Torrid Immortality

Title: Testing Ideals

Authors: Amber Kupy and Daquiri Seffib

Email: amber_daquiri@hotmail.com

Rating: NC-17

Summery: Continuation of our series, we part from cannon here. The gang goes to Xander and Anya’s wedding.

Spoilers: Up until ‘Hells Bells’

Pairing: B/S

Disclaimer: We don't own the characters, we're just borrowing them.

Authors’ Notes: We’re so very, very, very, very, very, very, very sorry this part took so long in coming out, life interfered in both amazingly good and terrifyingly horrible ways, but everything worked out for the best. We do have the rest of the series planned out, only two, maybe three more chapters to go. We promise that they will be out as fast as we can write them.

We love feedback! Tell us what you think at amber_daquiri@hotmail.com

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Giles stormed out of the church, furious. How could she have got involved with yet another bloodsucking vampire? This was beyond the pale. Although he hadn’t smoked in years, right then, he desperately longed for a fag.

The worst part was that Buffy hadn’t even looked apologetic, or the slightest bit guilty. She had been standing with Spike, their clothing rumpled and in disarray, Spike’s arm curled possessively around her petite waist, and she hadn’t even looked sorry.

He had only been gone for a couple of months, and his Slayer had once again found herself a totally inappropriate lover. Although Giles managed to remain civil in her presence, the clear fact that Buffy and Spike were making the eight-legged aardvark turned Giles’ stomach, however much he might try to pretend otherwise.

Giles stopped his manic pacing to remove his glasses and clean them with the handkerchief from his breast pocket. There were only a handful of people outside, apparently refugees from the festivities desperate to escape the drunken melee.

“Dude, you really oughta relax,” said a blonde haired girl with dark sunglasses who was sitting on the steps of the church, inhaling deeply on a home-rolled cigarette.

The girl was dressed entirely in black, save for the flannel shirt tied around her waist. She was smoking something that smelled remarkably similar to the wacky tobacky.

“How can I relax when my Slayer is behaving in a thoroughly irresponsible manner?” Giles demanded, too overwrought to monitor his words.

The girl shrugged, “What can you do? It’s her life, and the more you freak the further you push her away from you.” She inhaled deeply from her suspiciously hand-rolled cigarette.

Giles sank heavily onto the step beside her. “You don’t understand what the girl has done. She’s aligned herself with the most inappropriate of influences.” Absent-mindedly, the girl offered the distraught Watcher her smoke.

Automatically he accepted her offering, instinctively drawing the smoke deeply into his lungs and holding it there for several long beats before exhaling. Giles’ eyes watered as he manfully tried to suppress the urge to cough.

“The worst of it is that she doesn’t see how bad he is for her. He’ll ruin her, hesn’tsn’t know how to treat her, look after her,” the Watcher once again brought the half finished smoke to his lips. “He’ll lead her astray, to the dark.”

Giles could feel eyes assessing him from behind the dark glasses. Suddenly he wondered why he was even telling this women his woes. Never before had he truly unburdened himself about his Slayer to another. Taking another hit from the J, he figured it was the exhaustion that had loosened his tongue.

"I know she thinks I'm too hard on her," he found himself saying. "But I'm so scared of loosing her again. And I don't ever want to see her hurt the way she was with Angel. That stupid git." Giles took another puff and handed the smoke back to the woman. God, it felt good to smoke again. He missed having a cigarette in his hands. Even if this was just a kissing cousin of his fondly-remembered fags.

"So, you're pretty sure you know what's best for her, huh?" the woman's tone was both sarcastic and laid-back at the same time. "Parents always think they know what's best for their kids. Really, not so much." With that bit of philosophical wisdom she took another hit off the fatty.

"She's not really mine," Giles explained, enunciating carefully. "But I do love her like a daughter. I just-- I want her to be happy."

"Is she happy now? 'Cause from the way you're acting it sounds like she's happy, but you're not happy about how got got her happy." Bringing the home-grown to her lips once more, the blonde inhaled deeply, holding the smoke for several seconds before coughing it out with deep racking coughs. With a half sheepish, half self-mocking look, she passed the roach over to Giles.

