, "Time to wake up, sweetheart"

He kissed the top of her head as she stirred. Her eyes flickered but didn't fully open.

"I was dreaming" she smiled as she stretched a little, loving the feeling of his body next to her own, in truth she was only half aware of her surroundings "We were on the beach and it was so warm, and you were rubbing lotion on my back..."

Spike's whole body stiffened at her words. A pretty dream, but not one that he could ever make come true. Sunny days on the beach were not something he would be enjoying in this lifetime, all he could offer was the dark. He was sort of glad the Slayer was not fully awake and did not seem to notice how tense he'd become. He tried to relax and go back to less life-changing worries, like how the Scoobies would react to him these days, but in the back of his mind he was a little panicked.

"Buffy" he jostled her fully awake this time, "We're landing, luv, you have to wake up"

She came to with a bit of a start, he'd shook her a little more roughly than he meant to but she didn't say anything about it. She looked over at him and tried to read the odd expression on his face but it wasn't one she'd ever seen before from him. She blinked a few times and when she looked back he was smiling at her again, maybe a little nervous but pretty normal. Maybe she'd just imagined it.

The plane was soon on the ground and their luggage was unloaded for them. This was it - crunch time for Spike. All worries, stupid or not, were pushed aside as Buffy's hand held his tight and they walked off the plane and then through the airport building. The first person to spot them was Dawn who came barrelling through the crowds, almost knocking Spike down as she ran into his arms.

"Hello Nibblet" he said as he hugged her, glad he didn't need to breathe as her arms held him tight.

"Spike, we missed you so much" she told him, tears running down her face, still refusing to let go of him. They'd gone through a tricky patch in their sibling-type relationship when things had gone horribly wrong between Buffy and Spike, but when he'd made that ultimate sacrifice and she knew she'd never see him again, Dawn hadn't felt a pain like that since she lost her mother and her sister. Now he was back and words couldn't express how pleased she was, especially since it seemed he and Buffy were in love for real this time.

"Dawn, I think your sister would like a hug too" Spike smirked, gently easing the young woman off him when he caught the semi-jealous look Buffy was giving them. As the Summers sisters moved to hug each other, Spike was surprised to find Willow reaching for him.

"It's good to see you, Spike" she smiled after she'd hugged him briefly and despite his shock he managed to smile back and thank her. Next Giles shook his hand and the witch nudged Xander until he gave in and did the same.

Meanwhile, Faith had moved around to Buffy's side. The two shared a look of understanding and both were surprised to see tears on each others faces as well as feeling them on their own cheeks.

They'd both loved Angel in their own ways, and he'd changed both their lives. Now he was gone, and as much as they both had new lives to live now without the souled vampire in them, his loss was felt deeply still.

"I'm sorry, B" the dark-haired Slayer choked out, "I know what he meant to ya"

"To you too" the blonde replied, before they finally gave up on being the strong ones and hugged each other as they cried. They were rarely so willing to be close, though they did have a kind of friendship these days. Still, there were few who fully understood how they felt about losing Angel.

"Here" Buffy said, sniffing as she pulled away and reached into her pocket. She handed Faith a crumpled envelope and the two women looked at each other.

"From Angel?" Faith checked.

Buffy nodded, swallowing hard so she could reply.

"I got one too, and the gang in LA" she explained, "It's...he knew eventually...he wanted to say goodbye" she stumbled through the broken sentence trying to stop her tears and failing badly. Spike was soon by her side again. Without a word he wrapped his arms around her and held her close as she sobbed.

"How're things, Faith?" he asked the other Slayer over Buffy's shoulder.

"They've been worse" she half-smiled, "You?"

"Not so bad" he nodded, returning the expression as Robin appeared behind Faith and was soon hugging her too. Spike had nothing much to say to the ex-Principal and it was clear Wood felt the same. They shared a small nod to show they acknowledged each others existence but there was a long way to go before even civility existed between them.

The Scoobies helped pick up Buffy and Spike's luggage and headed out to the waiting cars. No matter what changed, the vampire was sort of glad that one thing was constant as Giles began vigorously polishing his glasses.

"Could we please get a move on!" he exclaimed "Let's not forget that we've left that idiotic Andrew in charge of a whole building full of girls that are all vastly stronger than he is, the pillock"

Nope, somethings never changed.