Giles sighed and took another lungful. "He is evil. But I suppose she is--" he paused to cough, "-- more than capable of taking care of herself." He leaned back on the steps, eying the glowing tip thoughtfully.

And she had seemed happy. There had been a look in her eyes that Giles had never seen before. One of peace, contentment and fun. Even at the start with Angel it had been dark, and when Angel had come back there had always been pain. And with Riley, Giles knew that Buffy had held herself back. 'Silly Pillock hadn't had the stones to stand back and let Buffy answer her calling,' thought Giles as he took a final hit and passed the tiny roach back to the black-clad woman beside him.

The woman took it back carefully, pinching it between her fingertips with practised ease to take another drag. Her shirt, he noticed, read 'I'm not anti-social, I just don't like you.’ He grinned.

'Spike would like that shirt,' he found himself thinking. Dear Lord, he was picking out clothing for Spike. He knew what Spike's tastes were. Giles chuckled. Maybe it would be alright after all. He thought back to the changes Spike had gone through the last few years. How devastated they had all been - but most especially Spike - when Buffy had died. And how hard the transition back to life had been for Buffy. But finally, she seemed to have turned a corner, and so had Spike, perhaps together they were what was meant to be. And they seemed happy.

"So dude, you come to a decision?" The woman had pulled out a black suede pouch and was putting the extinguished roach into an Altoids container. "You gonna to let her live her own life?"

"Perhaps I have," he said, taking off his glasses and polishing them with extra intent. "Though... the pain of my decision might be better handled with some more of your, um, hand-rolled fags."

With a devilish smile the blond pulled out a smaller pouch from inside the black suede pouch and sparked another joint.

----

Anya was getting impatient. Xander was just sitting there, staring into space with a disturbingly vacant expression. She had a feeling that he hadn't heard a word she'd been saying.

After Giles had left the room, Buffy had mumbled something about make-up and fled, Spike close on her heels. Willow had stormed out after Xander had asked her if there were any more “fix Buffy” spells she wanted to share with the rest of the class. Evil and hurt looks from Tara and Dawn respectively had instantly made him felt ashamed, but they too had stormed out too fast for him to repair the damage.

"Xander, have you heard a word I've said?" she asked at last, exasperated. He looked up at her, with the kind of dazed expression usually worn by people just returned from a combat zone, then shook his head and scowled.

"God, what the hell is she thinking. Spike? Couldn’t have gone for a non-demony guy?” Xander was livid. Buffy was throwing away her new life. "What's with her and the undead any way? Us humans not good enough for her?"

"What do you mean, 'us humans'?" Anya asked. She held up her left hand and wriggled her fingers, pointing meaningfully to the newly-added wedding ring. "Lof pof perfectly nice people aren't human. And anyway, just because a person used to be a certain way doesn't mean they can't change."

"But it's Spike, he'll just go all evil and kill us all in our sleep. He doesn't have a soul, he can't be trusted. He'll just use Buffy, like he did the bot. Once he gets what he wants, we're all dead."

"Oh, please." Anya rolled her eyes. "If Spike wanted Buffy dead, or any of us dead, all he had to do was not step in to save our lives any one of those times when he did. Save our lives, I mean. Besides, Spike is already having sex with Buffy and we're all still alive. Some of us are alive enough to be going on a honeymoon and having sex of our own."

Xander opened his mouth as though he were about to argue, but then he looked at his new wife's expression and apparently thought better of it. He let out a sigh, "It's just that I want her to be happy, as happy as we are."

“That’s nice honey, but you can’t force people to feel, or not feel their feelings. Well… unless you cast a spell - there are a lot of spells that change emotions. I once cast the vengeance spell for a woman who caught her boyfriend making out with her cousin, that caused the guy to feel overwhelming sadness every time he got aroused. For the rest of his life, every time he saw an attractive woman he would burst into tears.”

An indulgent smile crossed Xander’s face, “Okay, Anh, I do get that I can’t make Buffy feel what I want her to. You can stop with the shop talk now. I just hope she’s happy with her choice.”

Reaching for his hand Anya gave it a squeeze, "Good. I agree with that. I want her to be happy too. Now that we've settled that, how about we go back out and dance some more, before it's time to leave and have sex?"

----

"Willow, Willow, wait up. He, he didn't mean that, he's just shocked. We were all just very, very, shocked." Tara had caught up to the redhead by the time she had finished talking.

"Why does everyone look at me when things like this happen?" Willow asked, indignant. "I mean, sure, there was that time with the wedding spell, but that was the only time. And I'm clean now. I would never have anything to do with, with, with that!" She pointed through the crowd to where Buffy and Spike could be seen on the far side of the room, standing very close together, gazing at each other. "Just look at them! They're all with the snuggly and the looks and the 'us and them' attitude, and it's just not right. It's very not right."

Tara crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. "You mean, with the looking happy and contented? No, that can't be right. Being in love is just terrible."

"I don't know, it's Spike, it's wrong. Isn't it?" Willow had meant it as a statement, but it came out as a question.

"Will, how can being happy, being in love, be wrong?" The crowd parted again, and on the other side of the room, Spike was slipping his arm around Buffy's waist. The Slayer's blond head was nestled into the vampire's shoulder. Both girls were openly watching the two blondes, how well they fit together, how well they moved together. Spike must have said something that startled Buffy, as she pulled far enough out of his embrace to look in his eyes. The vampire winked at the Slayer and she dissolved into giggles.

"Wow," whispered the redhead, as if even from thirty feet away she could break the spell, "I don't think I ever rber ber hearing Buffy do that with a guy before. Sure with me, when we were in high school we giggled all the time, but it's been a long time, years, since I've heard her do that."

Tara looked back at Willow and smiled. "I don't have all the big answers about what's right and what isn't, Will. But look how cute they are." She held Willow's gaze for a long beat, then looked away, blushing furiously.

Tentatively Willow went to take Tara's hand, as soon as their hands touched their fingers interlaced.

"Tara I--"

"Will!" Xander appeared out of nowhere, putting his hand on the redhead's shoulder and breaking the moment. "There you are. I was looking for you."

Without thought, Tara took a step forward, placing herself between Xander and her former lover. Enough had been said and done today to hurt others. It was supposed to be a time of joy and Tara didn't want to see any more painful memories created.

"Xander," she started, but Xander shook his head.

"Wills, I owe you the hugest apology. I know you're Squeaky-Clean Girl. It\ust ust that somehow you falling off the wagon was easier to handle at that moment then the thought of Buffy and Spike naked together. Oh, God," he paled as once again memories of the peroxide blonde doing 'push ups' entered his brain.

"It's okay, Xan - I kinda wigged too, with the whole idea of togetherness of Buffy and Spike with the nakedness, but I think it's a good thing. Well, the togetherness. Trying not to think about the nakedness."

"Why not? He has a great body," Anya had come up behind Xander. She was looking at the pair on the dance floor, who had given up all pretense of dancing and were just gazing into each others' eyes, swaying slightly, and smiling slightly.

"Anya!" Xander tried to sound scandalized, but he only managed a girly squeak.

"What? It's true." She looked to the other women for support. "He's hot. Just because they're gay, doesn't mean they don't look."

"She-she's right, he is kinda good-looking," Tara added tentatively.

Anya nodded. "Remember the time last summer when his shirt ripped?" All three girls stood still, happy smiles on their faces.

Xander groaned and covered his eyes. "For the love of god, Ahn, please don't ever say anything like that ever again. Trying to preserve what little is left of my sanity here."

"Whoa, am I missing something?" Dawn appeared suddenly from the hallway behind them. "What's with the big group huddle? Has anyone seen my sister? Kim is here and wants me to sleep over at her place tonight."

The appearance of Dawn instantly shut down all talk of nakedness. Following the gazes of the other girls, Dawn saw her sister and her protector together, in their own little world. “Oh man - are they at it again? The other day it took me five minutes to get Buffy’s attention. All they do is look at each other, or if I’m not in the room, make out. I could open the Hellmouth next to them and they wouldn’t notice.”