- - - - - - - - - -

It was several hours since the gang had arrived back at 'Slayer Central' as the building was affectionately known. Faith had been in the room she shared with Robin for most of that time, holding her letter from Angel in her hands. At first she'd been worried about opening it, afraid of what it might say. After she'd finally plucked up the courage she'd read it through several times, both smiling and crying as she imagined him saying the words to her. She'd meant to go and visit, God dammit! Now it was too late. He'd always been there for her and she'd been awful to him, so many times, and yet he always believed in her.

"Hey" said a voice from the door and Faith automatically stopped herself crying, scrubbing the tear tracks from her face with the back of her hand, "We've talked about this before" Robin frowned as he came to the room and sat beside her on the bed, "You're allowed to cry, it doesn't make you look weak to me, I love you no matter what"

She smiled at that and gladly let him hold her.

"I know" she sighed, "After five years you'd think I would, but I spent too long hiding it and...this brought back memories y'know" she said, waving the letter in her hand.

Robin wasn't really sure what he should say. He barely knew Angel and had never really been eager to. He was a demon after all, just another vampire, made worse by the fact he helped in the siring of Spike who'd been his poor mothers downfall. Still he'd meant a lot to Faith and he wasn't about to say anything derogatory within her hearing.

"He understood me" the young woman in his arms said softly, a tone she'd only learnt since Robin had come into her life, showing her what it was to be a person who could love and who was loved, "For a while I thought he was the only one who could...but then there was you" she smiled a little more as she looked up at him, "You get me somehow, and you love me in a way he never could've" she told him, "I guess what I'm trying to say is, him dying kinda made me realise just how important some stuff is, like you and me, and one other thing..."

"Whats the other thing?" Robin asked curiously as she looked away. When she looked back she was smiling again.

"Is this a good time to mention that I'm having your kid?"

- - - - - - - - - -

"Well, that's everything, the whole operation" Buffy told Spike as they entered the bedroom, having done the entire tour of the building "And this is my room, or our room now I guess" the Slayer amended with a smile, one the vampire did not return.

"It's nice, luv" he said quickly when her smile disappeared. Everything should be perfect and happy now, but what she'd said on the plane, the dream she'd had, it was bothering him.

"Spike" she said, coming back across the room towards him, "You've been weird since the plane. Tell me what's wrong" she put her arms around his waist and searched his face for something, any clue as to why he was acting differently.

"It's nothing really" he shrugged, putting his hands on her shoulders, "I'm just being a stupid git" he told her, placing a kiss on her forehead before walking away and dropping himself onto the bed. He laid on his back with his arms folded behind his head, his eyes closed so he didn't have to see her giving him that look, the one that said she knew he was lying.

"I know when something's bothering you" she told him, arms folded over her chest, he could see the stance behind his eyes, didn't have to actually look. He opened one eye for a moment, a smirk on his face as he spoke.

"You expect me to believe you tell me every single thing that bothers you?" he challenged, "cos I know for a fact that's bollocks"

"Maybe" she agreed, sitting down heavily on the end of the bed. Spike never played games when it came to emotions. That was her job, she remembered with some remorse. So why was he being like this now? She decided the only way to make him confess was to tell him the one thing that had been niggling in the back of mind since a few days ago when they'd admitted their love for each other.

"When was the last time you saw Drusilla?" she blurted out, watching him carefully as his eyes opened fast. To his credit he didn't look too shocked.

"Three years ago" he said without emotion, not even bothering to ask why she wanted to know. He was almost certain he knew anyway. The main 'competition' as it were between the two of them had been Angel and Dru. Now one was gone, but there seemed to be a small part of the Slayer that worried his first love might return and spoil things.

"You should know better, soppy bint" he said good naturedly, pulling himself up and shifting to sit next to her, "I would never choose her over you" he promised, taking her hand in his and kissing it, "I proved that when I staked her" he added much more quietly, looking down at their joined hands and then back up at Buffy's face. Shocked was a understatement.

"Buffy, I'm not gonna deny Dru meant a lot to me" he tried to explain "I have to thank her at least for making me what I am, and letting me be around long enough to meet you, but when she turned up in LA, even crazier than before, me and Angel knew something had to be done"

"Wow" was all the Slayer could find to say.

"This been on your mind long?" he asked and she nodded slightly, feeling bad for not sharing his own worries or noticing that something was bothering her.

"Y'know you were right before" he admitted, "Something you said on the plane, when you were half asleep...just made me think is all" he told her, pushing her hair out of her face.

"I don't remember" she frowned, making him laugh in spite of himself.