“Umm, Dawnie, I know I’ve been out of the Scooby loop – hell, the world loop - lately, but how long have they been together?” Willow was slowly trying to piece together what had been going on in her best friend’s life. ‘Some best friend I’ve been,’ the ex-witch thought. ‘I somehow missed like the most anti-Buffy relationship, ever.’

shr shrugged, "A while. I don't know." She paused. "She did say something about the day I, um, got my arm broken. So I guess it's been a while, yeah." She slid delicately past mention of Willow's role in the arm-breaking incident, but Willow stiffened at the mention all the same.

"Wow. I knew they had been together for a bit, but, wow, way longer then I thought." The group turned to stare at Tara. "Umm, I-I said that out loud didn't I?"

"You, you knew about the nakedness?" the lone male asked, still unable to get away from the nudity.

"Yeah, but-but, it was just..." the shy girl trailed off, unable and unwilling to tell them more. "It's not my story. When Buffy is ready, she'll tell all of you, I'm sure."

"Anyway, they've only started bringing it inside just lately,” interjected Dawn, trying to get the attention of her friend. “And wow, do they bring it inside." She rolled her eyes. "I watch TV. Downstairs.lly lly loudly. Sometimes with my walkman on. But it’s better inside, less grass stains on the clothes.”

"So you're okay with this?" Xander asked, trying very hard *not* to wrap his head around the idea.

“Sure, why not? They’re perfect for each o. Sp. Spike has been into Buffy since forever. And Buffy knows that Spike has her back and will never leave her. They fight and snip at each other still, but it’s okay, because they make up in the end.”

Again the crowd parted, and like sun coming out from behind storm clouds the pair in question was revealed. Sometime during all the talking they had moved closer. The pale vampire brought his hand up to caress the petite blonde’s golden cheek. The Slayer turned her head into his palm, like the most delicate of flowers seeking its life-sustaining essence from the sun. The glow of love that radiated from the former Big Bad was no less powerful or brilliant than the sun’s own rays.

"Pet," Spike said softly, hating to break the moment, "We appear to have an audience."

Looking up, Buffy noticed the Scoobies watching them. "I guess it's time to go and face the music."

Spike nodded, reluctantly loosening his arms around her to let her move away from him, letting his hand slip down to clasp hers. Still holding hands, fingers intertwined, they turned to go over to the others.

Nervously, Buffy and Spike approached the Scoobies. Pulling herself together under a mask of defiance, Buffy scanned their faces for the condemnation she was sure was coming.

"Before you guys say anything, I want you to know that I get that you're not happy about this, but please, trust me to make my own decisions." Though she sounded confident, Spike knew otherwise, due to the nearly crushed bones of his hand in her grip.

Tara cleared her throat and nudged her ex-lover, who stepped forward. "Buffy, we want to say we're sorry," Willow said.

Buffy paused, taken by surprise. "Gee, thanks, Will, but really, I know that this is a big shock..."

"Actually, we weren't going to be with the judgementy type stuff." Willow looked from the pair in front of her to her friends surrounding her. "We think it's good that you, you know, found some one who you can be happy with."

"And we think that Spike is a good looking male who will give you may orgasms,” Anya chimed in. Buffy made a choking sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a cough. Spike’s look was a comical cross between pride, horror and embarrassment.

"Um, thanks," Buffy managed, when she could breathe again. Idly, the Slayer wondered if they'd believe that her face was red because of the coughing. Probably not.

"What Anya meant to say was, we're happy that you're happy," Xander said hastily, looking as though he were trying to find the "Delete" key inside his head.

"Right then, Whelp, shouldn't you be taking your new wife off somewhere to shag her. Far, far away?" Spike suggested. The microscope that was being turned on them was less than comfortable. What Spike really wanted was to take his love back on the dance floor for a few more songs, before trying to pawn Nibblet off on the shy Wicca so he and Buffy could go home and make love. He had plans for that night, questions of his own to ask about where they were heading.

"Actually, Xander, Spike has a point," Anya said, looking at her watch. "We have a plane to catch. And family members to find taxis for. And presents to put in our apartment so that we may unwrap them when we return from our honeymoon. We really should get going."

As the gang walked towards the entrance where the wedding guests had been gathering to wish the couple well, a hand grabbed Buffy's arm. Looking over the blonde saw her best friend, smiling slightly. "So, Buffy, tomorrow we are going to sit down and make with the sharing, right? Though not too much sharing, just enough sharing that I know, but not so much that I KNOW, know, you know. And I should really stop talking now. Why doesn't any one stop me when I do that?"

Buffy couldn't help laughing, as much with relief as with amusement.

"You were on a roll, Red,” Spike told her. “Besides, I think it's right entertaining the way you go on. Never know what's going to pop out of your mouth from one moment to the next." Willow looked at the vampire who was in love with her best friend. While he had his tmarkmark smirk on, she could also see genuine laughter in his vibrant blue eyes.

"There willsharsharing," Buffy promised. "Much sharing. Share-o-rama. Um, but not share-a-palooza." As Spike watched the girls chatting and giggling, the Slayer seemed to get a spring in her step. Almost as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. And in a way it had -- as much as Spike had wanted to come out into the open about their connection, he had feared that the pressure of her friends’ contemptuousness and disdain of their feelings for each other might have put a strain on their relationship.

The crowd briefly separated the blonde couple from the rest of the group. Taking a moment, Spike placed a quick kiss on Buffy’s forehead. “I love you, Slayer,” he told her in a low voice. “You are brave, and loving, and wonderful.” The tail end of the peroxide blonde’s statement was overheard by both Willow and Tara, who exchanged hesitant, understanding smiles before turning towards the newly weds, blushing furiously.

As they approached the door to the hall, Xander and Anya were intercepted by a knot of relatives. Buffy paused, looking from Xander to the door. "I need some fresh air," she told Willow and Tara. "Do you wanna come with, or...?"

Willow looked indecisive for a moment. Tara leaned in to whisper something in her ear, and she started blushing all over again, her expression somewhere between a delighted smile and a valiant attempt at straight face.

Um, you know what?" Willow told Buffy, "You guys go ahead. Tara and I are going to stay here, and um, get some of the little packets of bird seed ready to throw when they leave." Shyly the ex-witch turned to her ex-lover, "I could use a hand... you know, if you want."

"Sure, Willow, I-I'd be happy to help." Together the girls left, shooting glances back and forth the whole time.

Dawn took advantage of the opportunity to press her case. “Buffy, Karen invited me to sleep over, and I sorta already told her yes. So I can right?” From the way her sister and Spike were looking at each other, Dawn figured she was going to be allowed to stay over all weekend. Which was totally cool, since Karen’s older brother was home for the weekend from college. So what if he was eighteen - he was human, that had to count for something.

"Sure, Dawnie, as long as it's alright with her mother. And you go to bed at a reasonable time. And you do your homework. And you are not going to sneak out of the house to make out with vampires."

“Geeze, Buffy, that was like one time. How many times have you done that, in like the last week?” Seeing her sister start to change her mind, Dawn rushed on, “Besides, we have an English project that’s due in like three weeks so we’re going to work on that.”

"Fine, do I have her number? If anything starts to wig you out, just let me know, we'll be right over," Buffy said, trying not to sound too overprotective. Despite the fact that Glory was gone, there were so many other creatures of the night that would just love to snack on her little sister.

“Thanks Buffy, you’re the best,” Dawn said excitedly. “Karen’s number is on the fridge, just like all the other numbers that you need. I’m going to go and find her, her mom was almost ready to go.”

“Oi, Nibblet, is that chit’s older brother going to be there?” Dawn had talked of no other boys besides Karen’s brother all summer. That wanker was much too old for his little girl.

"I don't think so," Dawn lied, trying to sound casual. Spike narrowed his eyes and she added hastily, "Oh look, there's Karen, gotta run." She tried to rush off, but Spike caught her arm.

“Even if you weren’t a worse liar then your big sis, I can hear your heartbeat, Bite-Sized. It doesn’t lie.”