"That would be because you weren't awake pet" he pointed out. He turned serious again as he continued to explain, "You told me you had a dream, and we were on the beach...in the sun"

"Oh Spike" she interrupted him, "That doesn't mean anything!" the Slayer protested, "I love you, really love you. It was just a dream I don't care about all that"

"It's sweet of you, luv" he smiled, "but it's a pack of bleedin' lies" he told her simply, "We're not going to have a normal life, Slayer, not ever. No sunshine or patter of tiny feet, I can't give you any of that..."

"Ssh" she hushed him, putting a finger to his lips as tears formed in her eyes, "All I want you to give me is yourself, Spike" she told him, "The rest of it, it doesn't matter. I used to think it did but...I guess it wasn't just the gang who grew up, it was me too" she smiled, leaning in to kiss him. It was a sweet promise that they both understood and when they pulled away just a little, foreheads still touching, they were both smiling.

"If we can make this work, luv, it'll be a bloody miracle" he told her, making her laugh lightly. It was a kind of joke though there was something serious beneath it.

"Stranger things have happened" she reasoned, many crazy events from her life springing to mind, until Spike leaned in to kiss her again, ensuring she was thinking of nothing but him.

"Okay guys, that's enough for today" Buffy told the room full of young Slayers, as she grabbed a towel from behind her and dabbed some sweat off her body. The young Slayers cleared out of the room, chatting animatedly about what they'd learnt as Buffy moved towards the door.

"Lurk much?" she smirked at the guy she found leaning there.

"Not lurking" he told her, "Just admiring the view" he grinned suggestively, letting his eyes travel up and down her toned body in tight, skimpy clothes.

"You are a very bad man" she giggled, leaning in to kiss him long and hard.

One of the young Slayers passing by in the corridor whistled at the scene. Spike pulled away from Buffy and pointed a finger at the brunette who giggled with her friends.

"And you can mind your own til you learn to punch properly without sticking out your elbow" he told her, making her blush and run away. He'd been teaching classes of girls along with Buffy, Faith, Wood and the others for the past few months now.

It didn't seem to matter to the young Slayers that he was a vampire. They understood he was on their side, and everyone knew that several of them thought he was the hottest guy they'd ever seen. Sometimes Buffy had to admit, she felt a little jealous. They were all so much younger and prettier than her, but she knew it was always her bed that Spike came to at night, always her he professed eternal love for.

They were completely lost in each other right there in the corridor when Xander came clattering towards them with Willow on his heels.

"Guys!" he yelled, earning twin looks of annoyance from both Slayer and vampire, "Sorry to break up the party but, Faith's water just broke right in the middle of the first floor gym" he said none to delicately.

"Bloody hell!" the blondes cursed in unison as they belted off down the corridor.

By the time they got there, Dawn was already instructing Faith to push. It seemed unfair somehow that a Slayer with all her stamina and powers should have such a short labour, but much like his mother this baby was eager to get out into the world and start living.

The whole gang witnessed the arrival of Nicholas William Wood, since Faith and Robin's engagement had been announced not long after her pregnancy and the wedding day was set for in a few months time.

"Our little Nicky Liam" the dark-haired Slayer proudly held her child for all to see, Robin at her side with tears evident in his eyes.

The gang decided a few moments later that the new family should have a little privacy and they filtered out and back to there respective rooms.

"You coming Spike?" Buffy asked when he was the only one not to follow up the stairs.

"In a minute, luv" he assured her, "You go on and just give us a sec, I fancy a smoke"

"Okay" she nodded, disappearing up the steps and leaving him alone.

Spike wandered through the building and out of the back door, peering up at the star studded London sky. He lit his cigarette, pocketing the lighter, before leaning back against the wall and blowing the smoke out in a long plume.

So much had happened to him in his unlife, the last decade being the greatest of all. From enemies to friends to lovers and back round again, him and the Slayer seemed to be on a merry-go-round of knives for a while there, too much pain for it to ever be worth it. But in the end, it had been, to get to where they were now.

Spike fitted here, more than he ever had anywhere else. Even Giles and Xander had come to accept him as part of the gang, and as much as it pained both of them, even he and Wood were civil to each other. He was trusted and wanted here, and loved by a woman he knew deep down he could never really deserve.

"But I've got you to thank for a lot of this, haven't I?" he said towards the stars, "For more than one reason, I have to say thankyou...you great poof" he smirked playfully as he flicked his spent cigarette to the ground and stubbed it out with his boot.

"Rest in peace, mate" he said with a small salute to the sky, before heading inside to his love, "Rest in peace"

- The End -