"Buffy, your boyfriend is creepy, and I'm leaving." With that, Dawn flounced off to meet her friend.

“Nibblet—“

“Let her go, Spike, she’s growing up. Plus I put the fear of... well, me, into Scott the last time I was over there to get Dawn.” With an evil smile Buffy once again started for the door.

“Cor luv, you never cease to amaze me. So what did you threaten to do? Don’t spare any of the details.”

A giggle escaped the Slayer’s lips as she and Spike exited the church.


Outside, the sun had set some time ago, ushering in a warm California evening. As the door swung shut behind them, Spike turned to face Buffy, slipping his arms around her. Buffy tilted her face up to him, and they shared a long, eloquent look.

With a gentle movement, Spike brought his hand up to gently caress Buffy's golden cheek. He slowly bent his hand and found his love's rose petal-soft lips meeting him half way.

"Not so bad, was it, love?" Spike asked softly. Buffy smiled a little, and shook her head.

"No, no it wasn't. I'm lucky to have friends who love me enough to give me the benefit of the doubt.” She smiled softly at him, then remembered something. "Spike, who were those girls you were with at the bar?"

"What, them? You remember those odd dufromfrom when we went to the pictures a while back? That was them. They were bloody unnerving to talk to. Knew more information then they should have, but it was all right in the end."

"Did they judge you again?" the Slayer asked, giggling. She couldn't seem to stop these small giggles.

"Ha-bleeding-ha Slayer. I'll have you know--" Whatever Spike would have had her know was cut of by a racking cough. It sounded as if someone was trying to clean their lungs by first expelling them from their body.

“Who's there?" Buffy asked. It was surprisingly dark with the hall door closed. The parking lot street light faded out halfway across the street.

"You all right there?"

The voice from the dark sound vaguely familiar, but neither Slayer nor Vampire could place it.

"Yeah," came a hoarse reply of a woman followed by some more coughing. "No matter how many times I do this, I still cough like a freak. Feel free to laugh at me. I laugh at me about it."

“S'alright, I do the same thing." There was a moment of silence, followed by more coughing. Something clicked into place in Buffy's head.

“Giles?” she asked, surprised. “Is that you?”

A few feet away, on the edge of the steps, someone fired up a cigarette lighter, waving it in Buffy and Spike's general direction. The flicker of light was enough for Buffy to see that it was indeed her former Watcher, leaned comfortably back on his elbows, head lolling back to look up at the sky. An unfamiliar woman, dressed entirely in black, was sitting on the steps beside him. The woman was handing Giles a small, hand-rolled cigarette.

“Buffy!" he said delighted, tilting his head in her general direction. "Come, sit down."

"Giles, are you... smoking?" Buffy asked in disbelief. “I thought you only smoked when you ate wiggy chocolate bars. You didn't, did you? Eat a drugged chocolate bar I mean."

Giles looked offended. "Of course not. Although, now that you mention it, a spot of chocolate would be just the thing... you don't happen to have any to hand, do you?"

Spike stared at the Slayer incredulously. How did she not know? "Luv, do my smokes smell like that?" he asked her.

Buffy's look was black - why was he asking how his cigarettes smelled?

The woman in black saved Spike the trouble of explaining. Not one to be stingy, the stranger passed her hand-rolled to Spike. "Take a hit, it's not the best stuff in the world, but really it's okay."

It finally hit Buffy then what they were smoking. Spike had the joint almost to his lips before the Slayer grabbed his hand. “Pot?!” her head turned back and forth between her lover and her mentor. “You’re smoking pot?”

"Well yeah, luv. What did you think?" Spike asked, surprised that it had taken her so long to figure it out. "Don't they do some kind of show and tell in school these days?"

“Spike, I had way more important things to worry about in school than drugs. Anyway that's not the point." Turning back to the man sprawled out before her, she demanded, "Giles how could you? You're... well, Giles."

Spike took advantage of the opportunity to extract his hand from Buffy’s grip and take a quick hit giving its owner a nod of thanks.

"Mister, if you didn't think I saw that, you have another think coming," Buffy said. Guiltily Spike handed the roach back to the woman.

“Is this the girl you were talking about, with the boyfriend you don’t like?” The woman in black looked at the pair, then back at her new smoking buddy.

“Rupert, you don’t like me?” Spike said in mock surprise. “Why, I’m shocked, shocked to my very core. No wait, I’m not.” Although his trademark smirk was firmly in place, Buffy could hear the hurt he was trying to hide.

So, apparently, could Giles, who said hastily, “No, no old man, ‘snothing like that. It’s just my little girl, I know I told her she had to grow up, but I don’t think I was quite ready for her to really do it.”

Buffy looked at Giles in surprise. "So, you're not mad?" she asked, momentarily forgetting her shock over the pot-smoking.

"No, not really. I was shocked at first, horrified, slightly ill at the sight before me--"

"Move it along, watcher, we get the word picture."

"Well, right, anyway, once I had time to calm down, talk things out with this nice young woman here, I came to realize that what's important to me is that Buffy is happy," Giles continued. "And I can see that she is."

"She looked pretty happy to me," the woman in black added helpfully as she meticulously packed up her roach in the Altoids box then put it and lighter into her little black suede pouch.

“I am Giles, I truly am. I don’t ever remember feeling this way before,” as she thought about it, she realized that those words were true. She had never felt this happy, this loved, this safe, yet still strong and equal in a relationship. Except once. “The only time I’ve ever felt anything close to this is when Will cast, umm that net, yeah, net and Spike and I were caught in it.” An elbow caught Spike in the stomach as he snorted.

“Net?” the woman on the steps tilted her head as she looked at Buffy from behind dark purple glasses. “Wait, you mean a spell. A spell was cast on you two to fall in love?”

"I told you, you’re a terrible liar, pet." Buffy shivered as Spike's breath caressed her ear and neck.

“Let’s try and focus, which I realize may be harder for some of us than others. You’re okay with this, Giles, with me and Spike?”

“Yes, Buffy. While I may not be dancing for joy over this turn, I think given time I could be ‘okay’, as you put it, with you and Spike.”

“That’s right decent of you Watcher. The Slayer has been in tyin' herself up in knots over what you and the rest of the Scoobies would say when you found out.”

Just then, the doors opened spilling light, noise and laughing people and demons out into the night. Giles and the woman got slowly to their feet.

“It was nice talkin’ with you,” the woman said to Giles. “Any time you want to share, give me a call.” With that, she sauntered off into the growing crowd.

Buffy caught sight of Willow and Tara and headed in their direction. Spike was about to start after her when the Watcher called his name.

“I may be more stoned then I have been since I was sent up from school for smoking in the library, but I want you talk to you man to man. Er, vampire.”

"Yes, yes, Rupert, get on with it -- if I hurt her, stake to the heart and all that." Neither of them thought of the fact that she could hurt him just as badly.

"Well, that's not exactly what I was going to say. Although now that you mention it, that too. But what I wanted to say is, if you ever need help, if she's ever in danger, or in over her head, give me a ring. I'll be on the first flight back to lend a hand."

Stunned, the vampire stared at the man before him, unsure of how to proceed. “Thank you Rupert, I mean that. She’s the most precious thing in the world to me. She’s why I get up every night. I why I fight. I’ll do anything to keep her alive, healthy and happy.”

"See that you do," Giles placed an arm around Spike's lean, muscular shoulders. "My time has come. She doesn't need me any more, and what she does need I can't give her." Together both men looked up to where the Slayer was standing with her friends, wishing Xander and Anya well on their honeymoon.

"You did a fine job with her Rupert, she's an amazing woman." Both men stood and gazed at the stunning woman Buffy Anne Summers had become.

Just maybe, Spike thought, it would be all right after all.

tbc… maybe

If you've made it this far, get help. Therapy, perhaps large quantities of booze and drugs.

Thanks to all at WC...What happens in Vegas becomes LJ icons!


THE CONTINUTITY ERROS WERE ON PURPOSE! FIND THEM GET A PRIZE! (ok, there’s no prize, but see if you can find it in this story and the up coming stories.)